The Who's Lifehouse is considered one of the great "lost albums" along with The Beach Boys' SMiLE. A ton of ink has been dedicated to it, including blogs, websites, chapters of books, etc. I won't go into the story concept of the Lifehouse rock opera—it's all rather convoluted if you ask me.
The general consensus is that Lifehouse was originally supposed to be a double album that was eventually whittled down to a single, Who's Next. The debate over what songs were cut has gone on for years, and Pete Townsend hasn't helped much as he's contradicted himself in several interviews.
I myself have constructed a double album version that I like. But one day I was considering what to do with the many leftovers that were still lying about and it dawned on me: What if the group decided, Fuck it! Let's put everything we've recorded on the album. "Tommy" was a double album. How do you top that? Put out a triple album! It was the '70s, a decade of excess, self-indulgence and overblown productions. Besides, if George Harrison could release a triple album the previous year, and both The Clash and Frank Sinatra could release one in 1980, why couldn't The Who in 1971?
SIDE A
1. Baba O'Riley
2. When I was a Boy
3. Now I'm a Farmer
4. Goin' Mobile
5. Time is Passing
SIDE B
1. Love Ain't for Keeping
2. My Wife
3. Water
4. Bargain
5. Greyhound Girl
SIDE C
1. Baba M1
2. Teenage Wasteland
3. Too Much of Anything
4. Young Man Blues
SIDE D
1. Mary
2. Baby Don't You Do It
3. Behind Blue Eyes
4. I Don't Even Know Myself
SIDE E
1. Baba M2
2. Pure and Easy
3. Naked Eye
4. Getting in Tune
SIDE F
1. Let's See Action
2. Won't Get Fooled Again
3. The Song is Over
Sides A, C and E each begin with the synthesizer pieces that originally all made up a 30-minute version of "Baba O'Riley." I think beginning every other side with this unifies the album. Likewise, "Teenage Wasteland" reprises "Baba O'Riley," and of course, "The Song is Over" reprises "Pure and Easy." These selections weave this album together, and they kind of go along with "The Grid" idea of the Lifehouse storyline.
Can you imagine the impact of this magnum opus on the rock music scene if it had been released in 1971? Would it be hailed as a masterwork, or derided as too much of a good thing?
Most of these tracks are available on the expanded version of Who's Next. Other tracks can be had on Townsend's Lifehouse Chronicles box set. The Who's expanded Odds and Sods compilation is another source.
The album cover is from www.idesignalbumcovers.com -- a great website to wander through.
