Double double.(Petra Haden Sings: The Who Sell Out )(Sound Recording Review)

My home does not have air conditioning, so it is hard to sit and listen carefully to a Mahler symphony in the middle of the summer--lighter fare is called for. So, this time around Tom Lyle and I are eschewing the heavy classics and turning our attention instead to some heavy classic rock from the Summer of Love: The Who Sell Out. Our recordings for comparison include the original version by the British rock group (MCA CAD-11268) versus a quirky 2005 release by singer Petra Haden (daughter of Charlie), Petra Haden Sings: The Who Sell Out (Bar None Records BRN-CD-160).

Following our time-tested method, Tom and I have absolutely, positively refrained from discussing these two recordings with each other and have done our listening and writing completely independently. Because this is an odd-numbered issue (not to mention a rather odd comparison), I will lead off with my findings and then Tom will step in and clean up the mess.

KWN: In our previous Double Double, TL started off by saying that he felt a bit guilty for suggesting the work we were comparing. This time around, I must start off by saying that this comparison was my idea; frankly, it was one of those goofy things that seemed like a fun idea at the time but proved to be at least as stupid as it first sounded, and probably more so. What was I thinking?!

When you get down to it, it really makes no sense to compare these two recordings. One is by a rock band, the other by a woman overdubbing her voice to imitate a rock band. One has one of the most explosive drummers in the history of rock wailing on his drum kit, the other has a woman overdubbing her voice to imitate a rock band. One has some driving bass guitar, the other has a woman overdubbing her voice to imitate a rock band.

And when you get down to it, both these recordings are seriously flawed. One has some great songs (e.g., "I Can See for Miles") mingled with fake radio jingles that were already an annoyance after about three listens back in 1967, while the other has a woman overdubbing her voice to imitate a rock band performing fake radio jingles that were already an annoyance back in 1967.

All I can say is that back in 1967, I loved some of the songs from The 14470 Sell Out but found the LP annoying to listen to, largely because of the jingles, and that is pretty well the same story now in 2005. As for Petra Haden Sings: The Who Sell Out I found it annoying from the git-go, and not just because of the jingles. Try as I might, I could not find much to enjoy. I guess I am not called "Ye Grumpy Olde Editor" for ...