The Who - Sparks (Amsterdam 1969)

Pretty good audio from a concert The Who did in Amsterdam on Septembr 29, 1969. The "Sparks" portion begins around the 3:20 mark.

The Who - Sparks (New York 1970)

The quality of the sound is not great for this version of The Who's "Amazing Journey/Sparks," which comes from a concert at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York on June 7, 1970. "Sparks" begins around 3:17.

The Who - Sparks (L.A. Forum 1971)

I'm never disappointed by "Sparks" and that's why it has its own label here on this blog. For the above audio, which comes courtesy of YouTube, let's go back to December 9, 1971 and the L.A. Forum in Los Angeles. The sound is shaky in spots, but that's OK with me. A few interesting spots for Pete Townshend. The first comes between 9 and 13 seconds which he somewhat repeats around 47 seconds. Also, he does something a little different around the 3:27 mark. The above "Sparks" clocks in at around seven minutes and so it is probably one of the longest versions I have heard. Also, John Entwistle's work on this or any "Sparks" should never be discounted, even though Pete and Keith Moon get the most attention on the song.

The Who - Sparks (Madison Square Garden July 31, 2002)

Great memories from a great tour. I was at this show at Madison Square Garden in 2002. Robert Plant was the "opener."

The Who - Amazing Journey/Sparks (Cap Center 1976)

As The Who get set to begin the Tommy section of a concert, Keith Moon introduces "Amazing Journey/Sparks." The "Sparks" portion begins around the 4:42 mark. The song is from a show at the Cap Center on August 3, 1976 in Landover, Maryland.

John Entwistle - Sparks (Isolated Bass)

John Entwistle passed away nine years ago today. A YouTuber posted John's isolated bass on "Sparks" where you can hear some of his mastery.

Roger Daltrey - Amazing Journey/Sparks (2011)

This is a much tamer version of "Amazing Journey/Sparks" then what we are accustomed to, but then again this is Roger Daltrey and his solo band. Yes, I like them and yes, they are very good. But there is no Pete Townshend.

Many people (myself included) feel that the way Roger and his band do it is more like the one that appears on the Tommy album, which I have posted below.

By the way, the above concert was at the Royal Albert Hall in March as part of the TCT Benefit concerts. The "Sparks" section begins around 3:24.

The Who - Amazing Journey/Sparks (Fillmore West 1969)

We've covered the Fillmore East here, so now let's travel to the west coast for the Fillmore West. This version of "Amazing Journey/Sparks" took place at a concert on June 19, 1969. The "Sparks" portion of the song begins around the 3:13 mark.

The Who - Amazing Journey/Sparks (Minneapolis 1969)

The collection of great versions of "Amazing Journey/Sparks" grows with this one from the Guthrie Theater on June 8, 1969 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The Who - Sparks (1979)

Let's go back to December 28, 1979 now and a performance of one of my all-time Who favorites, "Sparks." This one takes place at the Hammersmith Odeon in London. I mentioned in my prior post here about a poll on TheWho.com asking what is your favorite song off of the Tommy album. I think it's safe to say that if I were to declare one song my favorite, "Sparks" would be it.

John Entwistle's Last "Sparks"

The Who did three warmup gigs for the 2002 Teenage Cancer Trust Concert. Two at Portsmouth Guildhall and one at Watford Colloseum. John died on June 27, 2002.

Favorite Song on Tommy Album

TheWho.com has a poll up asking what is your favorite song on Tommy (1969) and so far the results have "Sparks" in front with "Amazing Journey" and "Pinball Wizard" trailing. Other choices are "1921," "I'm Free" and "The Acid Queen."

The question is being asked as Roger Daltrey prepares to perform Tommy with his solo band at next week's TCT Charity Concert. He'll do a warmup show tomorrow night in Bournemouth, U.K. before the charity event on Thursday March 24.

Polls, brackets, etc. are all rubbish to me and my God have we overdone it lately....but that's for another post and another blog. Still, the poll gave me an excuse (as if one is necessary) for me to post The Who performing "Sparks." This one (audio only) is from a concert on May 31, 1976 in front of 80,000 people at the Charlton Athletic Football Ground in London.

The Who - Sparks Live at Leeds

All I need to say about this version of "Sparks" is Live at Leeds and you'll know that this is a legendary performance. The concert was recorded 41 years ago today, February 14, 1970 and released as an album on May 16. Nicknamed the "brown bomber" for its simple album jacket, which resembles a bootleg, the CD was The Who's first live album. Gibson.com has an article here which looks back on the recording of Live at Leeds. For many this is the greatest live album ever and is part of the reason The Who are considered to be such a great live act.

Although one performance does not make or break someone in my opinion, The Who have had decades of great live showings on their resume. Live at Leeds is clearly one of those occasions that The Who were aobve and beyond everyone else.

The Who - Amazing Journey/Sparks 1970 Denmark

So continuing on a thought from my last post that with Roger Daltrey performing Tommy at this year's TCT show and Pete Townshend not taking part, that means that someone else will play "Sparks."

Uh oh, you don't tug on Superman's cape folks! I wonder who Roger has in mind to step in for Pete, could it be Brian May?

So this gave me a reason to post an "Amazing Journey/Sparks" video, which of course I never need any reason to listen to "Sparks."

For this one, we'll travel back to 1970 and Aarhus, Denmark. I don't know how I stumbled upon this one, but I'm glad I did. Although, come to think of it I do consider myself to be a "Sparks" connoisseur so I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised. The "Sparks" portion begins around the 3:15 mark.

Another great version from the "Tommy era!"

The Who - Sparks (Houston 1975)

My first - and definitely not the last - "Sparks" post of 2011. This one goes back to 1975 and The Summit in Houston, Texas, which Roger Daltrey says is his favorite Who concert. As you can see from the video, Keith Moon and Pete Townshend are absolutely on fire. There is a DVD of this concert, but not an "official" one, which is a shame.

The Who - Sparks (Boston 1979)

It's Boston, but not from 2002. Still, it's a solid "Sparks" by The Who in 1979. Kenney Jones mans the drum kit.

The Who - Amazing Journey/Sparks Kansas City 1975

This might as well be called the "holy smokes" version of The Who's "Amazing Journey/Sparks." I never tire of hearing this song, in particular, the "Sparks" section. The above video contains only the audio, but so what? It still is as good as it gets!

The Who - Amazing Journey/Sparks Fillmore East

My search for great versions of "Sparks" takes me back to 1969 - the "Tommy era" - and a performance at the Fillmore East. I think Pete Townshend's guitar is begging for mercy at the end of this one, while Keith Moon absolutely wallops his drum kit.

I also like the video below from Buffalo in 1979. I've mentioned this elsewhere, but Pete does something different from 2:23 to 2:30. He seems to be playing something that sounds very similar to the opening riff of U2's "Where The Streets Have No Name." By the way, that U2 song didn't come out until 1987.

Some day I'd like to upload The Who playing this song in Boston during the 2002 tour. Daltrey shreds the tambourine and an inspired Pete shows why he is absolutely a master of his craft.

One of John Entwistle's Last Sparks

John Entwistle would be celebrating his 66th birthday this Saturday. In remembering the great "Ox" we go back to 2002 when The Who did three warmup gigs in their home country in preparation for an upcoming Teenage Cancer Trust Concert. Two took place at Portsmouth Guildhall and one occurred at Watford Colosseum; the above video is from Portsmouth. John died in the summer of 2002.

The Who Live at Leeds Being Re-Released

The Who will be re-releasing Live at Leeds next month and it will include a concert the band performed the prior night at Hull City Hall. The band's performance at the University of Leeds in early 1970 is legendary and clearly a must for any classic rock fan. The original Leeds album includes blistering performances of "My Generation" and "Summertime Blues" and also one of their best renditions of, yep, you guessed it "Sparks."

The original tapes of the Hull concert which were once thought to have been lost were recently found. More on the album can be found here.

“Hull was a better gig than Leeds. I remember it like it was yesterday, although in retrospect Live At Hull doesn’t really trip off the tongue!” - Roger Daltrey