Pete Townshend’s ‘Who Came First’ Getting 45th Anniversary Reissue
Pete Townshend's first solo album will mark its 45th anniversary by returning to stores with a second disc of bonus material that includes previously unreleased tracks.
MusicTAP, working from a product listing at Amazon's U.K. store, brings word of the pending plans to reissue Townshend's Who Came First LP. Originally released in October 1972, the album marked the Who guitarist and songwriter's official solo debut, and collected an assortment of recordings that included demos for the band's aborted Lifehouse project.
According to the label, the 45th anniversary Who Came First reissue, which is scheduled for an April 13 arrival, will add "eight previously unreleased tracks, new edits, alternative versions and live performances," as well as restored and expanded packaging that includes new liner notes from Townshend, the poster included in the original release and a 24-page booklet containing rare photos from the period that produced the album.
The track listing hasn't been made available for this edition, but as fans are likely well aware, this isn't the first time Who Came First has been given the reissue treatment. Rykodisc brought the album to CD with bonus tracks in the early '90s, and it was subsequently expanded further in 2006, after Universal took over the catalog. Between those two editions, nine extra cuts have already been added to the original track listing, so if nothing else, it should be interesting to see what else has been unearthed for this latest expansion.
Meanwhile, his contributions to the new Who Came First booklet notwithstanding, Townshend is in the midst of a quiet spell. As he announced late last year, he's enjoying a yearlong sabbatical following his marriage to longtime partner Rachel Fuller.