''Direct Hits'' is the first U.K. compilation album and the fourth U.K. LP released by

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

. It collects singles,

B-sides The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

, and album tracks originally recorded for

Reaction Records Reaction Records was an independent British record label, run by music executive Robert Stigwood in 1966 and 1967. Although Reaction released only three albums, one EP and eighteen singles in its brief existence, its roster included two of the ...

and

Track Records Track Record (a.k.a. Track Records) was founded in 1966 in London by Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp, then managers of the rock group The Who. It was one of the first British-owned independent record labels in the United Kingdom. The most succe ...

between 1966 and 1968. Earlier Who recordings from 1965, such as "

My Generation "My Generation" is a song by the English rock band the Who, which became a hit and one of their most recognizable songs. The song was named the 11th greatest song by ''Rolling Stone'' on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It becam ...

", were released in the UK by

Brunswick Records Brunswick Records is an American record label founded in 1916. History From 1916 Records under the Brunswick label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, a company based in Dubuque, Iowa which had been manufacturing produ ...

and were not available for this release due to

music licensing Music licensing is the licensed use of copyrighted music. Music licensing is intended to ensure that the owners of copyrights on musical works are compensated for certain uses of their work. A purchaser has limited rights to use the work without ...

issues. This limitation makes the collection rather unrepresentative of The Who's work for the period. ''Direct Hits'' shares a few songs with the earlier U.S. compilation album '' Magic Bus: The Who on Tour'', but is otherwise unrelated to that release. Strangely, it does not include the song '' Magic Bus'', which had reached #26 on the U.K. singles chart during the summer of 1968. Until the early 1980s this was the only album to include a few Who rarities such as "In the City", "Dogs", and

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

' song "The Last Time."

Release History

Original 1968 U.K. LP copies were released in both stereo and mono. The album did not sell as well as other U.K. Who albums and it was deleted in the 1970s. It was released in

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

in 1985 with a different artwork titled "The Best of The Who". It was also re-issued on vinyl in 1980 in Japan. In 2006 the mono version was made available in the U.S. as a limited edition vinyl re-issue by Classic Records. This release was pressed in regular weight (150 gram) and heavy weight (200 gram) versions. A CD version was released as a limited edition in Japan in 2007, which is one of only a few places with the original mono single version of "I Can See For Miles" on an authorized CD.

Track listing

All songs written by

Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. Townsh ...

except where noted. Side One #"Bucket T" (Altfield, Christian, Torrence) – 2:08 #"

I'm a Boy "I'm a Boy" is a 1966 rock song written by Pete Townshend for the Who. The song was originally intended to be a part of a rock opera called ''Quads'', which was to be set in a future in which parents can choose the sex of their children. The ide ...

" – 2:36 #"

Pictures of Lily "Pictures of Lily" is a single by the British rock band the Who, written by guitarist and primary songwriter Pete Townshend. In 1971, "Pictures of Lily" was included in the Who album '' Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy'', a compilation of previousl ...

" – 2:43 #"Doctor! Doctor!" (Entwistle) – 2:53 #"

I Can See for Miles "I Can See for Miles" is a song by the English rock band the Who, recorded for the band's 1967 album ''The Who Sell Out''. Written by guitarist Pete Townshend, it was the only song from the album to be released as a single. Recording Recorded ...

" – 3:55 #" Substitute" – 3:47 Side Two #" Happy Jack" – 2:11 #" The Last Time" (

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

Keith Richards Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as "Keith Richard", is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-princi ...

) – 2:50 #"In the City" (Entwistle, Moon) - 2:19 #"Call Me Lightning" – 2:19 #"

Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand "Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand" is a song by the English rock band The Who. It was written by Pete Townshend and released on their 1967 album ''The Who Sell Out''. The best known version of the song has an arrangement using acoustic guitar and La ...

" – 2:05 #"

Dogs The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...

" – 3:03

References

{{Authority control 1968 compilation albums The Who compilation albums Track Records compilation albums