In celebration of their 50th anniversary, The Who will be releasing a two disc collection of their greatest hits from over the course of their long career, called The Who Hits 50! which will feature the first new song the band has done in eight years. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band’s new song, “Be Lucky” is described as “a classic Who rocker” and is their first original since Endless Wire, their 2006 comeback album. The Who Hits 50! is set to drop on November 3rd, coinciding with the band’s anniversary Europe tour of the same name in support of the record. This past June, Roger Daltrey stated in a press release, that this tour is, “the beginning of a long goodbye.” They will play numbers spanning the entire five decades of their career, but as Daltrey said of the tour, “It will have a finality to it. We’ll stop touring, I’m sure, before we stop playing as a band, but just like Eric Clapton said, the grind of the road [is] incredibly tough on the body.”
In preparation for the celebratory collection, the band asked fans throughout the world to share any bootleg recordings, fan-shot concert footage, demos, lost and rare recordings, long forgotten TV and radio performances, rare photos, and other precious memorabilia. After perusing through everything submitted to thewho@umusic.com, they picked the most interesting and best items to include in subsequent anniversary releases. “Be Lucky,” produced by Dave Eringa, who has also worked with Daltrey’s Going Back Home (his collaborative LP with Wilko Johnson), features Daltrey, Pete Townshend, keyboardist Mick Talbot, drummer Zak Starkey, and bassist Pino Palladino. Royalties from the single will go towards Townshend’s and Daltrey’s Teen Cancer America charity, recently showcased on the Stand Up to Cancer telethon. The jubilee two disc collection will explore The Who’s catalogue of songs built over the last half century, pulling their best forty-two tracks. They go as far back as The High Numbers, pre-Who days, with “Zoot Suit” and continue on up through their newest and latest, “Be Lucky,” which is available for streaming here.
The Who Hits 50! tracklist for disc one includes “Zoot Suit” under the name The High Numbers, “I Can’t Explain,” “Anyway Anyhow Anywhere,” “My Generation,” “Substitute,” “The Kids Are Alright,” “I’m A Boy,” “Happy Jack,” “Boris The Spider,” “Pictures of Lily,” “The Last Time,” “I Can See For Miles,” “Call Me Lightning,” “Dogs,” “Magic Bus,” “Pinball Wizard,” “I’m Free,” “The Seeker,” “Summertime Blues,” (a live version), “See Me, Feel Me,” “Won’t Get Fooled Again” (a single edit version), “Let’s See Action,” “Bargain,” and Behind Blue Eyes.” Disc two’s track list comprises of “Baba O’ Riley,” “Join Together,” “Relay,” “5:15,” “Love Reign O’er Me,” “Postcard,” Squeeze Box,” Slip Kid,” Who Are You,” “Trick Of The Light,” “You Better You Bet,” “Don’t Let The Coat,” “Athena,” “Eminence Front,” “It’s Hard,” “Real Good Looking Boy,” “It’s Not Enough,” and “Be Lucky.”