October 18, 2024 sees the release of the final in the series of half-speed mastered studio albums from Pete Townshend, The Iron Man: The Musical By Pete Townshend and Psychoderelict (Music Only), which is making its vinyl debut.
These limited-edition black vinyl versions have been mastered by long-time Who engineer Jon Astley and cut for vinyl by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios with a half-speed mastering technique which produces a superior vinyl cut and are packaged with obi strips and certificates of authenticity.
Initially released in 1989, The Iron Man: The Musical By Pete Townshend is an adaptation of Ted Hughes' famous short story, The Iron Man. The album was produced and mainly composed and performed by Townshend but also features performances from Roger Daltrey, legendary bluesman John Lee Hooker and the astonishing Nina Simone. The three then-surviving original members of The Who (Daltrey, John Entwistle, and Townshend) perform two songs, "Dig" and a cover of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown's "Fire". A stage version was mounted at The Young Vic Theatre in 1993, where 20 years earlier, The Who had debuted songs for Life House/ Who's Next, which led to a movie version in 1999 for which Pete received an executive producer credit.
Psychoderelict, released in 1993, is Pete's last solo album to date. Structured like a radio play with dialogue, it follows Ray High, a reclusive 60s rock star who resurfaced in Townshend's novella 'The Boy Who Heard Music' and in the mini rock opera Wire & Glass, the centrepiece of The Who's Endless Wire album. This Half-Speed Master is presented without the dialogue of the original album and is making its vinyl debut.
Pre-order both titles here.
The Iron Man: The Musical By Pete Townshend tracklisting:
Side 1
Pete Townshend With Deborah Conway - "I Won't Run Anymore"
John Lee Hooker - "Over The Top"
Simon Townshend - "Man Machines"
The Who - "Dig"
Pete Townshend - "A Friend Is A Friend"
John Lee Hooker - "I Eat Heavy Metal"
Side 2
Pete Townshend With Deborah Conway and Chyna - "All Shall Be Well"
Pete Townshend - "Was There Life"
Nina Simone - "Fast Food"
Pete Townshend - "A Fool Says..."
The Who - "Fire"
Chyna With Pete Townshend and Nicola Emmanuel - "New Life / Reprise"
Psychoderelict (Music Only) tracklisting:
Side 1
"English Boy"
"Meher Baba M3"
"Let's Get Pretentious"
"Meher Baba M4"
"Early Morning Dreams"
Side 2
"I Want That Thing"
"Outlive The Dinosaur"
"Now And Then"
Side 3
"I Am Afraid"
"Don't Try To Make Me Real"
"Predictable"
"Flame"
Side 4
"Vivaldi - Meher Baba M5"
"Fake It"
"English Boy" (Reprise)
