Big Picture Big Sound

"Ladies and gentleman, a nice rock and roll band from Shepherd's Bush, England -- The Who!"

The Performance

On Saturday the 29th of August 1970, The Who took the stage to headline the second to the last night of what was to become the last of the original Isle of Wight Festivals. Amidst the rowdiness of one the most contentious gatherings in the early-70's (one that has become known as truly putting the last nail in the coffin of the "peace and love generation" of the Woodstock era) The Who put on what has become known as one of their most riveting performances.

Using the power of electric guitars and ear-pummeling drums, The Who pushed back with equal force against a crowd of 600,000 seemingly ready to hang any and all performers as sell-outs. Their spellbinding performance that Saturday night started off with the band running through some of their early hits in the first half of their set, including "I Can't Explain," "My Generation," and "Magic Bus," before launching into a second half that would see the band perform their seminal rock opera Tommy nearly in its entirety.

1970's Isle of Wight Festival is held up among many rock historians as the greatest of the three Isle festivals and it can be debated for many years which of the heavyweight headliners reigned supreme. It's a tough decision, when one can throw about names like The Doors, Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix and Joan Baez, then realize you've left out names like Miles Davis, Jethro Tull and Sly & The Family Stone who weren't even headliners. However, The Who were arguably the best that year, becoming one with their audience like none of the other acts. It's almost as if the overwhelming power of Pete Townsend's raw Gibson SG, John Entwistle's booming bass riffs and, of course, Keith Moon's frenzied drumming beat the crowd into submission with The Who's brand of hard-hitting, yet melodic blues. Live at The Isle of Wight Festival is a classic, mesmerizing performance from these legends of rock.

The Picture

I'm not certain why Eagle Rock have chosen to transfer a performance originally captured on film at only 1080i, but they have. So, Live at The Isle of Wight Festival 1970 comes to Blu-ray Disc in a 1080i/60 AVC/MPEG-4 transfer that certainly shows its age. The source itself shows some signs of wear and blemishes in the form of scratches and dirt and the low light photography imparts some softness and graininess to the image that is not a byproduct of the transfer itself.

Although the source itself could have used a bit more touching up, Eagle Rock's transfer doesn't add any unwanted artifacts due to compression and post processing.  Also on the positive side, there are strong flesh tones and steady, inky blacks throughout, which is exceptional for a release of this age.

The Sound

The Who: Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (96kHz/24-bit), LPCM 2.0 (48kHz/16-bit) and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio mixes.  There should be no doubt to anyone who listens that the 96/24 DTS-HD MA mix is the star attraction on this disc. Mixed from an audience perspective, the 5.1 mix widens the soundstage allowing for a true live feel. Pete Townsend's guitar crunches with authority, Keith Moon's drums pound relentlessly and John Entwistle's bass guitar is deep, round, and robust.  Roger Daltrey's vocals are balanced into the fray decently and only occasionally get buried beneath The Who's louder passages.

By contrast, the 2.0 LPCM 48/16 mix sounds a bit claustrophobic and squeezed dynamically, but it still maintains a very solid midrange and deep low frequency response. Pete Townsend's guitar, however, is scaled back a bit in the stereo mix, making it sound like The Who-lite.  Meanwhile, the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix sounds remarkably similar to the DTS-HD MA mix, but the high frequencies are a bit harsher in tone and the ambience sounds a little tighter.

The Extras

There isn't an overabundance of extras offered up on this release, but what is available will surely be appreciated by Who fans. Kudos to Eagle Rock for scrounging up, in particular, the two bonus performances cut from the original film and including the rather lengthy sit-down interview with Pete Townsend reminiscing on the Isle of Wight show and his days in The Who.

The extras available on this release are:

• Bonus Tracks:
  • "Substitute" (1.78:1/high definition)
  • "Naked Eye" (1.78:1/high definition)
• Pete Townsend Interview (4:3/standard definition) -- This lengthy sit-down interview is a treat and should not be missed by fans of the band as Townsend gives the lowdown on the Isle of Wight Festival as well as the history of the band and some insight into the troubled life of Keith Moon.

Final Thoughts

Eagle Rock's release of The Who: Live at The Isle of Wight Festival 1970 is not to be missed by any serious fan of classic rock. The Who put on one of their greatest performances of all time that night, and this Blu-ray Disc's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix captures that live sound brilliantly.

Where to Buy

• The Who Live at The Isle of Wight Festival 1970 on Blu-ray Disc (Amazon.com)

Product Details

• Performers: The Who
• Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
• Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (96kHz/24-bit), LPCM 2.0 (48kHz/16-bit), Dolby Digital 5.1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating:  Unrated
• Studio: Eagle Rock Ent
• Blu-ray Disc Release Date: February 24, 2009
• List Price: $24.98
• Extras:
  
  • Bonus Tracks:
    • "Substitute"
    • "Naked Eye"
  • Bonus Feature
    • Interview with Pete Townsend