The Who-20th Century Masters: The Best of The Who-The Millennium Collection (1999)


 

Artist: The Who

Title: 20th Century Masters: The Best of The Who-The Millennium Collection

Label: MCA Records

Format: CD

Cat #: MCAD-11951

Year of Release: 1999

Country and Year of Edition Issue: US 1999

Listed Condition: M/M sealed

Sell Date: 3/22/25

Sell Price: $4.99

Discogs Last Sold: 3/2/25 VG+/VG+ $1.50

Low: $0.60

Median: $1.54

Average: $2.24

High: $8.74

Current low price: $0.99

Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 75

Have/Want: 913/14

Where Sold: Durham, NC

Time it took to sell: 1 year

Where and When Bought: facebook cd $2 lot

Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: D-

Sad To See It Go: No

I'm doing a little dog sitting away from home, so I'm taking on the title sold that is sealed, whose contents I know beyond cold and can write about with it streaming on my laptop.

Does the world need yet another Who compilation?  In 1999 MCA launched The Millennium Collection series of "20th Century Masters."  For many years a band like the Who would be exempt from these types of corporate releases.  However, much like Columbia's Essential series, the concept of artist brand was usurped by label brand on the corporate level.

You can't say this is a band sanctioned compilation; it spans the MCA years much in the same way the band approved Greatest Hits 80's release roughly 16 years before.  If that one seemed superfluous after Hooligans double album a couple years before as well as the early 70's gold standard Meaty, Beaty Big and Bouncy, The Best of The Who seems like a cheapo budget bin title made for drug stores and truck stops.  Something to grab and throw in the car on a long road trip when car CD players were in vogue.  This went Gold in the US in 2003 and Platinum in 2008.  1 Million people in the US alone thought this 10 track CD was worth having.  The last Who title to achieve certification was a week later when The Ultimate Collection, a double CD, 36 track best of issued in 2002 hit the million mark as well.  That compilation contains all ten of these tracks.  I guess The Ultimate Collection line was a response to complainers like me where only 10 tracks won't do.  I guess if you wanted a quick taste of what the new in 1999 remaster sounded like to A/B with an earlier master, this would serve that purpose.  Otherwise this is for casual, cursory interest for someone who only cares about songs they hear on the radio.

This comp cuts it down to 10 tracks: from the 60's you get "My Generation," "Happy Jack," "Pinball Wizard," "I Can See For Mile" and "Magic Bus."  From the 70's you get "Squeeze Box," "Behind Blue Eyes," "Join Together," "Who Are You" and "Won't Get Fooled Again."   I never took the shrink wrap off it when I get this in a lot of $1 or $2 cds in a purchase last year.  The 1999 CD remasters I got in their time to replace prior things were Who's Next and The Who Sell Out.

Vinyl was fine for everything else.

FOR FURTHER REVIEW:

Who Are You (1978)

Hooligans (1981)

Face Dances (1981)

Who's Last (1984)

Wings-Back To The Egg (1979)

David Gilmour-About Face (1984)

Jimi  Hendrix-Between The Lines (1990)


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