North American syndicated Rock radio show and website InTheStudio: The Stories Behind History’s Greatest Rock Bands takes a look at perhaps the greatest live rock ‘n’ roll album of all time, The Who Live At Leeds on its 45th anniversary. Listen to the program at InTheStudio.net.

By 1970, The Who had successfully closed the door on the first chapter of their career as a singles band, first with the release of their 1969 game changing rock opera Tommy and then with the ground breaking world tour to follow including an epic performance at Woodstock. The question facing the band now was what’s next?

Pete Townshend shares with InTheStudio host Redbeard what led the band to Leeds.

“I hadn’t written anything that had successfully followed up Tommy and we looked at what we had at the at time and we had this incredible machine... the feeling of power in the band was extraordinary... That power had been rehearsed, practiced, refined on the road in America, around Europe and around the world playing Tommy, bookended with rock ‘n’ roll in the front and rock ‘n’ roll at the end and in the middle you get an opera. (laughs).  God we got good. We were really good.” - Pete Townshend

On Valentine’s Day, 1970 the Who recorded their show at Leeds University’s student hall called the Refectory. The small two thousand capacity room would become forever associated with The Who, including becoming the recipient of a ‘blue plaque’, a historical marker issued by the British government commemorating The Who’s famous concert.    

Who singer Roger Daltrey remarks,

“I think The Who always was a live band. I still don’t think The Who ever got it right on record... there’s something about the Who’s sound. It’s kinda bigger. Bigger than any of us individually.”   - Roger Daltrey