The question is not 'which group put out the greatest live album of all time?' but rather ' which is the greatest live album ever, Leeds or Wight?' This may sound blasphemous, but I'm going with Wight (though Leeds is simply astounding), and here is why.

Leeds, from a technical standpoint, is nothing short of flawless. But it is lacking one major element - ENERGY. If you don't believe me, track down a bootleg copy of Tommy at the Leeds - sound aside, The Who sound almost dead. The group had just returned to England for the first time in more than a month, playing Tommy every single night, and they were TIRED. John and Keith are on fire at Leeds, but Roger sounds like he has a cold, and Pete, while making sure to be technically amazing and flawless for all of the 'intelligent' college students, seems to be going through a bout of depression.

At WIGHT, however, this flaw is gone and in a big way. Keith is occasionally sloppy, yes, but the energy level is absolutely incredible. Why? Because the group was playing in front of 500,000 completely stoned dumbasses, and there was nothing like a bunch of idiots to get Pete going. His guitar falls out of tune a few times, and he misses a chord here and there, but his riff-work is better than anything I've ever heard before by _anybody_, and that guitar-tone... That tone just SCREAMS angry and energetic exhiliration. It's INCREDIBLE! Meanwhile, Pete is obviously having fun, with his stage banter reaching Ian Anderson levels of psycho humor, and the feedback that he produces in his windmills and guitar-shaking is incredible.

AND DON'T FORGET ROGER! Roger NEVER sounded better than this on any album, live or studio. Tommy is incredible in no small thanks to Daltrey. And listen to his incredible, loud, growling singing in Water, Shaking All Over, and ESPCIALLY Spoonful. It will blow you away.

I love both of these albums, but if I have to choose between the two, I'll go with Wight any day of the week. If I have headphones, that is - for some reason, there's a lot of air in the mix that completely disappears when the music is coming at you from all sides. Alternatively, it's good driving music - turn the stereo up loud and the bass high, and you will be weak-kneed when it's all over.

The reviews submitted below somewhat baffle me. The performance is terrific, albeit not perfection, the kind which you could only expect on a studio album. Everyone in the group is in find form, and they all know it. In the liner notes to this set, Pete Townshend says this was one of the best performances they ever gave, and he's right.

This set is a must-have if, for nothing else, the nearly complete performance of "Tommy." Live at Leeds may be great, but this is what a Who concert was really like, and this is exactly what it was like in the Isle of Wight Festival. The Who took the stage at 3 am, reached the climax in Tommy at around 4:20, and played on through until 5 am, stopping only because Pete's guitar broke on him (it usually worked the other way around, didn't it?). Townshend later expressed how frustrated he was that they couldn't keep the momentum going.

Bottom line: outstanding performance, a rare treat to almost all of "Tommy," and one of the greatest bands of that time at their peak. A must-have.

This recording illustrates the importance of seeing The Who perform, rather than just listening to the recording of a show. Thankfully, the film of this concert, albeit incomplete, is available to buy.

This recording is scrappy compared to Live at Leeds. There is something of a myth that suggests that Live at Leeds was just a typical 'average night' performance by the band. Those that have had the opportunity to listen to the multitude of bootlegs of the period know only too well that they rarely played as well as the Leeds show. The Hull show that followed it illustrated the variability.

Roger Daltrey bemoaned that the on-stage power of The Who's music was never adequately captured on record. The power of the stage show relied on enormous volume and physical impact, along with the spectacle of the performance. It didn't matter that Townshend missed the beat (or sometimes the guitar) as he ricocheted about the place because the visuals and attitude were more important at the time. However, strip things back to a plain audio recording like Live at the Isle of Wight and you hear the mistakes, the out of tune guitar, the dodgy backing vocals and sloppy playing that you wouldn't have noticed on the night. Without the huge volume of the PA system to carry the day the reality of the performance falls rather flat.

By comparison Live at Leeds is a much better record. It is true that the energy level dips during Tommy, which is principally why the band was always reluctant to release a recording of this section of the show until the 'deluxe' remaster (which stills changes the running order of the show)double CD was produced. Leeds was conceived as a potential live album and the sound and performance was honed accordingly. Isle of Wight was just a spin off movie of the overall event. This IOW CD is an impressive technical salvage job of a scrappy and poorly recorded show.

However, do yourself a favour and buy the DVD to understand why the playing sometimes came off the rails. The Who were about showmanship as much as the music and often the showmanship came first.

A suberb archive 2-CD release that took me my complete surprise when I first discovered it.Some say it's a bit similar to the band's 'Live At Leeds' album which took place a short time prior to 'Live At The Isle...'.No matter,both are worth having.Sound mix couldn't be better.Total of thirty songs performed in nearly an unforgetable two hour set.Several cuts here I simply don't remember right off hand,like "Heaven And Hell","Water","Naked Eye" and "Fiddle About".Looks like pretty much most,if not all of 'Tommy' is played here.Cuts I enjoyed the most are "I Can't Explain","Young Man Blues","Amazing Journey","The Acid Queen","Shakin' All Over","My Generation" and "Magic Bus".Comes with a twenty-page full(and I do mean FULL)color booklet packed with unseen photos,text and memorbilia.A must-have.Most highly recommended.

Never has a band put on such a show. No band at any venue will ever top this, and I saw the Stones last night.

I may be a bit biased, I think the Who are the greatest band of all time, but trying to look at this objectively, this performance is the reason people remember the Isle of Wight festival 1970. Sure, Hendrix is an amazing guitarist, and Tull was great, but the energy on these two discs is worth at least double the price.

Anyway, now for something useful. If you liked Tommy and you liked Leeds, then you will love this performance. It's like the best of both albums. The Tommy set at this concert was enough to leave the crowd of 600,000 in awe.

Tommy aside, the final track, Magic Bus, is a wonder within itself. Nothing like the Leeds version, this cut has the most incredible harmonica solo I've ever heard roaring over the equally impressive instruments behind it. And this comes from a true Dylan fan. In addition to the classics, such as I Can't Explain and Heaven and Hell, there is a great My Generation/Muddy Waters/Twist n Shout medley. As if this wasn't enough, some lesser known hits, particularly Water, is enough to leave you speechless.

The only reason not to buy this album is because there is a DVD. Watch it. I did three times in a row. This is good stuff.