170) Live at Leeds : Rolling Stone

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Faced with the impossible task of following up the grand statement of Tommy [see No. 96], the Who just cranked up their amps. Rather than wade through eighty hours of American shows for a live album, Pete Townshend claimed he burned those tapes "in a huge bonfire" and selected a concert at Leeds University in England. Leeds is a warts-and-all live album, including an accidental clunking sound on "My Generation." There's no finesse, just the pure power of a band able to play as loud as it wants to. When the Who blew up Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues" to Godzilla-like proportions, they invented Seventies arena rock .

Total album sales: 2 million

Peak chart position: 4

Next: The Byrds

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