I 'm looking for the original versions of 'Live At Leeds' and 'Sell Out.'
I know these were available from Canada years ago, and I see the former is still. But when I contacted a store there, they said they only have the remastered 'Sell Out.'
Why is one available and the other not?
Or is it?

By original versions, do you mean the MCA compact discs with both albums as originally heard on LP back in 1967 and 1970 respectively? If so, I'm surprised to hear that either one is still available--the reissues came out wayyyyyy back in 1995.

I would venture a guess that the original 6-track version of "Live At Leeds" might still be available and not the original 12-track "The Who Sell Out" (well, roughly 12 tracks--on my copy, "Armenia City In The Cky" and "Heinz Baked Beans" are both heard on the same track) would have something to do with the fact that the original running order of "Live At Leeds" was all but abandoned in the reissued/upgraded versions--I know I brought this up on another thread in this forum ( http://www.imwan.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.p ... sc&start=0 ) while the first half of the "Sell Out" upgrade maintains the original sound of that album...for the most part. I think the most noticable change is the insertion of a small bit of music...I believe it comes between "Silas Stingy" and "Sunrise" but I could be dead wrong

In other words, I think the original "Who Sell Out" CD is out of print because the upgrade pleased most Who fans, while the original Leeds still holds a lot of nostalgic value for some of them. In either case, I wouldn't think that a used copy of the original CD would be too hard to find.

I checked out both the Amazon us and the Amazon ca. sites. Live At Leeds is available in Canada in its original form, both new and used:

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00000DWG6/?tag=imwanca-20

I wasn't as lucky with Sell Out. There were tons of the '95 configuration, but none clearly listed as the original issue. There were plenty of used copies, which means that some of those could be an original, but misidentified. It may be worth a little investigation. Other than that, the usual suspects ie: Half.com, GEMM, and eBay might be places to check.

I agree with AMW, the original version has no real appeal, other than filling that hole in one's collection. It sounds terrible, and it has that horrible generic back tray artwork that all MCA discs had "back in the day". The revised version is one time where they improved on the original, which I consider my most favorite of all Who albums.

What's wrong with this pic?

If you are ever in Leamington, Ontario (Canada's tomato capital and the home of H.J. Heinz of Canada), be sure to visit the Arts Centre, which features an extensive collection of Heinz memorabilia, including this:

Funny you mention the original Live At Leeds. A couple of weeks ago I go into this new/used CD shop asking if they had the original Live At Leeds. I wanted to get it for a friend of mine whose fiance is from Leeds (or right around there) and neither of them has ever heard of The Who's Live At Leeds. I tell them it's only considered one of the best Live albums ever, so I thought I'd find a copy. (I won't give them mine -- the best I can do is either find a used copy or burn them a copy).

Anyway, the shop clerk couldn't (or wouldn't?) understand why anyone would want to buy a version that had less tracks than either of the two remastered versions. And I couldn't understand why he in his position couldn't understand how important the original version was (and still is). To me the original LP track listing is what put this album at the top of the list -- and as much as I like the two disc version, I don't think it has quite the impact that the original version has. If you were going to introduce Live at Leeds to someone who had never heard it, wouldn't you choose the original version?

But enough of my rambling ...

I think one needs both the original Live at Leeds and the single disc remaster, it is very nice (and a pleasure to hear it without the clicks once in a while). The limited edition which came in the LP sleeve was a nice touch.

I was thinking that one of the reasons I seem to want to hold onto the original 6-track version of "Live At Leeds" so dearly is because back when I first started getting into the Who, back in about the mid-1980's, it represented the vast majority of the Moon-era live recordings available at the time, all 37 minutes of it. Other than Leeds, all the Who collector really had out there were the several live cuts off of "The Kids Are Alright" (the three tracks from Woodstock, two from Shepperton Studios, and the Pontiac Silverdome track that was missing from the CD version for years were the standouts) the four "Concert For The People Of Kampuchea" songs (post-Moon, but possibly the best Jones-era live performance I've heard--and these were a lot easier to find 20 years ago than they are now) and "Who's Last" (ugh). Tidbits like the live version of "Bargain" on "Who's Missing" and "Baby Don't You Do It" (still ony available on CD on the "Rarities" import) only hinted at what was still stashed away in the vaults, and the only bootlegs I was able to run across prior to the early 90's were all audience boots from the 1982 tour (ugh again). Therefore, the original "Leeds" was somewhat of a holy grail to those of us who were less than two years old when it was recorded.

The release of the boxed set in 1994 really was somewhat of a renaissance for Who fans. It seems odd to think that a collector now would be seeking out the old MCA discs, all of which I still have, but then again, if I still have them, they must hold some value for me. "Leeds", "Meaty Beaty Big And Bouncy", "Who's Missing" and "Twos Missing" are really the only essential titles of all of them that I would reccommend, however.