Magic Bus: The Who on Tour

Magic Bus: The Who on Tour was the fourth American album by British rock band The Who, released in the US in September 1968 to capitalize on the success of their single of the same name. It is a compilation album of previously released material, and was not issued in the UK, although the album was also released at approximately the same time in Canada. It peaked at #39 on the Billboard 200. The somewhat deceptive title implies that the songs were recorded live, but all recordings here are in fact studio tracks. The album's track list duplicates a few songs from the second and third US albums, but also contains singles tracks and tracks from extended play singles that were previously unavailable on a US album. Members of the group and Pete Townshend in particular have frequently expressed their dislike of this compilation. When the cover pictures were taken the group was not made aware by Decca that the shots would be used for a US album. Immediately following the modest success of this album, a similar but unrelated Who compilation, Direct Hits, was released in the UK by Track Records. In 1974, the album was re-issued by MCA Records in the US and Canada as part of a budget priced double album set which also included the 1966 US debut The Who Sings My Generation. It was reissued on compact disc by MCA Records in the 1980s, but was not included among the catalogue remastering that took place in the 1990s. Though out of print in the US, the 1980s CD remains available in Canada.