The nicest thing about Odds and Sods is that it gives us a chance to hear The Who working in the various versions of their evolving style sans Townshend's superstructure for the first time since Happy Jack….

The premiere cut is "Pure and Easy," which was written for Life House and recorded by Townshend for his solo album, Who Came First. The band's version here is predictably more spirited, [and they transform] the song from the spiritual meditation of a reflective composer into a celebration of the band and its audience. The rest of the tracks are uneven—some great ("Little Billy," "I'm the Face," "Put the Money Down"), some interesting in the context of Townshend's opus ("Glow Girl," a musical idea which eventually expanded into Tommy, "Now I'm a Farmer" and "Naked Eye"). The Who heroically and brilliantly carry this kind of thing off with their reckless...