The first release in this series was a single LP titled "Join Together - Rarities" issued by Polydor in Australia and New Zealand in 1982. This album contained Who songs from UK singles released between 1970 and 1973 that had not previously appeared on LP. It included a version of the B-side "I Don't Even Know Myself" that fades out about 30 seconds early, while eliminating the full ending heard on the single.
In 1983, after the announcement of the Who's Last Tour, Polydor UK expanded on the original concept by compiling two separate albums of hard to find Who tracks. All of them had previously appeared on singles or EPs. The albums were titled Rarities Vol. 1 "1966–1968" and Rarities Vol. 2 "1970–1973". Many copies of the Volume 1 album mistakenly contain the commonly available stereo album version of "Mary Ann with the Shaky Hand" in place of the rare mono B-side version. The B-side is actually a completely different recording of the same song. The Volume 2 release contains the same content as the earlier "Join Together - Rarities" album.
After the LP releases the same material was re-released on a single CD. Some copies of the CD version were defective and were replaced by the manufacturer. Defective copies may still be in circulation.
Track listing
Rarities Volume I
All tracks are written by Pete Townshend, except where noted
