Wholigan's Corner

The Who I Can't Explain Release History
It was originally believed that "I Can't Explain" was released in February of 1965
but due to several discoveries, it is now believed to have been first released in
December 1964 and here is why.

The December 12, 1964 issue of "Billboard" magazine contained an article titled
"Decca Swings Into High Gear With Wide Range Of Projects" mentioning the upcoming release of The Who's first single on page 10. View Source

In the same issue of "Billboard" December 12, 1964 on page 3 an article talks about MCA buying out Leeds Music Ltd December 5, 1964 which this will come up further into the research. View Source   Since both "Variety" and "Cashbox" list the B side as Duchess Music Corp (BMI) and others have Leeds Music Corp (AS) printed on them, this will show where these singles were released in their original order.
 
"Variety Daily" December 16, 1964 included a review of the single. View Source

"Cashbox" magazine December 19, 1964 page 10. indicating that Shel Talmy tried to plug the B side instead of Pete Townshend's composition, the A side "I Can't Explain." View Source

Perhaps "Cashbox" considered "Bald Headed Woman" the plug side because some stations played it instead of "I Can't Explain" due to certain radio survey cards, like 
those from K/MEN station San Bernadino, California from December 18, 1964 showing "Bald Headed Woman" The Who (Decca) dated 12/9 from their Honorable  K/Mention marked "Former K/MEN Hit Bound" and climbed the list for several weeks, stopping on January 22, 1965. View Source

Discography Listings and Corrections

Several publications or discographies have said that the single was released in 1965, like Ed Hanel's first discography book "The Who The Illustrated Discography" page 32 released in 1982 lists it as (Decca 31725) released February 1965. View Source

Richard Barnes' "The Who Maximum R&B" 1982 discography section page 168 drawing from Ed Hanel's book also lists it as (Decca 31725) released February 1965. View Source

Christian Suchatzki "The Who Complete Discography" first released in 1997, later updated in 2008 listed it as (Decca 31725) originally released February 1965. View Source

"The 1st Singles Box Set" released in 2004 in the booklet included also listed the single as being released in February 13, 1965. View Source

"Record Collector" magazine June 2007 page 59 lists it as "Can't Explain/Bald Headed Woman" 1965 USA 45. View Source This mislabeled release will come up later on in this research.

After Matt Kent and Andy Neill released their "Anyway Anyhow Anywhere The Complete Chronicle Of The Who 1958 - 1978" book in 2002 which lists the "Variety" and "Cashbox" articles in December 1964 it lists the single as U.S. Decca 31725/Dec 64. View Source

The "Brunswick Singles Box Set" released 2015 also reads "was released in the US in December 1964 and the UK in January 1965." View Source

The “Maximum A’s & B’s CD Box Set” Booklet October 27, 2017 repeats what the Brunswick Singles Box listed it as "was released in the US in December 1964 and the UK in January 1965." View Source

and Shel Talmy's Facebook series he calls BLUEPRINTS OF... beginning November 2020 Giving his reminiscences of songs he produced for The Kinks, The Who and Others, in which he gives the history of the "I Can't Explain" single and it's B side "Bald Headed Woman." View Source Information

This is the most recent listing of the single's original release date in officially released
documentation, based on the findings mentioned in Kent and Neill's book and Shel Talmy's personal recollection.

Decca pink promo and color band label Information

There were several releases of the single on the Decca Pink Promo and the Decca color band label which had 3 different label variations released before being discontinued and MCA labels became the official label release until vinyl was temporarily discontinued and Compact Discs took over the music market.

Frank Daniels' research shows the color band labels by label markings on this pdf on his website https://www.friktech.com/labels/DeccaLabelography.pdf gives the history of the various labels Decca used from 1934 to 1972 showing the color band series later in the list. View Source Information Here Frank Daniels  provides various releases of
"I Can't Explain" but all provided by this research not found on his pdf, found on his website https://www.friktech.com/who/TheWhoDiscography.pdf View Source

http://www.cvinyl.com/labelguides/decca.php lists the various Decca labels over the years. View Source

Pressing Plant Information

The Gloversville, New York plant Opened in 1953, this Gloversville, NY pressing plant operated under this name until 1966 when MCA took over as the parent company for Decca, and changed the name to MCA. Pressings from this plant can usually be determined by a symbol suffix appearing in the label matrix on side 2.
- On 45's there will be a "✤" clover symbol
- A stamped or etched stick numeral "1" may be found in the runout areas View Source

Pressing plant in Pinckneyville, Ill. that opened in 1956 and changed to the MCA name in 1966. This plant can be identified by a ◆ symbol at the end of the B side label matrix and a "2" or ② stamped into the runout. View Source

There are 3 known pink promo label releases in existence, and 9 color band label releases in existence. All verified by photographic proof. (I have all 3 in my collection & 8 out of 9 of the colorband labels to reference for this research).

Decca Pink Promo and Color Band Label Variation History

1. From 1964 - 1967,
-- The Decca pink promo reads in an arch around the top of the label 
MARCA REGISTRADA
M’F’R’D BY DECCA RECORDS INC. NEW YORK , U.S.A.
and the color band label reads across two lines:
REG U S PAT OFF MARCA REGISTRADA
M’F’R’D BY DECCA RECORDS INC. NEW YORK, U.S.A. 
--The runout number, either etched or stamped, on the inner grooves of a Decca record is the same as the label number but is followed by a suffix number. Thus, a pink promo disc runout number for "I Can’t Explain" reads 115,396 1 pressed at Gloversville. A retail release on the Decca color band Label with the runout number 115,396 2 was pressed at Gloversville. 
--There is a Decca color band runout number of 115,396 3, which was pressed at Pinckneyville.
--The title song on all of these releases were initially credited to  "Peter Townsend minus the "h" in his last name" on labels on a pink promo, a Gloversville color band pressing, and a Pinckneyville color band pressings. 
The Gloversville label has Side A listed as Champion Music Corp (BMI) and the Gloversville, NY pressing has Side B listed as Duchess Music Corp (BMI) and the Pinckneyville, IL pressing shows no Music Corp on the A or B side anywhere.

The first single release by The Who "I Can't Explain" is now believed to be the pink Decca label promotional copy December 1964 (Gloversville, NY plant) View Source  based on the K/MEN radio survey cards dated December 18, 1964 listing the single being in rotation on 12/9. (View Information Above).

The official first release (retail) by The Who is believed to be the US single "I Can't Explain" cat. # 31725 with the title in raised smaller letters on the Decca color band or rainbow label in December 1964 from the Gloversville, NY Plant. View Source

It is also believed that a 2nd single released in December 1964 from the Pinckneyville, IL plant also cat. # 31725 with the title in lowered larger letters View Source

Also on this 1st color band label release, there is 1 other Gloversville, NY release with the same markings listed above for the 1st Gloversville, NY release and Pete's last name, still misspelled, but on Side B instead of Duchess Music Corp (BMI) it has been replaced by Leeds Music Corp (AS) which was listed on all Gloversville, NY pressings from then until the Decca Label was discontinued. View Source

Leeds Music Corp mentioned above in the 1964 article of Billboard didn't show up on the B side of the Gloversville New York pressing releases until probably early 1965  due to MCA just buying them out in December of 1964 showing Duchess listed on the B side on the earlier release of the single and mentioned in the Variety and Cashbox reviews, shows the Leeds copies to be later copies, not the original releases as originally believed.  

There was a 2nd pink promo label released with Duchess Music Corp (BMI) replaced by Leeds Music Corp (AS) with Pete's name still spelled incorrectly, View Source then there is a 3rd pink promo released with Pete's name spelled correctly as Townshend including the h in his last name, View Source
both carry the Gloversville, NY stamp.


There were 2 last releases on the 1st run of the color band label.
The 1st is the Gloversville, NY pressing with Pete's last name spelled correctly, View Source the 2nd is on the Pinckneyville, IL label, Towshend spelled correctly also.  View Source

2. 1967-1971
--the Decca color band label reads across three lines:
“REG. U.S. PAT. OFF, MARCA REGISTRADA
MRF’D BY DECCA RECORDS, A DIVISION
OF MCA INC., NEW YORK, U.S.A.”
-- Versions of this Decca color band label include both runout numbers 115,396 2 (Gloversville) View Source and 115,396 3 (Pinckneyville) View Source with Townshend’s name correctly spelled. (This release is the only Pinckneyville, IL release with Champion Music Corp (BMI) or any other Music Corp listed on the B side).

-- For reasons now lost, the Gloversville pressing was also released with the title changed to "Can’t Explain." View Source The runout number is the same as that on the Gloversville pressing with the correct title: 115,396 2. This release is believed to be the first ever release of the single, but the text on this label seems to show it listed where it belongs. 

In summary, I know of no promos with language referring to MCA, Inc. Because the language and label have been changed to reflect the re-organization of Decca Records under MCA, Inc, I suggest this be known as the first reissue of I Can’t Explain. 

3. 1971-1972
--the Decca color band label reads across three lines:
“REG. U.S. PAT. OFF, MARCA REGISTRADA
MRF’D BY MCA RECORDS INC.,
CALIF., U.S.A.” “(Note: Extra spacing in “BY MCA.” Frank Daniels’ excellent monogram, “US Decca Records Singles” (2003, 2016), points out that the extra space was supposed to be used for the copyright symbol ©. Unlike MCA album labels, the symbol was never added to MCA 45 labels.)”
--A version of this Decca color band label is confirmed with runout number 115,396 2, indicating a Gloversville pressing. View Source
This is thought to be the last release of "I Can't Explain" on the color band label as 1973 MCA dropped Decca from any future labels and began it's run of MCA until vinyl ceased manufacturing to make way for the compact disc.
I recommend calling this the second and last reissue of I Can’t Explain.

MCA Label Variations

Following the demise of the US Decca label, I Can’t Explain was renumbered MCA-60110 as follows: (runout number 2 indicated Gloversville, 3 Pinckneyville)
1973 MCA Track Label (Brown Background). Confirmed runout number 115,396 2 or 3.
1975 MCA Rainbow Label (Black background). Confirmed runout number 115,396 2 or 3.
1978 MCA Label (Beige Background). Confirmed runout number 115,396 2 or 3. Both sides of label state, “FORMERLY RELEASED AS DECCA 31725”
1980 MCA Rainbow Label (Cloud Background). Confirmed runout number 115,396 2 or 3. Both sides of label state, “FORMERLY RELEASED AS DECCA 31725” View Source 
Gloversville and Pinckneyville pressings have these symbols (In runout): Gloversville ▣-G-▣ Pinckneyville  ◈-P-◈

Thanks to Ed Hanel for his time and effort to help me with this research, laying out the information in the above summation with some additions from myself.
Thanks to Everett Childress', and Steve Hoffman's conversation on the "Steve Hoffman Forum" that started me on this journey to discover, and collect any and all information, and most of the vinyl singles used in this research relating to the official release history of "The Who's" first single "I Can't Explain", and to other media sources like "45cat", and the discussions on it's forum for info I collected for this research. "Billboard" magazine, "Variety", and the since discontinued "Cashbox" magazine archives for their information, and Matt Kent and Andy Neill for their information in their book, which was very helpful in this research as well. Also thanks to Christian Suchatski's discography, Richard Barnes' book, Shel Talmy's Facebook posts. Frank Daniels for his Decca label history and "The Who" singles information, and anyone I may be leaving out that helped to provide the information that this research needed for it's findings, and official documentation. Respectfully submitted - Charles Lenz