Nearly 30 years after Pete Townshend [ tickets ] began work on a rock opera called "The Lifehouse" to follow The Who [ tickets ]'s hugely successful "Tommy," Townshend has deemed the project ready for the public, and a six-CD set of the "Lifehouse" project has been set for release in early December.

A radio adaptation of ''Lifehouse'' featuring David Threlfall and Geraldine James will be broadcast on the BBC3 Radio Network on Dec. 5, and a web simulcast is being planned as well, according to Townshend's newly-launched official website.

Townshend shelved ''Lifehouse'' in 1971 after a few run-throughs at a British playhouse, then he began work on ''Quadrophenia.'' Many of the songs from ''Lifehouse'' turned up in one form or another on the album ''Who's Next.'' Others turned up as B-sides and on compilations.

The six-CD set, titled ''The Lifehouse Chronicles,'' will feature the two-hour radio broadcast, an audio documentary covering the project, the original demos of songs from the play (on which Townshend plays all of the instruments), recordings from live performances, new mixes, new versions of some songs, and orchestral pieces.

In the U.S., ''The Lifehouse Chronicles'' will be sold exclusively through Townshend's soon-to-be-launched commercial site (www.eelpie.com) and Best Buy stores.

According to Townshend's official website, a limited-edition set titled ''The Lifehouse Method'' will be released after the ''Chronicles.'' This set--which includes essays concerning ''Lifehouse'' and newly commissioned artwork by Alex Templeton--will be limited to a run of 2001 hand-made packages. Townshend's camp has not announced how the sets will be distributed.

''Lifehouse'' was Townshend's attempt to mix songs and visual presentations in a futuristic story of a global community, based in part on the teachings of Townshend's spiritual mentor at the time, Meher Baba. Unhappy with the initial results, Townshend scrapped the project.

The Who [ tickets ] reunited last month to play a concert for the launch of the pixelon.com website. They followed that up with acoustic performances at The Bridge School Benefit in Mountain View, Calif. They are also scheduled to play a pair a benefit concerts for Chicago-area charity The Maryville Academy on Nov. 12-13.

The band is also reportedly working on a new album that could be released in early 2000.