special introductory paragraph!

The Who Sings My Generation

A Quick One

The Who Sell Out

Fillmore East

Magic Bus - The Who On Tour

Tommy

The Tommy Demos

Meaty Beaty Big And Bouncy

Live At Leeds

Live At The Isle Of Wight

Who's Next

Who's Missing

Two's Missing

Quadrophenia

Odds And Sods

The Who By Numbers

Who Are You

The Kids Are Alright

Hooligans

Greatest Hits

Face Dances

It's Hard

BBC Sessions

Who's Last

Endless Wire

The Who Sings My Generation - MCA 1966.

Are you familiar with The Who? The singer was Roger Daltrey, a dinky cocky jerk who couldn't sing R 'n' B for crap, but had a decent rock and roll voice. The bassist was John Entwhistle, a quiet, boring-looking guy who wrote dark comedy and played pretty interesting bass lines. The drummer was Keith Moon, the personification of pre-punk hyperactivity who insisted on foregoing normal rhythm lines in order to concentrate on round-the-drumset attacks that gave The Who an exciting, rollicking sound that would have been impossible with a normal thumping 4/4 beat. And the guitarist, main songwriter, and occasional vocalist was Peter Townshend, a very gifted young man who played so loud, he gave himself tinnitis.

The band gained notoriety early on by becoming the favorite band of the "mods," a silly British subculture of teenagers who rode motorbikes and loved American R 'n' B. The Who also loved to smash their instruments on stage, adding an extremely violent streak to their stage show which would later be imitated by thousands of other bands (most notably, Kiss and Nirvana). This album just sounds like mid-'60s rock (you know, The Beatles, The Stones, The Animals, The Yardbirds, etc., etc.), but the songs still sound terrific. Plus, they were just little kids! Keith was eighteen! EIGHTEEN! Are YOU eighteen? Oh, how I doubt it.

Reader Comments

la314w@crown.icongrp.com (Jesse Lara)
Weellll, I guess so except for that onion part. Gotta love that "My Generation" though.

nesrallah@sympatico.ca (Phil Nesrallah)
I am 18. Not really 18 but 17 instead. Mind you I can't drum worth a shit but don't be so doubtful of WHO fans.

David.Steel@newcastle.ac.uk
Why is he taking the piss out of us mods?? We don't drive motorbikes, we drive SCOOTERS. Decent review though, although maybe this guy should listen to Roger sing "Heatwave" before he comments on his R'n'B abilities.

corpsebag@hotmail.com (Michael Cory)
What this album rocks. You can't write a better song than "I Can't Explain"

kalbright@sprynet.com (Kelly Albright)
Chalk up another 18-year-old.

Stryker120@aol.com
I'm 17, going to be 18 soon and already in a rock band, thank you very much.

buckmann@concentric.net (Ben Mann)
(the "mods," a silly British subculture of teenagers who rode motorbikes and loved American R 'n' B.)

Spot on as usual. Thanks for reminding us all that it's really that simple. "Silly" indeed. Hear that, ya parka wearin' retro-mod revivalists? SILLY!

dstreb@mail.sssnet.com (Daniel Streb)
Forget all them damn Velvet Undergrounds and Stooges and MC5s and any other dorkus band popular for creating pre-punk rock. THIS is PREPUNK dammit!! Listen to the ear-splitting solo at the end of My Generation. That's punk rock!! The Ox is punk rock. The Who smashed their instruments like punks. Need I say more??? THIS IS THE VERY FIRST PUNK ALBUM.

starostin@geocities.com (George Starostin)
An excellent album, and truly revolutionary. Not only is it good all way through, it is the first rock album that celebrates Noise, and in a creative way that was never to be repeated. Maybe this is the very first punk album. But it's better than any punk album. The James Brown covers are kinda feeble, but the rest is very very very much fun. And it has 'A Legal Matter', too! And it's Beatlish ('Kids'), and it's Stonish ('Out In The Street'), and Kinkish ('La La Lies'), and, of course, very much Whoish. 'The Ox' is a terrific instrumental! I bet I'd hate it ten years ago, but I've grown, you know...

The only problem with this album is that it's very hard to get it anywhere but in the States. I was lucky, though.

jose.neto@eurorscg.pt
i'm not 18, of course, but i've no problem admitting that i've once been that. and even less. anyway, nobody asked my opinion about the who but here i go with it (beware now, youngsters): WE ARE MODS! WE ARE MODS! WE ARE WE ARE WE ARE MODS! great stuff, what?

stoo@imsa.edu (John McFerrin)
Definite 8. The covers suck a bunch, but the other songs just rule.

9402992h@student.gla.uc.uk (Dan Hackney)
The Sex Pistols used to cover "Substitute". Why is everyone so suprised and insistent that The Who might then be considered punk? Blummin' obvious...

JSALDATE@mediaone.net (Joseph Saldate)
I just wanted to comment on the amount of idiots this review attracted, me being newest one!

Caleb462@cs.com
Eh, I don't know. Early Who just doesn't seem to have the same power as the later material. Sure, I like the stuff, it's catchy, but it's not even in the same ballpark as "5.15" or "Baba O'Reily" or even "Who Are You". I actually haven't heard too much of this album as a whole though, I'm just commenting on early who in general.

katsman7@hotmail.com
I love The Who and I want to say that I'm 16 years old (younger than 18). I love very much "My Generation" and all their singles and good songs. Never heard "TWSMG", but I'd like to post a question: IS "TWSMG" available on CD??? (because I heard that isn't). Thank ya.

JohnnyB8@aol.com
Ugh........some dude up there commented on i cant explain. yes its an awesome song, but its not on this album. i think u need to brush up on your whostory. as for the 16 year old, well im 14 and even i know that every friggin who album has been remastered with like 4 more tracks and put on cd, mainly because townshend and daltrey are moneyhungry bastards,which is why they still tour, but i still love them ha. maybe its outta print, but its still able to be bought, possibly on ebay or half.com. as for my thoughts on this particular album, i can dig The Ox, Instant Party (Circles), My Generation, La La La Lies, and nearly everything else. Its a pretty good debut album, for a group of Englishmen who had to try and beat out the Stones and the Beatles, even just for fanbase!

markphilipevans@hotmail.com
I am so disappointed that you have allowed Starostin to brainwash you into thinking that the Who actually made good albums! My Generation, The Kids are Alright are both fine songs while Legal Matter is also quite good. However the rest of this album is utter shite and words simply cannot express just how bad the James Brown covers are. Nothing more to say. 5/10

junkyjunkygarbage@hotmail.com (Jay Banerjee)
Geez, with all the cries of "I'm Eighteen" on this board, you'd think it were ALICE COOPER KARAOKE NIGHT at CLUB I CAN'T GRASP IRONY.

(And why can't they grasp irony? 'Cause they're eighteen! Duh.)

Ha ha, I'm so clever. But anyway, THIS is The Who. A lot of people don't understand this: The Who essentially had two separate careers. In the first phase of their career, they were a "pop" group. A very aggressive pop group, but a pop group nonetheless. The focus was on catchy songs, chiming Rickenbackers, and being cool and menacing, but with an undercurrent of a sort of wounded romanticism (evident on "La-La Lies", "The Kids Are Alright", "So Sad About Us", "I Can't Explain", "I Can't Reach You", etc.) In their later years, they were a "rock" group, with all the excesses that implied: rock operas about deaf, dumb, and blind pinball messiahs (???), overblown, pompous, super-fake vocals, and assorted '70s arena-rock trappings. The dividing line is a bit murky: Tommy is where their ideas just started to become more important than the music, but at least that had some good songs, and Roger wasn't singing in that hideous voice...yet. I love how Meaty, Beaty, Big, and Bouncy distills Tommy down to its essence: "Pinball Wizard". That's all you really need. But a lot of people, especially we Americans, appear to be blissfully unaware that The Who were anything but an over-the-top arena-rock band. I remember one time I played "So Sad About Us" on the guitar for some members of my family. To paraphrase: "That's really nice. Who's it by?" "The Who." "No, really, who's it by?"

But enough anecdotes about my family--I need to save those for therapy, anyway--and onto this record. What's revolutionary about this record is not the songs themselves but the very SOUND. Like The Ramones, like Never Mind The Bollocks, like Please Please Me, it's the very sound of the record that assures it a place in the annals of all-time great albums. No one had recorded anything so rough and tough and VIOLENT ever before! The Kinks kame kinda klose, and they're a very obvious influence, but this is a brave new sonic vista. And Pete Townshend's ringing mod/pop Rickenbacker tone is so fascinating; how can something so jangly sound so heavy? Ringing guitar and menacing bass, three-part harmonies and absolutely gonzo wild-man drumming, it's like listening to an internal conflict-turned-nervous breakdown.

Oh yeah, and the songs are great, too. Ten originals, two JB covers on the US release. I've come to love all the originals, that's for sure. Five seconds into the album, when Roger Daltrey comes in out of nowhere to shout "OUT!" during the tremulous guitar intro of "Out in the Street", you know this is going to be like nothing you've ever heard. And then it kicks into the song proper: tough, ringing mod pop with great "no-no-no" backing vocals, innovative guitar breaks, and a dead-on closing by Daltrey: "I'm a-gonna know, I'm a-gonna know YOUUUUUUUUUUU!" And then there's "My Generation", the first ever punk song...would we remember it as fondly as we do if not for the inimitable s-s-stutter? And two fucking key changes? And the nuclear-bomb Keith Moon drums at the end? My personal favorite, though, has to be "The Kids Are Alright", the first ever power pop song. I find it so refreshing that they put the loveliest, most gorgeous song on the album right after the unadulterated violence of "My Generation". "The Kids Are Alright" is probably one of my 5 or 10 favorite songs ever, and "My Generation" is in the top 100, somewhere. As for the covers, "I Don't Mind" is actually done well. "Please Please Please" I'm still ambivalent about even after dozens of listens, especially since it comes right after the twin titans of "My Generation" and "The Kids Are Alright". Daltrey tries too hard to imitate Godfather Soul on that one, but it's still listenable, at least. Bottom line: one "okay" cover, another good cover, eight great originals, and two all-time classics makes a great fucking album.

Oh yeah, get the USA issue, to be sure. Yes, the cover art is inferior. Yes, they cut out the solo in "The Kids Are Alright". But the tremendous psychedelic nugget "Circles" more than makes up for that, as opposed to the Faux Diddley "I'm a Man" on the UK version.

And in regards to some of these comments: "I Can't Explain" IS on the "deluxe edition" CD re-issue of this album (which combines the US and UK issues and a fuckload of extras, but has some really dodgy issues with the remastering that I won't go into since this has already turned into a novel, just check out the reviews on Amazon.com or wherever). So lay off the guy who mentioned that. Instead, I suggest you turn your ire towards the guy who says, and I quote, "It's not even in the same ballpark as...'Who Are You'. I actually haven't heard too much of this album as a whole though, I'm just commenting on early who in general." Now, the first sentence is mind-bogglingly stupid enough, but everyone's entitled to an opinion. However, YOU ARE NOT ENTITLED TO A FUCKING OPINION IF YOU HAVEN'T ACTUALLY LISTENED TO THE FUCKING ALBUM YOU STUPID FUCKING ASSHOLE. Imagine if every guy on Prindle's site wrote comments like this guy: "I don't know, Revolver just doesn't seem in the same league as Let It Be. I haven't actually heard the whole album, though, I'm just commenting on '62-'66 Beatles in general." And with that, I bid you farewell. I'll spend the next five years writing a review of "The Who Sell Out".

(P.S. OK, I lied. Before I go I must also say a word for the too-often-overlooked Nicky Hopkins. Incredibly deft piano touches that make great songs brilliant. Can you envision "La-La Lies", "The Ox", or "A Legal Matter" without his flourishes? He belongs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with all the other great sidemen.)

jdj7@charter.net
im not eighteen but im thirteen and i love The Who.

A Quick One - MCA 1967.

Reader Comments

la314w@crown.icongrp.com (Jesse Lara)
THIS WHOLE ALBUM SUCKS!

ashley@freenet.msp.mn.us (Thomas Ashley)
Sorry dude, this is one of the Who's low points. I can't believe you give this record a higher rating than Quadrophenia. Too many of the songs are plain filler, and the sound quality is incredibly tinny. "Boris The Spider" and "So Sad About Us" are great songs however.

corpsebag@hotmail.com (Michael Cory)
maybe not such a good idea to do "Heatwave" but this still rocks.

ModOxGS@aol.com (Kendra Levine)
It's awesome!!! John's work starts strong. The whole album is great for any band's second album. The horn work is fantastic, singing is great. Pete Townshend wrote great masterpieces, like the title track. "Whiskey Man" is one of Entwistle's classics.

astarst@rsuh.ru (George Starostin)
Its main problem (as you should know) is that ALL the members of the band were FORCED to write songs (due to financial problems). This certainly results in a lot of throwaways (Daltrey's "See My Way" is ridiculous, and Moon's "I Need You" is unintellegible; I kinda like "Cobwebs And Strange", though, even if it belongs to a circus show rather than a Who album). As for Townshend's songs, all of them are first-rate, as usual (though "A Quick One" would certainly only become great in concert, much later). By the way, "A Quick One" is not STUPID - it's HUMOROUS. Feel the difference?

stoo@imsa.edu (John McFerrin)
Huge falloff from the terrific debut. The title track is funny, but not as good as it is live. And Boris is of course good, but .... guh

5.

jtcable@tir.com (Josh Cable)
Carbon copy of goddamn Sell Out. I actually was lead to believe that this album was made after Sell Out, just before Tommy. Good thing it wasn't, because then Tommy would have been as bad as this.

Yes, I guess that like Sell Out, I need to give this a few more listens. So here's the first impression: SUCK. Run Run Run, I Need You, Heat Wave, Don't Look Away, See My Way, and So Sad About Us are pathetic Beatlesesque shit. I mean, even for some kind of crappy Beatles rip off band, this sucks. And didn't Pete hate the Beatles? What the fuck is going on here?

And you know, Heat Wave really does suck. It's a cover, and it sucks. Doesn't matter what the original was, this song is just fucking stupid.

All those bad songs, all it leaves are the bland but sorta ok Boris, the insane last minute "ok song" entry knwon as Whiskey Man, Happy Jack, and a totally lame ass and inferior version of Quick One While He's Away. These remaining tracks are at least a reminder to my young self that the Who only got better.

Sadly, the very best song on here is that crazy carnival band song called Cobwebs and Strange. That song just kicks ass. That's at least worth the $12 I spent on this big fucking sleepy heroin jam album.

I tried reading the liner notes to this one, but it was just too goddamn painful, seeing the massive blowfest for these guys. I mean, there can be no doubt that The Who did some of the best music ever, but reading these quotes by these trend fuck newspaper rock critics about how The Who in 67 were the "most gutsy and powerful and electrifblahblahblah rock band ever" while listening to Don't Look Away... it just made me feel extreme pain in the abdomnal area. BA DABADADADAAAAAA. Oof.

The title track is *so* *much* better on Rock and Roll Circus. I will never ever even buy Sings My Generation, because there'll be no fucking point. It's probably even worse.

It doesn't matter what you say about Quad, it's gotta be better than this. Shit, Face Dances is probably better.

davydd@ozemail.com.au (Davydd Marrie)
Granted that this album probably was not as good as My Generation, it still had some great sounds that really get me going. 'So sad about us' is fantastic; Paul Weller felt something about this song. 'A Quick one while he's away' has a great finale; that harmony singing on "...you are forgiven etc..." although not much by classical standards (I am a choral singer) was very emotional, different and really grabs you. Give them 10/10 for trailblazing a new path!

misterkite@mindspring.com (Adam Bruneau)
For some reason or another, I find myself listening to this album quite often, despite the fact that it is incredibly sloppy and haphazardly put together and many of the songs simply aren't that good. But I, for one, adore the Entwistle songs, the Keith Moon songs (both the excellent Brit-pop of "I Need You" and the circusy revelation of "Cobwebs"), AND the destined-to-be-inferior studio version of "A Quick One, While He's Away". Maybe I'm just too big a fan of British Invasion posturing and the shoddy Shel Talmy recordings. Maybe the bonus tracks of the awesome psychedelic "Disguises" and energetic covers of "Batman" and "Bucket T" do it for me. I don't quite know. Oh wait, I know, it's "So Sad About Us", quite possibly the best ever pop song that Mr. Townshend EVER wrote for The Who. Live at the Marquee, this song was rousing, but on record it's just fantastic.

TVEye70@aol.com
Yeah, this album's fairly weak. "So Sad About Us" is a freaking stellar song though, and the title track is great though better heard on the Rock 'n' Roll Circus version. I think I'm the only person who likes "See My Way", it's a catchy little tune! What's wrong with that? Just not a whole lot sticks here, really. 6/10.

JohnnyB8@aol.com
Well, obviously, this isnt the who's best album, but it did produce such show staples as A Quick One, While He's Away and Boris The Spider. I dig Run, Run, Run which is a pretty awesome song when u listen to it, although its way better on BBC Sessions. As for the dude up there with the idiotic comment about how this is a "carbon copy" of Sell Out, well you really arent that smart are you? Sell Out is so much more different than this, but it doesnt put this album to shame at all. I Mean sure, when you make Keith Moon write two of the songs, you arent going to have a stellar album, considering the fact that he just wasn't a songwriter. And if thats not bad enough, you make Daltrey write a song? I think hes better off just singing them. I mean, hes only written 4 songs with the Who in a span of near 40 years with them. But, even for one of the first budget albums of it's time, i still think that its a solid effort, even if it wasn't meant to be. I mean, hey, Townshend will tell you himself how much he hates the Call Me Lightning single, and how much Entwistle hated the solo in the middle. He'll tell you how much of a throw-away it was, but yet the fans still like that song. I say this album gets a 7.

astika@trancetrip.com (Olivia Lawrence)
"Too many people have forgotten that rock'n'roll is fun." -Keith Moon

gag05@bigpond.com.au
Yeah, more like A Shit One (While He's Away With Pete Townshend). This album, as the title so casually suggests was made "quick" while Townshend was off with some guy..They obviously loved this formula so much, coz as the next 5 years of their career shows, ("Tommy" and "Who's Next"??? plz don't throw that shit at me) Pete Townshend had no fucking clue on how to write a good album!!! Lord knows why the fuck he is called a genius...anyone???? These songs aren't mature or even worth listening to. "Boris" and "Whiskey Man" are cute.but fucking hell the Beatles were doing "Tomorrow Never Knows" and "Eleanor Rigby" at this time and people compare the two bands!!! What kind of competition is that??? Cool Band to watch on stage for sure, but Jesus Christ in the studio.... ahhhhh these guys aint good, Townshend is a nutcase anyway. 0/10

stu in nyc @aol.com
you younger people don't get it. when this album came out in 1967, the who were practically unknown in the US. The record company had to rename the album "Happy Jack" to support the single that a few AM top 40 radio stations thought was catchy enough to merit very little airplay. And the album still didn't sell. the who had yet to become the bloated band of the mid-late 70s. they were writing and releasing songs about questionable gender ("I'm a Boy"), race relations (check out the original lyrics to "Substitute", which had to be changed for the US market), and pornography ("Pictures of Lily"). this was unheard of at the time. so this album was a breath of fresh air, and totally amazing, for the few that knew it existed. seeing the who perform live at this point in their career was amazing. although it may seem played out today to destroy equipment, watch their performance in the "Monterrey pop" film, which got them onto the smothers brothers TV show (look for the clip of "my generation" in "the kids are alright" film) later that year. you young whipper-snappers might think this album sucks, but you can't compare it to something that was released later (does it suck in comparison to "who's next"? no, because you can't compare 2 minute pop songs to long guitar solos and synth-laden opuses, if that's a real word).

slimsanjuro@hotmail.com
This is probably my personal favorite Who album also having the fewest songs on it I actually like. Boris The Spider, Whiskey Man, Don't Look Away, Disguises, Doctor Doctor, and In The City are awesome songs. I'm talking about the CD reissue I should add cause 3 of those songs probably aren't on other versions, might as well get the newest reissue, don't waste your time on shit with less songs especially when they add the best tracks on this one. With those great songs out of the way there are 14 songs on here that range from so-so to awful and I almost always skip them. The thing is the songs that are good are so fucking good they're better than the entire Who discog past Tommy. And I'm not an old fart (a young fart) either but I know when to give up on a band, Quadrophenia and everything else is a depressing cobweb filled basement of bullfuck you wish you could like but its so fucking void of GOODNESS you just can't enjoy it no matter how hard you try. And its not cause Quad was supposed to be dark, its that it sounds like a gay broadway musical, like I can envision men in sailor suits face different directions on a bad stage mock up of a battleship doing leg lunges (you know those stretches to get your hams ready for a run if any of you fat fucks exercise) in navy blue Daisy Dukes during some of those parts where there's that fucking bad synth "heroic" strain of a theme that pops up throughout the whole album. I bet Pete Townshend saw the same thing too, as well as Roger's faggot ass as well. The Ox and Keith were too busy getting pussy to care about Pete's D&D dork story time Harry Potter world of drama.

The Who Sell Out - MCA 1967.

Burying gems like the mean riff rocker "I Can See For Miles" (LISTEN TO THE DRUMMING! MY FUCKING GOD, LISTEN TO THAT DRUMMING!!!) and the beautiful pop "Can't Reach You" between "funny" songs about guys with acne and girls with B.O. was a rotten idea. Plus, the re-recording of the wonderful B-side "Mary Anne With The Shaky Hands" is about a jillion times weaker than the original, and Townshend's second mini-opera, "Rael," though containing guitar bits which would later end up in Tommy, starts and ends absolutely nowhere. The song "Tattoo," though, is a fantastic rocker that in a perfect world would have been a much bigger hit than "Long Live Rock," but that's how it goes down here on spaceship Earth. Whoooooshhhhh!

The fake ads on the album cover are funny, but they should have just stopped the concept right there. Lousing up a perfectly enjoyable record in hopes of being considered "avant-garde" and "clever" was stupid. Oh, Pete, what were ye thinkin'?

Reader Comments

leonard@lyco.lycoming.edu (Brian Leonard)
It's funny. I kinda agree with Mark, and yet...somehow I find the concept endearing. The acne/B.O. ditties are fairly humorous and catchy, and I think the jingles seg nicely into the songs. And the songs! What songs! They are just fantastic! "Rael" may not go anywhere...but that's the point! Neither does the subject of the song. All in all, a much more (thankfully) concise version of Tommy. And "Sunrise" is gorgeous, and I'll second Mark's comments on "Tattoo"...I just love this record; it's one of their three best and therefore one of the very best pop records ever. Ignore the concept if you must and listen to the songs (and The Who's playing)!

LSDiety@aol.com
The concept of this cd (the fake ads and what-not) breaks down on side two, but that matters very little when songs like "Tattoo", "Odorono", "Sunrise", "Armenia City in the Sky" and "I Can't Reach You" are so good. This is, in my opinion, their best studio album. PS, I like the SELL OUT version of "Mary-Anne" better than the original b-side.... none of those cheap 1960's vocal effects!

liberty@ptialaska.net (Marc Kovac)
With the 96 re-release, this is the best Who CD purchase outside of Who's Next. Townshend makes Daltrey look like a worthless ponyboy greatly.

corpsebag@hotmail.com (Michael Cory)
You guys are nuts. The Who Sell Out is one of the greatest albums by one of the greatest bands of all time. Hilarious and great.

gstarst@rsuh.ru (George Starostin)
I don't quite get this review of yours, Mark. The band "does not really know where to go"? A strange remark. Did the Beatles "know where they wanted to go" on Pepper? That album is also a terrible mix of styles. Did the Stones know "where to go" on Let It Bleed?

What do you expect from such a great act as the Who? To fill the complete album with heavy rockers? Or screw them in favor of light pop ballads? Or go totally psychodelic? Or what? Would you like all the Who records to be like Live At Leeds (which is pretty good but I would never respect Pete if he never did anything else!)

This record shows the TRUE MASTERS OF ROCK at their (or probably HIS) creative and imaginative peak. The "goofy fake ad jingles" are just a piece of humor: anyway, if you prefer listening to "Revolution 9", we'll never agree on this one. But even within these "jingles" some gems are to be found: the guitar line on "Odorono", for instance!

As for the actual songs, most of them are first-rate. I would dismiss "Silas Stingy" (funny, but not half as good as "Boris") and "Relax" (acid rock was not Townshend's forte). ALL the other songs are beautiful.

On this album, Townshend is especially good at ballads: "Tattoo" manages in some magical way to combine humor with genuine emotion; "Sunrise" has some incredible guitar and Townshend's singing on it is maybe his best effort; "Our Love Was" has a tremendous chorus (and I am sure Lennon ripped off the guitar riff for "Dear Prudence")! A FANTASTIC record! Maybe even better than TOMMY! Could this be the Ultimate Record...? Hardly... but pretty close!

lukas.ljungdahl@are.mail.telia.com
After the first listen to this, I didn't like it at all, but after a few listens I realized it. This album's GREAT! I love it, it's one of my favorite albums. I also really liked the 1995 bonus tracks. The commercials are funny, and a good add to the whole thing.

hutchilj@aramco.com.sa
I'd only give this '6' myself. Whether or not the advertising 'concept' is amusing or not, the songs aren't that good! "I Can See For Miles" stands out, and "Sunrise" is charming, but the rest of the songs are something and nothing.

stoo@imsa.edu (John McFerrin)
Fantastic. What you call a poorly flowing record, I call a wonderful mix of styles. And the ads and jingles are humorous. Lighten up. 9, easily.

misterkite@mindspring.com (Adam Bruneau)
Ugh. Mark, I have agreed with you on just about everything else you write on this page, from that great White Album review to yor views on the state of modern music and philosophy. But this time, you've gone WAY too far! The Who Sell Out is the great lost classic album of the Sixties. Yeah, "I Can See For Miles" is awesome, but who can forget the beautifull me-too psychedelia of "Armenia City in the Sky", the mischevious humor of "Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand" and "Tattoo", the sheer grace of "Sunrise" and "Relax", and the epic "Rael"? Add to that all the superb bonus tracks ("Melancholia", "Jaguar") and the hilarious commercials ("Odorono", "Heinz Baked Beans") and you've got the most underrated album of all time! I'd give this a 9 because "Silas Stingy" can get on my nerves sometimes, but overall this is probably my favorite Who album. Oh, and the commercials are just the icing on the cake! It really FEELS like a radio station. Or at least one run by The Who. Wouldn't _THAT_ be something?

Also, I really would like to disagree with the other album ratings (all too low!) but I think that The Who are a preferred taste. Of course, if you don't really care for them, all of their albums (even the really good ones) are going to get low scores. But if you like how they sound and what sort of songs they write, each album will be really good and you'll have a hard time picking a favorite. By the way, I don't even bother with the last 2 Keith-less albums. In my book, those don't qualify as Who (although "You Better You Bet" is a pretty good songs).

Amgreenberg@aol.com
Gotta agree with you on "I Can See For Miles" and "Tattoo", killer tunes both. Especially "I Can See For Miles", a personal fave of mine. Gotta love the slightly menacing atmosphere.

jtcable@tir.com (Josh Cable)
Wow, the Who sucked cocks. This album... even tho I've only heard the whole thing a few times... shit. Listened to this in a car with a friend. I figured that there would be really cool stuff on here that went along with I Can See for Miles, BUT IT'S ALL JUST SHIT.

A very large amount of these songs are just stupid and weak. O God. Now my friend hates the Who, I'll never be able to get him to listen to Live at Leeds or see Kids Are Ok now. Shit. And yet, he played us 311 and told us about how he wants to move to shitty California. Goddammit. Fucking Sell Out album. I couldn't even really explain to him why this album isn't that great compared to Who's good stuff. Probably because I don't have that many Who albums yet. But goddamn.

The only other good song with be the funny lyriced Tattoo and also MAYBE Silas Stingy, but the music here really isn't good. What the fuck was going on? What's with all these echoy fluff songs? I mean, I know these guys thought they were "power pop," but SHIT. The music sucks.

I Can See for Miles is awesome tho. Which is too bad, because I wasted $11 on this album. I'd have to give it a 4. However, I haven't really heard the whole thing.

Ok, heard the whole album. I guess I'd up the score from a 4 to a 5. Mary-anne, if it's inferior to a b-side, it still an ok tune. Odorono might be dumb as hell, but it's an ok tune as well. Yay for Tattoo, and I Can See For Miles, and Relax is also not all that bad. Rael has some very nice vocalizing I suppose, but it still sucks.

You know, this is totally confusing. The Who in the late 60's and throughout the 70's we powerful and moving, yet this is all just a Beatles derivitive. Shit, Daltry can't be on any of this early shit because it all sounds like about 10 John Lennon/Paul Mac imitators singing at once.

This album is ok as far as the joke songs are concerned. I actually put the CD in just to hear Medac once. I'm not bothered by the jokes. I'm bothered by the serious shit. None of these songs could be considered rock, at all. Half the album is simply ok. Where are the real Who albums?

I don't even know what album I Can't Explain is supposed to be on.

Silas Stingy would have been about a thousand times better if they could have cut the chorus, by the way. Seriously. Maybe if they had used to chorus once in the song, it would have been really something. But the way it is now, it's flawed.

mjhaag@webtv.net (Michael Haag)
Coke after Coke after Coke after Coca Cola Coke after Coke after Coke after Coca Cola

binro@webtv.net (Marc Paskvan)
They shouldn't put these albums out on CD without separating the bonus tracks from the original setlist, off the vinyl. It waters down the impact of the original. But since I only just got this album, Sell Out by the Who, my opinion of the album as a whole is flawed by its length--due to the bonus trax. It's a lot to take in.

I'm an old geezer now, but when this album came out, I was too young to afford an LP. So I'm catching up, by buying it. And though the 70's stuff after, and including Who's Next was certainly great music, I secretly prefer the earlier, 'lighter' fare. It had humor, and told stories. It was a great snapshot of "mod" London in the '60's. Though not as well recorded as later stuff, it was a group effort. Certain personalities hadn't come too far to the forefront, fistfights notwithstanding.

I guess the standouts, IMO, are "Armenia..." and "Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand". And of course, " I can see for miles", but since I've heard that a billion times on radio, it goes in one ear and out the other.

So yeah, I'd say it's not classic in the same way as Who's Next, but then, I guess it just depends what you're in the mood for; a heavy trip or a happy buzz.

The radio jingles are great fun. I think I bought this album as a reaction to browzing the current record bins and seeing nothing but either psycho-wannabe's or corporate pop airheads. Nyeah-haha!

Pepperpot13@aol.com
Just stumbled on your site and thought I'd contribute a bit to your Sell Out review. This pertains to the 1996 reissue, since I have yet to get an original version!

I agree that The Who are, for the most part, an aquired taste. If you like one or two songs of theirs, you're probably not going to be interested in Sell Out. It's quite a departure from their sound as most people expect it to be (either the Anglopop Mod-ness of "My Generation" or the arena rock of "Won't Get Fooled Again"). I can see why many will pass off the songs as "fluff" and "shit" because at first hearing, it kind of seems that way. Just like if you simply glance at one of those 3-D pictures, you're not going to see what is really there.

Sell Out is certainly worth a close look - and a close look is necessary for most to pick up on the astonishing accomplishment of this album. Thiswas the first Who album I bought (aside from a compilation album). At first, I didn't care for it much. I really didn't know what to make of it. But then I put it on in the car druing a long-ish road trip. I find that when I listen to music while driving, I can concentrate on it more.

What I discovered during that drive was that this album is the best that The Who have done before or since (I too don't count the post-Moon "Who" albums. What a load of shit. Won't waste my money).

Some of the songs *are* a bit shitty. "Armenia" and "Girl's Eyes", for instance, should have been left off altogether. But what gems remain! The whole run from "Heinz Baked Beans" to "I Can See For Miles" is just astonishing.

"Our Love Was", in particular, is, literally, breathtaking. The opening line that Pete halts as if he were taking a hitching breath, trying to explain what the hell "their love" is..."Our love was..." and he stops, but you can feel that he's on the verge of what he wants to say next. It gives the impression that he's biting his lip, trying to come up with what to say next. And then the instruments mimic Pete's hesitance - the drums especially do this very well. A nice example of a song devoid of Daltrey. And even though it's *so much* Pete's song, it's really John and Keith who carry it. It's driven by a wonderful bass line, the hesitant drumwork, and a lovely French horn on top of it all (courtesy of John!). Townshend's guitar solo isn't half bad either - I agree that it sounds an awful lot like Lennon plagerized it for "Dear Prudence"!

"Odorono" is easy to pass over as simply one of the advertizement songs. But it was the first song to catch my ear the very first time I heard the album. I liked the tune a lot and the lyrics really drew me into the song (that I had been half-listening to)...I wanted to hear how it ended! I especially liked Moon's drum fill after the line, "She was happier than she'd ever been, as he praised her for her graces..." It sounds like someone tripping over tons of junk, boxes, whatever. Nice juxtaposition with the lyric!

Anyway, so I was digging the music and really getting into the story and then..."her deodorant let her down, she should have used Odorono," and then it was gone, melted into the "smooth sailing" Radio London jingle. I was pissed! That whole lovely song - nothing but a deodorant ad! In retrospect, that's exactly the reaction I imagine Townshend wanted! Don't you hate it when you hear some song on the radio or TV and you *really* like it...until it turns out to be about maxi pads or fast food? This song seems to embody the spirit of the album most fully. It's sardonic and cheeky - you don't really see it coming. I think this attitude is the best one to take for this album...once you understand what's going on, it all flows much better...and the music will begin to stand out from the fascade of the "concept".

"I Can See For Miles", "Jaguar" and the rediscovered gem, "Glow Girl" are soaring, powerful songs, perfect showcases for Moon's unequalled talent for lightning-quick, hard ass drum work. "Tattoo" is a wonderful example of how moon could underplay the drums if he really tried (compare to "See My Way" where he had to play on cardboard boxes because he just couldn't get quiet enough)! "Tattoo" is a good example of how well Daltrey could sing, when he put his mind to it (and perhaps many, many takes). Don't get me wrong, I like his style. He's one of the most unique voices in rock music...but his range is definitely not the best. "Tattoo" showcases Roger before the growly Who's Next era and after the "white-Mod-boy-blues" era. Good work here. The harmonies on "Tattoo" and "Mary Anne" are wonderful, if not a bit Beatle-y. I wonder if "Mary Anne" was more of a parody on the lovey-dovey, harmony-driven sound of the early Beatles? It certainly sounds that way to me: a raunchy parody of the Beatles' sound. Actually, if anyone, I think The Who were ripping off on the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds vocal stylings on some songs, "Rael" especially. Has anyone else noticed that besides me? It seems likely, since Pet Sounds was the most popular album in England around that time and the fact that Keith Moon was a HUGE Beach Boys fan. I don't think there's any shame in being "inspired" heavily by Pet Sounds. After all, Paul McCartney said himself that Pet Sounds was the direct inspiration for Sgt. Pepper and that he thought "God Only Knows" was the most beautiful song ever written. But I digress...

John is definitely not in his best songwriting form on this album. He was far more prolific on A Quick One. "Silas Stingy" is okay and " Someone's Coming" is forgettable. Maybe he was too preoccupied with coming up with the jingles? I will say this - he is in fine musical form on "Sell Out". His playing is top-notch. Listen to "Relax", "Early Morning Cold Taxi", Our Love Was" (I already mentioned that at length) and "Glow Girl". But wait for Tommy - John really comes into his own starting on that album and, of course, explodes on Quadrophenia. Actually, when listening to "Rael", one can already hear what John would soon improve upon in Tommy.

Pete, of course, is writing so well at this point. "Sunrise" is beautiful. I don't think I could say enough about it - "Pinball Wizard", here he comes! "Rael" is ambitious and of course, we can all see now where that song was going to. "I Can't Reach You" has lyrics that are as playful as they are poignant: "...once I caught a glimpse of your unguarded, untouched heart...our fingertips touched and then, my mind tore us apart..." Pete's at his guitar-distorting best on this album. Check out the end to "Melancholia" and the solos in "Our Love Was", "Relax" and the entirety of "Glow Girl". Fucking great stuff. Yeah, a few of the songs lapse into psychadelic and over-angsty nonsense ("Glittering Girl" is Townshend at his most sappy and "Melancholia", for example, is a good tune, but its lyrics are a tad insipid). But there's little filler in his work on this album. And he sings so well - it's a wonder he kept Daltrey along for the ride!

This album is so wonderful. But if you don't try a *little harder* to think a *little more*, you're probably not going to enjoy it or see any depth to the songs. This is definitely not an album for those who are just getting into The Who. It took me a while, but it was worth the time. I mean, it didn't take *that* long...but I knew there was *something* there. I knew it was GOOD music. And no, I wasn't just searching for things to like and finding them by hell or high water. I tried really, really hard to like Pink Floyd's The Wall and I still don't care for it. If you don't really care for The Who or if you're a casual listener, you'll probably hate this album. It was a rough one as my first exposure to the band in real album form. Most people are not ready for it and probably won't ever be.

jtcable@home.com (Josh Cable)
Listened to it again after I made my old review.

Rael isn't really that bad, Relax is really nice and catchy. And I love the bass solo, or whatever it is.

This album is still a gigantic dissapointment. City in the Sky doesn't even count as a real song. In general, the album's not good enough to exchange for money. Even Roger's singing is dissapointing on some of this. That sucks. Then again, he never seems to keep from getting winded unless a TV crew is recording him (Live at Leeds, any bootleg ever).

Fuck this Sellout.

richbunnell@home.com
Well, just to provide a contrasting opinion after Josh Cable's usual "Journal Of Every Single Time I Listened To This Stupid Faggy Album, Hey Did I Mention That S&M Sucks?" post, I'd just like to say that I'm really fond of this particular platter. It does kind of bother me that it seems like they spent five times as much time on "I Can See For Miles" as the rest of the album, but that doesn't stop "I Can't Reach You," "Armenia City In The Sky" and "Tattoo" from being wonderfully-melodic little numbers. The jokey commercials and radio bumpers are hilarious too, especially that "Goooo to the chuuurch of your choooooice!" one. I guess I'd give it a nine, it's not the Who at their peak but it's definitely worth more than a middling seven.

Jcjh20@aol.com
Man, this is outstanding stuff if you ask me. I really think the whole "sell out" and Radio 1 London concept is a overall a humorous and clever idea, actually. And as for the songs, they range from absolutely gorgeous ("Cant Reach You", "Our Love Was", "Sunrise", "Tattoo") to awesome experimental/psychadelic pop ("I Can See For Miles", "Rael 1" and "Rael 2", (a bonus track on the remastered CD version) "Relax"). Also some funny but great joke product songs ("Odorono", "Medac"). Definatly my second favorite Who album, only cuz Tommy gets the 10. This one gets a 9 from me.

artefact_theatre@hotmail.com (Adrian B.)
I agree with the person who thought bonus tracks on CD's detract from the original album. Yes, they are worth listening to but the original album gets buried. I hate this trend! So, what would it have been like to spin the original WHO SELL OUT album in 1967/68? No, this is not a nostalgiac fan talking! (I was only 5 when it was released). I went to my used vinyl store here in Chicago and bought a hard-to-find1960's copy of this (on the US Decca label). I fell in love with it straight away. I can't believe that the only song I knew was I Can See For Miles - this is full of great songs!

The currently available CD can only hint at the amazing impact this album would have had. First of all, the fuck-you cover, in full album size, offended the un-hip even before a note of music was played. Then there's the music. A feature of vinyl was the careful choice of opening and closing tracks for each side. Side one of SELL OUT would have to be one of the strongest from the period. Great pop songs bracketed between the raw, sonic attack of Armenia City in the Sky and I Can See For Miles.

The Who have been let down by their record companies through the years. US Decca were very sloppy in their release of Who albums (they altered covers and switched songs on the first two LP's). In fact US Decca were mainly an easy-listening label and had nothing comparable to the Who. It kept the "offensive" cover of THE WHO SELL OUT intact (apparently it was unhappy with the cover, but by this stage the Who's English management were fed up with it and made demands.) Decca still managed to misspell Daltrey's name on the front cover, and the use of the entire back cover (where liner notes would normally go) for the Moon and Entwistle photos meant there was no track listing on the sleeve at all, only on the record label. No songwriter credits anywhere! Only Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp's names appear as producers. Terrible!

Even through all this the album shines through. Some faults (the "concept" was criticized by some reviewers as half-hearted) can be attributed to the fact that, prior to TOMMY, the Who were not well off and had to constantly play live to make any money, so studio work was sporadic. And they obviously had less control over their product than a band like the Beatles.

TVEye70@aol.com
There are some fantastic songs on this album, and maybe I haven't listened to it quite enough, but for me it kinda peters out towards the end. It starts with "Armenia, City In the Sky", and the first half alone has "Tattoo", "Our Love Was, Is", "Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand" and ends with "I Can See for Miles" - that side alone gets a 10! Even with the ads (to hell with the concept, they're just hysterical!) However, after "I Can't Reach You" (certainly the most gorgeous song the Who ever recorded) side two seems to die down. I never could get into "Rael". But otherwise, this is a stunner! 9/10

host@planeta.cz
who sell OUt is BEst WHo album I EVER HERd! i waS IN Pub with FRENd and we TakINg abOUT THIS and WOmen come OVer AND we Had SEx!

PoweR OF ROck and rolL!!

procha@optonline.net (Pete Rocha)
Every Who album is pretty spotty, but I'd probably say this one is my favorite. The advertisment/rock angle is clever and it has three of my favorite Who songs, "Armenia", "Mary-Anne", and "See For Miles". The Beatles and Stones may have made "more consistent" full LP's (whatever that means), but the Who baked a more common roast beef for the mass potatoes and, ah, I'm pretty fuckin' zipped right now. This is about comment #72 on this album, even Roger's chest hair implants aren't reading this far down, so never mind.

JohnnyB8@aol.com
I'm a fan of concept albums myself. Thats why i like Tommy, Quadrophenia, Who's Next, and Sgt. Pepper so damn much. For an earlier Who concept album, Sell Out puts up "good numbers" so-to-speak. I Can See For Miles, of course, is the stand-out on this album, but once again i don't think that it puts the other tracks to shame. Tattoo is an awesome song, by any standards, and i can dig John's Silas Stingy. The commercials are hillarious, no matter what anyone says. Odorono is a funny song, It's meant to be taken lightly! Armenia City In The Sky is a great opening song, its real powerful, and the blaring horns after the faint "Sundayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy" is great. It wakes you up, if you dared to try and sleep on the who. As a Who album, this is damn near one of their best. As a "Weird Al" Yankovic album.....its even better!!!!!

astika@trancetrip.com (Olivia Lawrence)
"You know, people don't appreciate that the Who are really the only top group still raving mad left on the scene. We are left holding the torch to illuminate the stupidity of the world!" -Keith Moon

bri.hyndman@sympatico.ca (Brian Hyndman)
This would be on par with other famous concept albums of the era -- 'Pets Sounds', 'Sgt Pepper' et al. -- were it not for the silly-ass commercial jingles and the John Entwhistle contributions. I never understood why 'the Ox' was given carte blanche to spread his manure over every LP the WHO released over the course of their checkered career. Perhaps Entwhistle had prior knowledge of Pete Townshend's 'research interests' (ahem) in child pornography and demanded 3 songs per LP in return for his silence on the matter. How else can one account for the horror of 'Silas Stingy', 'Boris the Spider', 'Doctor Doctor' and every other Entwhistle-penned cartoon jingle for not-overbright children?

Jay Banerjee
The best album of 1967. A pop masterpiece. The greatest album The Who ever put out.

Maybe it's time I started writing some sentences with verbs. Let's see, where do I start with this beyond desperate panegyrics? This album boasts some of the finest popcraft ever, and it totally fucking rocks. How about that? And it's funny, too. Come on, Prindle, the commercial jingles liven up the album. I'll be the first to admit that they're not as substantial as the songs proper, but that isn't really the point. Pete turned in some damn fine songs proper here. Every jingle acts as a glue or a segue in lieu of the standard fade-outs, fade-ins, and abrupt changes.

(You know what's funny? "Glue" and "segue" end in "-ue", but don't even rhyme. And "lieu" ends in "-eu" but rhymes with "glue." So instead of just going from one sentence to another like a normal person, I'm going to digress on parenthetical, insubstantial points that may at first blush seem only to hinder unity and forcefulness but ultimately make my review more memorable. Get the connection?)

And now let's tackle those actual songs. "Armenia City in the Sky" is a great slice of poppy psychedelia. Yeah, The Who did psychedelia here. And they did it fucking RIGHT! I'll take "Armenia City in the Sky" over "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" any day of the week, thank you. One of the finest moments on this album is just a few seconds in, the "Monday...Tuesday...Wednesday..." bit fading out and giving way to that absolutely incomparable backwards guitar tone. (Imagine instead that the album just starts with that backwards guitar bit straightaway. Brilliant, sure, but missing a certain something, right?) The lyrics are very non-Whoish--indeed, they were written by some associate of the group--but the psychedelic imagery works wonders with the chugging rhythm section, Daltrey's keening vocals, and of course that fucking backwards guitar, neeeeeeeeowwwww!

The acoustic and electric "Mary Annes" both have their own merits. The electric has that terrific Hammond organ; the acoustic has those absolutely gorgeous harmonies. And the lyrics are distinctively Townshend: an off-kilter, sexually confused take on a classic pop theme. "Tattoo" is just beautiful, and at once both funny and moving. "Our Love Was" is touching; I'm still not completely sold on that jarring bridge ("LOVE LOVE LOVE LONG LOVE LOVE LOVE LONG"), but I'll tell you, I simply cannot picture the song without Pete Townshend coming in just as "Go to the church of your choice!" fades, and cutting into those heart-tugging guitar lines over Moon's pounding drums. The song just wouldn't be the same.

(More music, more music, more music, more music!)

There's nothing to say about "I Can See for Miles" that hasn't been said a hundred million times by a hundred million other amateur hacks, so "fucking brilliant" will suffice here. And that extends to the placement, too: gorgeous ballad, headbanging rocker, gorgeous ballad. And speaking of that next gorgeous ballad, "I Can't Reach You" is the best song on the album, and arguably the best song in The Who's entire catalogue. I know that's a perverse choice to make since Pete takes the vocal, but I don't care. How many rock and roll songs have gone over this theme of not being able to "reach" some beautiful, distant girl? I don't know, maybe ten thousand, but none I've heard top this, musically or lyrically. I'm surprised this one isn't covered as often as, say, "The Kids Are Alright" or "So Sad About Us". The All Music Guide recognizes four covers, two of which sound pretty agonizing from the samples, one decent but ill-advised, and then of course there's Petra Haden's, which is the best of the lot, perhaps not surprisingly. Maybe it's one of those songs that simply can't be re-created, so why bother trying? You know, like "Teenage Kicks" or "Waterloo Sunset". (Rubber-band guitar my ass, Prindle. But next time.)

"Relax" and "Silas Stingy" are the album's weak points. "Relax" is the snoozer rocker, very monotonous. I think they were going for a pseudo-R&B sound here, but it didn't really work out. You know what I hate the most about "Relax"? That part that goes, "We try harder and harder trying to get away/But it's a long long way until judgment day." What the fuck does that mean? "Silas Stingy" is John singing a funeral dirge with next-to-no accompaniment...sounds as good as it sounds.

Fortunately, we're back in peak form with "Sunrise", yet another Pete-sung ballad, but utterly unlike the others. It's just him and a classical guitar. It's a very intimate song, both musically and lyrically, and you get the feeling that maybe it's the sort of thing Pete always wanted to do but was too embarrassed to bring up in front of the lads. Mind-blowing jazz fingerpicking, too. And, of course, the closer is "Rael", an inscrutable "mock opera" that might not carry a hell of a lot of emotional charge (tough to top "Sunrise") but sure manages to stay interesting for six whole minutes. It really is difficult to follow such a personal, even haunting song as "Sunrise" at all, and sometimes I almost think the band should have just stopped the album right there, but in the final analysis "Rael" does bring some worthwhile elements to The Who Sell Out: ambition, mystery, and another dash of psychedelia.

So! If you've gotten this far, well, you're even crazier than I am. Just listen to the album, for Chrissake. And let's part on one final note: I heartily disagree with the sentiments that the nineties re-issue improves upon the album. Some of the bonus tracks just flat-out aren't very good, "Hall of the Mountain King" being the most obivous example. "Rael 2" rules, though; it's a chilling, ninety-second hymn that is more resonant than any of "Rael 1", though of course the two songs do complement each other. Whenever I listen to The Who Sell Out straight away but don't want to listen to the bonus tracks, I still listen to "Rael 2". It's become an inseparable part of the album for me. "Glow Girl" is great, too.

(Track records, track records, track records, track records, track records...)

ricardo.nunez@poliformusa.com
“The Who Sell Out” to me is the best Who album. As a matter of fact, I consider the concept behind this record to be the only concept that actually “works”. I mean, think about it; there is a whole bunch of Rock & Roll “concept albums” out there that tell you stories of the future, fantasy worlds, the apocalypse, this & that, bla bla bla… some of them are fine, but the truth is that when one is listening to music the last thing to cross you’re mind is a goddamn story; you may pay attention to the lyrics but who the hell cares about whether Ziggy Stardust saves the world or not, and if you are following the story there is a good chance that by the third song you might not even know who the fuck Ziggy is… that’s what books are for. “The Who Sell Out” is not only a collection of EXCELLENT songs but it’s a concept that works because it’s simply trying to mock a radio station; no stories, no main character; just music to you’re ears. If you like the songs or not, well that’s just a matter of taste (and a different story).

Imperialjg@aol.com (Jay)
i love love the concept. i love love love the adverts. i like to put it on and pretend that I'm listening to the greatest radio station ever. you should try that the next time you put it on.

spacebutlerxiii@hotmail.com
I'd say they do a damn good job with the conept at hand. When listening to the radio, one is likely to find a certain degree of variation between the songs played, which sounds like what they're trying to do here. Without the commercials and "station ID" spots to string it all together (I wonder how much these guys got paid for including all the ads on the album [though I can tell you for a fact that Entwistle used and helped design Roto-Sound strings {speaking as a bassist, they're probably the best damn string I've ever used, though I had to bite the pillow paying for them}]) this record would sound like even more of a non-cohesive mess than it already does to some. Most of the songs are pretty damn good, though the only one one here that I really don't enjoy is "Silas Stingy." Also, using the "all the rhythm instruments in one speaker, all the leads in the other" mixing technique for the stereo version makes it sound simultaneously squished and empty, and that's just not cool.

slimsanjuro@hotmail.com
I can't stress enough that you should get the CD reissue of this if you plan on buying (prolly find it for 2 bucks used on da infranet), it adds pretty much an entire albums worth of material. If Glittering Girl, Melancholia, Jaguar or Early Morning Cold Taxi aren't on your version you got duped. Listening to this album for the first time ever in 2007 only knowing I Can See For Miles was refreshing, it gave me the feeling I got when I first listened to Ween so long ago. Lots of stupid silly high pitched vocals (for The Who) and odd spots of effects in songs, shit they have songs about deodorant and zit cream that are done with conviction. The idiotic ad songs make me like it more, might as well, shit why not? Play this, one of the more effeminate Who albums around your metal friends and tell them Iron Maiden was a great bar rock band but an AWFUL arena rock WWF pro wresting stage production band.

thepublicimage79@hotmail.com
Great album. Some complain about the concept, but I really like it - and the funny songs are actually funny, which is pretty shocking, since this is The Who we're talking about. Is it me, or did Pete Townshend turn into the most humorless bastard on the planet when he hit 25? He had to have known how lucky he was to have John Entwistle around.

Anyway, my one big complaint about the album is that the mix is so cliched '60's that it actually detracts from a couple of the songs. I have no doubt that "Armenia City In The Sky" would be revered as a classic amongst many if it wasn't for the fact that you can barely hear the rhythm section crammed in the extreme left speaker. It would also have been nice to have heard John Entwistle on "I Can See For Miles." There is no bass. None. The mix also lets "Our Love Was" down.

Complaints about mixing aside (something I almost never do), this is a classic album. The guitars sound great (though often you can barely hear the bass, which is a pretty big complaint considering The Who had one of the five best bassists in rock) and the band's heavy-handed, overblown style in the mid-'70's is not within miles of the lighthearted, humorous, incredibly well written and poppy songs and "ads" that characterize this album. The fascinating thing about this album is that they could have included a couple more songs and turned it into even more of a classic; "Magic Bus" and "Pictures of Lily" were also 1967 singles, like "I Can See For Miles" was. That might've been better than including "Rael," which is okay, but clearly a bunch of different parts thrown together into one song - though it is absolutely shocking to hear the music that later fit so well into "Sparks" as the last part of "Rael." (Pete knew it was the best part of the song, obviously.) The bonus tracks - ten completed songs with rejected ads from the sessions inserted between them - are pretty much all okay, but none of them are as good as "I Can See For Miles," "Tattoo" and "Armenia City In The Sky," which I suppose is only to be expected.

This gets an A.

Fillmore East - Koine 1968

The Who's April 1968 Fillmore East concerts are apparently available on many different bootlegs of many different lengths. The version I'm reviewing is a single disc with the following tracks:
"Summertime Blues" - Eddie Cochran cover
"Fortune Teller" - Allen Toussaint cover
"Tattoo" - Adolescents cover. "IT'S TATTOO TIME!!!!!"
"Tattoo" - Okay not really an Adolescents cover
"Little Billy" - Sweet cover. "Little Billy Billy won't - go home! But you can't p
"Little Billy" - Okay not really a Sweet cover
"Can't Explain" - Classic
"Happy Jack" - Classic
"Relax" - Frankie Goes To Hollyw
"Relax" - Okay not r
"Relax" - 5-hour jam
"Easy Going Guy" - Another Eddie Cochran cover. I'd like to thank Eddie Cochran for coming down tonight and playing his hits for us.
"Boris The Spider" - Classic
"My Generation" - Classic (aside from the 18-month jam at the end)
"A Quick One" - If only
"Shakin' All Over" - Guess Who cover/lengthy improvisational passage of low artistic quality

One thing's for suretain: this recording has very good sound for a 40-year-old bootleg. The guitar tone is filthily rough and raw, all the instruments and vocals are perfectly audible, and even Pete's between-song banter is surprisingly comprehensible. In fact, some might argue that the sound quality is a bit too good at times, as when Roger tries to sing "Boris The Spider" with John and immediately sings the wrong verse, or during "Can't Explain" when Pete's ugly falsetto back-up vocals threaten to derail the whole project. But make no mistake - if this disc is substandard (and it IS), it's not the bootlegger's fault. He's not the one who put "A Quick One" and "Little Billy" on the set list, for example. Bootleggers don't have that kind of power. At least I have to assume they don't, lest my safe little world be ripped apart.

Augh! That's not Cheney approving an offensive strike against Iran; it's just some kid who put a bunch of Screeching Weasel singles on Rapidshare!

That was just a dramatization, but you see what happens when you put too much power in the hands of bootleggers.

Instead of in the hands of bootlickers, where it belongs. Go lobbyists!

No I'm serious. Go away.

Also, this album stinks.

Magic Bus-The Who On Tour - MCA 1968.

Reader Comments

leonard@lyco.lycoming.edu (Brian Leonard)
Yep. An American throw-together meant to keep them in the public eye while Tommy was being born. Rolling Stone (Greil Marcus, I think) did an imaginative review of it by reconstructing the album it could have been (which pretty much ended up existing, as Meaty Beaty Big & Bouncy). The Who hated it & it got them started on plans for their own record label.

LSDiety@aol.com
This album is a compilation of old album tracks, songs from the UK ep ready, steady, Who!, singles and b-sides. "Disguises" and "Call Me Lightning" are classic songs that aren't available on any other US Who release.

Jeffmoncheri@aol.com
Some absolutely classic Who (Disguises, I Can't Reach You, Pictures of Lily) up against some utter crap (Bucket T., Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide and yes, Magic Bus itself, the worst song the Grateful Dead never wrote). You can find most of the good stuff on other, better compilations and albums (although for some reason this seems to be one of the few ways to get ahold of Pictures of Lily, mind you I'm still trying to get a grasp on The Who's somewhat confusing recorded chronology). But why does the sound quality suck so bad?

TVEye70@aol.com
I wish my castoffs were this good...

Okay, fine, Magic Bus is nothing but a big ripoff. 11 songs, some covers, some cheese, and it's less than half an hour. But still! Listen to those songs! "Disguises" is a trippy pop song, and it may repeat "I Can't Reach You" from Sell Out but you should want to hear it again anyway. Even "Bucket T." provides some amusement. For a cheap record company cash-in job, it's pretty good! 7/10

irontyrant@earthlink.net (Michael Grefski)
According to reliable source and rock critic Dave Marsh (who it is rumored has shaken hands with both Jann Wenner and Bill Graham on ocassion....woooooo!) this album was released because the record company needed some product out while Pete was taking forever to inflict TOMMY on us. OH...did I just say that? TOMMY is a rock masterpiece and a damn fine night of theatre as well.

Tommy - MCA 1969.

Tommy is simply just a collection of great melodies and beautiful vocals - not a bit overblown (their most understated album ever, actually), but just gorge(ous). A couple of bits get dull, but they're short bits. If you're a guitar fan, buy the tar out of it. The hits were "Pinball Wizard" and "We're Not Gonna Take It" (which features that "See Me, Feel Me" thing you've probably heard), but, yes sir, they're all dozers. It's exciting to hear Pete keep returning to the same riffs over and over and over and, like a clever guy, approach them with different moods and styles in accordance with the happenings of the story at that particular moment. And parts of it rock! Heck, you've heard the hits! In my very opinion, this is easily the best album they ever made.

Reader Comments

leonard@lyco.lycoming.edu (Brian Leonard)
It's good to see someone get enthused about Tommy, but I don't think it's just a "couple of (short) bits" that get dull. When you hear variations on "Sparks" that aren't too varied over and over and over...well, it bugs me. And I've always found the "story" weak. To me, Tommy as a "rock opera" was vague, just a blueprint for Quadrophenia. But, again, the songs and arrangements and guitar and drums and bass are killer.

dfayes@ic.net (Dena)
I have to be honest, that I only got into the WHO originally b/c my dad was singing something from Tommy which he remembered from his teen years, so he then decided to go out and buy the cd, but they were out of every version except the broadway cast, so my first real intro to the Who, and really music, was the Tommy broadway cast. Once I was hooked I went out and bought the WHO's 1969 version. What can I say, Pete Townshend is brilliant. It's not even as if there are just a few good songs, they're all great. At present I'm more intrigued by Quadrophenia, and I noticed someone post that this was like a gateway towards it which, to me is true and ever present when listening to them back to back. In a way the stories are similar, a guy with a problem I guess, Tommy-the one who blocks the world out after witnessing the murder of Cptn. Walker, and only seeing life through his mirror-I love that by the way, b/c I think Mr. Townshend was trying to get us to realize that we judge a lot of things by a mirror complex, like before you go out you check yourself out in the mirror, and if you don't like what you see, you try to change it, but it's not what's on the outside that counts, rather, who you are and what you do-Tommy became a superstar, but I'm sitting here writing about him....On the other hand, our protagonist in Quadrophenia has a problem of multiple personalities, he finds his lover taken by a brother (I believe, or best friend), similar to Mrs. Walker in Tommy,...I could go on forever, but I think that will do for now!

nesrallah@sympatico.ca (Phil Nesrallah)
Truthfully I am a big Who fan and it was Tommy that first started it but I have to say that after buying more and more versions of Thomas I find little or no time for the original cd. Not to say that I don't like it but I think that some of the other versions (live!) are better, but i have to say that I respect the original and am greatful that it turned me into a WHO fan.

bkohlmeier@nelson.com (Bob Kohlmeier)
In your second paragraph on TOMMY you write: "The hits were "Pinball Wizard" and "We're Not Gonna Take It" (which features that "See Me, Feel Me" thing you've probably heard), but, yes sir, they're all dozers."

Dozers? I think you Freudian-slipped when you meant to say doozies (or something). But let it stand -- I'll say they're dozers! Even if Townshend had boiled it down to one LP, this work would have sounded inflated, and I'm an old guy who was a Who fan when TOMMY first came out. For me and most of my buddies back then, TOMMY was embarrassing, pretentious, and boring -- a HUGE letdown after the promise shown in QUICK ONE and SELL OUT.

forlenza@nassau.cv.net
This album is great. It has its lulls, but on the whole, I would rate it a ten out of ten. To really experience it, though, you must see the play on Broadway, and thankfully I have seen it.

Jmoran169@aol.com
The story behind Tommy may not be so interesting in the literal sense, but when you look for the meaning behind it it's much more interesting. By making tommy blind, deaf, and dumb pete simply magnifies the way most of us look at life. We live in our own imaginary world (the mirror) and can only truly experience life once freed from it.

Alias42264@aol.com
tommy may be a gateway to quadrophenia (which was a much better album), but it was still great in itself. i just want to say that you may have missed a lot of the concept pete was trying to get across. he wanted to make this a meaningful album without being too religious or forthrightly (is that a word) narrative. he was trying to point to our limitations as humans by representing them with something we could all grasp. he was trying to say that just as tommy was limited physically, we are limited in our grasp of reality.

gstarst@rsuh.ru (George Starostin)
It has often been said that Tommy was much greater on stage than on record. And although I generally agree with this statement, I must say that there are also certain things to it which were completely lost on stage but retained on record. I do not refer to instrumental overdubs, of course: when The Who performed "Tommy" on their 1989 tour, they had tons of side musicians to embellish the sound, but this did not help to capture the specific features of the record.

What is lost is the MYSTICAL atmosphere of the record combined with its GENTLE sound. "See Me Feel Me" became a thunderstorm on stage; here it is a soft and gentle prayer. "Amazing Journey/Sparks" became an absolutely different song on stage, sometimes hard even to recognize. Thus, if you want to witness the pulsating energy, the loud sound and the force of The Who, you should seek out live versions of "Tommy" (this should be easy now that Live at the Isle of Wight is out; even such later bastardisations as the 1989 version on Join Together are suitable); if you want to hear The Who at their SOFT and MYSTICAL BEST, check out the studio version!

The only thing I hate about it is the lengthy "Underture". The main theme of it is, of course, fantastic; but Townshend really abuses it with his 10-minute instrumental! Obviously written with the simple aim to fill the empty space on the album.

hutchilj@aramco.com.sa
This album has always been overrated. I first bought it in 1974 and couldn't see what the fuss was about - I bought it again last year and still can't see. It was a concept that didn't work - the story is rather silly, and the songs are hardly classics. It would have made a good single album, the first half plus "Pinball Wizard". You'd have "1921", the great "Amazing Journey", "Sparks", "Christmas", and "Underture", and you wouldn't have all those weedy songs later on.

I saw The Who in concert, and they finished with a 10-15 minute version of "We're Not Gonna Take It" - I don't even think it's a good 5-minute song! I can understand the Who fan who said he was embarrassed when it first came out! Only 7 out of 10.

Everettxxx@aol.com
Tommy may be the most overblown, overrated rock album ever, and you are talking to a guy that loves The Who to death. Yeah, "Pinball Wizard" is their best song but why not get it on a greatest hits compilation. None of this other garbage really sounds good to my ears..kinda dated actually. If you want to hear a better Who album, purchase Who's Next, which certainly represents Pete Townshend's songwriting pinnacle. If you want to hear a good concept album I suggest investing in The Kinks' The Village Green Preservation Soceity or Arthur. Skip this shit...

dstreb@mail.sssnet.com (Daniel Streb)
A good album, no bad songs at all (except for that really stupid acid trip Underture thingy). By the way Tommy's father murders Ivor the engine driver and Tommy sees it. Tommy's parents tell him not to say anything to anyone about it so he becomes deaf dumb and blind while being sexually molested by his uncle, playing pinball at the local shop and going on many acid trips. The album ends with Tommy waking from his state and helping others like him to wake from their state at Tommy's Holiday Camp. The others refuse and to retaliate Tommy goes back into his deaf dumb and blind state and that's how the album ends.

??????????????????????

WHAT THE HELL IS THIS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT???!?!?!???!?!!

good songs though. I agree with the nine.

stoo@imsa.edu (John McFerrin)
While I love Quadrophenia, Who's Next, and Who Sell Out, I have to agree with you that this is their best studio album. It's just so ... quirky, and yet so beautiful. You're right about it being their most understated album, which is part of the charm (anyone who says it's bombastic hasn't actually listened to it, imo) Definitely a 9.

avsouza@webtv.net (Tony Souza)
Great album though I'm sick of hearing "Pinball Wizard" and "See Me, Feel Me". The story is muddled, but I give points for what they were trying to do, which was expand the parameters of rock. The album basically holds up after all these years. The only complaint I have is the production of the record. The guitar, bass and drums are clear but they sound thin and it doesn't really give an indication of how powerful they were in concert.

jtcable@tir.net (Josh Cable)
The Final Cut was being sold for $28, so I decided that since I could not afford it, I'd get something else. And since I obviously couldn't afford Quad, I got Tommy.

And first listen, until I got to the meat of the vocal parts, I thought I accedentally bought an expensivly packaged movie soundtrack (read: shit). Glad I was when I heard the whole album. Very very nice. This entire album is a wonderful listen. Very powerful in some parts, always enjoyable. And nice songs.

And already, I'm sick of the hype. "Rock opera?" This ain't rock. Hell, this isn't really even the Who. It was a musical venture by Townsend, which really did become an albatross around their neck. Especially since some of these songs are so damn generically formed.

Album is still awesome, but it confuses me. I totally understand why people might not like Tommy. I mean, as opposed to the rest of the Who's stuff, which is awe inspiring or some such.

I dunno... I guess it's just that this album is so womanly. And yet they killed that whole teenybopper crowd with this. What a strange album. I'd give it a 9 for being good. Not a 10. GRANTED, I only have this and Kids Are Alright. Blah. It's not like I have a billion dollars to drop on shit.

jtcable@tir.com (Josh Cable)
Ok, I suppose I was a bit wrong. Compared to Sell Out/Quick One this certainly counts as a real Who album. It's their first album to have good songs all the way through. No wonder those earlier albums sucked. Not only was Pete trying to save all his good tunes for this, but he was also progressing as a songwriter by leaps and bounds. Which is why Pinball Wizard is so good.

It doesn't matter if this is a rock opera or whatever, it makes for a better album than Sell Out or Quick One... COMBINED.

richbunnell@home.com
I don't care if it's a rock opera or if its idea is antithetical to the spirit of rock (give me a break), it's still a ten. I give it a ten for the traditional reason: for its entire long, long running time, it doesn't give me a single reason to hate it. I even like that really long "Underture" thing - it isn't an ELP jamfest or anything, it's just ten minutes of pleasant riffery. By the way, the only reason that the story is so bizarre is because Townshend had to invent that "pinball" subplot to make the album appeal to an infuential pinball-loving music critic. Pete even knocked off "Wizard" in one night, according to the liner notes of the new one-CD remastered edition. By the way, buy that, it's much better than the ripoff two-CD one that my parents bought like ten years ago.

mjaksen@excite.com (Michael Jaksen)
I was a big WHO fan in high school back in the late 70's, mostly the Who's Next/Quadrophrenia stuff. I'd heard Tommy songs mostly from live recordings and the version from the goofy movie. When I finally bought the Tommy record, I was shocked at how "thin" it all sounded. Either the worst production I have ever heard, or else pre-70's WHO just lacked balls. Limp singing, limp playing, lots of orchestral filler.

Now there's lots to love about the Tommy (escpecially the Tina Turner "Acid Queen"), but I can't say that I like the record very much.

Muggwort@aol.com
Tommy is a stupid concept album with crap music. I mean look at the concept a blind kid learns how to play pinball whoopee do. And the music is extremely generic.

3/10

Jcjh20@aol.com
A splendid conceptual album with some truely magnificant songs. This is definatly Pete and The Who at its peak, to me. Doesn't really matter whether it's rock "opera" or even rock, the fact is that the songs are really great. And as a bonus, the story behind it happens to interest me for some reason (i probably wont rent that movie though). It's clear that some people above dont get it at all, and/or are sick of the hype surrounding this brilliant album, which is understandable i suppose. 10/10.

JohnnyB8@aol.com
That muggwort dude can suck my ass. Tommy is by far one of the greatest albums of all time, and i definately rate it like 3rd or 4th of the 60's. I really dont like Welcome, and yes See Me, Feel Me gets exceptionally boring, especially when its not played with We're Not Gonna Take It, but, as a whole, the album is just beautiful. Of course the story was very odd and off center, but once again pete meant for it to be that way. Story has it, Pete wanted a great review in an English newspaper from a music critic who was in love with pinball. But disregard the story, the melodies are awesome, and once again Entwistle wont sit still, and came up with Cousin Kevin, which is a very harmonious, beautiful song (excuse the lyrics though haha) and the Fiddle About, which is simple and, well, unnessacary, but it's that dark stuff that only Entwistle could produce and it's needed on a Who album. Christmas is a great song and the Overture, in my opinion, could be considered one of the, if not THE, best rock instrumentals of all time. Pinball Wizard becomes a show regular and proves that even outside of the context of the story, it could stand on its own. Every song on this album is just outstanding, and i'll go out on a limb and say that i prefer this over Quadrophenia, irregardless of how "dumb" the story is.

That Pete..........he works in mysterious ways.......................

dannybond@msn.com (Daniel Bond)
Tommy is simply a great rock album. I rarely listen to it anymore, but it made me a Who fan & Townshend fan for life. I suppose the first time I became a Who fan was listening to the Woodstock soundtrack (over & over) on my friend's 8-track player in junior high school. Later, got myself a stereo (also 8-track) and my first two purchases were "Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bouncy" and "Worst of the Mothers". OK, whatever..

Even if you don't care about the historical stuff the pre-synth, guitar-based Who music effin' rules! The music is mellow but powerful. From the opening instrumental (wonderful horns) to the acoustic guitar segue explaining the opening scene, you know this is something special. Yes, the story is hard to follow--isn't life? I read somewhere that Tommy was an exploration of existentialism but I didn't know (maybe still don't know) what that was (or is).

My pre-teen mind was certainly intrigued by the ideas in the story; I was amazed and confused that the part of Tommy's mother could be sung by a male voice...how quickly we acquire rigid modes of thought! I appreciated that the words were printed in a booklet. (My brother had the LP, 8-track buyers were shafted that way.) It helped me greatly to read the words.

Later in life I found myself pondering the verses and enjoying nuggets like lines from "Christmas" .. How can men who've never seen light be enlightened? Only if he's cured will his spirit's future level ever heighten .. It actually rhymes, parses, and makes sense. Tommy's father is worried about innocent TOMMY's soul; a bit odd considering Cap'n Walker is HIMSELF a murderer. Ah, irony! To realize that Townshend was in his early twenties impresses.

Praise aside, the album is too long. But a single album would have been too short to adequately cover the good material. I suppose a reduced length on all four sides would have been considered wasteful and a consumer rip-off. (Ever buy a Frank Zappa album; ?? Whuh.. $15 for 23 minutes of music??) Worse, the concept tends to fall apart towards the end, same as Quadrophenia. Nitpicks, really. Very few rock albums can compare to a strong Who album like this. Even a suckey Who album like Face Dances is better than 90% of Rolling Stones albums (sorry, had to say that). If you want just one Who album, get "Meaty...".

As far as snooty rock analysis goes, the Who (and don't forget people in the background applying their judgement and expertise) broke major ground with Tommy; a unified concept: packaging, artwork, printed lyrics, the lyric content, and the music.

Vocal tape effects on "Christmas" and subtle guitar feedback on "Sparks" demonstrated that boundaries of music or recorded sound could be pushed leagues farther than already known. The Who inspired many bands and created a template for much of what was to follow (I stole this quote from David Bowie). Plus, the Who actually toured!

I agree with that written here about the limitations of the music or recording technology. I haven't heard every version of Tommy (I've heard at least three or four) but it doesn't matter. Get whichever one appeals to you--they're all probably great in their own way. This one, nine stars out of ten. Other Who picks: "Meaty.." or "Who by Numbers", Entwistle's "Whistle Rymes", or Townshend's "White City"

watta502@yahoo.gr (Akis Katsman)
Tommy is one of the best Who albums, although it's a little overrated. Although there are many good songs, it's a chore to sit through the whole album, especially if you have to change the sides of the vinyl. My personal favourite songs are 'Christmas' and 'We're Not Gonna Take It'. I think that 'Underture' should have been cut out, there is no reason to exist. But I like the ballad 'Welcome' which most people forgot about. I think that Tommy deserves an eight, but maybe is much better on stage.

Oh, I forgot. In the start of 'We're Not Gonna Take It' I hear some strange pops. Is my cd copy defective or the pops are in all cd copies? If you know, please email me.

psychotic_deity@hotmail.com
By the end, if I'm not mistaken, Tommy is the manager of a summer camp to enlighten kids right?

ok, so why the hell would he employ his Uncle who "fiddled about" with him when he was blind and deaf? It just never seemed to make sense. Maybe I'm missing something.

I would always listen and think.. "no.. no. That guy's supposed to die. With that bastard cousin of his!"

Mcshane123321@aol.com
Yup, I'm with Herr Prindle on this one, in that I consider this to be their best studio -- it's also better than either of the live albums (especially the snoozefest that is Isle of Wight; if anything I feel Mark's OVERrated that one), as much as I really like Live at Leeds. Right now I'm actually listening to Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds' 'Tender Prey', but it's OK as I gave ol' Tommy a spin (click? it was on my iPod) yesterday, and it's never usually difficult for me to remember music, especially music as excellent as is here. Talking about musical excellence, "The Mercy Seat" is an absolutely epic song, isn't it? It begins with a rather fractured sound of seemingly random bursts of music from the instruments until, after a while, the song forms into its own. It's Nick driving/being driven (?) through his very conscience in his final hours. Possibly the best he's ever done.

By this point I fear that Mark may have spotted my oh-so-cunning attempts at influencing him to STOP reviewing the Descendents -- or whoever it is he's reviewing currently -- and review the man who's quite arguably the greatest singer/song-writer of the past 25 years or so. What's that? Mark's already reviewed Peter Gabriel AND Brian Eno's solo careers?!?! Maybe I should check out his web site... But you see the thing is I have absolutely no idea what the address is, and he's clearly made it uber complicated, as whatever guess at the address I make -- such as his date of birth divided by Henry the dog's date of birth, with the result written out in long-hand -- I can never find it. I can't even use this "Google" search engine to find it as I can't even find THAT. I just hope to God that I got the right email address...

I'm well aware that the reader of this comment is probably imagining me to be a frothing lunatic in real life, and they'd be RIGHT!!! But you have to know: this is what you get when you read my comments on MarkPrindle.com. Don't you think that would have been so much better than the whole "when you meeeess with us" hook line in "Karma Police"? If you can convince Thom Yorke n' the band to dig up the tapes and change that lyric, I'd be hard-pressed not to give OK Computer a 10. Hell, remastering their old albums would sure as shit be more productive than they were on, um, In Lamebows, arguably the worst thing they've ever done, definitely the second. The Bends is much better than that album. I'm with Mr. Adam Cooley on this one: it's a boring little musical fart by a band who's quite clearly run out of creative gas. Pass.

Now that I'm quite finished with my overly long tangential rant; Tommy by the Who. Well, it's certainly better than Quadrophenia, which prog-dorks like John 'I'm a Mormon and thus have no musical credibility' McFerrin and George 'I'm an arrogant, opinionated piece of shit with that samey, generic opinion that '60s music is by default better than any other BECAUSE I SAY SO' Starostin wank over so much because it's bloated as hell, thus meaning it's an artistic masterpiece. If either McFerrin or Starostin actually read this comment: you need to find better ways of spending and/or wasting your time. I don't actually have anything against Mormons; I hate most religions and religious traditions equally. As for the Starostin insult: it's completely true.

It's also better than Who's Next. It's also better than just about anything else the Who ever released, excluding Meaty, Beaty, Big & Bouncy, including both live albums. It's a set of gorgeous guitar riffs and melodies, with a semi-decent plot holding it all together. The fact that Pete managed to churn out "Pinball Wizard" in a matter of days (less? I don't know) shows just how much his creativity was flowing around this point. "Overture," "Sparks," "Pinball Wizard," "Sally Simpson," "I'm Free" and "We're Not Gonna Take It" are the highlights pour moi, but there's too much great material to count. There aren't nearly as many ugly bits as critics like Adrian Denning say there, I don't think; but those that are there -- which aren't bad so much as unnecessary or relatively weak -- are short and don't upset the album's fantastic flow.

Again: this is the Who's best studio album by a long shot. Which seems strange, considering it is the most understated album by a band known for pomp and grandeur for pretty much its entire career. I give this a perfect 10, and then reflect that onto MBB&B using internet mirrors. It's currently in a war with Arthur, Abbey Road, Five Leaves Left, Trout Mask Replica, Hot Rats, Let it Bleed, In the Court of the Crimson King, and Led Zeppelin (just the first) as the best of the year, but I don't think it's got enough to beat out ol' Cap'n.

The Tommy Demos - Yellow Dog 1993.

Reader Comments

misterkite@mindspring.com (Adam Bruneau)
I love Tommy, and I equally love this CD. How does Yellow Dog do it? They released tons of terrific Beatles bootlegs with studio-quality and this is a terrific example of how regular record company will never be able to compete with the bootlegs. The sound is perfect and it sounds studio-quality, even with really nice drums and all, as if Pete Townshend himself approached Yellow Dog with the master demo tapes and said "'ere ya go, wankers. Now were's me pay?"

thepublicimage79@hotmail.com
Haven't heard this, but to confirm - yes, "Tommy's Holiday Camp" is the same version that's on "Tommy". Pete used the demo on the original Tommy album.

* Meaty Beaty Big And Bouncy - MCA 1971. *

I know how you feel about The Who. You hate "Squeeze Box" and "Goin' Mobile," and the only reason you're reading these reviews is because you enjoy my darling writing style so very much, but I'm a-telling you now and I'm a-telling you this: you'd better just dump that cracky attitude in the sandbox 'cause if you don't have this album, your record collection is not complete.

There are three good reasons why The Who are legendary: (1) Tommy, (2) Who's Next, and (C) the singles collected on this record. Tommy can be a bit slow, and Who's Next is too bombastic, so shove your mother into this baby. Fourteen songs, everyone a gem. Everyone named "Jim." Think creative melodies played in a non-traditional but recognizable rock 'n' roll style, with some artistic aspirations shining through every now and again (especially in the sad but funny micro-opera "I'm A Boy"). This is what The Whom did best. The Whom were a good rock band. But, understandably (though perhaps regrettably), the guitarist for The Whom, Mr. Peter Townshend, wanted to grow as an artist. You know how it is. Dinosaurs wanna live. Just ask the famous paleontologist Jeff Goldblum. He'll tell you. Life will find a way. Especially if you use the DNA from some frog that can change its sex. I mean, come on, what kind of dumbass would use DNA from some frog that can change its sex? And who would hire that sleazy fat guy? I've said it before and I'll say it again: NEVER hire a fat guy!!!!!!!!

Reader Comments

leonard@lyco.lycoming.edu (Brian Leonard)
Well, I'm a fat guy, and I'd hire me. But otherwise, Mark's right. A great greatest non-hits album.

corpsebag@hotmail.com (Michael Cory)
Maybe you guys have one thing right. This is the greatest Who record cuz it has all my favorite songs. "I Can't Explain" rules!!!!!!!

Glenn.Wiener@entex.com
Without a doubt the best Who album to own as it neatly summarizes all their early music. What other songs are missing from this era?

matt81@nassau.cv.net
Only YOU don't like "Goin' Mobile". Every other wage-earning beer-drinking overweight slob in the world likes it. And you'd better watch out for them, because they know where you live,and once they find out you've been hurling nasty comments at a song they like....it could get nasty. Besides that, good review of a great album...but now they have this one called My Generation - The Very Best of The Who, and it has all this stuff and more! 20 tracks in all...it's the definitive Who collection now. It basically has all the Meaty stuff plus 6 more tracks. One more thing...you ARE right about "Squeeze Box".

dstreb@mail.sssnet.com (Daniel Streb)
Why the hell would you give this a 10 when you can get My Generation: The Very Best of The Who for the same price and it's double the amount of songs????

stoo@imsa.edu (John McFerrin)
I still say that Live at Leeds gets the 10, but My Generation: The Very Best of the Who is as good a compilation as you're gonna get, even better than Meaty. Individual titles? Ok

I Can't Explain, Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere, My Generation, Substitute, I'm a Boy, Boris the Spider, Happy Jack, Pictures of Lily, I Can See For Miles, Magic Bus, Pinball Wizard, The Seeker, Baba O'Riley, Won't Get Fooled Again, Let's See Action, 5:15, Join Together, Squeeze Box, Who Are You, You Better You Bet.

That's a pretty impressive set right there

jtcable@tir.com (Josh Cable)
Greatest Hits albums are for housewives and little girls. ENJOY YOUR TEN.

misterkite@mindspring.com (Adam Bruneau)
I have a soft spot for 65-67 era Who singles like "Pictures of Lily" and "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere", and this is a perfect concentration of that kind of material. Produced by Shel Talmy, some amazing British Invasion experimental proto-punk pop written by Pete (with encouragement from manager Kit) at the height of The Who's powers. Those orange guitar tones, that quirky subject matter, and Keith Moon goin' crazy-nutzy-cuckoo all over the place.....it just makes me want to put on a military jacket with a pop art T-shirt and start a tribute band. Too bad nobody near me feels the same way... wankers....

drazy@gatecity.com
Props to Josh for the Bruce McCulloch reference. I'd agree that most greatest hits comps are best suited for housewives and little girls, but I gotta stand with Mark and say that this one is essential and a perfect ten. Fuck the "My Generation" best-of and admit that it's merely a MCA money making scam. I will never forgive that company for the raping they gave us during the cd boom: cheap-ass packaging with "recommended artists" that completely filled the inner sleeve. Topping it off, they've let this jem fall out of print in America, but thanks to Canada (home of Mr. McCulloch) you can still get a copy of this under $10 (w/o shipping). I call that a bargain, pun intended.

bri.hyndman@sympatico.ca (Brian Hyndman)
'Twould be a ten indeed, were it not for the inclusion of 'The Seeker' and 'Boris the Spider,' two worthless, go-nowhere pieces of drek. Also, 'Pinball Wizard', while a perfectly decent, respectable song in its own right, seems out of place on this compilation. In a perfect world, the afrorementioned songs would be replaced with some of the well-crafted pop/psychedelic masterpieces from 'Sell Out' or 'Magic Bus' -- 'I Can't Reach You', 'Maryan' (of shakey hands fame), 'Rael' or 'Disguises' would all fit the bill quite nicely. Then you would have an album worthy of the coveted ten dots. As it stands, a high 8.

MatthewByrd@hotmail.com
Well, this, like Blonde On Blonde is not actually a porno movie. We need to clear this up. For now, Mark, I agree with you totally abou the Who. They were a great band though. Both overrated and extremely underrated.

Live At Leeds - Decca 1970.

Three covers ("Summertime Blues," "Young Man Blues," and "Shakin' All Over") rock mercilessly and effortlessly at the skilled hands of these able marksmen. Roger hasn't quite developed the powerful scream he will soon demonstrate on Who's Next, but he's got a charming amateurish yelp nonetheless. And Pete, he just plays his guitar like a firecracker! Riffs here, riffs there - in and out and around, especially in the fourteen-minute "My Generation" medley, in which he conducts the band through several different grooves, some from Tommy, some from practice, some from nowhere! It's like listening to a great band rehearse - playing whatever they want however they want, and knowing it'll sound good even if a lot of it is just solo wanking. Real cool. Sounds a lot like early Led Zeppelin, which is appropriate since Keith Moon gave them their name.

Reader Comments

strider@redrose.net (David Straub)
I am a relatively recent Who convert and I only know the newish reissue of this record, but I gotta say that anyone who has the old one had better get up and get the new one... it's like twice as long, about 70 minutes. Cool CD package booklet, too.

Right on about "rocking mercilessly". This stuff kicks ass! BTW, I'd have to say that Townshend is not the standout musician in this band-- Pete, Keith, and John are interchangeably great. (Pete was the better of the two writers, though, although John's "Heaven and Hell" on this disc is pretty damn awesome.) I am stingy with my superlatives, but this is definitely the best live record I have ever heard.

mattias@diariodopovo.com.br (Alexandre Linhares Matias)
This record is all about what means being The Who. Forget the "generation anthems", the "operistical impetus", the "classical shit", the "proto-punk", the "how-to-get-out-of-the-closet-without-being-labeled-a-mere-fag-like-those-Pet-Shop-Boy attitude". The Who - first of all - is a live band. Even today, they put many bands in the pocket in the live category. If you, like me, had the vinyl edition and then bought the CD - just to find out that the Polydor bastards spent more than 20 years to release the full concert, you know that's worth your money. And you thought it was just half an hour. Like Led Zep, Who were awesome musicians that really worked as a team. But unlike Zep, it's difficult to pick your favorite band member. This is the definitive Who record. Buy it or you're nothing.

ashley@freenet.msp.mn.us (Thomas Ashley)
This album deserves 10/10. Especially the remixed remastered version. I have never encountered a more thrilling moment than when Pete launches into his head spinning, gut launching solo on "Heaven And Hell." These songs don't relent one microsecond. If you don't have this, get off your arse and slap down 15 buckskins for it. 'Nuff said.

liberty@ptialaska.net (Marc Kovac)
I found the version of "Heaven and Hell" on the Isle of Wight release to be even more exciting and intense than its Leeds predecessor. Any head spinning was increased by at least 15 cycles.

corpsebag@hotmail.com (Michael Cory)
Whooooooooaaaahhh. This is a great album., A 17 minute version of "My Generation" and a great re-make of the classic "Young Man's Blues". If you get the original Decca release you get cool posters and pictures and stuff.

bgoulet@snet.net
Without a doubt this is THE finest live recording EVER. No, I'm not talkin' fidelity-wise (it sound as though it was recorded in a cave through a pillow) but the sheer power of a live Who show is evident. If you grunge kiddies want to see where it's REALLY at, run, don't walk to your nearest music store and grab this disc.

jeffsl@pacbell.net
It's the greatest live album ever, no doubt. There's a boot out there of the whole night (which includes all of Tommy and some very funny introductions) that's worth tracking down called Live At Leeds Complete.

alfanut@webtv.net
Live at Leeds is perhaps The Who's best work. Aside from the new Isle of Wight, Live at Leeds is the best of grinding Hi Watt stack Pete Townshend style! Nothing matches the way Pete and the band played on this recording. The sound of Towshend and company is in control, almost out of control. I play guitar and this album is a great inspiration to keep me going.

fredrik.lunden@vrg.se
Talking about the Leeds - it got its aclaim while having just 5 tracks, rather than the pretty awesome 14 tracks featured on the remaster i bought about a year ago after I had seen a concert where the existing Who performed Quadrophenia. I'm lucky to have bought it, cus' there is no other live rock album with such hard-rocking, massive crunching, riffing, howling, crooning anywhere. I kind of get the Who on studio albums, but the so much talked about "maxiumum RnB" is really abundant here - listen to the best of starters; "Heaven and Hell" - there really is no "substitute" to the energy found here. Listen to the "My Generation" Suite, after the rather conventional single there is a too short Woodstock-like "See me, feel me" that could've been extended with heavy guitar solos, nevermind what follows is nothing short of Zep-surpassing (yes) guitar riffing, and great howling ala Roger Daltrey.

gstarst@rsuh.ru (George Starostin)
My personal favourites on Leeds are the cover versions (that is, except "Fortune Teller": they shouldn't start it so slow! I like the Stones' version much better). Plain ROCK AND ROLL with a LOT of emotion and aggression, and yet, on the other hand, played with a lot of skill and professionalism.

The only problem with Leeds is that, try as they could, they still cannot call it the Who at their VERY BEST LIVE. One can feel a slight shadow of weariness and disappointment throughout most of the songs. This becomes easily understandable if you compare them with some of the earlier versions available, e.g.:

1) "Summertime Blues" is near-perfect, but I recently saw the Woodstock version in the movie and... well, I've watched the scene for at least a HUNDRED times more and can't get enough of it. The solo there is much better, too.

2) "A Quick One" is good, but hey! check out The Kids Are Alright (where they do it at the Stones' circus show in Dec. 1968), and you'll see the difference!

3) "Sparks" is perfectly fine, but, once again, the Woodstock version is at least a dozen times more inspired.

4) "Young Man Blues" is quite tight and superb, but Pete's guitar in the Leeds version is INCOMPARABLE to the sound he gets at the London Coliseum in Dec. 1969 (Kids once again)!

I can tell you what happened - the silly managers were late with their idea of a live album. It should have come out in 1969, not in 1970! If it were so - this would be THE live rock recording par excellence! As it is, the chance was missed.

Mind you, I am in no way criticizing the record for anything serious. Even as it is, it is still one of the two best concert albums in the world (together with Ya-Ya's!) Buy it NOW! I've listened to it at least THREE HUNDRED times and boredom isn't even on the threshold!

brick3@ix.netcom.com (Ian Thomas Brill)
This is actually the album that changed Mike Watt of Minutemen and fIREHOUSE fame's life. It was the first record (his was actually an eight-track) where he could hear the bass. None of the band's Mike is known for sound like the Who, so he got this album when he was young.

dstreb@mail.sssnet.com (Daniel Streb)
So why the hell did you only give Live at Leeds an 8??

terry@launchnet.com (Terry Haggin)
The greatest live album ever recorded, especially the new version. If you have a stereo that plays loud, this is the album to put up to ten and peel that paint off of the walls. Shakin' all over, Summertime Blues, My generation, Substitute, Young man blues... And the greatest drummer of all time that wheeling, dealing, rubber roomed dwarf, Moonie the Loonie.

Oh God, this is a hearing aid makers delight, a tinnuitus treasure. No wonder Pete hears that whistling in his ears 24 hours a day now, it was because of this rocking gem. If I knew this one was happening, I would have hoofed it over to Leeds U. and put a early down payment on the word, "Huh"?

stoo@imsa.edu (John McFerrin)
A good concert. I wish it contained "I can see for miles," but other than that I can't really complain too much. I agree with the 8/10.

(about a month later)

After a few more listens, and finding an import copy of Tommy at Leeds, giving me the full concert, I'm changing my rating to 10/10. I think Tommy is the very definition of "the shit" (meant in the good way), and Who's Next is really good, and Quadrophenia is easily a 9, but man oh man, this album kicks my ass from here to next Tuesday. The way Townshend mixes up riffs, solos, and JAMS is absolutely incredible. Entwhistle is equally impressive, and Keith is at his hyperactive best. Wow

avsouza@webtv.net (Tony Souza)
One of the greatest live albums ever recorded. I have the new extended CD and it's much better than the old one. Out of all the Who albums I have, this one I listen to the most because they are in their element. IMHO, live is where they excelled and it's where they got their reputation as one of the greatest bands ever. This one shines from the first cut to the last and it shows their diversity and stamina. You get short pop songs ("Tattoo", "I'm A Boy" "Happy Jack") and long jams ("My Generation, "Magic Bus") along with everything in between ("Heavn and Hell", "A Quick One" etc.). All this great sound was created with only three instruments. When eople wonder what all the fuss is about, this is the album they should listen to.

Wiskeycorgi@cs.com
This is definitely the greatest live album of all time, hands down. End of discussion.

Jazztoad@aol.com
I have a live at Leeds album that appears to be one of the first. Maybe owned by the manager of the "Who" ,Kit Lambert. It has all of the places the who first were book at including Woodstock and how much they were paid! Who would not allow them to play at ther facilities, bookings, a typed song My generation with penciled notes this is a real find. I am interest in finding out if Kit Lambert the agent is still around or if this information would be useful to the surviving "Who" counterparts? this is not a Joke!

Amgreenberg@aol.com
Mark, get the remastered version with the extra tracks just for "Heaven and Hell". It mercilessly kicks ass and takes no prisoners.

jtcable@tir.com (Josh Cable)
Did you all buy a different Live at Leeds than I did? All I hear is a weak version of Tommy, some old songs that they should have stopped playing by then, a really shitty version of Quick One, and a whole lot of buzzing and other fuckups. Trust me on this, this was recorded nowhere near the band or their amps. It sounds like someone stuck a tapedeck in the air and recorded for 2 hours.

Worst of all, this is pre-Next Who, and a real studio album with no filler had yet to be released. If You Want Blood is far better. This sucks ass. The only listenable track that doesn't induce mass vomiting + headaches is Shakin All Over. Where was My Generation Blues? It's not on here. And for the entirity of Tommy, something I've not heard since the See Me Feel Me version from Kids Are Ok: Daltry is winded. SAD SAD FUCKING SAD. Fuck this bullshit.

By the way, did you get a version that had giant gaps in the songs? Mine does. It's fucking stupid. Fucking Leeds is a huge dissapointment.

Pete's noodling is pretty cool, but that's IT. Also, you can't hear what they're saying unless you turn the piece of shit all the way up, and I'm not doing that crap.

OXWHISTLE@aol.com
I AM A BASS PLAYER AND SEVERE JOHN ENTWHISTLE FAN. I EAT,SLEEP, AND BREATHE HIS STYLE. I AM PRESENTLY BUILDING A BASS, IN HIS HONOR SO TO SPEAK, THAT REPLICATES A GUITAR HE USED TO PLAY IN THE SEVENTIES. I MADE A ''THUNDERBIRD'' BODY AND PUT A 1957 VINTAGE REISSUE ''FENDER'' NECK ON IT. NOW ALL YOU J. E. FANS KNOW WHICH GUITAR I'M TALKING ABOUT. COMPLETE WITH GOLD PLATED HARDWARE AND A POLISHED BRASS PICKGUARD, THIS GUITAR IS NOT ONLY BEAUTIFUL,IT'S ALL THE HIGH END AND SUSTAIN YOU EVER WANTED. SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T EVEN SOUND LIKE A BASS. I'D LIKE TO SHOW IT TO SOME REAL WHO FANS AND MAYBE EVEN PLAY SOME ''WHO LIKE'' STUFF WITH SOME OTHER MUSICIANS THAT MIGHT BE INTERESTED. THIS IS A DREAM COME TRUE AFTER 26 YEARS THINKING ABOUT IT. THE ICING ON THE CAKE WOULD BE TO PLAY IT WITH SOME OF MY ''WHO'' BROTHERS AND OR POSSIBLY SHOW IT TO J.E. HIMSELF.

stoo@imsa.edu (John McFerrin)
To Josh:

Judging from your description, it seems that you did not buy the official reiussed Live at Leeds, but rather a bootleg of the entire concert. Now, wrt the Tommy rendition, I agree - the sound quality is crap, Roger is ill, and Pete messes up in Fiddle About (I have a copy of Tommy at Leeds)

In any case, go out and get the non-bootleg version. The hiss and other annoyances were mastered out, leaving a ridiculously powerful rocking machine.

jtcable@home.com (Josh Cable)
I know I already slammed this album for some major problems that everyone else ignored.

But Shakin' All Over is fucking amazing. Daltry is really letting loose, the riffs are right on, and there are no gay echo effects everywhere. Just a really great performance, for that one song.

The other covers are decent. Except the one on Tommy. That one was simply ok. I would rather listen to the album Tommy than the Tommy on this one.

That's because Daltry sounds SO FUCKING TIRED. Second song in, he almost falls asleep. Then he starts singing out of synch with the fucking music on Tattoo. Do you people have a different Leeds than I do?

This is really fucking lame. Ah, here's Youngman Blues, my favorite song from Kids Are Alright. Ugh, it's just sad. Townsend's riffs are just completely off the mark. Daltry still can't sing. WE ARE ONLY 5 SONGS INTO THIS ALBUM. What a fucking failure.

Still, the covers are excellent. Perhaps those were left over from the Leeds that they actually gave a damn on. How strange.

(after a few minutes)

Oops, I forgot to mention that Youngman Blues is a cover that isn't good.

And yea, this is more than likely a bootleg, and I guess I realize that now. My first clue? The album was released by "Midas Touch." Second, the discs are blue on the bottom, plain white on top. Like a CD-R. Fuck. Goddamn. And I paid $30 for it, too.

Dammit.

Yea, the actual Live at Leeds probably is amazing. What's with The Who not giving a good performance without a TV camera or professional sound crew around? Damn.

I am in pain now.

nhanslowe@msn.com
I'd like to say that Josh Cable has it all wrong. Live at Leeds was the best live rock album ever recorded! Sure, but to really appreciate it you have to love "jam-bands" like the Grateful Dead or Led Zeppelin. I love "jam-bands" and I enjoy listening to the 15 minute version of My Generation. I also think Young Man Blues is a great cover. I own the deluxe edition and think they did excellent and I also like how John Entwistle played his french horn parts on the bass. I think their version of Sparks was great on the album,(but not as good as the Woodstock '69 version) and I think Townshends use of feedback on the record was great. I'd like to end in saying Live at Leeds is a live album that will never be topped ever, by anyone, ever.

pedroandino@msn.com
fuck cable and get the live document of the who!!!! not the 'oo! wtf? anyway the album is realesed 3 times first on vinyl, then on the 1995 remaster then the mega 2001 deluxe edition! I really liked the kids are alright! the who clowning around and messing up! the best was the my generation blues and another my generation then a quick one from rock n roll circus! I never heard of the studio version until I saw the clip and man moon is sweating! and then pete asked if he told the producer how to write a 10 minute epic. I saw it on ifc. man they are ballsy! resivour dogs I liked and pulp fiction and jackie brown! fuck the mainstream! henry's film corner is so funny!!!!!!

Harrison_SW@msn.com
I am a Youngster who obviously doesn’t know any better. I'm sort of confused how one rates Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols above an album like say Live at Leeds. But anyway I suppose musicianship is a negative thing...

Sarcasm is truly a remarkable thing. Your comparisons between The Who and The Rolling Stones is laughable. I know the Stones were just unleashing a flurry of great material after Let It Bleed (1969). By 1970 the Stones were dry on new ideas. Sticky Fingers contained some excellent songs (Brown Sugar, Can't You Hear Me Knocking) but has garbage (You Gotta Move, Dead Flowers) and yet you give it 10 stars. Are you fucking high on Keith Richards' brown sugar? And then Exile on Main Street, a great rock and roll album but really and truly is their anything groundbreaking in it a la Tommy, Quadrophenia? Jagger and Richards lacked the ambition and skill that Townshend had when it came to writing