The Who | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Few rock & roll bands were riddled with as many contradictions as the Who. All four members had wildly different personalities, as their notorious live performances demonstrated: Keith Moon fell over his drum kit while Pete Townshend leaped into the air with his guitar, spinning his right hand in exaggerated windmills. Vocalist Roger Daltrey prowled the stage as bassist John Entwistle stood silent, the eye of the hurricane. They clashed frequently, but these frictions resulted in a decades worth of remarkable music. Though it took a while to find their audience, by the late 60s the Who rivaled the Rolling Stones as a live act and in album sales. Key figures of the British Invasion and the mid-60s mod movement, the Who were an undeniably powerful sonic force. They exploded conventional rock and R&B; structures with Townshends furious guitar chords, Entwistles hyperactive basslines, and Moons vigorous, seemingly chaotic drumming. Unlike most rock bands, the Who based their rhythm on Townshends guitar, letting Moon and Entwistle improvise wildly over his foundation, while Daltrey belted out his vocals. The Who thrived on this sound in concert, but on record they were a different proposition: Townshend pushed the group toward new sonic territory, incorporating pop art and conceptual extended musical pieces into the groups style. He was regarded as one of the eras finest British songwriters, as songs like "The Kids Are Alright" and "My Generation" became teenage anthems, while his rock opera Tommy earned respect from mainstream music critics. However, the rest of the Who, especially Entwistle and Daltrey, werent always eager to follow his musical explorations. They wanted to play hard rock instead of Townshends textured song suites and vulnerable pop songs. The Who settled into their role as arena rockers in the mid-70s, continuing on this path after Moons death in 1978 and following it through various disbandments and reunions in the 80s and 90s. Nevertheless, at their peak, the Who were one of rocks most innovative and powerful bands. Townshend and Entwistle met while attending high school in Londons Shepherds Bush area. In their early teens, they played in a Dixieland band, with Entwistle on trumpet and Townshend on banjo. By the early 60s, the pair had formed a rock & roll band, but in 1962 Entwistle joined the Detours, a hard-edged group featuring a sheet-metal worker named Roger Daltrey on lead guitar. By the end of the year, Townshend joined as a rhythm guitarist, and in 1963 Daltrey became the groups lead vocalist after Colin Dawson left the band. The groups sound evolved rapidly, influenced not only by American acts such as James Brown, Booker T. & the MGs, and Eddie Cochran but also one classic British act, Johnny Kidd & the Pirates, who rocked the British charts with an original called "Shakin All Over" (which Townshend and company added to their set list). They built their reputation on fierce renditions of American-style R&B;, which relied on a lean single guitar/bass/drums approach with the guitarist playing lead and rhythm, a rarity in England at the time. Townshend, realizing that approach suited him, became the bands lone guitarist. A name change also followed; with the Beatles burning up the charts, they needed something more striking than the Detours. Daltrey and Townshend settled on the Who, which confused people in conversation initially, but worked memorably on posters. Amid these changes, original drummer Doug Sandom -- who was married and considerably older than the others -- parted ways with the band just as they were about to attempt cutting a record. The group replaced him with Keith Moon, previously the drummer for the surf-rock group the Beachcombers. As the group struggled to get a break, Townshend attended art school, while the remaining three worked odd jobs. The band became regulars at the Marquee Club in London and attracted a small following, leading to the interest of manager Pete Meaden. Under his direction, the Who were renamed the High Numbers and dressed in sharp suits to appeal to style- and R&B-obsessed; mods. Many R&B-oriented; groups tried to cultivate relationships with the mods, who could fill clubs and help propel a record onto the charts -- among those who succeeded best, besides the Who, were the Small Faces ("face" being a part of mod slang) and the Move. The High Numbers released one single, "Im the Face." After it bombed, the group began working with Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp, two fledgling music business entrepreneurs. Lambert was the son of composer/arranger Constant Lambert; Stamp was the brother of actor Terence Stamp, and both wanted to make their mark on Englands percolating music scene. Lambert spotted the group playing at the Railway Hotel in the wake of "Im the Face" and brought in Stamp. Lambert and Stamp encouraged them to embrace the mod movement, advising them on what to play and wear, including the target T-shirt that became a visual signature. The group reclaimed the Who name and began playing a set consisting entirely of soul, R&B;, and Motown -- or, as their posters said, "Maximum R&B.;" During this period, Townshend smashed his first guitar at a gig at the Railway Hotel -- by accident. A temporary stage extension built by the band caused him to hit the ceiling with his guitar; frustrated by the damage, and the crowds reaction, he struck it until it was in pieces; he was only able to finish the show by using a recently acquired 12-string Rickenbacker. The following week, he discovered that people had come to see him smash his guitar. He eventually obliged with encouragement from Keith Moon, who attacked his drum kit. At first Lambert and Stamp were appalled, but Townshend soon demolished another guitar as part of Lamberts publicity campaign (and it worked, even though the journalist for whose benefit he committed the destruction never actually saw it). He didnt smash guitars at every show in those days; what he was doing in terms of generating feedback sufficed in most audiences minds. It did enhance their status with the mods: by late 1964, theyd developed an enthusiastic following -- mods loved destruction as part of an act. At the end of 1964, Townshend presented the group with an original song called "I Cant Explain," which owed a little to the Kinks "You Really Got Me," but had lots of fresh angles. Townshends lyrics gave a vivid impression of teenage angst perfect for Daltreys powerful vocals and the bands full-bore attack. The result was equally punchy, sensitive, and macho, with a mean lead guitar and even some harmonies. The band and their managers thought it seemed like a great potential debut single for the newly rechristened Who. So did producer Shel Talmy, an American based in England who was producing the Kinks records (including "You Really Got Me"). Talmy got the band a contract with the American Decca Records label on the strength of "I Cant Explain" and followed it with a contract with English Decca (the two companies were divided into separate entities at the time). Though the Talmy-produced single arrived to little attention in January 1965. After the groups incendiary performance on the television program Ready, Steady, Go -- which featured Townshend and Moon destroying their instruments -- "I Cant Explain" reached the British Top Ten. Their next single, that summers "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere," declared the mod ethos to the world: "I can go anywhere (where I choose)." While it wasnt far removed from the mentality behind early rock & roll anthems, the Who made it sound resolutely English. That fall, "My Generation" climbed to number two on the charts, confirming their status as a British pop phenomenon. An album of the same name appeared at years end, featuring various R&B; covers and some interesting originals (mostly by Townshend) on the U.K. Brunswick label. Early in 1966, "Substitute" became their fourth British Top Ten hit. Produced by Kit Lambert, the single marked the bands acrimonious split with Talmy and the end of the groups British Decca/Brunswick recording contract. Lambert and Stamp also tried to scrap the American Decca deal, but that proved impossible. Starting with "Substitute," the band was signed to Polydor in England, and issued on Reaction. For a time, there were rival releases on Brunswick and Reaction, but the competition was eventually sorted out in Lambert and Stamps (and the bands) favor. "Im a Boy," issued in the summer of 1966, was the first Who single without a rival release on Brunswick, and it showed just how far the band and Townshend had come in 18 months. During this period, Lambert introduced Townshend to a huge range of classical music that broadened his way of thinking about composition, songs, and subject matter: "Im a Boy," about a teenage boy forced to dress and act like a girl by his dominating mother, carried an amazing amount of exposition, but left plenty of room for the bands furious attack. In their own way, the Who were having as profound effect on rock & roll as the Beatles or the Rolling Stones: they generated immensely popular English singles that redefined the acceptable content and boundaries of pop/rock music and were also some of the eras hardest -- yet most melodic and complex -- songs. The story in the United States was very different. "I Cant Explain" barely created a ripple, and "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" did little better, despite publicity on the ABC television rock & roll showcase Shindig. Even with Decca getting behind "My Generation" for a major marketing push, it only got to number 74, a shadow of what it did in England. British success was all well and good, but it wasnt enough. The instrument-smashing routine and the attendant effects (often involving flash-powder and damage to Moons drums, as well as Townshends guitars) were frightfully expensive, and the band was carrying an ongoing debt that drove expenses through the roof. Financial ruin was never far from the thoughts of their management, despite the fact that Lambert and Stamp now had their own Polydor imprint, Track Records -- which had a new signing in late 1966, a transplanted American guitarist/singer named Jimi Hendrix. A breakthrough for the Who in America, or in the album market in a major way, was essential. For the Whos second album, Lambert, Stamp, and the band had a more ambitious agenda. Townshends success at writing singles inspired the Whos managers, and it was decided that this time, every member of the band would contribute songs to generate more revenue. Although this meant A Quick One was uneven, Lamberts presence allowed Townshend to write the title track as a ten-minute mini-opera. "A Quick One While Hes Away" found Townshend writing (and the Who singing and playing) in idioms far beyond rock & roll, including faux Western and faux operetta. Getting dedicated rockers Daltrey and Entwistle to throw their full talents into the music, and the tracks successful extended narrative, showed Townshend and company that this idea had potential. A Quick One also provided a canvas for Entwistles blossoming songwriting: His macabre humor shone through on the catchy "Boris the Spider" and "Whisky Man," the latter showing off his skills on the French horn. Moons "Cobwebs and Strange" was also a suitable moment of light humor, and even Daltrey -- whose songwriting aspirations never rated much of his attention -- contributed "See My Way." A Quick One had a diversity of sounds and creative voices, though the Who got relatively little recognition for it at the time. Upon its 1966 release, A Quick One became another British hit, and also provided a minor American breakthrough. Retitled Happy Jack, its title track reached the Top 40 in early 1967. To do that, the Who played the U.S. as part of a package tour organized by DJ-turned-impresario Murray the K. Booked alongside Cream, folkies Jim & Jean, and Wilson Pickett, doing short sets five times a day, the group got the necessary exposure to a wider public, even though "Happy Jack"s vocal harmonies and relatively restrained guitars made it an atypical Who song. Their next major U.S. milestone was playing the Fillmore in San Francisco. For that occasion, they had a problem that was the reverse of the Murray the K performances -- the latter had been too slight at 15 to 20 minutes, but their usual 40-minute sets were too short for the Fillmore. In the Richard Barnes book Maximum R&B;, it was recalled that to lengthen their set, they learned the entire mini-opera and the rest of A Quick One, which they hadnt performed live. After the Fillmore gig in June 1967, they played their most important American show yet, the Monterey International Pop Festival, which put them in a duel with labelmate Jimi Hendrix to see who could end their set more outrageously. Hendrix won with his incendiary performance, but the Who acquitted themselves admirably with a dramatic destruction of their instruments. Reverting to their old stage act was especially awkward, as theyd finished an album and single that represented a new phase. Constructed as a mock-pirate radio broadcast, The Who Sell Out was a concept album and a loving tribute to Englands pirate radio stations, which had been closed in a government crackdown. The group threw everything they had into the album in order to solidify their position in England and finally crack the U.S. market, including the classic "I Can See for Miles." An explosion of excitement and controlled tension, it seemed like a certain chart-topper. Daltreys performance was the best of his career to date, matched by Townshends slashing guitar, Moons frenetic drumming, and Entwistles anchor-like bass. It took a lot of work at three different studios -- including Los Angeles Gold Star -- on two continents and two coasts to get that sound; as a consequence, it was so difficult to perform that it became the only hit that they abandoned playing live. It became their first Top Ten hit in America, and reached number two in England, but that wasnt sufficient for what the band or their management needed. The group spent much of 1968 seeing the singles "Call Me Lightning," "Magic Bus," and "Dogs" -- inspired by Townshends interest in dog racing -- fail to meet expectations. Track Records, squeezed for cash even with Hendrixs burgeoning sales, assembled Direct Hits, which compiled the bands recent singles (minus the Shel Talmy-produced Brunswick sides). In the United States, Decca Records -- with only two actual "hits" by the group to work with, plus "Magic Bus" (which did unexpectedly well on that side of the Atlantic) -- released Magic Bus, an unacknowledged compilation album built around the hit and drawn from U.K. singles, EPs and recent album tracks. It was misleadingly subtitled "The Who on Tour," and thats a lot of what they did in 1968, especially in the United States, but not the way they did in 1967; this time, they were playing places like the Fillmore East, where they recorded one show for a possible live album. This plan went awry when the show wasnt quite good enough to represent the group, and was abandoned entirely with the vast changes in their songbook in 1969. While making their first serious long-term headway in the U.S., the band -- mostly Townshend, in collaboration with Lambert on the early libretto -- were devising and recording a large-scale work. Tommy arrived in May of 1969, more than a year and a half after The Who Sell Out. However, it was still unfinished -- the band wanted to add more instruments on certain songs, and Entwistle was particularly upset at the bass sound on the released recording. But they were out of money and options, so Tommy was released as a work in progress. And for the first time, the stars lined up in the Whos favor, especially in the United States. The serious rock press seized on the album as a masterpiece, while the mainstream press started to take rock music seriously. The Who were new and fresh enough, and Tommy ambitious enough, that it became one of the most widely reviewed and written-about albums in history. Tommy climbed into the American Top Ten as the group supported the album with an extensive tour where they played the complete opera. In some respects, Tommy became too successful. Audiences expected it to be done in its entirety at every show, and suddenly the Who were routinely playing for two hours at a clip. The work soon overshadowed the Who; it was performed as a play, redone as an orchestrated all-star extravaganza (starring Daltrey and featuring Townshends guitar), and would eventually be filmed by Ken Russell in 1975 (the movie starred Daltrey). In 1993, Townshend turned it into a Broadway musical with director Des McAnuff. While Tommy kept the band busy touring for almost two years, how to follow it stumped Townshend. As he worked on new material, the group released Live at Leeds in 1970 (which yielded the hit single "Summertime Blues"), as well as the single "The Seeker," giving them some breathing room. Eventually, he settled on Lifehouse, a sci-fi rock opera strongly influenced by the teachings of his guru, Meher Baba, that pushed the group into new sonic territory with electronics and synthesizers. The rest of the Who werent particularly enthralled with Lifehouse, claiming not to understand its plot, and their reluctance contributed to Townshend suffering a nervous breakdown. Once he recovered, the group picked up the pieces of the abandoned project and recorded Whos Next with producer Glyn Johns. Boasting a harder sound, Whos Next was a major hit, and many of its tracks -- including "Baba ORiley," "Bargain," "Behind Blue Eyes," and "Wont Get Fooled Again" (which were both issued as singles), and Entwistles "My Wife" -- became cornerstones of 70s album-oriented FM radio. The Whos Next tour solidified the band as one of the two top live rock attractions in the world along with the Rolling Stones. Suddenly their history was of interest to millions of fans; Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy, a 14-song retrospective of their singles, also sold in massive numbers. Whos Nexts success spurred Townshend to attempt another opera. With Quadrophenia, he abandoned fantasy to sketch a portrait of a 60s mod. He stopped working with Kit Lambert, who lost influence with the group in Tommys wake; the band also left Lambert and Stamps management. As Townshend wrote the album in 1972, he released Who Came First, a collection of private recordings and demos he made for Meher Baba. Entwistle began his own solo career with Smash Your Head Against the Wall, which he followed with Whistle Rhymes, released the same day as Townshends album. A double album, Quadrophenia sold extremely well, but it proved to be a troublesome concert piece. It was difficult to play live, and few outside of England were familiar with its mod subject matter. It soon became clear that audiences hadnt had the time to familiarize themselves with the work, leading to a lukewarm response on tour. After some retooling, the group performed an abbreviated version of Quadrophenia with some success. The Who began to fragment after Quadrophenias release. In public, Townshend fretted over his role as a rock spokesman; in private, he sank into alcohol abuse. Entwistle concentrated on his solo career, including recordings with his side projects Ox and Rigor Mortis. Meanwhile, Daltrey approached the peak of his powers: he had become a truly great singer and was surprisingly comfortable as an actor as he alternately pursued a film career and solo albums. Moon continued to party, celebrating his substance abuse and releasing the solo album Two Sides of the Moon. During this hiatus, the group issued the rarities collection Odds & Sods (1974), which surpassed existing bootleg collections and charted like a new release. Meanwhile, Townshend worked on new songs, resulting in 1975s disarmingly personal The Who by Numbers. The album was a hit, though its number eight placement in the U.S. reflected listeners modestly diminishing enthusiasm (Quadrophenia, despite being a rather expensive double LP built around a somewhat outré subject, reached number two on both sides of the Atlantic). Following the Who by Numbers tour, the band took an extended hiatus. During the late 70s, the band started to succumb to age and the rock & roll lifestyle. After years of playing live, Townshend permanently damaged his hearing. On their 1976 tour, Moon collapsed on-stage just a few minutes into a show at the Boston Garden -- he recovered and seemed to laugh off the incident, while an audience member sat in behind the drum kit to allow the band to finish playing. He continued partying and even suggested a possible successor, ex-Small Faces/Faces drummer Kenney Jones. The Who reconvened in early 1978 to record Who Are You, which was released that August, accompanied by a stunning promotional/performance video of the title song. Instead of responding to the insurgent punk movement, which labeled the Who as has-beens, the album represented the groups heaviest flirtation with prog rock since Quadrophenia. It was a huge hit, peaking at number two in the American charts and earning a platinum sales. Instead of being a triumphant comeback, however, Who Are You became a symbol of tragedy: on September 7, 1978, Moon died of a drug overdose. Since he was such an integral part of the Whos sound and image, the band debated carrying on. Though they continued, all three surviving members later claimed they felt the Who ended with Moons death. They took Moons suggestion and hired Small Faces drummer Kenney Jones as his replacement, as well as keyboardist John "Rabbit" Bundrick, and began working on new material in 1979. Before they released a new record, they released the live documentary The Kids Are Alright and contributed music to Franc Roddams cinematic adaptation of Quadrophenia, which starred Phil Daniels. The Who began touring later that year, but the tours momentum was destroyed when 11 attendees at the groups December 3, 1979, concert at Cincinnatis Riverfront Coliseum were trampled to death in a rush for choice festival seating. The band wasnt informed of the incident until after the concert, and the tragedy deflated whatever good will they had. Following the Cincinnati concert, the Who slowly fell apart. Townshend became addicted to cocaine, heroin, tranquilizers, and alcohol, suffering a near-fatal overdose in 1981. Meanwhile, Entwistle and Daltrey soldiered on in their solo careers. The band reconvened in 1981 to record their first album since Moons death, Face Dances, a hit that received mixed reviews. The following year, they released Its Hard and embarked on a supporting tour billed as their farewell to fans, with the live Whos Last arriving in 1984 as a commemoration of the tour. The farewell tour wasnt the Whos final goodbye. While Entwistle and Daltreys solo careers lost momentum in the 80s, Townshend continued recording to relative success. However, the Who still haunted him. The group reunited to play Live Aid in 1985, and three years later, they played a British music awards program. In 1989, Townshend agreed to reunite (minus Jones, who was replaced by session drummer Simon Phillips) for a 25th anniversary American tour, which was perceived as a way to make a lot of money -- which Daltrey and especially Entwistle needed. They followed it with a live album, Join Together. The Who reconvened in 1994 for two concerts celebrating Daltreys 50th birthday, commercial success that helped Townshends effort to bring Tommy to the Broadway stage. It became a huge hit and revived interest in the album. Townshend revived Quadrophenia in 1996, reuniting the Who to perform it at the Princes Trust concert in Hyde Park that summer, and it was followed that fall by an American tour that proved to be a failure. The following summer, the Who launched an oldies tour of America that was ignored by the press. In October 2001, they played the Concert for New York City benefit for families of the victims of the September 11 attacks. In late June 2002, the Who were about to kick off a North American tour when Entwistle died at the age of 57 in Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel. In 2006, Townshend and Daltrey released the mini-opera Wire & Glass, their first collaboration as the Who in over 20 years. The full-length Endless Wire, which included the EP, was released later that year to the best reviews of any Who album since Who Are You 28 years earlier; the accompanying tour was similarly well-received. On December 7, 2008, at a gala ceremony in Washington, D.C., Townshend and Daltrey received Kennedy Center Honors for the Whos lifetime contributions to American culture. Townshend rumbled about the Who writing and recording new material, but instead, he and Daltrey turned their attention to Quadrophenia, once again touring the album in its entirety. After a full performance in 2010 to benefit the Teenage Cancer Trust, a Quadrophenia and More tour began in the summer of 2012 and ran for over a year, culminating with a July concert at Wembley Arena that was later released as the live package Quadrophenia: Live in London. This 2014 release was the opening salvo in a farewell tour, with dates during 2015 in cities theyd never played previously. Also, a hits compilation appeared late in 2014; titled The Who Hits 50!, it included the bands first new material in almost a decade, "Be Lucky." The Who supported The Who Hits 50! with a tour that ran into 2016. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 43 Title: My Generation Released: 1965-12-03 Tracks: 12 Duration: 35:25 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Out in the Street (02:32) 2 I Don’t Mind (02:36) 3 The Good’s Gone (04:01) 4 La‐La‐La‐Lies (02:17) 5 Much Too Much (02:45) 6 My Generation (03:18) 7 Kids Are Alright (02:46) 8 Please, Please, Please (02:46) 9 It’s Not True (02:33) 10 The Ox (03:50) 11 A Legal Matter (02:48) 12 Instant Party (Circles) (03:12) |
| My Generation : Allmusic album Review : An explosive debut, and the hardest mod pop recorded by anyone. At the time of its release, it also had the most ferociously powerful guitars and drums yet captured on a rock record. Pete Townshends exhilarating chord crunches and guitar distortions threaten to leap off the grooves on "My Generation" and "Out in the Street"; Keith Moon attacks the drums with a lightning, ruthless finesse throughout. Some "Maximum R&B" influence lingered in the two James Brown covers, but much of Townshends original material fused Beatlesque hooks and power chords with anthemic mod lyrics, with "The Goods Gone," "Much Too Much," "La La La Lies," and especially "The Kids Are Alright" being highlights. "A Legal Matter" hinted at more ambitious lyrical concerns, and "The Ox" was instrumental mayhem that pushed the envelope of 1965 amplification with its guitar feedback and nonstop crashing drum rolls. While the execution was sometimes crude, and the songwriting not as sophisticated as it would shortly become, the Who never surpassed the pure energy level of this record. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 43 Title: A Quick One Released: 1966-12-03 Tracks: 10 Duration: 32:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Run Run Run (02:43) 2 Boris the Spider (02:28) 3 I Need You (02:24) 4 Whiskey Man (02:58) 5 Cobwebs and Strange (02:31) 6 Happy Jack (02:12) 7 Dont Look Away (02:55) 8 See My Way (01:55) 9 So Sad About Us (03:01) 10 A Quick One, While Hes Away (09:09) |
| A Quick One : Allmusic album Review : The Whos second album is a less impressive outing than their debut, primarily because, at the urging of their managers, all four members penned original material (though Pete Townshend wrote more than anyone else). The pure adrenaline of My Generation also subsided somewhat as the band began to grapple with more complex melodic and lyrical themes, especially on the erratic mini-opera "A Quick One While Hes Away." Still, theres some great madness on Keith Moons instrumental "Cobwebs and Strange," and Townshend delivered some solid mod pop with "Run Run Run" and "So Sad About Us." John Entwistle was also revealed to be a writer of considerable talent (and a morbid bent) on "Whiskey Man" and "Boris the Spider." | ||
 | Album: 3 of 43 Title: The Who Sell Out Released: 1967-12-16 Tracks: 23 Duration: 1:11:46 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Armenia City in the Sky (03:48) 2 Heinz Baked Beans (01:00) 3 Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand (02:29) 4 Odorono (02:34) 5 Tattoo (02:51) 6 Our Love Was (03:23) 7 I Can See for Miles (04:44) 8 I Can’t Reach You (03:03) 9 Medac (00:57) 10 Relax (02:41) 11 Silas Stingy (03:07) 12 Sunrise (03:06) 13 Rael 1 (05:45) 14 Rael 2 (01:28) 15 Glittering Girl (03:59) 16 Melancholia (03:22) 17 Someone’s Coming (02:40) 18 Jaguar (03:01) 19 Early Morning Cold Taxi (03:25) 20 Hall of the Mountain King (04:19) 21 Girl’s Eyes (03:50) 22 Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand (alternative version) (03:21) 23 Glow Girl (02:43) |
| The Who Sell Out : Allmusic album Review : Pete Townshend originally planned The Who Sell Out as a concept album of sorts that would simultaneously mock and pay tribute to pirate radio stations, complete with fake jingles and commercials linking the tracks. For reasons that remain somewhat ill defined, the concept wasnt quite driven to completion, breaking down around the middle of side two (on the original vinyl configuration). Nonetheless, on strictly musical merits, its a terrific set of songs that ultimately stands as one of the groups greatest achievements. "I Can See for Miles" (a Top Ten hit) is the Who at their most thunderous; tinges of psychedelia add a rush to "Armenia City in the Sky" and "Relax"; "I Cant Reach You" finds Townshend beginning to stretch himself into quasi-spiritual territory; and "Tattoo" and the acoustic "Sunrise" show introspective, vulnerable sides to the singer/songwriter that had previously been hidden. "Rael" was another mini-opera, with musical motifs that reappeared in Tommy. The album is as perfect a balance between melodic mod pop and powerful instrumentation as the Who (or any other group) would achieve; psychedelic pop was never as jubilant, not to say funny (the fake commercials and jingles interspersed between the songs are a hoot). [Subsequent reissues added over half a dozen interesting outtakes from the time of the sessions, as well as unused commercials, the B-side "Someones Coming," and an alternate version of "Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand."] | ||
 | Album: 4 of 43 Title: Direct Hits Released: 1968 Tracks: 12 Duration: 33:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Bucket "T" (02:09) 2 I’m a Boy (02:37) 3 Pictures of Lily (02:44) 4 Doctor! Doctor! (03:01) 5 I Can See for Miles (04:12) 6 Substitute (03:48) 7 Happy Jack (02:17) 8 The Last Time (02:51) 9 In the City (02:27) 10 Call Me Lightning (02:26) 11 Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand (02:13) 12 Dogs (03:08) |
| Direct Hits : Allmusic album Review : Direct Hits was the first official compilation of the Whos music. And it would be notable on that basis alone, even though it was planned exclusively as a European release. But it did a lot more than that, reaching far beyond its intended audience and raising some listeners consciousness along the way. Track Records, which had the bands contract in England and which was always strapped for cash, conceived Direct Hits as a cash-in effort behind the Whos then recent spate of singles, which included "I Can See for Miles," "Pictures of Lily," and their cover of the Stones "The Last Time" (done as a gesture of support following the drug arrests of Mick Jagger, Keith Richard, and Brian Jones) -- and as Track didnt have access to the groups earliest singles, the record was filled out with B-sides, a few non-hit 45 sides, and a notable album track or two. The resulting LP packed as much pop/rock punch as any piece of 12" vinyl to see the light of day in England in 1968, as well as being weird and quirky in the best possible way, what with odd but catchy tracks like "Bucket T" and "In the City" bumping up against the familiar "I Can See for Miles" and "Substitute." It was the best snapshot of the Whos history yet put before the public, and it was good enough to be brought over to America by some enterprising importers, as one of the first U.K. albums to find somewhat wide distribution in the United States, especially at record stores serving college campuses. And thats how it came to be reviewed in the pages of Rolling Stone -- possibly the first British import LP to receive what was, in those days, a true honor. Actually, the album bore an uncanny resemblance in song lineup if not design to the U.S.-issued Magic Bus album put out by Decca Records, which was not an officially acknowledged compilation on the group. The Rolling Stone review stacked them up against each other and found the American LP wanting. And in one fell swoop, Direct Hits became the record that introduced British imports to a wider American public than had ever known about them, and established the notion that the British record labels often did better work. There would subsequently be better work done in this vein in the United States, by Decca -- which learned to straighten up a bit and fly somewhat right as the Whos audience grew exponentially, and had the advantage of access to those early singles -- on Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy (which also lacked some of this albums quirkiness) -- but Direct Hits was there first, with its own odd virtues. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 43 Title: Magic Bus: The Who on Tour Released: 1968-09-14 Tracks: 11 Duration: 30:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Disguises (03:13) 2 Run Run Run (02:45) 3 Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (02:27) 4 I Cant Reach You (03:05) 5 Our Love Was, Is (03:09) 6 Call Me Lightning (02:26) 7 Magic Bus (03:18) 8 Someones Coming (02:33) 9 Doctor, Doctor (03:02) 10 Bucket T. (02:12) 11 Pictures of Lily (02:44) |
| Magic Bus: The Who on Tour : Allmusic album Review : A rip-off of sorts even upon its original release, with a few senseless repeats of tracks from Quick One and Who Sell Out, as well as a sleeve that erroneously implied a live recording. This mishmash of singles, B-sides, and stray tracks from past British releases did have some fine moments, particularly the singles "Call Me Lightning" and the Bo Diddley-influenced "Magic Bus," which became one of their most popular concert numbers. Other highlights are the fine 1966 pop-art tune "Disguises" and John Entwistles hysterical "Doctor, Doctor," but these (and a few of the other cuts) are now available as bonus tracks on the Quick One and Who Sell Out reissues. Completists should know that one song, Entwistles typically black-humored "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde," is unavailable on any other U.S. release, so its not time to throw away your copy of Magic Bus just yet. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 43 Title: Tommy Released: 1969-05-23 Tracks: 24 Duration: 1:14:53 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Overture (03:51) 2 It’s a Boy (02:06) 3 1921 (02:48) 4 Amazing Journey (04:25) 5 Sparks (02:43) 6 Eyesight to the Blind (The Hawker) (02:14) 7 Christmas (04:34) 8 Cousin Kevin (04:06) 9 The Acid Queen (03:33) 10 Underture (10:04) 1 Do You Think It’s Alright? (00:24) 2 Fiddle About (01:31) 3 Pinball Wizard (03:01) 4 There’s a Doctor (00:23) 5 Go to the Mirror! (03:47) 6 Tommy Can You Hear Me? (01:35) 7 Smash the Mirror (01:35) 8 Sensation (02:27) 9 Miracle Cure (00:12) 10 Sally Simpson (04:10) 11 I’m Free (02:39) 12 Welcome (04:32) 13 Tommy’s Holiday Camp (00:57) 14 We’re Not Gonna Take It (07:06) |
| Tommy : Allmusic album Review : The full-blown rock opera about a deaf, dumb, and blind boy that launched the band to international superstardom, written almost entirely by Pete Townshend. Hailed as a breakthrough upon its release, its critical standing has diminished somewhat in the ensuing decades because of the occasional pretensions of the concept and because of the insubstantial nature of some of the songs that functioned as little more than devices to advance the rather sketchy plot. Nonetheless, the double album has many excellent songs, including "Im Free," "Pinball Wizard," "Sensation," "Christmas," "Were Not Gonna Take It," and the dramatic ten-minute instrumental "Underture." Though the album was slightly flawed, Townshends ability to construct a lengthy conceptual narrative brought new possibilities to rock music. Despite the complexity of the project, he and the Who never lost sight of solid pop melodies, harmonies, and forceful instrumentation, imbuing the material with a suitably powerful grace. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 43 Title: Backtrack Fourteen: The Ox Released: 1970 Tracks: 13 Duration: 23:52 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Heinz Baked Beans (00:58) 2 Heaven and Hell (?) 3 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (?) 4 Fiddle About (01:31) 5 Cousin Kevin (04:06) 6 Doctor Doctor (02:59) 7 Medac (00:57) 8 Boris the Spider (02:28) 9 I’ve Been Away (02:10) 10 Whiskey Man (02:58) 11 In the City (?) 12 Someone’s Coming (02:40) 13 Silas Stingy (03:03) |
 | Album: 8 of 43 Title: Who’s Next Released: 1971-08-14 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:18:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Baba O’Riley (05:09) 2 Bargain (05:33) 3 Love Ain’t for Keeping (02:10) 4 My Wife (03:41) 5 The Song Is Over (06:17) 6 Getting in Tune (04:49) 7 Going Mobile (03:43) 8 Behind Blue Eyes (03:42) 9 Won’t Get Fooled Again (08:33) 10 Pure and Easy (04:21) 11 Baby Don’t You Do It (05:14) 12 Naked Eye (live) (05:31) 13 Water (live) (06:25) 14 Too Much of Anything (04:25) 15 I Don’t Even Know Myself (04:56) 16 Behind Blue Eyes (original version) (03:28) |
| Who’s Next : Allmusic album Review : Much of Whos Next derives from Lifehouse, an ambitious sci-fi rock opera Pete Townshend abandoned after suffering a nervous breakdown, caused in part from working on the sequel to Tommy. Theres no discernable theme behind these songs, yet this album is stronger than Tommy, falling just behind Who Sell Out as the finest record the Who ever cut. Townshend developed an infatuation with synthesizers during the recording of the album, and theyre all over this album, adding texture where needed and amplifying the force, which is already at a fever pitch. Apart from Live at Leeds, the Who have never sounded as LOUD and unhinged as they do here, yet thats balanced by ballads, both lovely ("The Song Is Over") and scathing ("Behind Blue Eyes"). Thats the key to Whos Next -- theres anger and sorrow, humor and regret, passion and tumult, all wrapped up in a blistering package where the rage is as affecting as the heartbreak. This is a retreat from the 60s, as Townshend declares the "Song Is Over," scorns the teenage wasteland, and bitterly declares that we "Wont Get Fooled Again." For all the sorrow and heartbreak that runs beneath the surface, this is an invigorating record, not just because Keith Moon runs rampant or because Roger Daltrey has never sung better or because John Entwistle spins out manic basslines that are as captivating as his "My Wife" is funny. This is invigorating because it has all of that, plus Townshend laying his soul bare in ways that are funny, painful, and utterly life-affirming. That is what the Who was about, not the rock operas, and thats why Whos Next is truer than Tommy or the abandoned Lifehouse. Those were art -- this, even with its pretensions, is rock & roll. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 43 Title: Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy Released: 1971-10-30 Tracks: 14 Duration: 42:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Can’t Explain (02:05) 2 Kids Are Alright (02:46) 3 Happy Jack (02:12) 4 I Can See for Miles (04:07) 5 Pictures of Lily (02:44) 6 My Generation (03:18) 7 The Seeker (03:12) 8 Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere (02:41) 9 Pinball Wizard (03:01) 10 A Legal Matter (02:48) 11 Boris the Spider (02:28) 12 The Magic Bus (03:21) 13 Substitute (03:48) 14 I’m a Boy (03:41) |
| Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy : Allmusic album Review : Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy has the distinction of being the first in a long line of Who compilations. It also has the distinction of being the best. Part of the reason why it is so successful is that it has an actual purpose. Meaty was designed as a collection of the groups singles, many of which never appeared on albums. The Who recorded their share of great albums during the 60s, but condensing their highlights to just the singles is an electrifying experience. "The Kids Are Alright" follows "I Cant Explain," "I Can See for Miles" bleeds into "Pictures of Lily" and "My Generation," "Magic Bus" gives way to "Substitute" and "Im a Boy" -- its an extraordinary lineup, and each song builds on its predecessors power. Since it was released prior to Whos Next, it contains none of the groups album rock hits, but thats for the best -- their 60s singles have a kinetic, frenzied power that the louder, harder AOR cuts simply couldnt touch. Also, there is such a distinct change in sound with Whos Next that the two eras dont quite sound right on one greatest-hits collection, as My Generation and Whos Better, Whos Best proved. By concentrating on the early years -- when the Who were fresh and Pete Townshend was developing his own songwriting identity -- Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy is musically unified and incredibly powerful. This is what the Who sounded like when they were a great band. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 43 Title: A Quick One (Happy Jack) / The Who Sell Out Released: 1973 Tracks: 24 Duration: 1:13:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Run Run Run (02:45) 2 Boris the Spider (02:29) 3 I Need You (02:24) 4 Whiskey Man (02:58) 5 Heatwave (01:57) 6 Cobwebs and Strange (02:31) 7 Don’t Look Away (02:52) 8 See My Way (01:54) 9 So Sad About Us (03:00) 10 A Quick One, While He’s Away (09:11) 11 Happy Jack (02:12) 1 Armenia City in the Sky (03:37) 2 Heinz Baked Beans (01:05) 3 Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand (02:25) 4 Odorono (02:24) 5 Tattoo (02:59) 6 Our Love Was (03:13) 7 I Can See for Miles (04:17) 8 I Can’t Reach You (03:27) 9 Medac (00:56) 10 Relax (02:38) 11 Silas Stingy (03:03) 12 Sunrise (03:04) 13 Rael (1 and 2) (05:37) |
 | Album: 11 of 43 Title: Quadrophenia Released: 1973-11-16 Tracks: 42 Duration: 3:06:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Am the Sea (02:09) 2 The Real Me (03:21) 3 Quadrophenia (06:14) 4 Cut My Hair (03:49) 5 The Punk and the Godfather (05:11) 6 I’m One (02:39) 7 The Dirty Jobs (04:30) 8 Helpless Dancer (02:35) 9 Is It in My Head? (03:46) 10 I’ve Had Enough (06:17) 1 5:15 (05:02) 2 Sea and Sand (05:02) 3 Drowned (05:28) 4 Bell Boy (04:56) 5 Doctor Jimmy (08:39) 6 The Rock (06:39) 7 Love, Reign O’er Me (05:53) 1 The Real Me (demo) (04:26) 2 Quadrophenia – Four Overtures (demo) (06:20) 3 Cut My Hair (demo) (03:30) 4 Fill No. 1 – Get Out and Stay Out (demo) (01:23) 5 Quadrophenic – Four Faces (demo) (04:04) 6 We Close Tonight (demo) (02:43) 7 You Came Back (demo) (03:18) 8 Get Inside (demo) (03:11) 9 Joker James (demo) (03:42) 10 Punk (demo) (04:56) 11 I’m One (demo) (02:37) 12 Dirty Jobs (demo) (03:47) 13 Helpless Dancer (demo) (02:16) 1 Is It in My Head? (demo) (04:12) 2 Any More (demo) (03:22) 3 I’ve Had Enough (demo) (06:23) 4 Fill No. 2 (demo) (01:32) 5 Wizardry (demo) (03:10) 6 Sea and Sand (demo) (04:14) 7 Drowned (demo) (04:15) 8 Is It Me? (demo) (04:39) 9 Bell Boy (demo) (05:04) 10 Doctor Jimmy (demo) (07:30) 11 Finale – The Rock (demo) (08:00) 12 Love Reign O’er Me (demo) (05:11) |
| Quadrophenia : Allmusic album Review : Pete Townshend revisited the rock opera concept with another double-album opus, this time built around the story of a young mods struggle to come of age in the mid-60s. If anything, this was a more ambitious project than Tommy, given added weight by the fact that the Who werent devising some fantasy but were re-examining the roots of their own birth in mod culture. In the end, there may have been too much weight, as Townshend tried to combine the story of a mixed-up mod named Jimmy with the examination of a four-way split personality (hence the title Quadrophenia), in turn meant to reflect the four conflicting personas at work within the Who itself. The concept might have ultimately been too obscure and confusing for a mass audience. But theres plenty of great music anyway, especially on "The Real Me," "The Punk Meets the Godfather," "Im One," "Bell Boy," and "Love, Reign oer Me." Some of Townshends most direct, heartfelt writing is contained here, and production-wise its a tour de force, with some of the most imaginative use of synthesizers on a rock record. Various members of the band griped endlessly about flaws in the mix, but really these will bug very few listeners, who in general will find this to be one of the Whos most powerful statements. | ||
 | Album: 12 of 43 Title: Lo mejor de The Who Released: 1974 Tracks: 12 Duration: 36:08 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Overture (03:51) 2 Magic Bus (03:16) 3 Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand (02:09) 4 Pictures of Lily (02:44) 5 Call Me Lightning (02:21) 6 Substitute (03:46) 7 Happy Jack (02:12) 8 I Can See for Miles (04:05) 9 Armenia City in the Sky (03:13) 10 Whisky Man (02:54) 11 Pinball Wizard (02:59) 12 I’m a Boy (02:35) |
 | Album: 13 of 43 Title: Odds & Sods Released: 1974-10-12 Tracks: 23 Duration: 1:17:29 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 I’m the Face (02:29) 2 Leaving Here (02:13) 3 Baby Don’t You Do It (02:29) 4 Summertime Blues (03:13) 5 Under My Thumb (02:44) 6 Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand (03:21) 7 My Way (02:26) 8 Faith in Something Bigger (03:01) 9 Glow Girl (02:24) 10 Little Billy (02:17) 11 Young Man Blues (02:44) 12 Cousin Kevin Model Child (01:26) 13 Love Ain’t for Keeping (04:06) 14 Time Is Passing (03:31) 15 Pure and Easy (05:24) 16 Too Much of Anything (04:25) 17 Long Live Rock (03:56) 18 Put the Money Down (04:29) 19 We Close Tonight (02:58) 20 Postcard (03:32) 21 Now I’m a Farmer (04:09) 22 Water (04:40) 23 Naked Eye (05:26) |
| Odds & Sods : Allmusic album Review : Odds & Sods, a compilation of outtakes and rarities from the Whos first decade, is a rather jumpy listen that harbors few songs that could be termed top of the line. Also, since its 1974 release, several of the tracks have been issued on other compilations. Setting your expectations at the appropriate level, however, youll find much of this worthwhile. "Pure and Easy," "Naked Eye," and "Long Live Rock" were all concert favorites in the 70s, "Glow Girl" introduced some riffs that would resurface in Tommy, and "Postcard," John Entwistles tale of rock life on the road, was one of his better compositions. This also has their very first single, "Im the Face," recorded in 1964 when the group were known as the High Numbers. | ||
 | Album: 14 of 43 Title: ’64–’74 / The Best of the Last Ten Years Released: 1975 Tracks: 24 Duration: 1:10:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 My Generation (03:18) 2 Substitute (03:46) 3 The Seeker (03:12) 4 Magic Bus (04:28) 5 Happy Jack (02:12) 6 I’m Free (02:40) 7 Pictures of Lily (02:37) 8 Let’s See Action (03:58) 9 I’m a Boy (03:42) 10 Kids Are Alright (02:46) 11 Pinball Wizard (03:00) 12 I Can See for Miles (03:55) 1 Doctor, Doctor (02:40) 2 Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere (02:35) 3 Circles (02:28) 4 Whisky Man (02:54) 5 Run, Run, Run (02:30) 6 Bucket ‘T’ (02:06) 7 Boris the Spider (02:30) 8 Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand (02:06) 9 Dogs (02:30) 10 Call Me Lightning (02:21) 11 Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (02:24) 12 Heat Wave (03:31) |
 | Album: 15 of 43 Title: The Who by Numbers Released: 1975-10-18 Tracks: 10 Duration: 37:28 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Slip Kid (04:31) 2 However Much I Booze (05:04) 3 Squeeze Box (02:42) 4 Dreaming From the Waist (04:09) 5 Imagine a Man (04:06) 6 Success Story (03:25) 7 They Are All in Love (03:02) 8 Blue Red and Grey (02:51) 9 How Many Friends (04:09) 10 In a Hand or a Face (03:25) |
| The Who by Numbers : Allmusic album Review : The Who by Numbers functions as Pete Townshends confessional singer/songwriter album, as he chronicles his problems with alcohol ("However Much I Booze"), women ("Dreaming From the Waist" and "They Are All in Love"), and life in general. However, his introspective musings are rendered ineffective by Roger Daltreys bluster and the cloying, lightweight filler of "Squeeze Box." In addition, Townshends songs tend to be underdeveloped, relying on verbosity instead of melodicism, with only the simple power of "Slip Kid," the grace of "Blue Red and Grey," and John Entwistles heavy rocker "Success Story" making much of an impact. | ||
 | Album: 16 of 43 Title: The Story of The Who Released: 1976 Tracks: 26 Duration: 1:28:53 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Magic Bus (03:21) 2 Substitute (02:13) 3 Boris the Spider (02:32) 4 Run Run Run (02:47) 5 Im a Boy (02:42) 6 Heat Wave (01:59) 7 My Generation (03:22) 8 Pictures of Lily (02:47) 9 Happy Jack (02:12) 10 The Seeker (03:26) 11 I Can See for Miles (04:19) 12 Bargain (05:38) 13 Squeeze Box (02:41) 1 Amazing Journey (04:28) 2 The Acid Queen (03:37) 3 Do You Think Its Alright? (00:29) 4 Fiddle About (01:34) 5 Pinball Wizard (03:05) 6 Im Free (02:41) 7 Tommys Holiday Camp (00:59) 8 Were Not Gonna Take It (06:54) 9 Summertime Blues (03:37) 10 Baba ORiley (05:01) 11 Behind Blue Eyes (03:41) 12 Slip Kid (04:13) 13 Won’t Get Fooled Again (full length version) (08:33) |
| The Story of The Who : Allmusic album Review : The British branch of Polydor released the double-album compilation The Story of the Who in 1976. It was the most exhaustive collection yet assembled, running from the groups early singles through Who By Numbers. Exhaustive doesnt necessarily mean comprehensive -- for some reason, Quadrophenia is completely overlooked, and a full side of Tommy material is way too much in this context. Also, some great songs, such as "A Legal Matter" and "Join Together, " are missing, which may frustrate some listeners. Nevertheless, what is here -- "Magic Bus, " "Substitute, " "Boris the Spider, " "Im a Boy, " "My Generation, " "Pictures of Lily, " "The Seeker, " "I Can See for Miles, " "Pinball Wizard, " "Behind Blue Eyes, " "Slip Kid, " and "Wont Get Fooled Again, " among others -- is terrific, making The Story of the Who a worthwhile sampler and good introduction to this seminal band. | ||
 | Album: 17 of 43 Title: Who Are You Released: 1978-08-18 Tracks: 9 Duration: 42:17 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 New Song (04:17) 2 Had Enough (04:30) 3 905 (03:56) 4 Sister Disco (04:21) 5 Music Must Change (04:40) 6 Trick of the Light (04:14) 7 Guitar and Pen (05:50) 8 Love Is Coming Down (04:02) 9 Who Are You (06:24) |
| Who Are You : Allmusic album Review : On the Whos final album with Keith Moon, their trademark honest power started to get diluted by fatigue and a sense that the groups collective vision was beginning to fade. As instrumentalists, their skills were intact. More problematic was the erratic quality of the material, which seemed torn between blustery attempts at contemporary relevance ("Sister Disco," "New Song," "Music Must Change") and bittersweet insecurity ("Love Is Coming Down"). Most problematic of all were the arrangements, heavy on the symphonic synthesizers and strings, which make the record sound cluttered and overanxious. Roger Daltreys operatic tough-guy braggadocio in particular was beginning to sound annoying on several cuts. Yet Pete Townshends better tunes -- "Music Must Change," "Love Is Coming Down," and the anthemic title track -- continued to explore the contradictions of aging rockers in interesting, effective ways. Whether due to Moons death or not, it was the last reasonably interesting Who record. | ||
 | Album: 18 of 43 Title: The Who Released: 1980 Tracks: 12 Duration: 34:48 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Cant Explain (01:59) 2 Substitute (03:39) 3 Happy Jack (02:03) 4 I Can See for Miles (03:55) 5 Pictures of Lily (02:34) 6 My Generation (03:09) 7 Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere (02:35) 8 Pinball Wizard (02:56) 9 A Legal Matter (02:40) 10 Boris the Spider (02:23) 11 Magic Bus (04:17) 12 The Kids Are Alright (02:38) |
 | Album: 19 of 43 Title: Magic Bus / My Generation Released: 1980 Tracks: 23 Duration: 1:06:23 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Disguises (03:13) 2 Run Run Run (02:45) 3 Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (02:27) 4 I Cant Reach You (03:05) 5 Our Love Was, Is (03:09) 6 Call Me Lightning (02:26) 7 Magic Bus (03:18) 8 Someones Coming (02:33) 9 Doctor, Doctor (03:02) 10 Bucket T. (02:12) 11 Pictures of Lily (02:44) 1 Out in the Street (02:32) 2 I Don’t Mind (02:36) 3 The Good’s Gone (04:01) 4 La‐La‐La‐Lies (02:17) 5 Much Too Much (02:45) 6 My Generation (03:18) 7 Kids Are Alright (02:46) 8 Please, Please, Please (02:46) 9 It’s Not True (02:33) 10 The Ox (03:50) 11 A Legal Matter (02:48) 12 Instant Party (Circles) (03:12) |
| Magic Bus / My Generation : Allmusic album Review : In the mid-70s, MCA Records reissued the Whos first two American albums, My Generation and Magic Bus, as a two-LP set. My Generation is a landmark and Magic Bus contains some terrific moments. | ||
 | Album: 20 of 43 Title: Phases Released: 1981 Tracks: 110 Duration: 7:04:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Out in the Street (02:32) 2 I Don’t Mind (02:36) 3 The Good’s Gone (04:01) 4 La‐La‐La‐Lies (02:17) 5 Much Too Much (02:45) 6 My Generation (03:18) 7 Kids Are Alright (03:04) 8 Please, Please, Please (02:46) 9 I’m Not True (02:31) 10 I’m a Man (03:21) 11 A Legal Matter (02:48) 12 The Ox (03:50) 1 Run Run Run (02:31) 2 Boris the Spider (02:28) 3 I Need You (02:24) 4 Whiskey Man (02:58) 5 Heatwave (01:55) 6 Cobwebs and Strange (02:31) 7 Don’t Look Away (02:53) 8 See My Way (01:53) 9 So Sad About Us (03:04) 10 A Quick One, While He’s Away (09:09) 1 Armenia City in the Sky (03:14) 2 Heinz Baked Beans (00:57) 3 Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand (02:06) 4 Odorono (02:18) 5 Tattoo (03:45) 6 Our Love Was (03:07) 7 I Can See for Miles (04:07) 8 Can’t Reach You (03:03) 9 Medac (00:57) 10 Relax (02:40) 11 Silas Stingy (03:05) 12 Sunrise (03:06) 13 Rael (1 & 2) (05:38) 1 Overture (03:51) 2 It’s a Boy (02:06) 3 1921 (03:14) 4 Amazing Journey (03:25) 5 Sparks (03:45) 6 Eyesight to the Blind (02:15) 7 Christmas (05:30) 8 Cousin Kevin (04:06) 9 The Acid Queen (03:33) 10 Underture (09:55) 1 Do You Think It’s Alright? (00:24) 2 Fiddle About (01:31) 3 Pinball Wizard (03:50) 4 There’s a Doctor (00:23) 5 Go to the Mirror! (03:47) 6 Tommy Can You Hear Me? (01:35) 7 Smash the Mirror (01:20) 8 Sensation (02:27) 9 Miracle Cure (00:12) 10 Sally Simpson (04:10) 11 I’m Free (02:39) 12 Welcome (04:32) 13 Tommy’s Holiday Camp (00:57) 14 We’re Not Gonna Take It (06:45) 1 Young Man Blues (04:51) 2 Substitute (02:05) 3 Summertime Blues (03:29) 4 Shakin’ All Over (04:15) 5 My Generation (14:34) 6 Magic Bus (07:30) 1 Baba O’Riley (05:00) 2 Bargain (05:33) 3 Love Ain’t for Keeping (02:10) 4 My Wife (03:35) 5 The Song Is Over (06:17) 6 Getting in Tune (04:49) 7 Going Mobile (03:43) 8 Behind Blue Eyes (03:41) 9 Won’t Get Fooled Again (08:32) 1 I Am the Sea (02:09) 2 The Real Me (03:21) 3 Quadrophenia (06:14) 4 Cut My Hair (03:49) 5 The Punk and the Godfather (05:11) 6 I’m One (02:39) 7 The Dirty Jobs (04:30) 8 Helpless Dancer (02:35) 9 Is It in My Head? (03:46) 10 I’ve Had Enough (06:17) 1 5:15 (05:02) 2 Sea and Sand (05:02) 3 Drowned (05:28) 4 Bell Boy (04:56) 5 Doctor Jimmy (08:39) 6 The Rock (06:39) 7 Love, Reign O’er Me (05:53) 1 Slip Kid (04:31) 2 However Much I Booze (05:04) 3 Squeeze Box (02:42) 4 Dreaming From the Waist (04:09) 5 Imagine a Man (04:06) 6 Success Story (03:25) 7 They Are All in Love (03:02) 8 Blue Red and Grey (02:51) 9 How Many Friends (04:09) 10 In a Hand or a Face (03:25) 1 New Song (04:17) 2 Had Enough (04:30) 3 905 (03:56) 4 Sister Disco (04:21) 5 Music Must Change (04:40) 6 Trick of the Light (04:14) 7 Guitar and Pen (05:50) 8 Love Is Coming Down (04:02) 9 Who Are You (06:24) |
| Phases : Allmusic album Review : Released to coincide with the Whos disbandment -- or at least their farewell tour -- Polydors Phases is a nine-LP box set that contains almost all of the groups classic albums. Its not a bad collectable, but its not great either. Its easier to acquire the albums by purchasing them individually, and there arent many extras in the packaging to make this of considerable interest to collectors. | ||
 | Album: 21 of 43 Title: Face Dances Released: 1981-03-11 Tracks: 14 Duration: 1:03:01 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 You Better You Bet (05:37) 2 Don’t Let Go the Coat (03:48) 3 Cache Cache (03:56) 4 The Quiet One (03:09) 5 Did You Steal My Money (04:15) 6 How Can You Do It Alone (05:26) 7 Daily Records (03:25) 8 You (04:41) 9 Another Tricky Day (04:56) 10 I Like Nightmares (03:11) 11 It’s in You (05:01) 12 Somebody Saved Me (05:31) 13 How Can You Do It Alone (05:27) 14 The Quiet One (live) (04:32) |
| Face Dances : Allmusic album Review : Without Keith Moon, the Who may have lacked the restless firepower that distinguished their earlier albums, but Face Dances had some of Pete Townshends best, most incisive compositions since Quadrophenia. "Dont Let Go the Coat" was one of his better odes to Meher Baba, "You Better You Bet" was a driving rocker, as was the rueful "Cache Cache," while "How Can You Do It Alone" was a solid ballad. While Townshends songs were graceful and introspective, Roger Daltrey delivered them without any subtlety, rendering their power impotent. | ||
 | Album: 22 of 43 Title: Hooligans Released: 1981-09-11 Tracks: 19 Duration: 1:20:44 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Can’t Explain (02:05) 2 I Can See for Miles (04:07) 3 Pinball Wizard (03:01) 4 (Nothing Is Everything) Lets See Action (03:56) 5 Summertime Blues (03:24) 6 The Relay (03:31) 7 Baba O’Riley (05:00) 8 Behind Blue Eyes (03:41) 9 Bargain (05:33) 10 The Song Is Over (06:11) 1 Join Together (04:22) 2 Squeeze Box (02:42) 3 Slip Kid (04:31) 4 The Real Me (03:21) 5 5:15 (04:52) 6 Drowned (05:09) 7 Had Enough (04:28) 8 Sister Disco (04:21) 9 Who Are You (06:24) |
| Hooligans : Allmusic album Review : As the farewell tour began to heat up, the double-album compilation Hooligans hit the stores. If there wasnt a farewell tour, its unlikely that the collection would even have been released, since it serves no discernible purpose other than being a new piece of product. Granted, it does take a slightly different angle than previous compilations, concentrating on the groups 70s album rock heyday. Only three songs ("I Cant Explain," "I Can See for Miles, " "Pinball Wizard") from the 60s are included, with much of the album being devoted to radio hits and album tracks, with three of non-LP singles, "The Relay, " "Lets See Action" and "Join Together, " added for good measure. Those singles make Hooligans of interest to collectors, but the remainder of the record is utterly useless to them, since it simply repeats such familiar items as "Summertime Blues, " "Baba ORiley, " "Behind Blue Eyes, " "The Bargain, " "Sister Disco, " "Squeeze Box, " "5:15" and "Who Are You." Some casual fans might want these all on one disc, but the seemingly random song selection is frustrating -- why isnt "Wont Get Fooled Again" here, why is "My Generation" missing? Such omissions make it nothing more than a haphazard, sporadically enjoyable sampler -- one that may not even be worth the time of casual fans. | ||
 | Album: 23 of 43 Title: It’s Hard Released: 1982-09-04 Tracks: 12 Duration: 47:30 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Athena (03:48) 2 It’s Your Turn (03:41) 3 Cooks County (03:50) 4 It’s Hard (03:46) 5 Dangerous (03:20) 6 Eminence Front (05:40) 7 I’ve Known No War (05:58) 8 One Life’s Enough (02:21) 9 One at a Time (03:03) 10 Why Did I Fall for That (03:25) 11 A Man Is a Man (03:56) 12 Cry If You Want (04:39) |
| It’s Hard : Allmusic album Review : Driven by Pete Townshends arching musical ambitions, Its Hard was an undistinguished final effort from the Who. Featuring layers of synthesizers and long-winded, twisting song structures, the album featured few memorable melodies and little energy, with only the anthemic "Athena" and the terse "Eminence Front" making a lasting impression. | ||
 | Album: 24 of 43 Title: Rarities, Volume 1: “1966–1968” Released: 1983 Tracks: 15 Duration: 38:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Circles (Instant Party) (02:29) 2 Disguises (03:13) 3 Batman (01:27) 4 Bucket T (02:10) 5 Barbara Ann (02:01) 6 In the City (02:24) 7 I’ve Been Away (02:09) 8 Doctor Doctor (03:01) 9 The Last Time (02:51) 10 Under My Thumb (02:37) 11 Someone’s Coming (02:27) 12 Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand (03:16) 13 Dogs (03:06) 14 Call Me Lightning (02:24) 15 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (02:38) |
 | Album: 25 of 43 Title: Rarities, Volume 2: “1970–1973” Released: 1983 Tracks: 10 Duration: 40:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Join Together (04:22) 2 Don’t Know Myself (04:59) 3 Heaven and Hell (03:33) 4 When I Was a Boy (03:31) 5 Let’s See Action (03:59) 6 Relay (03:55) 7 Waspman (03:06) 8 Here for More (02:26) 9 Water (04:44) 10 Baby Don’t You Do It (06:17) |
 | Album: 26 of 43 Title: Whos Greatest Hits Released: 1983-05-08 Tracks: 13 Duration: 50:45 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Substitute (03:50) 2 The Seeker (03:12) 3 Magic Bus (03:25) 4 My Generation (03:18) 5 Pinball Wizard (03:01) 6 Happy Jack (02:12) 7 Won’t Get Fooled Again (08:32) 8 My Wife (03:35) 9 Squeeze Box (02:42) 10 The Relay (03:48) 11 5:15 (04:52) 12 Love Reign Oer Me (03:07) 13 Who Are You (05:06) |
| Who's Greatest Hits : Allmusic album Review : Following their "farewell tour," MCA released yet another Who collection, the first one ever titled Greatest Hits. The compilers dont take the title literally. Sure, many of the groups biggest hits ("Substitute," "My Generation," "Magic Bus," "Pinball Wizard," "Wont Get Fooled Again," "Love, Reign Oer Me," "Squeeze Box," "Who Are You") are here, but nearly as many are missing, including "Behind Blue Eyes," "Pictures of Lily," "See Me, Feel Me," "Join Together" and "I Can See for Miles," their biggest American single. So, its a random selection, which may not be that frustrating to a casual fan, since what is here is very good. Nevertheless, it should not be seen as a definitive collection or even as a good introduction -- its just an entertaining sampler. | ||
 | Album: 27 of 43 Title: The Singles Released: 1984-11-01 Tracks: 16 Duration: 58:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Substitute (03:48) 2 I’m a Boy (02:37) 3 Happy Jack (02:12) 4 Pictures of Lily (02:44) 5 I Can See for Miles (04:07) 6 Magic Bus (03:18) 7 Pinball Wizard (03:01) 8 My Generation (03:18) 9 Summertime Blues (03:22) 10 Won’t Get Fooled Again (03:38) 11 Let’s See Action (03:58) 12 Join Together (04:22) 13 5:15 (04:19) 14 Squeeze Box (02:42) 15 Who Are You (05:06) 16 You Better You Bet (05:37) |
| The Singles : Allmusic album Review : One imagines that this collection was aimed at the total neophyte listener -- taken in any other context, this is an odd collection of single sides by one of the premiere singles bands of the 1960s and early 70s. Does it start at the beginning, with either "Im the Face" or "I Cant Explain"? No. Does it encompass many of the freestanding singles issued by this band through 1972? No. Does it even offer any of the less well-known single sides from that period? No -- apart from the three-and-a-half-minute single edit of "Wont Get Fooled Again," which was hardly a sterling example of the format or the genre. Instead, listeners get all of the most familiar hits, albeit in their original mono mixes where relevant: "Substitute," "Im a Boy," "Pictures of Lily," "I Can See for Miles," "Pinball Wizard," "Squeeze Box," etc. The best of it overlaps with Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy, among other collections, so veteran collectors and listeners will find nothing unique here. | ||
 | Album: 28 of 43 Title: Who’s Missing Released: 1985 Tracks: 12 Duration: 41:02 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Shout and Shimmy (03:17) 2 Leaving Here (02:50) 3 Anytime You Want Me (02:36) 4 Lubie (Come Back Home) (03:40) 5 Barbara Ann (02:01) 6 I’m a Boy (original version) (02:38) 7 Mary‐Anne With the Shaky Hands (original version) (03:16) 8 Heaven and Hell (03:32) 9 Here for More (02:26) 10 I Don’t Even Know Myself (04:56) 11 When I Was a Boy (03:30) 12 Bargain (live) (06:17) |
| Who’s Missing : Allmusic album Review : A dozen B-sides, UK-only singles, and other oddities from the 1960s and early 70s. Some of these are really good: the raucous 1965 cover of James Browns "Shout and Shimmy," "Heaven and Hell" (one of John Entwistles better tunes), the 45 version of "Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand," the obscure Roger Daltrey tune "Here for More." Other cuts are pretty peripheral, like the lame 65 R&B; of "Lubie (Come Back Home)," or the live version of "Bargain." Also, a few of these have since been tacked onto CD reissues of proper Who albums as bonus tracks. Its not bad, but its really only for fans of the band. | ||
 | Album: 29 of 43 Title: The Who Collection Released: 1985-10-04 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:05:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Cant Explain (02:10) 2 Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere (02:41) 3 My Generation (03:18) 4 Substitute (03:51) 5 A Legal Matter (02:51) 6 The Kids Are Alright (03:08) 7 Im a Boy (02:42) 8 Happy Jack (02:12) 9 Boris the Spider (02:28) 10 Pictures of Lily (02:44) 11 I Can See for Miles (04:07) 12 Won’t Get Fooled Again (08:32) 13 The Seeker (03:14) 14 Let’s See Action (03:58) 15 Join Together (04:22) 16 Relay (03:55) 17 Love Reign Oer Me (06:03) 18 Squeeze Box (02:41) |
 | Album: 30 of 43 Title: Two’s Missing Released: 1987-04-11 Tracks: 14 Duration: 45:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Bald Headed Woman (02:11) 2 Under My Thumb (02:37) 3 My Wife (06:40) 4 I’m a Man (03:14) 5 Dogs (03:07) 6 Dogs, Part Two (02:28) 7 Circles (revised version) (02:31) 8 The Last Time (02:51) 9 Water (04:35) 10 Daddy Rolling Stone (02:49) 11 (Love Is Like a) Heat Wave (original version) (02:41) 12 Goin Down (03:43) 13 Motoring (02:51) 14 Wasp Man (03:06) |
| Two’s Missing : Allmusic album Review : Like Whos Missing, this is an assortment of B-sides, UK-only tracks, outtakes, and live cuts from the 1960s and early 70s. Again, theres some notable, even terrific, material here: the fiery 1967 covers of the Rolling Stones "The Last Time" and "Under My Thumb," the strange 1968 UK single "Dogs," the heavy R&B; of the 65 British B-side "Daddy Rolling Stone." Yet much of the rest of the album is extraneous to all but diehards, like a sluggish 1965 cover of Martha & the Vandellas "Motoring," Keith Moons novelty B-side "Wasp Man," or the 1969 instrumental "Dogs, Part 2" (which does have some slick guitar runs and manic drumming). The records haphazardly sequenced as well. Also, Whos Missing and Twos Missing still manage to miss a couple 60s B-sides that Who fanatics might want (Entwistles "Ive Been Away" and Keith Moons "In the City"), although those two cuts are now available on the CD reissue of A Quick One. In fact, the well-known bootleg Whos Zoo does a much better job of assembling most of the groups early rarities into two albums. | ||
 | Album: 31 of 43 Title: Whos Better, Whos Best Released: 1988-11-14 Tracks: 19 Duration: 1:10:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 My Generation (03:16) 2 Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere (02:39) 3 The Kids Are Alright (03:04) 4 Substitute (03:46) 5 I’m a Boy (02:35) 6 Happy Jack (02:10) 7 Pictures of Lily (02:44) 8 I Can See for Miles (04:07) 9 Who Are You (05:06) 10 Won’t Get Fooled Again (full length version) (08:33) 11 Magic Bus (03:16) 12 I Cant Explain (02:04) 13 Pinball Wizard (02:59) 14 Im Free (02:38) 15 See Me, Feel Me (03:30) 16 Squeeze Box (02:40) 17 Join Together (04:16) 18 You Better You Bet (05:37) 19 Baba ORiley (04:58) |
| Who's Better, Who's Best : Allmusic album Review : Whos Better, Whos Best is a compilation of the Whos best-known songs, containing all of the familiar items -- "I Cant Explain," "I Can See for Miles," "Pinball Wizard," "My Generation," "Substitute" -- but presented without much care. The album is further plagued by the presence of some filler tracks that really dont deserve to be on any best-of. Whos Better, Whos Best is, however, in its finer moments, a decent compilation. Indeed, the first half of this 1988 release collects nine of the most interesting rock tracks ever. Unfortunately, the compilation falters as it comes to a close. A more forthright compilation is perhaps a better option for most (Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy springs to mind). Nevertheless, Whos Better, Whos Best is a solid career overview and is useful for both casual and hardcore fans. | ||
 | Album: 32 of 43 Title: Thirty Years of Maximum R&B Released: 1994-07-05 Tracks: 95 Duration: 5:03:24 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 [Pete Townshend dialogue (live)] (00:21) 2 I’m the Face (02:29) 3 Here ’Tis (02:08) 4 Zoot Suit (01:59) 5 Leaving Here (02:47) 6 I Can’t Explain (02:05) 7 Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere (03:04) 8 Daddy Rolling Stone (02:49) 9 My Generation (03:18) 10 The Kids Are Alright (03:04) 11 The Ox (03:50) 12 A Legal Matter (02:45) 13 [Pete Townshend dialogue (live)] (00:57) 14 Substitute (live) (02:08) 15 I’m a Boy (02:37) 16 Disguises (03:20) 17 Happy Jack Jingle (00:31) 18 Happy Jack (02:12) 19 Boris the Spider (02:28) 20 So Sad About Us (03:00) 21 A Quick One, While He’s Away (original version) (live) (09:40) 22 Pictures of Lily (02:44) 23 Early Morning Cold Taxi (03:03) 24 Coke 2 (00:47) 25 (This Could Be) The Last Time (03:02) 26 I Can’t Reach You (03:03) 27 Girls Eyes (03:07) 28 Bag ONails (00:05) 29 Call Me Lightning (02:21) 1 Rotosound Strings (00:06) 2 I Can See for Miles (04:14) 3 Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand (02:09) 4 Armenia City in the Sky (03:17) 5 Tattoo (02:41) 6 Our Love Was (03:07) 7 Rael 1 (05:41) 8 Rael 2 (00:52) 9 Track Records / Premier Drums (00:32) 10 Sunrise (03:02) 11 [Russell Harty dialogue] (00:21) 12 Jaguar (02:03) 13 Melancholia (03:18) 14 Fortune Teller (02:18) 15 Magic Bus (03:18) 16 Little Billy (02:17) 17 Dogs (03:01) 18 Overture (03:52) 19 The Acid Queen (03:33) 20 [Abbie Hoffman incident (live)] (00:15) 21 Underture (live) (04:02) 22 Pinball Wizard (03:01) 23 I’m Free (02:39) 24 See Me, Feel Me (live) (03:32) 25 Heaven and Hell (03:32) 26 [Pete Townshend dialogue (live)] (00:36) 27 Young Man Blues (04:45) 28 Summertime Blues (03:34) 1 Shakin’ All Over (04:11) 2 Baba O’Riley (04:57) 3 Bargain (live) (05:00) 4 Pure and Easy (05:10) 5 The Song Is Over (06:08) 6 [studio dialogue] (00:46) 7 Behind Blue Eyes (03:41) 8 Won’t Get Fooled Again (08:32) 9 The Seeker (edited version) (03:21) 10 Bony Moronie (live) (03:24) 11 Let’s See Action (03:58) 12 Join Together (04:22) 13 Relay (04:00) 14 The Real Me (03:34) 15 5:15 (single version) (04:16) 16 Bell Boy (04:56) 17 Love Reign O’er Me (04:52) 1 Long Live Rock (03:55) 2 Life With the Moons (01:43) 3 Naked Eye (live) (05:03) 4 University Challenge (00:29) 5 Slip Kid (04:09) 6 Poetry Cornered (00:31) 7 Dreaming From the Waist (live) (04:16) 8 Blue Red and Grey (02:43) 9 Life With the Moons 2 (00:45) 10 Squeeze Box (02:42) 11 My Wife (live) (04:33) 12 Who Are You (single version) (04:58) 13 Music Must Change (04:34) 14 Sister Disco (04:16) 15 Guitar and Pen (05:49) 16 You Better You Bet (05:29) 17 Eminence Front (05:25) 18 Twist and Shout (live) (03:09) 19 I’m a Man (live) (06:33) 20 [Pete Townshend dialogue (live)] (00:36) 21 Saturday Night’s Alright (for Fighting) (04:33) |
| Thirty Years of Maximum R&B : Allmusic album Review : One of the more overblown box sets, this four-CD collection does include all of the Whos big hits and the lions share of their key album tracks. Previously unreleased rarities include some interesting selections (the 60s outtakes "Early Morning Cold Taxi" and "Melancholia"), but these bits and pieces, which include some live versions, commercials, Keith Moon sketches, and the like, are mostly inessential. The post-Keith Moon cuts that bring you up to the present are out of the league of the body of the Whos work. As most of the Whos 60s and 70s albums are very strong, cohesive works in and of themselves, this cant be recommended as either a starting point or a necessary addition. | ||
 | Album: 33 of 43 Title: My Generation – The Very Best of The Who Released: 1996-08-01 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:16:24 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Can’t Explain (02:05) 2 Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere (02:41) 3 My Generation (03:18) 4 Substitute (03:48) 5 I’m a Boy (02:37) 6 Boris the Spider (02:28) 7 Happy Jack (02:12) 8 Pictures of Lily (02:44) 9 I Can See for Miles (04:22) 10 Magic Bus (03:18) 11 Pinball Wizard (03:01) 12 The Seeker (03:24) 13 Baba O’Riley (05:09) 14 Won’t Get Fooled Again (full length version) (08:33) 15 Let’s See Action (04:03) 16 5:15 (04:52) 17 Join Together (04:22) 18 Squeeze Box (02:42) 19 Who Are You (single edit version) (04:59) 20 You Better You Bet (05:37) |
| My Generation – The Very Best of The Who : Allmusic album Review : The Who have issued more greatest-hits collections than any other major artist, releasing a vast array of compilations while they were together and in the years following their breakup. Released in 1996, My Generation: The Very Best of the Who was intended to be the definitive single-disc collection, replacing all the others that preceded it. While it is a very good collection, it just misses being a definitive sampler. Essentially, My Generation is a replica of Whos Better, Whos Best that adds four tracks that were missing from the previous compilation, including the seminal post-Tommy single "The Seeker" and the original single mix of "Magic Bus." My Generation isnt strictly a singles collection, since it contains such album rock staples as "Baba ORiley" and the full-length version of "Wont Get Fooled Again." It also spans the groups entire career, so it has a bit of a scattershot feel to it -- "You Better You Bet" sounds a little odd next to tense early singles like "Substitute" and "I Can See for Miles." The career-spanning approach doesnt make for as cohesive a collection as Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy, but it does mean that My Generation is an excellent -- even necessary -- introduction. Theres a lot more in the Whos catalog that needs to be heard, but My Generation does boil down the most essential items (even though the abominable "Squeeze Box" is included) to a fine single-disc set. | ||
 | Album: 34 of 43 Title: The Best of the Who Released: 1997 Tracks: 15 Duration: 54:02 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere (02:49) 2 My Generation (03:17) 3 Substitute (03:51) 4 I’m a Boy (02:42) 5 Happy Jack (02:13) 6 Pictures of Lily (02:44) 7 I Can See for Miles (04:14) 8 Pinball Wizard (03:00) 9 Baba O’Riley (05:27) 10 I Can’t Explain (02:00) 11 Wont Get Fooled Again (03:38) 12 The Seeker (03:24) 13 Let’s See Action (03:58) 14 Who Are You (05:02) 15 You Better You Bet (05:37) |
 | Album: 35 of 43 Title: 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of The Who Released: 1999-04-13 Tracks: 10 Duration: 41:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 My Generation (03:18) 2 Happy Jack (02:12) 3 I Can See for Miles (04:22) 4 Magic Bus (03:18) 5 Pinball Wizard (03:01) 6 Squeeze Box (02:42) 7 Behind Blue Eyes (03:41) 8 Who Are You (06:17) 9 Join Together (04:22) 10 Won’t Get Fooled Again (08:32) |
| 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of The Who : Allmusic album Review : Like any record company worth their salt, MCA knows a good gimmick when they see it, and when the millennium came around -- well, the 20th Century Masters -- The Millennium Collection wasnt too far behind. Supposedly, the millennium is a momentous occasion, but its hard to feel that way when its used as another excuse to turn out a budget-line series. But apart from the presumptuous title, 20th Century Masters -- The Millennium Collection turns out to be a very good budget-line series. True, its impossible for any of these ten-track collections to be definitive, but theyre nevertheless solid samplers that dont feature a bad song in the bunch. For example, take the Whos 20th Century volume. Yes, there are some great, great songs missing, but whats here (with the possible exception of "Squeeze Box") is terrific, including "My Generation," "Happy Jack," "I Can See for Miles," "Magic Bus," "Pinball Wizard," "Behind Blue Eyes," "Who Are You," "Join Together," and "Wont Get Fooled Again." Serious fans will want something more extensive, and neophytes would be best served by more well-chosen collections, but this disc is quite entertaining, considering its length and price. That doesnt erase the ridiculousness of the series title, but the silliness is excusable when the music and the collections are good. | ||
 | Album: 36 of 43 Title: The Ultimate Collection Released: 2002-06-11 Tracks: 44 Duration: 2:48:48 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Can’t Explain (02:05) 2 Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere (02:41) 3 My Generation (03:18) 4 Kids Are Alright (02:46) 5 A Legal Matter (02:48) 6 Substitute (03:48) 7 I’m a Boy (02:37) 8 Boris the Spider (02:28) 9 Happy Jack (02:12) 10 Pictures of Lily (02:44) 11 I Can See for Miles (04:07) 12 Call Me Lightning (02:21) 13 Magic Bus (03:18) 14 Pinball Wizard (03:01) 15 I’m Free (02:39) 16 See Me Feel Me (03:26) 17 The Seeker (03:12) 18 Summertime Blues (live) (03:25) 19 My Wife (03:35) 20 Baba O’Riley (05:00) 21 Bargain (05:33) 22 Behind Blue Eyes (03:41) 23 Won’t Get Fooled Again (08:32) 1 Let’s See Action (04:03) 2 Pure and Easy (05:22) 3 Join Together (04:22) 4 Long Live Rock (03:54) 5 The Real Me (03:30) 6 5:15 (04:52) 7 Love Reign O’er Me (05:52) 8 Squeeze Box (02:42) 9 Who Are You (06:24) 10 Had Enough (04:28) 11 Sister Disco (04:21) 12 You Better You Bet (05:37) 13 Don’t Let Go the Coat (03:44) 14 The Quiet One (03:09) 15 Another Tricky Day (04:54) 16 Athena (03:48) 17 Eminence Front (05:40) 1 Substitute (rare US single version) (03:01) 2 I’m a Boy (early version) (03:21) 3 Happy Jack (acoustic version) (02:53) 4 Magic Bus (UK single version) (03:19) |
| The Ultimate Collection : Allmusic album Review : Following in the footsteps not only of Universals many Ultimate Collection, but also the Beatles 1 -- a groundbreaking collection in the sense that it proved that a collection that contains all the hits will actually sell on CD (thereby proving the cynical ploy of leaving hits off a compilation in order to sell catalog is flawed) -- the Whos 2002 compilation The Ultimate Collection attempts to collect all their hits, all their anthems in one place. It fits that bill very well, providing all the big items from "I Cant Explain" to "Emenince Front" as it spans two discs and 35 tracks. Sure, fans will find personal favorites missing, whether its "A Quick One While Hes Away" or "Athena," while collectors will note that it contains everything from the previous attempt at an exhaustive CD compilation, 1996s My Generation: The Very Best of the Who, but it doesnt matter, because this is the best summation of their career for a general audience yet assembled. It functions as both an introduction and as the one Who album listeners who just want the hits will need. | ||
 | Album: 37 of 43 Title: Rarities 1966–1972 Vol. I / Rarities 1970–1973 Vol. II Released: 2004 Tracks: 25 Duration: 1:19:17 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Circles (Instant Party) (02:29) 2 Disguises (03:13) 3 Batman (01:27) 4 Bucket T (02:10) 5 Barbara Ann (02:01) 6 In the City (02:24) 7 I’ve Been Away (02:09) 8 Doctor Doctor (03:01) 9 The Last Time (02:51) 10 Under My Thumb (02:37) 11 Someone’s Coming (02:27) 12 Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand (03:16) 13 Dogs (03:06) 14 Call Me Lightning (02:24) 15 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (02:38) 16 Join Together (04:22) 17 Don’t Know Myself (04:59) 18 Heaven and Hell (03:33) 19 When I Was a Boy (03:31) 20 Let’s See Action (03:59) 21 Relay (03:55) 22 Waspman (03:06) 23 Here for More (02:26) 24 Water (04:44) 25 Baby Don’t You Do It (06:17) |
 | Album: 38 of 43 Title: Then and Now Released: 2004-03-30 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:17:22 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 I Can’t Explain (02:05) 2 My Generation (03:18) 3 Kids Are Alright (02:46) 4 Substitute (03:48) 5 I’m a Boy (02:37) 6 Happy Jack (02:12) 7 I Can See for Miles (04:07) 8 Magic Bus (03:18) 9 Pinball Wizard (03:04) 10 See Me Feel Me (03:26) 11 Summertime Blues (live) (03:25) 12 Behind Blue Eyes (03:41) 13 Won’t Get Fooled Again (08:32) 14 5:15 (04:52) 15 Love Reign O’er Me (03:12) 16 Squeeze Box (02:42) 17 Who Are You (05:06) 18 You Better You Bet (05:37) 19 Real Good Looking Boy (05:44) 20 Old Red Wine (03:43) |
 | Album: 39 of 43 Title: First Singles Box Released: 2004-05-03 Tracks: 24 Duration: 1:21:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Can’t Explain (02:05) 2 Bald Headed Woman (02:07) 1 My Generation (03:18) 2 Shout and Shimmy (03:16) 1 Substitute (03:48) 2 Circles (03:13) 1 I’m a Boy (02:38) 2 In the City (02:24) 1 Happy Jack (02:11) 2 I’ve Been Away (02:08) 1 Pictures of Lily (02:44) 2 Doctor, Doctor (02:59) 1 I Can See for Miles (04:07) 2 Someone’s Coming (02:30) 1 Pinball Wizard (03:04) 2 Dogs, Part Ⅱ (02:27) 1 Won’t Get Fooled Again (03:40) 2 Don’t Know Myself (04:57) 1 5:15 (04:23) 2 Water (04:41) 1 Who Are You (05:08) 2 Had Enough (04:30) 1 Real Good Looking Boy (05:44) 2 Old Red Wine (03:43) |
| First Singles Box : Allmusic album Review : A throwback to the era of 7" vinyl singles, the Who merge modern technology with a retro aesthetic with their First Singles Box. Featuring 12 CD singles in picture sleeves, the set contains classic tracks like "My Generation," "I Can See for Miles," and "Wont Get Fooled Again," along with their accompanying B-sides. And even though changing a compact disc 12 times doesnt quite have the same charm as going through a box of old vinyl, the set at least exposes a whole new generation of Who fans to the lost art of track pairings. | ||
 | Album: 40 of 43 Title: Endless Wire Released: 2006-10-27 Tracks: 26 Duration: 1:36:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Fragments (03:57) 2 A Man in a Purple Dress (04:14) 3 Mike Post Theme (04:28) 4 In the Ether (03:35) 5 Black Widow’s Eyes (03:07) 6 Two Thousand Years (02:50) 7 God Speaks of Marty Robbins (03:26) 8 It’s Not Enough (04:02) 9 You Stand by Me (01:36) 10 Sound Round (01:21) 11 Pick Up the Peace (01:28) 12 Unholy Trinity (02:07) 13 Trilby’s Piano (02:04) 14 Endless Wire (01:51) 15 Fragments of Fragments (02:23) 16 We Got a Hit (01:18) 17 They Made My Dream Come True (01:13) 18 Mirror Door (04:14) 19 Tea & Theatre (03:26) 1 The Seeker (02:37) 2 Who Are You (06:58) 3 Mike Post Theme (03:55) 4 Relay (07:40) 5 Greyhound Girl (03:04) 6 Naked Eye (08:26) 7 Won’t Get Fooled Again / Old Red Wine (10:41) |
| Endless Wire : Allmusic album Review : The Who retired following their 1982 farewell tour but like Frank Sinatras frequent retreats from the stage, it was not a permanent goodbye. Seven years later, the band -- Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey and John Entwistle; that is, Keith Moons replacement Kenny Jones wasnt invited back -- embarked on a reunion tour, and ever since then the band was a going concern. Perhaps not really active -- they did not tour on a regular basis, they did not record outside of a version of "Saturday Nights Alright for Fighting" for the 1991 Elton John and Bernie Taupin tribute album Two Rooms -- but they were always around, playing tribute gigs and reviving old projects, such as a mid-90s stab at Quadrophenia, before truly reuniting as an active touring band after the turn of the century. Just as they were reaching cruising altitude in 2002, bad luck and tragedy intervened, as Entwistle died from a heart attack on the eve of a summer tour, leaving Townshend and Daltrey the only surviving original members. Their decision to continue performing as the Who rankled some longtime fans -- many of whom thought they should have packed it in after Moons death in 1978 -- but the ensuing tours helped them work through their grief, not only over Entwistles death but during the fallout surrounding Pete Townshends arrest for accessing child porn on the internet. Townshend was cleared of all charges, and throughout the turmoil of the scandal he had no stronger defender than Daltrey. According to several interviews with both men, the process brought them closer together and they began seriously talking about recording a new Who studio album -- something that had not happened since Its Hard in 1982. They tentatively dipped their toes in the water with a couple of strong new songs on the 2004 hits comp Then and Now, and two years later, they followed through with the long-promised, long-awaited Endless Wire. Opening with a synth riff that strongly recalls, if not directly quotes, the famed loop underpinning "Baba OReilly," Endless Wire often hearkens back to previous Who albums in its themes, structure, and sound. The "Baba OReilly" riff pops up in "Fragments," the pummeling triplets of "The Punk Meets the Godfather" resurface in "Mike Post Theme." Like The Who by Numbers, it has its fair share of stark acoustic introspection. Like The Who Sell Out and A Quick One, it closes with a mini-rock opera, this one called "Wire & Glass." This closing suite also shares a lineage with Townshends 1993 solo album Psychoderelict, a record thats not well loved but one that is connected thematically to Lifehouse Chronicles, his often-muddled yet often-intriguing futuristic rock opera that seemed to suggest portions of a technologically saturated internet age. Such ideas bubble up throughout Endless Wire and not just on "Wire & Glass," yet that opera specifically shares a character with Psychoderelict in Ray High, a rock star who was the central figure in that 1993 opus and functions as a semi-autobiographical distancing device for Townshend, particularly on this record where the narrative ebbs and flows and sometimes disappears completely. Since the whole of Townshends rock operas always were overshadowed by the strength of their individual parts -- musically and emotionally, "Pinball Wizard," "Bargain," "Behind Blue Eyes," "The Real Me" and "Love Reign Oer Me" carried as great a weight, if not greater, on their own as they did as part of a larger theme -- this is not unusual or unwelcome, because the focus turns away from the specifics of the narrative and to the merits of the songs and the Whos performances, and how they connect at a gut level. And, like much of the best of the Whos work, the best of Endless Wire does indeed connect at a gut level, even if its in a considerably different way than it was in the past: instead of being visceral and immediate, this is music carries a slow burn. This is partially because they are no longer driven by Moon and Entwistle, but quite frankly, this most manic of rhythm sections never really anchored the Who; Townshend always did with his furious windmills and propulsive rhythms, and there was never any question that this, along with his songs, formed the complex, contradictory heart of the Who, while Daltrey gave the songs both muscle and a commonality, undercutting Townshends pretensions -- or giving him a voice behind which to hide, a voice to act out his best and worst impulses. After all the upheaval of the first part of the 2000s, Townshend needed to have Daltrey interpret his songs, which do confront many tough emotions and questions regarding faith, mortality and persecution, albeit often in oblique ways. For a writer as obsessed with concepts and fictionalized autobiography as Townshend, obliqueness serves him well, and often turns out to be more revealing than blunt confessionals, as is the case with "A Man in a Purple Dress," a searing, bitter, anti-religion folk tune reportedly inspired by a viewing of The Passion of the Christ but unmistakably bearing echoes of Townshends treatment in the tabloids during his 2003 scandal. Townshend does not sing this tune, Daltrey does, and its an angry performance that leans heavily on his blunt force, but also reveals a new subtlety that serves him very well throughout Endless Wire. Instead of powering through the songs as he could tend to do in the past, Daltrey is truly interpreting Townshends songs here, giving them nuanced, textured readings that cut close to the emotional quick of the tunes. His voice may have lost some of its range and power over the years, but Daltrey has developed into a better singer, and he helps ground Endless Wire, which doesnt meander so much as it overreaches, a trend not uncommon to either the Who or Townshend. Even the best Who albums had a tendency to not quite follow through on their concepts -- the mock pirate-radio broadcast of The Who Sell Out is abandoned on the second side, Whos Next was pulled together from the flailing Lifehouse -- but even so they were nevertheless triumphs given the sheer power of the band, or Townshends writing. Here, the band is indeed changed, and while they have top-notch professional support from drummer Zak Starkey and bassist Pino Palladino, they do not sound like a session band: they sound like the Who, only older, with their boundless energy replaced by a bittersweet melancholy undercurrent. Its a sound that fits Townshends new songs, alternately sweetly sad, bitterly reflective and, despite it all, cautiously optimistic. Unlike the fussy theatricality of The Iron Man or the impenetrable mess that was Psychoderelict -- or any Townshend project since Its Hard, really -- Endless Wire is not a slave to its concept; the songs fuel the album instead of the other way around. Even when it goes off the tracks -- and it does, most grandly on the bizarre "In the Ether," where Townshend affects Tom Waits patented growl -- it feels as if it was written from the heart, which is why its always appealing even though it feels curiously disjointed, with the The Who by Numbers-styled first half not quite synching up with the mini-opera that dominates the second side. It may not add up to a totally satisfying whole, yet within both halves of Endless Wire there is much to treasure: on the first half, theres the incendiary "A Man in a Purple Dress," the powerful yet understated "Mike Post Theme," the delicate "God Speaks of Marty Robbins," a surging rocker in "Its Not Enough" (whose lyrics are riddled with the self-doubt of Empty Glass) and the sweet song sketch "You Stand by Me"; on the second, theres the mini-opera of "Wire & Glass," a ten-song suite beginning with the rampaging "Sound Round" and closing with the haunting "Tea & Theatre," that manages to touch on every one of the bands strengths. Taken on its own, "Wire & Glass" does stand as the greatest Who music since Who Are You, so its a bit hard not to wish that the entire album had its thematic cohesion, muscular melody, and sense of purpose, but if it meant losing the quite wonderful highlights of the first half, it may not have been worth it because theyre not only strong songs, they give this record its ragged heart. No, Endless Wire is not perfect -- its parts dont quite fit together, and not all of the parts work on their own -- but it is an endearingly human, impassioned work that more than justifies Townshends and Daltreys decision to continue working as the Who. Hopefully, it will lead to another record or two but if it doesnt, Endless Wire is certainly a better final Who album than Its Hard, which is quite an accomplishment after a quarter-century hiatus. | ||
 | Album: 41 of 43 Title: Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who Released: 2008-04-01 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:12:03 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Leaving Here (02:49) 2 I Can’t Explain (02:05) 3 My Generation (03:18) 4 Im a Boy (02:38) 5 I Can See for Miles (04:07) 6 Amazing Journey (05:06) 7 Pinball Wizard (03:00) 8 Summertime Blues (live) (03:24) 9 Baba ORiley (05:01) 10 The Song Is Over (06:15) 11 Sea and Sand (05:03) 12 Who Are You (05:06) 13 Eminence Front (05:40) 14 Wont Get Fooled Again (live) (09:20) 15 Real Good Looking Boy (05:42) 16 Tea and Theatre (03:22) |
 | Album: 42 of 43 Title: My Generation Box Released: 2008-08-06 Tracks: 48 Duration: 2:23:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Out in the Street (02:32) 2 I Don’t Mind (02:36) 3 The Good’s Gone (04:01) 4 La‐La‐La‐Lies (02:17) 5 Much Too Much (02:45) 6 My Generation (03:18) 7 The Kids Are Alright (03:07) 8 Please, Please, Please (02:46) 9 It’s Not True (02:33) 10 I’m a Man (03:23) 11 A Legal Matter (02:54) 12 The Ox (03:57) 13 I Can’t Explain (02:07) 14 Bald Headed Woman (02:11) 15 Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere (02:43) 16 Daddy Rolling Stone (02:49) 17 Anytime You Want Me (02:37) 18 Shout and Shimmy (03:19) 19 Circles (03:14) 20 Leaving Here (02:48) 21 Lubie (Come Back Home) (03:36) 22 (Love Is Like a) Heat Wave (mono version) (02:41) 23 Motoring (02:49) 24 Circles (alternate mix) (03:12) 1 Out in the Street (02:34) 2 I Don’t Mind (full length version) (03:44) 3 The Good’s Gone (full length version) (04:30) 4 La‐La‐La Lies (02:18) 5 Much Too Much (02:45) 6 My Generation (03:21) 7 The Kids Are Alright (03:10) 8 Please, Please, Please (02:46) 9 It’s Not True (02:34) 10 I’m a Man (03:23) 11 A Legal Matter (02:54) 12 The Ox (03:58) 13 I Can’t Explain (02:04) 14 Bald Headed Woman (02:32) 15 Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere (alternate version) (02:43) 16 Daddy Rolling Stone (02:56) 17 Anytime You Want Me (02:38) 18 Shout and Shimmy (03:20) 19 Circles (03:13) 20 Instant Party Mixture (03:24) 21 Leaving Here (alternate version) (02:51) 22 Lubie (Come Back Home) (03:40) 23 (Love Is Like a) Heat Wave (stereo version) (02:41) 24 Motoring (02:49) |
 | Album: 43 of 43 Title: Greatest Hits Released: 2009-12-21 Tracks: 19 Duration: 1:18:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Can’t Explain (02:05) 2 My Generation (03:18) 3 The Kids Are Alright (03:04) 4 Substitute (03:48) 5 Happy Jack (02:12) 6 Pictures of Lily (02:44) 7 I Can See for Miles (04:07) 8 Magic Bus (03:18) 9 Pinball Wizard (03:01) 10 Behind Blue Eyes (03:41) 11 Baba O’Riley (05:00) 12 Won’t Get Fooled Again (08:32) 13 Love Reign O’er Me (05:55) 14 Squeeze Box (02:42) 15 Who Are You? (03:29) 16 You Better You Bet (05:37) 17 Eminence Front (05:40) 18 Real Good Looking Boy (05:44) 19 It’s Not Enough (04:04) |
| Greatest Hits : Allmusic album Review : Released in advance of the Who’s half-time appearance at the 2010 Superbowl, the 2009 Greatest Hits reworks the 2004 collection Then and Now: 1964-2000, retaining the basic structure of that compilation (including its then-new bonus track “Real Good Looking Boy”), trimming its 20 tracks down to 19 -- “I’m a Boy,” “See Me, Feel Me,” and “5:15” traded for “Pictures of Lily” and “Eminence Front,” the new “Old Red Wine” swapped for “It’s Not Enough” from their 2006 comeback Endless Wire -- but otherwise not changing much about the basic character of the album. This collection remains a solid overview of the Who’s basics, containing every one of the huge hits from “My Generation” to “Who Are You,” all sequenced chronologically. There are no surprises and no need to get this if you already own one of the many Who collections released over the years, but if Townshend and Daltrey’s Superbowl set piques some interest in procuring a Who hits album, this will surely satisfy. | ||