The Who are an English
rock band formed in
London in 1964. Their classic line-up consisted of lead singer
Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer
Pete Townshend, bass guitarist
John Entwistle and drummer
Keith Moon. They are considered one of the most influential rock bands of the 20th century, selling over
100 million records worldwide.
The Who developed from an earlier group, the Detours, and established themselves as part of the
pop art and
mod movements, featuring
auto-destructive art by
destroying guitars and drums on stage. Their first single as the Who, "
I Can't Explain", reached the UK top ten, followed by a string of singles including "
My Generation", "
Substitute" and "
Happy Jack". In 1967, they performed at the
Monterey Pop Festival and released the US top ten single "
I Can See for Miles", while touring extensively. The group's fourth album, 1969's
rock opera Tommy, included the single "
Pinball Wizard" and was a critical and commercial success. Live appearances at
Woodstock and the
Isle of Wight Festival, along with the live album
Live at Leeds, cemented their reputation as a respected rock act. With their success came increased pressure on lead songwriter Townshend, and the follow-up to Tommy,
Lifehouse, was abandoned. Songs from the project made up 1971's
Who's Next, which included the hit "
Won't Get Fooled Again". The group released the album
Quadrophenia in 1973 as a celebration of their mod roots, and oversaw the
film adaptation of Tommy in 1975. They continued to tour to large audiences before semi-retiring from live performances at the end of 1976. The release of
Who Are You in 1978 was overshadowed by the death of Moon shortly after.
Who's Next is the fifth
studio album by English rock band
the Who.
The Who recorded Who's Next with assistance from recording engineer
Glyn Johns. After producing the song "
Won't Get Fooled Again" in the
Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, they relocated to
Olympic Studios to record and mix most of the album's remaining songs. They made prominent use of
synthesizer on the album, particularly on "Won't Get Fooled Again" and "
Baba O'Riley", which were both released as
singles. The cover photo was shot by
Ethan Russell; it made reference to the
monolith in the 1968 film
2001: A Space Odyssey, as it featured group members standing by a concrete piling protruding from a
slag heap, apparently having urinated against it
Who's Next was an immediate success when it was released in August 1971.It has since been viewed by many critics as the Who's best record and one of the greatest albums of all time. It was reissued on
CD several times, with additional songs originally intended for Lifehouse.
Track listing
All tracks written by
Pete Townshend, except "
My Wife" by
John Entwistle.
Side one
No.TitleLead vocalLength
1. "Baba O'Riley" Roger Daltrey (verses), Townshend (bridge) 5:08
2. "Bargain" Daltrey (verses), Townshend (bridge) 5:34
3. "Love Ain't for Keeping" Daltrey 2:10
4. "My Wife" Entwistle 3:41
5. "The Song Is Over" Townshend (verses), Daltrey (chorus) 6:14
Total length: 22:47
Side two
No.TitleLead vocalLength
1. "Getting in Tune" Daltrey 4:50
2. "Going Mobile" Townshend 3:42
3. "Behind Blue Eyes" Daltrey 3:42
4. "Won't Get Fooled Again"8:34
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