Who's Next

by The Who

Overview

Much of Who's 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. There's 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 they're 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 that's balanced by ballads, both lovely ("The Song Is Over") and scathing ("Behind Blue Eyes"). That's the key to Who's Next -- there's 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 "Won't 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 that's why Who's Next is truer than Tommy or the abandoned Lifehouse. Those were art -- this, even with its pretensions, is rock & roll.

Product Details

Release Date:	11/07/1995
Label:	Mca
UPC:	0008811126926
catalogNumber:	11269

Tracks

1. Baba O'Riley
2. Bargain
3. Love Ain't for Keeping
4. My Wife
5. The Song Is Over
6. Getting in Tune
7. Going Mobile
8. Behind Blue Eyes
9. Won't Get Fooled Again
10. Pure and Easy
11. Baby Don't You Do It
12. Naked Eye
13. Water
14. Too Much of Anything
15. I Don't Even Know Myself
16. Behind Blue Eyes

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Who   Primary Artist
John Entwistle   Brass,Vocals,Bass,Bass Guitar,Keyboards,Piano
Keith Moon   Drums,Percussion,Vocals
Roger Daltrey   Vocals,Harmonica
Pete Townshend   Vocals,ARP,Guitar,Keyboards,Organ,Piano,Synthesizer
Dave Arbus   Violin

Technical Credits

Richard Evans   Art Direction
Glyn Johns   Engineer,Producer
John Atkins   Liner Notes
Pete Townshend   Liner Notes
Jon Astley   Producer,Reissue Producer,Remixing
Chris Charlesworth   Producer
Bill Curbishley   Producer
Pete Kameron   Producer,Executive Producer
Kit Lambert   Producer,Executive Producer
Keith Moon   Producer
Robert Rosenberg   Producer
Chris Stamp   Producer,Executive Producer
Who   Producer
Andy MacPherson   Remixing