Many thanks for this Matt! I enjoyed the list but agree with Grant's top 5. It catches The Who at their peak (from Tommy to By Numbers) and ranks them, IMO, right too
This is wonderful stuff. Thank you for doing this — it doesn’t happen nearly often enough (for whatever snobbish reasons) and you’re clearly very well suited to task.
I have to plug my own favorites: “Getting in Tune” (one of the best of the dead art of the side two opening, along with “Worried About You” and “I’ve Got a Feeling”); “Join Together” (which keeps getting left off of collections and features that amazing fuzz stomp box on the bass); “Sunrise” (my favorite track from the stunning Who Sell Out”) and the heartbreaking final lyric of Tommy: “From you/I get the story.”
Cool list and write up. The Who is a tricky band to do this with. You remind me that I need to go back and do a deep listen to them all again because my default is almost always just to spin Meaty, Beaty, Big, and Bouncy. Greatest hits collection I know, but capturing by far my favorite Who era, and one of the most perfect albums ever.
These guys threaded the needle - they blew the speakers out with live shows and crafted original compelling studio work. Pete Townshend always worked best when he was wracked with emotion, hence the beauty of Who's Next, Quadrophenia, Who by Numbers and Who Are You. They should have split up after Keith Moon passed, IMO.
I would probably have Who Are You at 5, with my top five (1-5) being Who’s Next, Quadrophenia, Who By Numbers, Tommy and Who Are You. Of course it’s totally subjective.
Love Is Coming Down is the best song on Who Are You in my opinion.
A decent list. There's some things I agree with, like Quadrophenia at number one and A Quick One being uneven, and others I disagree with, like My Generation being decent and the three albums they did between By Numbers and Endless Wire above A Quick One when I think that album with its flaws is still better than those three. Also, I would have left off Odds and Sods. I like it but it's not a true studio album, and if you were to include that, you would have to include Live At Leeds as that's also a pretty significant release.
Here's my ranking:
1. Quadrophenia (1973)
2. The Who Sell Out (1967)
3. The Who By Numbers (1975)
4. Who's Next (1971)
5. My Generation (1965)
6. Tommy (1969)
7. A Quick One (1966)
8. Face Dances (1981)
9. Who Are You (1978)
10. It's Hard (1982)
Note I didn't include Endless Wire or WHO and that's because I haven't listened to either of them in full yet. I should probably get around to that at some point in the near future. Maybe this weekend.
I'll be seeing my sweet babboo's solo show, A Great Night Out, in a few weeks, and would love to confide to him that I was born a few days after THE WHO BY NUMBERS came out. Yes, I am that old.
Great article, much enjoyed reading. Quadrophenia has been my favorite album of all time since I first heard it played in its entirety on KMET a week or so before it was released in 1973. Glad to see it top your list. One song I will add that I think is truly great is actually from Face Dances, Another Tricky Day. One of my favorites and a great album closer, IMO.
Great article, very well written! I mostly agree with the list myself, although I have to admit I have a very soft spot for A Quick One, as with most of thier 60’s output. The silliness of some of the tracks, the psychedelic influences creeping in, I think it's a fascinating phase, of course better realized in The Who Sell Out and the various songs surrounding it, but still!
Other than that, maybe I'd rank By Numbers a bit higher, especially since I still have a hard time warming up to their 80’s albums.
Oh and, of course, Quadrophenia deserves the top spot, I absolutely agree!
“Indispensable to an artist’s career narrative” is a high bar, but I think Live at Leeds jumps it, and I would put it in the Top 5. Simply ferocious.
It was a close call for inclusion. Where in the top 5 does it land for you?
Today, let’s call it:
5) By Numbers
4) Live at Leeds
3) Tommy
2) Who’s Next
1) Quadrophenia
Many thanks for this Matt! I enjoyed the list but agree with Grant's top 5. It catches The Who at their peak (from Tommy to By Numbers) and ranks them, IMO, right too
Thanks for reading Bill!
This is wonderful stuff. Thank you for doing this — it doesn’t happen nearly often enough (for whatever snobbish reasons) and you’re clearly very well suited to task.
I have to plug my own favorites: “Getting in Tune” (one of the best of the dead art of the side two opening, along with “Worried About You” and “I’ve Got a Feeling”); “Join Together” (which keeps getting left off of collections and features that amazing fuzz stomp box on the bass); “Sunrise” (my favorite track from the stunning Who Sell Out”) and the heartbreaking final lyric of Tommy: “From you/I get the story.”
Great picks, thanks Jordan!
Cool list and write up. The Who is a tricky band to do this with. You remind me that I need to go back and do a deep listen to them all again because my default is almost always just to spin Meaty, Beaty, Big, and Bouncy. Greatest hits collection I know, but capturing by far my favorite Who era, and one of the most perfect albums ever.
Thanks for reading Paul!
Great post. I'd swap 1 & 2 since "Who's Next" has been my favorite of their albums for while.
Incredibly intelligent and thoughtful overview. Thank you.
Thanks for reading!
Thanks for this. Pete Townsend is a genius. To think that “Who’s Next” is something he thought he was settling for … it beggar’s belief.
Right??
Quadrophenia is my favorite Who album nd closely followed by Tommy. Absolutely majestic music!
These guys threaded the needle - they blew the speakers out with live shows and crafted original compelling studio work. Pete Townshend always worked best when he was wracked with emotion, hence the beauty of Who's Next, Quadrophenia, Who by Numbers and Who Are You. They should have split up after Keith Moon passed, IMO.
Great article, although I would rate Who Are You much higher. Plus Who By Numbers is a vastly underrated album
Where would you have slotted Who Are You? Thanks for reading :)
I would probably have Who Are You at 5, with my top five (1-5) being Who’s Next, Quadrophenia, Who By Numbers, Tommy and Who Are You. Of course it’s totally subjective.
Love Is Coming Down is the best song on Who Are You in my opinion.
A decent list. There's some things I agree with, like Quadrophenia at number one and A Quick One being uneven, and others I disagree with, like My Generation being decent and the three albums they did between By Numbers and Endless Wire above A Quick One when I think that album with its flaws is still better than those three. Also, I would have left off Odds and Sods. I like it but it's not a true studio album, and if you were to include that, you would have to include Live At Leeds as that's also a pretty significant release.
Here's my ranking:
1. Quadrophenia (1973)
2. The Who Sell Out (1967)
3. The Who By Numbers (1975)
4. Who's Next (1971)
5. My Generation (1965)
6. Tommy (1969)
7. A Quick One (1966)
8. Face Dances (1981)
9. Who Are You (1978)
10. It's Hard (1982)
Note I didn't include Endless Wire or WHO and that's because I haven't listened to either of them in full yet. I should probably get around to that at some point in the near future. Maybe this weekend.
Love the insights! Makes for great conversation. Thanks for reading :)
Bravo. Good post I say!
I'll be seeing my sweet babboo's solo show, A Great Night Out, in a few weeks, and would love to confide to him that I was born a few days after THE WHO BY NUMBERS came out. Yes, I am that old.
Great article, much enjoyed reading. Quadrophenia has been my favorite album of all time since I first heard it played in its entirety on KMET a week or so before it was released in 1973. Glad to see it top your list. One song I will add that I think is truly great is actually from Face Dances, Another Tricky Day. One of my favorites and a great album closer, IMO.
Thanks for the song pick and reading!
I have to agree with you totally on the number 1 spot. Quadrophenia I find to be the seminal rock album of my generation.
Thanks for reading!
Stop ranking things! I’ll decide whether I like Who’s Next or The Who Sell Out, depending on my mood. FFS
Great article, very well written! I mostly agree with the list myself, although I have to admit I have a very soft spot for A Quick One, as with most of thier 60’s output. The silliness of some of the tracks, the psychedelic influences creeping in, I think it's a fascinating phase, of course better realized in The Who Sell Out and the various songs surrounding it, but still!
Other than that, maybe I'd rank By Numbers a bit higher, especially since I still have a hard time warming up to their 80’s albums.
Oh and, of course, Quadrophenia deserves the top spot, I absolutely agree!
Thanks for reading Simone! Lots of love for By Numbers in the comments so far :)
I too have wondered what The Who could have done if Moon had lived longer.
Haven’t we all … 🕊️