Who's Next

by The Who

Product Description:

The Who: Pete Townshend (vocals, guitar, piano, organ, ARP synthesizer); John Entwistle (vocals, brass, piano, bass); Keith Moon (drums, percussion).

Additional personnel: Leslie West (guitar); Dave Arbus (violin); Nicky Hopkins (piano); Al Kooper (organ).

Producers: The Who, Kit Lambert, Keith Moon.

Reissue producer: Jon Astley.

Includes liner notes by Pete Townshend and John Atkins.

This remastered edition of WHO'S NEXT features seven bonus tracks.

The Who: Roger Daltrey (vocals); Pete Townshend (guitar, piano, organ, ARP synthesizer, background vocals); John Entwistle (brass, piano, bass instrument, background vocals); Keith Moon (drums, percussion).

Additional personnel: Leslie West (guitar); Dave Arbus (violin); Nicky Hopkins (piano); Al Kooper (organ).

Liner Note Authors: Pete Townshend; John Atkins.

Recording information: Olympic Studios, London, England.

While both THE WHO SELL OUT and TOMMY have their passionate devotees, WHO'S NEXT is the Who's masterpiece. Originally, Pete Townshend intended these songs for an even larger-scale project than TOMMY, a massive multimedia extravaganza, called LIFEHOUSE, that the songwriter eventually abandoned. Townshend was initially keen to keep at least the basic structure of the story for the Who's next record, but associate producer Glyn Johns convinced him that a straightforward single disc of the project's best songs would make a stronger album. Wise counsel indeed, because WHO'S NEXT is by far the group's most focused and powerful effort.

Bracketed by "Baba O'Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again," two classic rock epics that did more to advance the cause of synthesizers in mainstream rock than Kraftwerk's entire career, this album is basically flawless, ranging in mood from the heartbreaking "The Song Is Over" to John Entwistle's bitterly funny "My Wife." Although nearly every song on the record, barring only the bluesy acoustic interlude "Love Ain't for Keeping," is a saturation-level FM-rock-radio mainstay, WHO'S NEXT is that rarity--an intimately familiar album that never gets tiresome.