best Who studio album

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

have at it!

Poll Results

Option	Votes
The Who Sell Out	35
Who's Next	21
Quadrophenia	5
My Generation	4
A Quick One	3
Tommy	1
The Who By Numbers	1
It's Hard	0
Face Dances	0
Who Are You	0
Odds and Sods	0
Endless Wire	0

― Lawrence the Looter, Friday, 11 May 2007 16:11 (eighteen years ago)

The Who Sell Out

― sw00ds, Friday, 11 May 2007 16:22 (eighteen years ago)

Sell Out.

― dan selzer, Friday, 11 May 2007 16:25 (eighteen years ago)

Who's Next, barely over Sell Out.

― Jiminy Krokus, Friday, 11 May 2007 16:26 (eighteen years ago)

Who's Next.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Friday, 11 May 2007 16:30 (eighteen years ago)

Who's Next.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Friday, 11 May 2007 16:30 (eighteen years ago)

Sell Out.

― abanana, Friday, 11 May 2007 16:34 (eighteen years ago)

Sell Out on CD with all the bonus tracks ++++

― dan selzer, Friday, 11 May 2007 16:35 (eighteen years ago)

Sell Out.

Definitely not Tommy or Quadrophenia.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Friday, 11 May 2007 16:37 (eighteen years ago)

Who's Next (followed by My Generation and Sell Out), but if Live At Leeds was an option I'd probably have voted for that.

― Alex in Baltimore, Friday, 11 May 2007 16:40 (eighteen years ago)

Who's Next is a canonical bore, duller than dirt.
Sell Out in a cakewalk.

― Jazzbo, Friday, 11 May 2007 16:50 (eighteen years ago)

that's an appallingly small number of albums for a band that was together for so long. but they were very much a singles band, and any good singles collection, like meaty beaty big and bouncy, blows the studio albums to smithereens. therefore, i refuse to vote in this election.

― fact checking cuz, Friday, 11 May 2007 16:50 (eighteen years ago)

I agree in some respect that they were primarily a singles band, but Sell Out is genius.

― Jazzbo, Friday, 11 May 2007 16:58 (eighteen years ago)

if Live At Leeds was an option I'd probably have voted for that.

i thought that if i included live at leeds i'd have to include all other "official" live albums...including not just who's last and blues to the bush, but all 100+ Encore Series discs. and that woulda just muddied the waters. but yeah, i woulda voted for leeds too.

― Lawrence the Looter, Friday, 11 May 2007 17:02 (eighteen years ago)

Isn't Odds and Sods a rarities comp?

― dan selzer, Friday, 11 May 2007 17:03 (eighteen years ago)

yes, making the number of studio albums that much more appalling!

― fact checking cuz, Friday, 11 May 2007 17:04 (eighteen years ago)

tougher call between sell out and the who sings my generation than some of you all are makin' it out to be!

― Tim Ellison, Friday, 11 May 2007 17:07 (eighteen years ago)

my generation would've been my second choice, easily. who's next third. nothing else after those, though.

― sw00ds, Friday, 11 May 2007 17:08 (eighteen years ago)

Sell Out (with bonus tracks, dan selzer otm)

― Rock Hardy, Friday, 11 May 2007 17:09 (eighteen years ago)

i really enjoy the energy and sheer rock n roll factor of the earlier releases (particularly sell out), but i'm gonna go with who's next just cuz it's the band operating in full gear on all levels

― Charlie Howard, Friday, 11 May 2007 17:10 (eighteen years ago)

tougher call between sell out and the who sings my generation than some of you all are makin' it out to be!

-- Tim Ellison, Friday, May 11, 2007 1:07 PM

yeah, My Generation (the LP) is kinda underrated. really, A Quick One/Happy Jack is the weak link of the early years.

― Alex in Baltimore, Friday, 11 May 2007 17:12 (eighteen years ago)

My Generation got my vote.

― dad a, Friday, 11 May 2007 17:16 (eighteen years ago)

mine too - 'cept for the james brown covers (ugh daltrey), it's the most consistently asskickin, solid record they ever put out

― pretzel walrus, Friday, 11 May 2007 17:38 (eighteen years ago)

are you kidding? I love the "I Don't Mind" cover. especially the longer version on the most recent reissue.

― Alex in Baltimore, Friday, 11 May 2007 17:45 (eighteen years ago)

hm that one is ok, but "please please please" hurts me in a totally not cool way

― pretzel walrus, Friday, 11 May 2007 17:47 (eighteen years ago)

The Who Sell Out again, and again with the bonus tracks. Why they abandoned the radio concept midway thru Side Two is baffling.

In fact, many of their albums could be improved with a few substitutions, like My Generation with "I Can't Explain" and "Anyway Anyhow Anywhere" in place of the crap James Brown cover.

― Myonga Vön Bontee, Friday, 11 May 2007 17:50 (eighteen years ago)

...as pretzel says.

― Myonga Vön Bontee, Friday, 11 May 2007 17:50 (eighteen years ago)

Quadrophenia. Not even a close second for me.

― Bill Magill, Friday, 11 May 2007 17:53 (eighteen years ago)

Quadrophenia, just because I've heard Who's Next too many times.

― kornrulez6969, Friday, 11 May 2007 18:21 (eighteen years ago)

Yay for all the Sell Out love! I opened the thread and voted for it immediately, only to see the first several posts shared my thinking!

For a long time I was really into Tommy but the live performances always kicked so much more ass so I gravitated to the earlier stuff. I think A Quick One is sometimes my favorite on the strength of the fucking incredible So Sad About Us. Plus those drums on I Need You that are WAY too loud and I love them for it. But some of the songs (My Way) are pretty irritating.

Sell Out is gorgeous and so un-Who like but no other band could have made that record. I love the shimmering and jangly cheap 60s guitar sounds and all the silly little Goon Show bits and Radio London samples. Plus there is and endless supply of killer riffs (guitar on Odorono, Tattoo, the bass at the end of I Can See For Miles, etc.) and the bonus edition is really really good as well and proves that if you have a problem with any of the original tracks there were two or three that they could have used that blow your mind! And Sunrise is really really beautiful.

Who's Next is righteous but I always thought it sounded too polished. Odds and Sods I tend to listen to alot because it so fun but only the remastered version as I havent heard the original.

― oliver8bit, Friday, 11 May 2007 18:24 (eighteen years ago)

that's an appallingly small number of albums for a band that was together for so long. but they were very much a singles band, and any good singles collection, like meaty beaty big and bouncy, blows the studio albums to smithereens. therefore, i refuse to vote in this election.

coming soon: the who singles poll!

― Lawrence the Looter, Friday, 11 May 2007 18:25 (eighteen years ago)

Is amazing that this is it for studio albums. Fewer than the Beatles. Never would have guessed that! Who's Next is my choice.

― Mark Rich@rdson, Friday, 11 May 2007 18:51 (eighteen years ago)

I've a friend who swears by Face Dances.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Friday, 11 May 2007 18:55 (eighteen years ago)

I used to like Face Dances quite a bit. The Who reminds me of being 15, and I had 40 or so records, and seven of them were by Bruce Springsteen and seven or eight were by the Who and I loved them all. That Face Dances was an album by the Who was enough for me.

― Mark Rich@rdson, Friday, 11 May 2007 19:00 (eighteen years ago)

Who's Next just for the opener and closer.

― Steve Shasta, Friday, 11 May 2007 19:03 (eighteen years ago)

wow some consensus here, but i'm not a fan. i might check 'Sell Out'.
whats the big deal with it?

― pisces, Friday, 11 May 2007 19:05 (eighteen years ago)

It's one of the best rock and/or pop albums of all time. It has a loose theme of pirate radio so half the songs are about products while little adverts and radio PSAs pop in and out between songs. Pete does some singing and while it's now quite baroque, it's got some great arrangements and production, not to mention a hell of a rock song in I Can See For Miles. The CD adds even more great songs and fake ads. Most importantly, it has a sense of humor and is really fun.

― dan selzer, Friday, 11 May 2007 19:22 (eighteen years ago)

Easy - My Generation

― Dr.C, Friday, 11 May 2007 19:26 (eighteen years ago)

hey, give 'em a break, they released those first 10 studio albums in the span of about 17 years. not as prolific as a lot of 60s/70s bands, but not a bad rate at all unless you count the past 25 years in which there's only been one album.

― Alex in Baltimore, Friday, 11 May 2007 19:28 (eighteen years ago)

True, guess people always compare to:

Beatles -- 11 albums in 7 years
Stones -- 20 albums in same period as the Who noted above
Zep - 8 albums in 11 years

― Mark Rich@rdson, Friday, 11 May 2007 19:48 (eighteen years ago)

not so sure I share the Face Dances love but the one I never understand gets maligned so much is Who Are You. ... "Sister Disco", "Had Enough", "Trick of the Light". I like that album quite a bit.

― Stormy Davis, Friday, 11 May 2007 20:00 (eighteen years ago)

Who's Next if only because it's the first album I ever purchased. (From JC Penny at Brookfield Square, if you must know.)

― tabletopjoe, Friday, 11 May 2007 20:04 (eighteen years ago)

not as prolific as a lot of 60s/70s bands

not as prolific as ANY 60s/70s band of consequence. and i really do believe quantity matters. writers must write. actors must act. musicians must make music. i've argued this on other threads, but pretty much every band i've ever loved has done their best work when they were putting out records the fastest. and i would argue that there's a direct correlation. the more you work, the better your work tends to be. (yes, i'm sure there are exceptions. but probably not as many as you think.)

― fact checking cuz, Friday, 11 May 2007 20:23 (eighteen years ago)

i totally feel the same way, fcc, that's always been a pet theory of mine too. still, i don't think any band of any era working at a clip of an album every 1.7 years can be accused of sitting on their asses, especially one that toured as much as The Who did.

― Alex in Baltimore, Friday, 11 May 2007 20:25 (eighteen years ago)

Seven albums in 10 years (65-75, not including Odds and Sods) and two of those are doubles. That seems pretty good to me, considering they only made one more with Moon.

― Bill Magill, Friday, 11 May 2007 20:27 (eighteen years ago)

I don't think anyone can match CCR's string of 7 albums in 3 years and 8 months, neither in terms of volume nor quality.

/proud american

― Steve Shasta, Friday, 11 May 2007 20:32 (eighteen years ago)

still, i don't think any band of any era working at a clip of an album every 1.7 years can be accused of sitting on their asses

but compared to the beatles (as a band and as solo artists) and the stones and the kinks and stevie wonder and james brown and bob dylan and neil young and aretha franklin and george clinton and elton john and blah and blah and blah, they WERE sitting on their arses.

― fact checking cuz, Friday, 11 May 2007 20:33 (eighteen years ago)

Listen to Scoop and realize it's probably b/c Pete was spending too much time on those demos!

― Mark Rich@rdson, Friday, 11 May 2007 20:37 (eighteen years ago)

I don't think anyone can match CCR's string of 7 albums in 3 years and 8 months, neither in terms of volume nor quality

great indeed, though i'd put the beatles' 13 albums in seven years and two months up against that.

― fact checking cuz, Friday, 11 May 2007 20:54 (eighteen years ago)

they WERE sitting on their arses.

actually they were sitting on Ivor's lap.

― dan selzer, Friday, 11 May 2007 21:17 (eighteen years ago)

Skipping 18 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

I also have to say that I can't listen to the song A Quick One from the LP because I'm so much more partial to the version from the Rolling Stones Rock-n-Roll Circus. But that version, and it's video as it's been restated in full on the special edition DVD of the Kids Are All Right, get's maximum play on my TV.

i agree with this *entirely (you can find it on the soundtrack to The Kids Are Alright, by the way). but i love 'heatwave' and 'so sad about us' enough to make up for the wimpier quick one.

― stevie, Saturday, 12 May 2007 17:17 (eighteen years ago)

Endless Wire, despite the controversy, easily slid past Who's Next (it's far too inconsistent, despite its golden moments of brilliance)

also agreed

― stevie, Saturday, 12 May 2007 17:20 (eighteen years ago)

Going with "Sell Out" here. The "classic" later stuff seems to be a bit too overblown, with Roger Daltrey screaming too much. I mean, I like "Who's Next" and "Quadrophenia" too, but there's no beating the genuine Englishness of "The Who Sell Out"

― Geir Hongro, Saturday, 12 May 2007 17:32 (eighteen years ago)

I don't think I've ever even wanted to listen to Sell Out, which is partially because i've never heard anything else (yes, I know that sounds stupid, but in this case seems to apply). "I Can See For Miles" may be the best Who song, but what the hell is all that other stuff?

Who's Next is rock-solid all the way through. End of story.

― mitya, Sunday, 13 May 2007 04:41 (eighteen years ago)

(Of course, I also like Face Dances, in case you need more reason to ignore my opinion.)

― mitya, Sunday, 13 May 2007 04:42 (eighteen years ago)

WHAT'S FOR TEA DAUGHTER

― creme1, Sunday, 13 May 2007 08:33 (eighteen years ago)

LINDA CAN COOK

SHE READS BOOKS

― creme1, Sunday, 13 May 2007 08:34 (eighteen years ago)

WELCOME TO MY LIFE TATTOO

― creme1, Sunday, 13 May 2007 08:39 (eighteen years ago)

SELL OUT IS SO SICK GUYZ

― creme1, Sunday, 13 May 2007 08:43 (eighteen years ago)

MILES AND MILES AND MILES AND MILES AND MIIIIIIIIIIILES

― creme1, Sunday, 13 May 2007 08:45 (eighteen years ago)

YOU THOUGHT THAT I WOULD NEED A CRYSTAL BALL JUST TO SEE THROUGH ALL THE HAZE <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< SO FUCKING SICK

― creme1, Sunday, 13 May 2007 08:47 (eighteen years ago)

is rael extended on the cd reissue? there is a really obvious edit on the lp version

― creme1, Sunday, 13 May 2007 08:48 (eighteen years ago)

ARGGGGGGGGGGGH motherfuckers just made me download "petra haden sings the who sell out"; can anyone please up the bonus tracks from sell out?

― creme1, Sunday, 13 May 2007 09:19 (eighteen years ago)

DOCTORS SAY HE'S JUST A FIGMENT OF MY TWISTED MIND

― creme1, Sunday, 13 May 2007 09:25 (eighteen years ago)

"I Can See For Miles" may be the best Who song, but what the hell is all that other stuff?

Great arche-English twee psychedelia. In other words one of the most genius genres ever!

― Geir Hongro, Sunday, 13 May 2007 23:27 (eighteen years ago)

Well, it's certainly not The WHO Sell Out for me; it's The WHO by Numbers. I think. It tends to switch between one '70s WHO album to the next for me, but '60s WHO is pretty lacking, I think. I might have gone for Odds and Sods, which is also great, but the WHO by Numbers, with its beautiful tunes and punk lyrics is the clear winner.

― Keith, Sunday, 13 May 2007 23:54 (eighteen years ago)

Wikipedia does a reasonable job of describing this great record.

― Keith, Monday, 14 May 2007 00:09 (eighteen years ago)

On iTunes, the top 5 Who songs are the 3 CSI TV themes (Baba, Won't Get Fooled, Who Are You), which is no surprise, and then:

Behind Blue Eyes
Eminence Front

Respectable singles of their time, but not exactly classics. I guess I shouldn't be shocked anymore by mass taste, but is anyone else surprised by this?

― MC, Monday, 14 May 2007 00:30 (eighteen years ago)

I guess I'm not surprised by this, since amongst WHO fans, these are regarded amongst the best tunes, but I suppose one might still not expect these as within the top five.

― Keith, Monday, 14 May 2007 00:48 (eighteen years ago)

They have earlier classics too, but I guess "My Generation" is first and foremost popular among garage rock fans while "I Can't Explain" and "I Can See For Miles" are favoured by powerpop fans. Anyway, the 60s Who were very different from The Who the way we got to know them from "Tommy" onwards.

― Geir Hongro, Monday, 14 May 2007 01:01 (eighteen years ago)

What's so hard about these polls is trying to decide whether current feelings or original reaction should win out. No question that Tommy followed by Quadrophenia were my faves while growing up, by a long shot. At the same time, also no question that Who Sell Out wins today (though a selective combo of the first two albums might beat that). Who has better perspective...a teenage boy in love w/rock and roll or a grown up with most of his albums/CDs packed into boxes in the basement? No idea. Hell, these days I probably play Endless Wire the most, still always skipping over that Tom Waits track.

― dlp9001, Monday, 14 May 2007 02:32 (eighteen years ago)

whoopeeee
i vote for "sell out"

― funny farm, Monday, 14 May 2007 02:37 (eighteen years ago)

i downloaded the bonus tracks from the sell out reissue and i cannot believe some of the songs they left off the album. "glittering girl", "jaguar", "glow girl" (a song about a child birth during the aftermath of a plane crash), "girls eyes".. some of the best who songs i've heard easily. pete townshend is a fucking genius. i wonder why they didn't think of releasing it as a double album?

― creme1, Monday, 14 May 2007 05:52 (eighteen years ago)

Glittering girl is a powerhouse, no doubt. And Jaguar's one of my faves too.

dlp9001 is my hero again, this time for backing up Endless Wire. The now vs. then thing about these polls is a valid point as well.

― Bimble, Monday, 14 May 2007 16:45 (eighteen years ago)

that Tom Waits esque tune is the best thing on endless wire! i choked first time too, but its the one i come back to the most...

― stevie, Monday, 14 May 2007 18:13 (eighteen years ago)

I think things like Glow Girl were recorded a bit after The WHO Sell Out, but I could be wrong there... Great tune, nonetheless

― Keith, Monday, 14 May 2007 18:16 (eighteen years ago)

look at who wrote the bonus songs as well....pretty interesting.

btw, what's the deal with Armenia City in the Sky? Who wrote it? Isn't it strange for a band of that magnitude to open with a cover like that?

― dan selzer, Monday, 14 May 2007 18:26 (eighteen years ago)

Speedy Keene wasn't it?

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Monday, 14 May 2007 18:30 (eighteen years ago)

According to www.thewho.net:
"Written by Pete's former roommate and chauffeur John 'Speedy' Keene. This was the only time that The Who used a song written specifically for them by a person outside the group. A year later Keene would be part of the Townshend-created group Thunderclap Newman. This track was released as a single in Japan backed with 'Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand.'"

― Jazzbo, Monday, 14 May 2007 18:31 (eighteen years ago)

i wonder if John Speedy Keene and Nanker Phlege know each other

― Mr. Que, Monday, 14 May 2007 18:32 (eighteen years ago)

btw, what's the deal with Armenia City in the Sky? Who wrote it? Isn't it strange for a band of that magnitude to open with a cover like that?

what's stranger is that it's keith singing lead! he also sang lead on "jaguar", which is presumably why he fought so hard for its inclusion on sell out (he lost out to the beautiful and underrated "sunrise").

― Lawrence the Looter, Monday, 14 May 2007 18:34 (eighteen years ago)

Wow. Had no idea about the Thunderclap Newman connection!

― dan selzer, Monday, 14 May 2007 18:47 (eighteen years ago)

A Quick One - Loves it! FOR WHAT IT IS WORTH, my girl is really into the song "whisky man"

― freewheel, Monday, 14 May 2007 18:55 (eighteen years ago)

Triumphant was the way she felt
As she acknowledged the applause

― gershy, Wednesday, 16 May 2007 07:39 (eighteen years ago)

I didn't know it was Keith singing lead on "Armenia"

I missed this but would have voted for the numberone.

― Mark G, Wednesday, 16 May 2007 08:44 (eighteen years ago)

Oh, and check out Petra Haden's acapella version of "The Who Sell out"!

― Mark G, Wednesday, 16 May 2007 09:38 (eighteen years ago)

Unusual result. Not that I am complaining... :)

― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 16 May 2007 09:58 (eighteen years ago)

Unusual? I think not.

― Mark G, Wednesday, 16 May 2007 09:59 (eighteen years ago)

Unusual when compared to the canon. There "Who's Next" is the album most often listed, with "Tommy" as the runnerup in America and "Quadrophenia" as the runnerup in the UK.

― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 16 May 2007 10:11 (eighteen years ago)

Oh.

I guess it's the 'deluxe' edition with the extra side (basically) that's boosted its profile.

I think you'll find the canon nowadays would list them exactly like it is here.

Where is this canon anyway? Do they have a website?

― Mark G, Wednesday, 16 May 2007 10:31 (eighteen years ago)

Where is this canon anyway? Do they have a website?

www.rocklist.net
www.acclaimedmusic.net

;)

― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 16 May 2007 10:34 (eighteen years ago)

Not going there.

― Mark G, Wednesday, 16 May 2007 10:35 (eighteen years ago)

Looking at Acclaimed Music I see that "Quadrophenia" isn't quite as highly regarded as I though. It guess its canonical status was mainly something of the Britpop era.

― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 16 May 2007 10:37 (eighteen years ago)

Nah, that was the film! As Paul Weller said, the album was worth getting for the big booklet in it. The music was inpenetrable to me at the time.

― Mark G, Wednesday, 16 May 2007 10:59 (eighteen years ago)

ILM doesn't always represent the Canon...the Who Sell Out has always been the hipsters fave. Even Tortoise lists it as an instrument on their first album.

― dan selzer, Wednesday, 16 May 2007 12:26 (eighteen years ago)

People who love Sell Out should check out the 33 1/3 book on it, I really liked it and it's got loads of interesting stories, including the story of Speedy Keane and why they didn't pursue the pirate radio theme the whole way through.

― Trip Maker, Wednesday, 16 May 2007 14:22 (eighteen years ago)

ILM doesn't always represent the Canon...

I know, I know...

But "The Who Sellout" is my fave, for all the "wrong" reasons seen from an ILM point of view. But then, I and ILM agree regarding "Their Satanic Majesties" and "The Elder" too. So....

― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 16 May 2007 22:02 (eighteen years ago)

Yay Sell Out. I really don't care if I never hear Who's Next again.

― If Timi Yuro would be still alive, most other singers could shut up, Wednesday, 16 May 2007 22:38 (eighteen years ago)

And I'll cosign Trip Maker on that book. Really enjoyed it.

― If Timi Yuro would be still alive, most other singers could shut up, Wednesday, 16 May 2007 22:39 (eighteen years ago)

quadrophenia is fucking awesome. way underrated imo.

― negotiable, Wednesday, 16 May 2007 22:52 (eighteen years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.