My Top 100 Albums: #82 - The Who, ‘Who’s Next’
82.
The Who, ‘Who’s Next’
Track Record/Decca, 1971
With the Swinging Sixties drawing to a close, The Who found themselves in the midst of a meteoric rise to stardom that saw them gain significant traction on both sides of the Atlantic. Their release of critically acclaimed rock opera Tommy in May 1969 was followed immediately by legendary live sets at Woodstock, the Isle of Wight festival and at their famous “Live at Leeds” concert. Having quickly established themselves as one of the most popular live rock bands in the world, The Who set to conserving momentum with a quality follow-up record. They achieved this and more on Who’s Next. Originally conceived as a concept album sequel to Tommy by the name of Lifehouse, Who’s Next morphed into a freer project with a deeper focus on quality songwriting over high concept storytelling. The new name very much evoked the spirit of the record: a cocky provocation from a band at the height of their celebrity - as if to say “we’ve conquered the US and UK charts, who’s next…?” Unlike Tommy, this record doesn’t distinguish itself by its overall cohesion or by the strength of its narrative, it simply presents some of the most compelling songs that the band had ever generated. It opens with the labyrinthine and alluring intro to Baba O’Riley, one of the greatest prog anthems ever released, and a sardonic ode to the acid-fuelled hedonism of teenagers at Woodstock. Behind Blue Eyes is perhaps The Who’s most tender and nuanced track, with its hypnotic arpeggiated acoustic guitar instrumental leading into a grandiose rock refrain. Daltrey’s almost strident vocals are soothing but bitter: “No one knows what it’s like/To be the bad man/To be the sad man/Behind blue eyes”. The eight-and-a-half-minute Won’t Get Fooled Again closes the album with a rock flourish, featuring what author Dave Marsh describes as “[Daltrey’s] greatest scream of a career filled with screams”. In an era when The Who were exemplifying the pure enjoyment of live rock performance, they elected to embrace this decadence in the studio with Who’s Next. To this day, this album represents perhaps one of the purest expressions of hard rock self-indulgence: a paean to the era of loud guitars and expressive vocals the likes of which we will probably never see again.
Hidden Highlight: Love Ain’t For Keeping
Baba O’Riley
Bargain
Love Ain’t For Keeping
My Wife
Song is Over
Getting in Tune
Going Mobile
Behind Blue Eyes
Won’t Get Fooled Again