The story of "Who's Next" - a timeless classic by The Who
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How many weeks The Who spent at number one in the UK album chart since they first appeared there in December 1965? The answer may surprise you greatly, given the band's influence as well as their catalogue of top-notch records: just one. Produced by the band in collaboration with Glyn Jones, "Who's Next" was the first and the last work that made the band so honoured. No wonder that many critics, fans, and the members themselves recognise the greatness of this work! Although it's not about the length of stay in the hit parade, of course.
It's undeniable: it's one of the best albums in The Who's career in particular, and in the history of rock in general. And today we decided to look back at the history of this first-class, striking classic record, and also to deal with the question: why is it so often labelled as a "classic"? compared to the Beatles?
A parallel to the Beatles
In fact, there are good reasons for the comparison with the Beatles. For example, a review by a well-known American rock critic in musical circles Dave Marshwho concluded that "The Who were as successful as The Beatles" - only on their own turf and in their own era. And, of course, Marsh's article included the release in question.
"Who's Next" is a beautiful, very high quality record. It made The Who legends, and it's a bit like The Beatles' 'White Album' in that respect".
Of course, to you and me, there may be nothing similar between the two records. But the comparison with the Beatles was reinforced by the producer himself Glyn Joneswho, for a minute, worked with these Liverpool legends in his time within the same studio walls - he was an engineer at the Abbey Road in 1969! Here's what Jones had to say about it:
"This album by The Who has become even more significant in their canon than I thought it would be. When I recorded it, I was thrilled with it! But I never thought it would become so important, because when you make a record you feel a bit insecure. You really never know how the audience will take it..."
Track list
The album contains a total of 9 tracksabout half of which have become classics of the genre for centuries. Opening the record "Baba O'Riley."about which Chris Charlesworth (a journalist who worked as an executive producer for The Who) said the following:
"Pete used his synthesiser not just as a solo keyboard that could make weird underwater sounds, but as a rotating musical loop that reinforced the melody and added a sharp note to the overall rhythm!"
We suggest you enjoy these compositions, and feel how strongly the grown up the band since their debut!
"Baba O'Riley."
"Bargain."
"Love Ain't for Keeping."
"My Wife"
"The Song Is Over"
"Getting in Tune"
"Going Mobile."
"Behind Blue Eyes."
"Won't Get Fooled Again."
Pete Townsend was always particularly proud of the record, calling it "the band's first material in a long time to be properly recorded". Shortly after the release of Who's Next, in December 1971, he told journalists:
"I've always felt that rock is capable of more than a three-minute track. But the question is, what can we do with that stretched out stretch of time? The problem with The Who today is that time on the album and on stage has become so predictable... We feel we have to find a new thread that is perhaps not standard for rock, but still has the same fundamental simplicity. My goal is to free the band from its own shackles!"
Graduation and success
"Who's next." (as the album title translates) was their most successful album in the States in terms of RIAA certification - it became a triple platinumand also confidently reached the fourth position! Many people dubbed this record "the band's finest hour", and considering the quality sound and classic tracks, it's impossible to argue with it.
And yet - going back to the question of what the "Who's Next" reminded Dave Marsh of the Beatles' "The White Album."We suggest that we turn to the critic's next phrase:
"It's the same for The Who as 'The White Album' was for The Beatles. In both cases, they were studio follow-ups to brilliant concept records - 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' for one band and 'Tommy' for the other."
