The Who by Numbers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Who by Numbers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||||
| Studio album by The Who | |||||
| Released | 18 October 1975 (UK) 25 October 1975 (U.S.) |
||||
| Recorded | April–May 1975 on the Shepperton Studios' soundstage using Ronnie Lane's Mobile Studio. | ||||
| Genre | Rock | ||||
| Length | 37:19 | ||||
| Label | Polydor Records (UK) MCA Records (U.S.) |
||||
| Producer | Glyn Johns, Chris Charlesworth, Bill Curbishley, Robert Rosenberg | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
|
|||||
| The Who chronology | |||||
|
|||||
The Who By Numbers is the seventh album by the English rock band The Who, released in 1975. It was named the tenth best album of the year in The Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics poll.[1]
Contents |
[edit] History
Without the massive structure and ambition of the band's better known works Tommy and Quadrophenia, Pete Townshend's songwriting stands on its own in the sparse and dark The Who by Numbers. Gone are the synthesizers and the massive layers of overdubs. In their places are descriptions of Townshend's alcoholism, lust, and self-loathing, as well as the dark side of creeping middle-age and the fear of irrelevance. On "They Are All In Love," Townshend laments: "Hey goodbye all you punks, stay young and stay high / Hand me my chequebook while I crawl off to die." These themes extend from the hopeless refrain of "However Much I Booze" (sung by Townshend, as Daltrey thought it too personal to sing), "There ain't no way out", to the disillusioned question, "How many friends have I really got?"
A few tracks stand in contrast, including the playfulness of the top ten hit "Squeeze Box" and "Blue, Red and Grey's" claim that "I like every minute of the day." But John Entwistle's contribution, "Success Story", returns to display nearly as despairing and cynical a view of stardom as the rest of the record. "In a Hand or a Face" revisits both lyrical and musical themes of Who songs dating back to the previous decade and offers an unexpectedly fiery ending to the album.
The cover was drawn by John Entwistle as he was drawing a cartoon history of The Who.
The Who By Numbers peaked at the number 7 position on the UK album chart and number 8 on the Billboard 200 album chart in the United States.
[edit] Track listing
All songs written by Pete Townshend unless stated otherwise.
- "Slip Kid" – 4:32
- "However Much I Booze" – 5:03
- "Squeeze Box" – 2:42
- "Dreaming From the Waist" – 4:09
- "Imagine a Man" – 4:04
- "Success Story" (Entwistle) – 3:24
- "They Are All in Love" – 3:03
- "Blue, Red and Grey" – 2:50
- "How Many Friends" – 4:07
- "In a Hand or a Face" – 3:25
[edit] 1996 reissue bonus tracks
The bonus tracks on the 1996 reissue were recorded live at Swansea Football Ground on 12 June 1976. These particular recordings appear on many The Who bootlegs.
- "Squeeze Box" – 3:13
- "Behind Blue Eyes" – 4:39
- "Dreaming From the Waist" – 4:57
[edit] Charts
[edit] Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Billboard Pop Albums | 8 |
| 1975 | UK Chart Album | 7 |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | "Squeeze Box" | Billboard Pop Singles | 16 |
| 1975 | "Squeeze Box" | UK Singles Chart | 10 |
[edit] Personnel
- Roger Daltrey – lead vocals, harmonica
- Pete Townshend – guitar, keyboards, ukulele, accordion, banjo, vocals (lead vocals on "However Much I Booze" and "Blue, Red, and Grey")
- John Entwistle – bass guitar, 8-string bass, keyboards, vocals (lead vocals on bridge in "Success Story")
- Keith Moon – drums, percussion
[edit] Additional Personnel
- Nicky Hopkins – piano, keyboards
- Dave Arbus – violin
[edit] Production
- Chris Charlesworth – executive producer
- Bill Curbishley – executive producer
- John Entwisle – album art
- Richard Evans – remaster album art direction, design
- Glyn Johns – producer
- Jon Astley – remixing
- Bob Ludwig – remastering
- Robert Rosenberg – executive producer
- John Swenson – liner notes
- Chris Walter – photography
