Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Who, The
Label: Polydor Records
Release: 1971
Length: 43:38
Rating: 5/5
The legendary classic-rock pioneers The Who didn’t agonize for long over the tough question of how to make a worthy follow-up to the conceptual masterpiece »Tommy« (1969), the record that introduced the music world to the concept of the rock opera and set new standards for smartly conceived, artfully produced concept albums. Guitar hero and songwriting/concept genius Pete Townshend originally dreamed up an extremely ambitious project as »Tommy«’s successor, a futuristic rock opera called »Lifehouse«, which was supposed to be followed right away by a stage musical of the same name. The whole thing eventually fell through because his collaborators couldn’t keep up with him anymore, and Townshend came close to a nervous breakdown. In the end he ‘pulled himself together’, joined forces with the rest of the band and decided to make a conceptually unconnected collection of songs, cutting down, tossing out and reworking the arrangements of certain tracks originally conceived for the »Lifehouse« project. »Lifehouse« itself only saw the light of day in 2000, as a six-CD compilation set released by Townshend as a solo artist.
With »Who’s Next« The Who decided to take a short break from ambitious rock operas, which doesn’t mean this was in any way a lesser achievement than its famous predecessor. Quite the opposite: they took everything up another notch and hit a peak of sheer artistry, songwriting and instrumental innovation, and nonstop sonic evolution. Townshend’s songwriting and lyrical genius simply knew no limits, and he kept wowing us as a guitar hero too, above all as the bold creator of utterly distinctive, innovative guitar phrases. The charismatic Roger Daltrey sharpened his incredible sense of vocal sensitivity on »Who’s Next« and covered the widest possible range of singing registers, from the thunderous screaming on the complex »Won’t Get Fooled Again« to the remarkable fragility and subtlety of the unforgettable ballad »Behind Blue Eyes«, while John Entwistle likewise showed serious progress in his expansive bass technique. The crazy but brilliant Keith Moon was no exception either, perfecting his stunning knack for blending massive, aggressive drum fills with subtle ones.
»Who’s Next« was also a full-blown revolution in the use of synthesizer technology, very advanced for its time, with Townshend as the main driving force, of course. Apart from a handful of prog rock pioneers led by King Crimson, Genesis, Yes and ELP, synthesizers had until then mostly been seen in rock as an exotic curiosity and used for side-dish backing. Pete Townshend made sure the textures of the VCS3 and ARP synthesizers became an integral, important part of The Who’s sound. That goes not only for the classics »Baba O’Riley« and »Won’t Get Fooled Again«, but also for lesser-known yet just as excellent cuts like »Bargain«, »Going Mobile« and »The Song Is Over«, where Townshend’s synth adventures can also be heard loud and clear. »Who’s Next« was also the first album to use preprogrammed synthesizers.
Every single track on »Who’s Next« could count as a classic, which puts it in the elite of the greatest rock albums in human history. The ever-astonishing epic opening masterpiece »Baba O’Reiley«, also released as a single, one of the most vivid pieces of music of all time, is the very picture of compositional and instrumental perfectionism and pure brilliance to the power of ten, with which The Who legend shone brighter than ever before or since. Their status as immortal members of the rock Elysian Fields was thereby sealed for good. Everything on this classic of classics is pure perfection from A to Z. That goes for the anthemic intro alone, marked by Townshend’s use of frenetic, cyclical, programmed rhythms from a Lowrey Berkshire Deluxe TBO-1 organ run through an ARP synthesizer, which eventually blend seamlessly into a mighty guitar riff. The moment Daltrey’s irritated vocal kicks in, the atmosphere launches into an even higher stratosphere and peaks with a massive chorus. Moon’s aggressive drum fills herald a vivid, wildly dynamic instrumental section, marked by lively violin from special guest Dave Arbus. The main trump card of this masterpiece is of course its epic chorus and the all-encompassing ambient eruption of positive emotion. The title is a blend of the surnames of two of Townshend’s philosophical and musical role models, the mystic Meher Baba and the musician Terry Riley, while the lyrics deal with the decline and all the excesses of the hippie generation, which came to pass as the sixties ended, as the original working title »Teenage Wasteland«, the key line of this immortal evergreen, also shows.
On the combative, untamed hard rocker »Bargain«, where the great innovator Townshend lets loose with a fat guitar riff while Daltrey once again shows off his enviable vocal versatility, you can also revel in the sounds of the ARP synthesizer. Here The Who also nicely show off their other, roughneck-dirty side, the one they became famous for in their early years, except that this time they successfully pair it with plenty of sophisticated sonic embellishments, merging raw, untamed youthful energy with refined artistry.
The easygoing »Love Ain’t For Keeping«, which started out as a hard rocker, is a bluesy ballad spiced with acoustic guitar, where Townshend’s smoky-sounding vocal gets a really special ambient quality. Townshend stepped into the lead vocalist’s shoes twice on this album, adding even more to its remarkable ambient contrast. Despite the acoustic melody this classic still sounds punchy enough that it was used as the opening number on the tour at the time. »My Wife«, the only Entwistle composition on the album, is a hard rocker colored with piano melodies, where Townshend’s innovative guitar phrasing is the real standout, while Moon’s drum fills, unbelievably aggressive for the time, take your breath away every time. The horn section in between fits Entwistle’s dramatic vocal performance perfectly.
The gorgeous ballad »The Song Is Over« is also a prototype of temperamental art rock, with Roger’s subtle vocal once again reigning supreme. He’s kept company by assorted symphonic embellishments, like the piano from special guest Nicky Hopkins, and there’s no shortage of a vivid, blues-rock-paced guitar solo either. The dramatic sounds of the VCS3 synthesizer further crank up the outstanding instrumental dynamism of this splendid composition. »Getting In Tune« is a power ballad spiced up with fresh, unwithered vocal melodies, with a massive chorus as its biggest highlight, while the piano melody stirs up incredible nostalgia in the listener the whole way through.
The acoustic-flavored, anthemic treat »Going Mobile« is yet another unforgettable classic and big hit, which helped cement the legend of The Who even further. Its main virtues are a gentle, pastoral acoustic guitar melody, a galloping rhythm, yet another unusually original guitar riff, the lively sound of the ARP synthesizer and Townshend’s vocal chameleonism. »Behind Blue Eyes« is easily the most beautiful ballad in The Who’s story and at the same time one of the best rock ballads of all time, one that later inspired a whole heap of covers of one kind or another. A fragile acoustic guitar melody is accompanied by one of the best vocal performances of Roger’s career, as the curly-haired frontman metaphorically tears his heart open in front of the listener with astonishing vocal pathos, while the anthemic chorus has an incredible hypnotic power. The switch to the more aggressive, distorted part is completely unexpected, but makes for a great contrast.
At the end of this studio work of art sits yet another art-rock-spiced masterpiece, »Won’t Get Fooled Again«, where Townshend once again indulges in an ARP synthesizer adventure that’s still admirable to this day.. After a magnificent intro conjured up with a pulsating synth effect, a complex hard rock section takes over, commanded by a grimy guitar riff and a cocky, swaggering vocal, while drum fanatic Moon throws in a veritable cannonade of massive, dynamic drum fills for rhythmic seasoning. Once again The Who successfully fuse rebellious, hard rock energy with art rock adventurousness and sensitivity
Few rock classics can boast such a far-reaching influence on future generations as this magnificent landmark of musical art, made when The Who were standing at the very peak of their career. The guys in the band, back then, in a period when they were churning out one masterpiece after another, didn’t even fully realize how far they’d come from their gangster-ish ‘mob’ r’n’b beginnings. »Who’s Next« was the creative peak of their career, matched only by its rock-operatic successor »Quadrophenia« (1973), on which they once again pushed the boundaries of art rock conceptualization and confirmed their reputation as one of the greatest rock bands of all time.
Lineup
Roger Daltrey – vocals, harmonica on “I Don’t Even Know Myself”
Pete Townshend – guitar, organ, VCS3 and ARP synthesizer, backing vocals, piano on “Baba O’Riley”, lead vocals on “Going Mobile” and “Love Ain’t for Keeping”, co-lead vocals on”Baba O’Riley”, “Bargain” and “Song Is Over”
John Entwistle – bass guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals and piano on “My Wife”
Keith Moon – drums and percussion
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Nicky Hopkins – piano on “The Song Is Over” and “Getting in Tune”
Dave Arbus – violin on “Baba O’Riley”
Production
The Who and Glyn Johns
Tracklist
- Baba O’Riley (5:00)
- Bargain (5:33)
- Love Ain’t For Keepin’ (2:12)
- My Wife (Entwistle) (3:41)
- The Song Is Over (6:16)
- Getting In Tune (4:50)
- Going Mobile (3:42)
- Behind Blue Eyes (3:42)
- Won’t Get Fooled Again (8:32)
