It’s time to dig into the early stuff. “The Seeker” “Magic Bus” “Can’t Explain” “Pictures of Lilly” “The Kids are Alright” a great mid 70s cut is “Squeeze Box”
@@dimedraweriv258 Yes, "Pictures of LIly" was the song that Townshend described in an interview as being "power pop," thus giving a name to an entire subgenre of rock.
Reminds me of the early days after Alex joined Andy and they reacted to about 5 or 6 Who songs over a few months, and by and large loved them all. Their enthusiasm for these classic rock staples was so infectious. Glad to finally be getting back to The Who!
Context? My immediate mental gestalt of this song is walking across a park with a winter sky on way to a grade 8 school dance (one of my firsts and my crush was going to be there too in a crinkly minidress that felt so good to be embraced with and slow dance to - another story) - full of excitement and looking up at the constellations, thinking I can see miles and miles into the universe and humming this song - probably Oct/Nov 1967. One of my favourite delicious memories of my life. That's my context...
This song came out when I was 12 and it was the first time I realized that love can be dangerous. Quite the epiphany for a 12-year-old girl, lol. Lesson learned.
This song is all about the drums. Keith just takes you on HIS ride from start to finish. Question: is it really the Who with half the band missing? Life long fan here and it hurt seeing them without Kieth. When The Ox passed on, it became too sad to see them live any more. How can you still be The Who when every single original member was a genius and top 5 on any list of exceptional musicians in their own genres? I still remember John playing an extended solo at the Hollywood Bowl. Never heard anything like it before or since. Amazing.
Reminisce from an old guy: The whole album, starting with the title "The Who Sell Out" and the cover photos (Moon and Entwistle are shown on the back cover, using other products), is parody/irony on several levels. In the original-release vinyl, there was no silence between tracks, instead there were little radio ads for products and other goofy stuff. Apparently, some of those were actual jingles that were used without permission, so there were some lawsuits. And then at the end of Side 2, after the last music track, a voice in the trailing grooves kept saying "Shut it off... shut it off... shut it off..." and if you let it play all the way down into the locked groove it would endlessly repeat "shut the d* thing off." Since almost all record players would automatically lift and swing out the needle arm before the needle reached the locked groove, you only got to hear that if you were playing the disc on a cheap kiddie unit. After the success of See For Miles and of this album, The Who released another album along with their single Magic Bus. That must've been an impulsive/last-minute marketing decision, since two of the album cuts from Sell Out were also put on the Magic Bus album to bring it up to standard content size. (I bought and owned the original U.S. pressings of both albums.)
IT's a tribute to pirate radio stations. At the time, they were the only stations in the UK playing rock music. They were instrumental in the Who's success.
I'm a Brit who dates from the early Who era, and there's loads of amazing stuff you haven't touched on which fell between 'Substitute' and this fantastic track. Check out 'Pictures of Lily', 'I'm a Boy' and 'Magic Bus'. Love your work!
@@TTM9691 I love "Dogs" ... the original "Dogs": "Eh, where's me wage packet? Ah, I'll put twenty-five knicker, please On Yellow Printer Oh, I hope the wife don't find out Yes, it's sure to win, isn't it? Yes, I know, it's a good dog I saw it run at White City, just last week Broke the record, Yellow Printer Nice dog, yes, lovely form Lovely buttocks..."
Keith Moon was a major influence on me as a drummer, and this particular song is one of the main reasons. He is just so aggressive and it works so well. Take it away and put a straight beat to it and it's no longer the same song.
The Who was the group for Misfits! Everybody liked Beatles, Stones, etc. The Who had a sense of humor and they were the Zepplin before Zepplin. Everyone was discovering pot and freedom of whatever. You are correct, this was the ultimate cool song! Other great later songs: songs "You better, you Bet" . and "Mama's got a squeezebox"!! LOL,
HA! That's the funniest thing I ever heard, brilliant! I wish I could smash the like button ten more times for that one. The guitar solo too. Best one-note guitar solo other than maybe "Down By The River"!
This song was dubbed the heaviest rock song yet by a rock critic when it was released in 1967. Hearing that comment led Paul Mccartney to write the song "Helter Skelter" as an even heavier song. The rest is history.
It's a great song to listen to when you've discovered you're being cheated on, and the cheater doesn't yet know you know. Then you see how they look, trying to keep up the facade. And you can see it for miles.
Yep. Captured perfectly in the bridge couplet: The Eiffel Tower and the Taj Mahal, my eyes can see on clearer days, You thought that I would need a crystal ball to see right through the haze.
Just before “Sell Out” was released Townshend bragged to the press that they just recorded the loudest song in the history of music. Paul McCartney read it and went to EMI Studios and wrote Helter Skelter. True Story.
Great choice - I've been lobbying for this track for years, since my opinion is that it opened the door to "heavy" music. I still have the vinyl. This was my theme song in Vietnam in 1967 (flew a Huey gunship)....fit perfectly with what we did every day.
Amazing how a song exactly 55 years old still resonates! One of the best songs The Who ever did imho, which is saying a lot. Perfect combination of angry/powerful instrumentation and lyrics.
The Who Sell Out is an often overlooked masterpiece. It features more songs with Pete Townsend singing lead. The “commercial” breaks between song tracks are a unique feature. Maryanne With The Shaky Hands is one of May favorite songs. Sunrise is just all Pete singing and on acoustic and is a beautiful song. Give the whole album a listen.
I LOVE that album. LOVE it. Sunrise is GORGEOUS. And Rael is mindblowing. So is the first song. Oh my god, I can talk about this album all day long. This and "We're Only In It For The Money" - which came out practically the same time - they are like twin musical commentaries/satires of the 1967 music scene. Add "Their Satanic Majesty's Request" and you've got three wild, super psychedelic reactions to "Sgt. Pepper"!
Just like The Rolling Stones, people didn’t know that The Who who could also get psychedelic with the best of them. All of the elite groups of the ‘60s did psychedelic rock. And nearly all of them had at least one S-tier song. And it was specifically *because* they did a lot of psychedelics. Drug culture makes music better. It just does. It’s a shame that too many great stars just couldn’t handle it without becoming addicts.
This song is from the album 'The Who Sell Out,' a concept album which came out just before 'Tommy.' It's a fun album, perhaps a bit underrated compared to their later, more well-known albums (Tommy to Quadrophenia). Highly recommended for a 'first time reaction' as an album. Other suggestions are The Seeker, Join Together, Relay and Let's See Action (all of which were released as singles and are not on any major Who album).
For the 60s I’d recommend Pictures of Lily or Dogs. For the 70s, I recommend My Wife - it was actually written by the bassist, John Entwistle. He also did the vocals for that track. For the 80s, I’d recommend Athena 😄
When I was 6-7 we’d steal my brothers 45s & play this over & over & over. My sis was only 4. Tommy came out after this. Pete said he felt this was the best song he could write in the singles format. So he went looking for something else. Whallah. A masterpiece was born.
1967 was quite a year. Seemed like all the cultural and generational elements that had been cross-pollinating and simmering below the surface "suddenly" achieved critical mass and the whole world blew up. This tune was one of the anthems for the period. Easy to understand why our parents were so freaked out by everything that was happening, seemingly all at once. Kinda like now.
Back in the 90s used to drive through the hills of Wales on the A44 listening to a Rock mix-tape which was great. Then I'd crest a hill, this song would come on (full blast of course) , and I'd be in that magic zone staring at the view and being controlled by the music. Amazed I never crashed.
Yep, we used to sit around catching a buzz, listening to The Who, The Stones and many others, playing chess and talking dreams and mastering the universe. Miss those days.
Guys imagine being 17 again. Getting in a car and driving t Lake Geneva, wis. for 2 nights with 3 buddies and while there we go to concert at place called the Majestic and The Who are playing. A small stage only about 3 ft. high and we could actually stand there a couple ft. away and I did. Just had to avoid the sharpnel from Moon"s drums and Pete's guitar. Made me a rocker for life. Life altering experience. Saw them 4 times in early 70's. Great reaction. Now try My Generation off the Live at Leeds. A really great and long some of Pete's best guitar solos really raw. Please try it. You will thank me
What a reaction!!!!!! Yes!!! Daltrey got really ill after being in that bath tub full of (cold) beans! Great album cover, though. The flip side of the cover has the other two guys. Hilarious. "The Who Sell Out". What a title, what a concept. For a third album, no less, ha! I frickin' LOVE that album! That - and Frank Zappa's "We're Only In It For The Money" are great late '67 "commentaries" on the music scenes of 1967! Both in the wake of "Sgt Pepper".Both albums are mindblowing, and hilarious! And constantly surprising. Every song cuts in to the next one, both albums, a total experience. SUPER psychedelic production on both as well. Hooks aplenty. Key albums for both artists (third in each band's discography)
Fantastic post-song analysis. Alex's argument for upgrading the rating is completely correct: looking at it in the lineage. And as far as the context for this song? End of side one! That's all I'm going to say! The moment that song slams in after what comes before it is magic! Alex is also correct: it IS a mockery! That whole album is them affectionately goofing on the pop radio of 1967 (and paying tribute to the pirate stations of the day).
What more can you say about these fellas. All Stars in their own right. I had a huge crush on Roger Daltry and still love him today. I showed my kids the movie "Tommy" and they loved it. They literally invented the "Rock Opera". No one swings a mic better than Roger. 🎙️🎤
I saw Tommy in the theater in 7th grade because I heard Elton John was in it. Never even heard of The Who before the movie. It turned me into a Who fan but the baked beans scene burned Ann Margaret into my memory forever...
The Who performed at my High School in 1967, and it's chronicled in the book: "When Stars Were in Reach....The Who at Union Catholic High School." Back in the day: tickets were top price at 5 Bucks, right. Those days are gone...ergo: stars not "in reach" any more. BTW: about 20 years ago I saw Roger Daltry play the role of Albert Higgins in My Fair Lady at the Hollywood Bowl. He did it justice, too. One of the captions in our HS yearbook from the Who concert pics was Pete Townsend w/out his specs...."I can't see for 3 feet w/out my glasses."
I love Moon's powerhouse drumming on this. Your next Who song should be "Can't Explain." Killer guitar work and staccato drums. One of my favorite early Who songs.
For years they played it as the first or second song at every show. Pete used to say he could tell how the show was going to go by the first chord of that song.
The Who were trail blazers. I remember buying the 45 as young teen when it came out. Moon's drumming caught my attention at first. There was so much raw power in it, always on the edge, tightly controlled but wild and reckless at the same time. This was a great song for the time... and a classic now.
The whole album that it's from (Who Sell Out) is a brilliant pop at the music industry and a perfect representation of the way music was heard by the listener they made the album to sound like an actual radio station programme complete with made up ads 1967 came out. I like it.
Some of the ads -- the radio station jingles -- were actual ads that were swiped from Radio London, the offshort "pirate" radio station that had such a big influence on British popular music radio listeners back in the 1960s.
Hi Andy and Alex - I've been sent over by the Thamesmen, who said to remind you to check out Cold Chisel and other Aussie bands. Loving your content so far, you have some great song choices here.
The Who are the greatest lyricists of all time. The words written in their songs are timeless complex and imaginative... Not the greatest band but lyricists above all other
No ,Deborah , they never do and its epic in their body of work..They never played it on FM radio going back to the 70's and The Who never played it in concert ..Maybe they broke the string by playing it once or twice in recent years just for yuks and grins ,but I don't think so .
The Beatles Paul McCartney was so impressed with the hypnotic hardness of this track, that it inspired and compelled him to write ‘Helter Skelter’ in response.
Hmmm. I'd say it was more like 64-69 (Mods to Tommy)....or really 64-66- Shel Talmy and 66-69 - Kit Lambert's weird but cool production style / 70-73 - (the zenith of Leeds-Who's Next-Quadrophenia...their sound finally captured, both in the studio and on the live album)/and 74-78 (Keith in decline: the Tommy movie, the neurotic, aging rock star angst of Who By Numbers and Who Are You, Keith's death). And then post Keith. I mean that's a completely different sound with Kenny Jones. I don't lump in Who By Numbers with Face Dances and It's Hard in any way. That's an odd of way of dividing their career. 68-74? Sorry, but "Call Me Lightning" is a long way from "Quadrophenia" in sound.
I'm sure you won't find a bad recommendation anywhere in these comments. My suggestion for your next Who pick is 'Join Together.' It has a classic Who build-up intro, a great chorus, and it's a banger. This song was written and performed at their peak and released as a single-only between the Who's Next and Quadrophenia albums. There's also a video that was released with it (the same song version as was released on vinyl).
When "I Can See For Miles" came out in 1967 I was 9 years old & it was the first record ( 45 ) I ever bought. The "B" side was "Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand".
I grew up in the UK and was 15 in 1967. The 66 t0 69 period saw the greatest artistic freedom ever on popular music. It can never be repeated. Examples to play - Beach Boys Wind Chimes Beatles Tomorrow Never knows The Who Pictures of Lily Doors The End Hendrix All Along the Watchtower Cream White Room The list is endless....
If you ever want a deep cut from The Who, allow me to recommend “The Music Must Change” from the “Who Are You” album. If “Long Live Rock” is a satirical take on the industry of rock and roll, “The Music Must Change” is a realization that even The Who can’t be the new guys forever.
Great one. And although I'm not recommending it for a reaction - at least not for a long time - I love "Guitar And Pen" as an inspiration to all songwriters! The day Keith died I went upstairs to my room and drummed to "Baba O'Riley" and then "Guitar And Pen" ("Who Are You" had just come out and that was the one I had homed in on for some reason!) Just saw an interview with Roger talking about that song, how it's almost like a cursed song for them. Here it is, if you haven't seen it: th-cam.com/video/acxt67--Nj0/w-d-xo.html
Took me a long time but I finally realized that Entwistle and Moon were perhaps one of the best rhythm sections in rock. The drumming on this song is impeccable.
Now that you're back to the Who, I want to go back to recommending "Slip Kid" from their underrated "Why By Numbers" album from 1975. Rocks hard with different phases to it, something you liked in their other songs.
Interestingly in following The Who one can actually hear rock evolve. This was released in 1967 and it was clearly more advanced than I Can’t Explain, which was released in 1964 and was a response to the Kinks “You Really Got Me”. An early important group was Them. Gloria was released also in 1964. Another important artist is Donovan. Listen to Sunshine Superman from 1966, check lead and bass guitar credits. And Season of the Witch from 1967.
As always, love your reaction, but boys...this a solid "S+" every day of the week! I do not understand your hesitation about needing a certain context for listening to it. This is not only an iconic song, but one of their biggest radio hits, constantly played from the moment it first came out right up to five minutes ago. The only other song from this era that is close to its equal is "The Seeker", which is another banger you must give a spin to ASAP (the lyrics are amazing!).
Every time y'all hit a Who song I say it: You really need to hit "Young Man Blues" off of Live at Leeds. Classic angry young man punk, long before punk rock was a genre. It's a stud Who banger.
Your main unexplored area of The Who is early Who, so that's where I would go next. I'd say your next Who song should be either "Substitute" or "The Kids Are Alright". The Who had some great singles in the '60s.
It's funny. The song The Kids Are Alright isn't actually in the movie by that name. So even if A&A have watched the film for Patreon, it would still be a new song for them.
@@loosilu Absolutely! The stuff did with analog technology, especially on this albumin Tommy, makes the digital technologies we have no seem superficial.
@@kenjohnston1257 Well, they had just released Revolver. They were going far but in a completely different direction. This was a fertile time when bands were pushing each other and trying to outdo each other.
Townshend wanted to create the 'heaviest' song ever recorded and this was the result. That's all it was really about, he wasn't trying to make any other statement. He was disappointed that it didn't do better and wasn't sure what else he could do to follow it up. The result of that eventually ended up being Tommy, and he went on a roll for the next five years that was truly amazing - Tommy (double album), Who's Next, Quadrophenia (double album), and several other great songs that were singles or released later on (The Seeker, Join Together, Pure and Easy, Naked Eye...). One of the greatest creative phases ever for any rock songwriter, and he mostly did it by himself. Entwhistle wrote a song here and there, but Townshend was THE creative force in the band. Paul McCartney loved this song and heard about Townshend's intent and was motivated by that to write 'Helter Skelter'.
Keith Moon wore my visor while playing this song. My head was larger than his, so it sat on the ridge of his nose. And he went absolutely insane. For the first time, my little girl crush on Daltrey was totally overshadowed.
@@loosilu I was in the front row, having my own little Sally Simpson moment, and threw my visor on stage. It landed perfectly on Moon’s cymbal. He put it on his head, and it dropped to his nose. He wore it for the rest of the song, and was savage. The whole concert was incredible, but he definitely had my undivided attention for the rest of the song!
He wrote it for his mum! Pete penned the song in the earliest days of the Who -- they might've still been called the Detours or the High Numbers at that point -- when he was studying jazz guitar. He wanted to impress his mother, to prove to her that he could be "a proper musician" like his dad.
Andy, Alex, WTF? I've seen you give mediocre artist's with mediocre songs an "S" tier rating. But when you hear one of the greatest rock songs ever recorded you can't decide if it's an "S" tier or not? I am shaking my my head in disbelief.
Yes, except it was still catchy enough to get heavy radio airplay alongside the Beatles, the Bee Gees, the Rascals, Aretha Franklin, the Grass Roots, 1910 Fruitgum Company, Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66, The Turtles, Mary Hopkin, Gary Puckett & the Union Gap, etc.
I’m glad they liked this song which I enjoy a lot also. But this review, to me, emphasizes how wrong Alex was in the Carpenters Superstar review. He criticized the lyrics for saying baby baby 5 times but has no problem with The Who saying miles and miles a hundred times. I know you can’t compare the groups or the songs, I’m just saying the song writers have their own reasons for repeating words that we may never understand their thought processes.
Different context , different bands , different music. A band like The Who can get away with it because of the type of music. I just don't understand a comparison between the two. Maybe if you comparing them to Bread , Little River Band , or some of the other mor/soft rock bands of the era I'd understand.
@@pandacosu8217 Why? Just because you prefer one kind of music, doesn’t make it better or worse than any other style. I personally prefer The Who’s music over The Carpenter’s, usually, but I don’t go around putting down whomever likes it.
I've dug this track forever and I just learned from a guitar youtube channel the other day that a second guitarist was featured on this track. That guitarist was a young in demand London session player by the name of James Patrick Page. Yup, that's Jimmy Page in one of your ear holes.
Great reaction and great song. You used the perfect adjective for the feel: "menacing". It's raw and psychedelic but never meandering. It's sharp and focused. One of their best. A unique one that you might want to try: "A Quick One, While He's Away."
I appreciate your love for The Who, but you've been missing out on one of the Greatest live albums Ever - LIVE at LEEDS. Recorded in 1971 on a night when the band was in top form, they deliver one raw banger after another. Like a runaway freight train, they keep on coming. Young Man Blues, Magic Bus, Amazing Journey/Sparks, and my favorite, a 15 minute version of My Generation which is a medley of 7 different songs.
Totally agree! Even though they have recently seen The Who live, it's not the same. In my opinion, nobody from that Era, and few since, could match the raw fury of The Who live; a whole different level of intensity and passion from their great studio work. Plus, live, Pete's guitar really steps to the forefront. Live at Leeds may be the best live rock album ever, easily top3.
mojoesixpack - They didn’t see The Who. They saw the Pete & Roger Show. The Who were one of those rare bands where each member was indispensable. The band stopped existing after Entwhistle passed and they barely got away with it after Moon died. Although Zak with Entwhistle still in the band did have magical moments ❤️
You need to listen to the Live At Leeds version of My Generation because it turns into a 15 minute medley of a few other songs and an amazing instrumental jam session!
Wow, I can't believe this was a cut-out! I felt so lucky to have the early Who albums (and Mothers of Invention albums too!) because a lot of those weren't in print! Zappa had so many albums out, no one had them all! lol. Anyways, what's my greatest cut-out score? Hmmmm. The only thing coming to mind right now is finding a Robert Fripp album at a Caldor, lol.
I find it pretty funny that people your age always think of music as an accompaniment to other activity, mostly driving. When I was a young rocker, we sat in a dark room lit only by black lights and lava lamps, neon posters on the wall, and listened for hours to our record collections, poring over the lyrics on the trcord sleeve and maybe smoking a doobie (if our our parents were out).
When I saw The Who in (I believe) 1989, it was at RFK Stadium in Washington DC. During this song, there was a man running along the roof ledge. It was odd. Again, during this song, he stopped running when he got centered atop the Coke sign. He stretched his arms to the side and did a literal swan dive into the crowd below. He must have landed abut twenty rows down. I read later that he was fine but the woman he landed on had two broken legs. I will always remember this song and the events surrounding it. BTW, they opened the show doing the ENTIRE Tommy rock opera. Awesome concert!
In the era of singles, Pete put everything he had into this song, convinced it would go to #1. When it charted disappointingly, he gave up on singles and started work on Tommy. So as much as I like this song, I’m glad it fizzled, or we might never have gotten some of the greatest concept albums ever recorded.
It didn't fizzle in America. It got to #9 on the *Billboard* chart, the highest of any Who single ever. But it only reached #10 in the U.K., where the Who had already had six higher-charting singles, which led Townshend to comment, "To me it was the ultimate Who record, yet it didn't sell. I spat on the British record buyer." Also, Townshend didn't give up on singles. The Who continued releasing them throughout their career -- including such stand-alone singles as "The Seeker" b/w "Here For More" in 1970, "Let's See Action" b/w "When I Was a Boy" in 1971, "Join Together" b/w "Baby, Don't You Do It" in 1972, and "Relay" b/w "Waspman", also in 1972. Finally, the album on which "I Can See For Miles" appeared -- *The Who Sell Out* -- is itself a concept album ... and it's arguably the best concept album that the Who ever did.
This is such a spectacular early song by the Who. I understand why Pete thought it would be huge and was disappointed when it didn't meet his expectations. It's so great.
It fizzled in England; it was a hit in America. But I agree about "Tommy". Whatever it takes to bring me "Sparks" and "Underture" is fine by me! And of course, "The Who Sell Out" is practically a dry-run for "Tommy" in many ways.
@@TTM9691 It didn't fizzle in the U.K. It reached #10 on the British charts, which was only one spot below where it landed in the *Billboard* Hot 100 in America, and there's no way that a Top Ten single can be described as a fizzle. It's just that it didn't vault straight up to #1, which is where Townshend felt (rightfully, IMO) it should've reached.
How the hell did this band never have a number 1 single in the British charts? One of the greatest groups of all time.
Amen to that!
It’s time to dig into the early stuff. “The Seeker” “Magic Bus” “Can’t Explain” “Pictures of Lilly” “The Kids are Alright” a great mid 70s cut is “Squeeze Box”
"I'm A Boy"!
Can't Explain is excellent
Squeeze Box. That one leaves most fans of the later years going "Huh?" Love Pictures of Lilly and don't forget Substitute.
"Mama's got a squeeze box, Daddy never sleeps at night!" Love it, fun and suggestive. From the classic 1975 album "The Who By Numbers".
@@jimd7260 I"M a Boy is so underrated!
You can really hear the evolution from Mod to Psychedelic leading into acid rock. Pete is one of the best composers and rhythm players ever.
1967 they were way out in front with this song!
Two of their best early songs: "I Can't Explain" and "Substitute".
Love them both. I also like The Kids Are Alright and Happy Jack.
@@dimedraweriv258 How about "Pictures of Lily"? 1967
Big B great song too.
@@dimedraweriv258 Yes, "Pictures of LIly" was the song that Townshend described in an interview as being "power pop," thus giving a name to an entire subgenre of rock.
@@dimedraweriv258 McCartney told Pete that Happy Jack was his favorite Who song. I can totally see why, too. He loves songs about quirky characters.
Reminds me of the early days after Alex joined Andy and they reacted to about 5 or 6 Who songs over a few months, and by and large loved them all. Their enthusiasm for these classic rock staples was so infectious. Glad to finally be getting back to The Who!
100%!
Took them ages to get to A Quick One then they kind of dismissed it.
Absolutely
Context? My immediate mental gestalt of this song is walking across a park with a winter sky on way to a grade 8 school dance (one of my firsts and my crush was going to be there too in a crinkly minidress that felt so good to be embraced with and slow dance to - another story) - full of excitement and looking up at the constellations, thinking I can see miles and miles into the universe and humming this song - probably Oct/Nov 1967. One of my favourite delicious memories of my life. That's my context...
This song came out when I was 12 and it was the first time I realized that love can be dangerous. Quite the epiphany for a 12-year-old girl, lol. Lesson learned.
This song is all about the drums. Keith just takes you on HIS ride from start to finish.
Question: is it really the Who with half the band missing? Life long fan here and it hurt seeing them without Kieth. When The Ox passed on, it became too sad to see them live any more. How can you still be The Who when every single original member was a genius and top 5 on any list of exceptional musicians in their own genres? I still remember John playing an extended solo at the Hollywood Bowl. Never heard anything like it before or since. Amazing.
Reminisce from an old guy:
The whole album, starting with the title "The Who Sell Out" and the cover photos (Moon and Entwistle are shown on the back cover, using other products), is parody/irony on several levels. In the original-release vinyl, there was no silence between tracks, instead there were little radio ads for products and other goofy stuff. Apparently, some of those were actual jingles that were used without permission, so there were some lawsuits. And then at the end of Side 2, after the last music track, a voice in the trailing grooves kept saying "Shut it off... shut it off... shut it off..." and if you let it play all the way down into the locked groove it would endlessly repeat "shut the d* thing off." Since almost all record players would automatically lift and swing out the needle arm before the needle reached the locked groove, you only got to hear that if you were playing the disc on a cheap kiddie unit.
After the success of See For Miles and of this album, The Who released another album along with their single Magic Bus. That must've been an impulsive/last-minute marketing decision, since two of the album cuts from Sell Out were also put on the Magic Bus album to bring it up to standard content size. (I bought and owned the original U.S. pressings of both albums.)
IT's a tribute to pirate radio stations. At the time, they were the only stations in the UK playing rock music. They were instrumental in the Who's success.
I'm a Brit who dates from the early Who era, and there's loads of amazing stuff you haven't touched on which fell between 'Substitute' and this fantastic track. Check out 'Pictures of Lily', 'I'm a Boy' and 'Magic Bus'. Love your work!
THey are about to do the Monterey Pop film on Patreon this month! So they will get Substitute, including one of Moons most awesome stick tricks.
Definitely Pictures Of Lily! (i mean, virtually all Keith-era Who is worth doing. Dogs Part 2! I want to see a reaction to Dogs Part 2! Ha! :P
@@TTM9691 I love "Dogs" ... the original "Dogs":
"Eh, where's me wage packet?
Ah, I'll put twenty-five knicker, please
On Yellow Printer
Oh, I hope the wife don't find out
Yes, it's sure to win, isn't it?
Yes, I know, it's a good dog
I saw it run at White City, just last week
Broke the record, Yellow Printer
Nice dog, yes, lovely form
Lovely buttocks..."
Keith Moon was a major influence on me as a drummer, and this particular song is one of the main reasons. He is just so aggressive and it works so well. Take it away and put a straight beat to it and it's no longer the same song.
That’s a fact. The production was brilliant too but mad Moon made it rock.
yeah, Moon makes the song, and at the time, we never heard anything like it and was the main reason I took up drumming,
The Who have NEVER sounded the same without Keith. Not even with Zak.
Quintessential Moon song...
I agree but to hear Moon at his greatest it has to be "The Ox" the way he just riffs off the bass line is badass ..
The Who was the group for Misfits! Everybody liked Beatles, Stones, etc. The Who had a sense of humor and they were the Zepplin before Zepplin.
Everyone was discovering pot and freedom of whatever. You are correct, this was the ultimate cool song! Other great later songs: songs
"You better, you Bet" . and "Mama's got a squeezebox"!! LOL,
The bass line is freakin' RELENTLESS. I've never been chased by a psychopath, but if it ever happens, I'll be hearing this bass line.
HA! That's the funniest thing I ever heard, brilliant! I wish I could smash the like button ten more times for that one. The guitar solo too. Best one-note guitar solo other than maybe "Down By The River"!
But have you been chased by Boris the Spider?
Entwistle was a BEAST!
@@Fuzcapp He was an OX!
@@Fuzcapp The Charles Atlas course with DYNAMIC TENSION ... will turn you ... into ...
This song was dubbed the heaviest rock song yet by a rock critic when it was released in 1967. Hearing that comment led Paul Mccartney to write the song "Helter Skelter" as an even heavier song. The rest is history.
Cool history!
It also sounds a little proto punk. I can definitely see songs like this influencing punk rock.
@@dimedraweriv258 probably! I also think the Kinks were the grandpas of Punk.
Which means they have to react to Helter-skelter soon
The story is that Townsend was spurred into writing this because You Really Got Me by The Kinks had just been deemed the loudest song ever.
It's a great song to listen to when you've discovered you're being cheated on, and the cheater doesn't yet know you know. Then you see how they look, trying to keep up the facade. And you can see it for miles.
Yep. Captured perfectly in the bridge couplet:
The Eiffel Tower and the Taj Mahal, my eyes can see on clearer days,
You thought that I would need a crystal ball to see right through the haze.
Also good when you are very high on acid
Definitely never put it on a mix CD for your girl.
Just before “Sell Out” was released Townshend bragged to the press that they just recorded the loudest song in the history of music. Paul McCartney read it and went to EMI Studios and wrote Helter Skelter. True Story.
LOL 😂
Townshend is deaf now
@@goldendusty1951 Yeah I read that not too long ago. That's just awful .. not to be able to even hear rock n roll. 😩
Yeah but it’s a medical issue not related to the loud music he was exposed to because of their playing. That’s per a interview with Pete Townsend.
@@GT-mq1dx Right that's what I read that it was a medical issue. Never read anything stating it was from loud music??
I knew you guys would love this song! The drums combined with that razorlike guitar, amazing.
I'm glad that they liked it too. That's why we baby boomers love them still and want A&A to hear them.
Andy surprised me. He doesn’t usually like repeating lyrics, but it is The Who after all.
Great choice - I've been lobbying for this track for years, since my opinion is that it opened the door to "heavy" music. I still have the vinyl. This was my theme song in Vietnam in 1967 (flew a Huey gunship)....fit perfectly with what we did every day.
Amazing how a song exactly 55 years old still resonates! One of the best songs The Who ever did imho, which is saying a lot. Perfect combination of angry/powerful instrumentation and lyrics.
The Who Sell Out is an often overlooked masterpiece. It features more songs with Pete Townsend singing lead. The “commercial” breaks between song tracks are a unique feature. Maryanne With The Shaky Hands is one of May favorite songs. Sunrise is just all Pete singing and on acoustic and is a beautiful song. Give the whole album a listen.
Yep. Gems all over it.
Sunrise and I Can't Reach You are masterpieces. The album is full of masterpieces.
I LOVE that album. LOVE it. Sunrise is GORGEOUS. And Rael is mindblowing. So is the first song. Oh my god, I can talk about this album all day long. This and "We're Only In It For The Money" - which came out practically the same time - they are like twin musical commentaries/satires of the 1967 music scene. Add "Their Satanic Majesty's Request" and you've got three wild, super psychedelic reactions to "Sgt. Pepper"!
Yes, always liked Tattoo and Rael as well.
Just like The Rolling Stones, people didn’t know that The Who who could also get psychedelic with the best of them. All of the elite groups of the ‘60s did psychedelic rock. And nearly all of them had at least one S-tier song. And it was specifically *because* they did a lot of psychedelics. Drug culture makes music better. It just does. It’s a shame that too many great stars just couldn’t handle it without becoming addicts.
This song is from the album 'The Who Sell Out,' a concept album which came out just before 'Tommy.' It's a fun album, perhaps a bit underrated compared to their later, more well-known albums (Tommy to Quadrophenia). Highly recommended for a 'first time reaction' as an album. Other suggestions are The Seeker, Join Together, Relay and Let's See Action (all of which were released as singles and are not on any major Who album).
Absolutely agree with you 100% about "first time reaction" material. This is definitely a spectacular "movie" of an album.
Can’t Explain why in mere words I love The Who
Got a feelin' inside. It's a certain kind.
That's why. ;-)
Eveyr time they played it live Moonie looked like a fanboy hearing his favorite song.
For the 60s I’d recommend Pictures of Lily or Dogs. For the 70s, I recommend My Wife - it was actually written by the bassist, John Entwistle. He also did the vocals for that track. For the 80s, I’d recommend Athena 😄
The preferred context for this song is to listen to the album.
When I was 6-7 we’d steal my brothers 45s & play this over & over & over. My sis was only 4. Tommy came out after this. Pete said he felt this was the best song he could write in the singles format. So he went looking for something else. Whallah. A masterpiece was born.
1967 was quite a year. Seemed like all the cultural and generational elements that had been cross-pollinating and simmering below the surface "suddenly" achieved critical mass and the whole world blew up. This tune was one of the anthems for the period. Easy to understand why our parents were so freaked out by everything that was happening, seemingly all at once. Kinda like now.
I know our Mother's we're freaked out that we were listening to Rock, but, we were burning our bra's too. 😂😂😂
I know every generation sez this, but the generation gap between boomers and their depression era parents was the friggin' grand canyon
Is there any revolutionary music now? If so I'm not seeing it. Maybe something other than music.
After being stalked and spied on my phone, this song has a new meaning to me.
Back in the 90s used to drive through the hills of Wales on the A44 listening to a Rock mix-tape which was great. Then I'd crest a hill, this song would come on (full blast of course) , and I'd be in that magic zone staring at the view and being controlled by the music. Amazed I never crashed.
Such an awesome drummer, Keith Moon. 👍👍🥁🥁
They had to interrupt the song. Some guy got word to them on the stage that Andy & Alex hadn't reacted to it yet and they had to stop. ;-)
Yep, we used to sit around catching a buzz, listening to The Who, The Stones and many others, playing chess and talking dreams and mastering the universe.
Miss those days.
Guys, I'm still dying to see a reaction to Ode to Billy Joe.
They should have listened to it last Friday... the 3rd of June 😉
Guys imagine being 17 again. Getting in a car and driving t Lake Geneva, wis. for 2 nights with 3 buddies and while there we go to concert at place called the Majestic and The Who are playing. A small stage only about 3 ft. high and we could actually stand there a couple ft. away and I did. Just had to avoid the sharpnel from Moon"s drums and Pete's guitar. Made me a rocker for life. Life altering experience. Saw them 4 times in early 70's. Great reaction. Now try My Generation off the Live at Leeds. A really great and long some of Pete's best guitar solos really raw. Please try it. You will thank me
Live at Leeds, one of the first & best live albums ever made. Check “Magic Bus” from that LP, it’s an epic jam!✌️❤️🎶
Woodstock ... Who rhythm jamming live.
Definitely ranks among their best early years tunes!👍🏻🎸☮️🎤🥁
The lighter hearted psychedelic flipside of this one for me would be "Magic Bus". The many flavors of The Who.
What a reaction!!!!!! Yes!!! Daltrey got really ill after being in that bath tub full of (cold) beans! Great album cover, though. The flip side of the cover has the other two guys. Hilarious. "The Who Sell Out". What a title, what a concept. For a third album, no less, ha! I frickin' LOVE that album! That - and Frank Zappa's "We're Only In It For The Money" are great late '67 "commentaries" on the music scenes of 1967! Both in the wake of "Sgt Pepper".Both albums are mindblowing, and hilarious! And constantly surprising. Every song cuts in to the next one, both albums, a total experience. SUPER psychedelic production on both as well. Hooks aplenty. Key albums for both artists (third in each band's discography)
Fantastic post-song analysis. Alex's argument for upgrading the rating is completely correct: looking at it in the lineage. And as far as the context for this song? End of side one! That's all I'm going to say! The moment that song slams in after what comes before it is magic! Alex is also correct: it IS a mockery! That whole album is them affectionately goofing on the pop radio of 1967 (and paying tribute to the pirate stations of the day).
The drums are killer in this.
What more can you say about these fellas. All Stars in their own right. I had a huge crush on Roger Daltry and still love him today. I showed my kids the movie "Tommy" and they loved it. They literally invented the "Rock Opera". No one swings a mic better than Roger. 🎙️🎤
I loved Tommy, it made the album make sense.
@@robynbaker7325 Right!!! It paved the way for me to show my kids (now adults) "Rocky Horror Picture Show". "Hair" Jesus Christ Superstar".
It was The Pretty Things who literally invented the rock opera.
@@ChrisLawton66 I'm not familiar with them but I will definitely check them out. Thanks ☺️👍
I saw Tommy in the theater in 7th grade because I heard Elton John was in it. Never even heard of The Who before the movie. It turned me into a Who fan but the baked beans scene burned Ann Margaret into my memory forever...
The Who performed at my High School in 1967, and it's chronicled in the book: "When Stars Were in Reach....The Who at Union Catholic High School." Back in the day: tickets were top price at 5 Bucks, right. Those days are gone...ergo: stars not "in reach" any more. BTW: about 20 years ago I saw Roger Daltry play the role of Albert Higgins in My Fair Lady at the Hollywood Bowl. He did it justice, too. One of the captions in our HS yearbook from the Who concert pics was Pete Townsend w/out his specs...."I can't see for 3 feet w/out my glasses."
I love Moon's powerhouse drumming on this. Your next Who song should be "Can't Explain." Killer guitar work and staccato drums. One of my favorite early Who songs.
For years they played it as the first or second song at every show. Pete used to say he could tell how the show was going to go by the first chord of that song.
Awesome band and song!! Try Donnie Iris “Ah! Leah!”🤘🔥
Love this who song. A classic song from their earlier days. A+ for this song.
Classic rock. This is the Woodstock generation. Love this music ❤️
The Who were trail blazers. I remember buying the 45 as young teen when it came out. Moon's drumming caught my attention at first. There was so much raw power in it, always on the edge, tightly controlled but wild and reckless at the same time. This was a great song for the time... and a classic now.
Who Sell Out as a whole is a great album. It’s a concept album, like listening to radio complete with jingles, commercials and radio bumpers.
The whole album that it's from (Who Sell Out) is a brilliant pop at the music industry and a perfect representation of the way music was heard by the listener they made the album to sound like an actual radio station programme complete with made up ads 1967 came out. I like it.
Some of the ads -- the radio station jingles -- were actual ads that were swiped from Radio London, the offshort "pirate" radio station that had such a big influence on British popular music radio listeners back in the 1960s.
Hi Andy and Alex - I've been sent over by the Thamesmen, who said to remind you to check out Cold Chisel and other Aussie bands. Loving your content so far, you have some great song choices here.
Super song, performance and production. Another reason we're still lovin' it 55 years later.
The Who are the greatest lyricists of all time. The words written in their songs are timeless complex and imaginative... Not the greatest band but lyricists above all other
"Sell Out" is a great album. "Tattoo" is my favorite & among Townshend's best, funny but genuinely touching too.
There's a live version on the deluxe LIve At Leeds.
She sang the best she ever sang .....
In our day, we would think of this song, listen to the entire vinyl. That's when you decide to listen to it.
"The Song is Over" is a great one. Don't think anyone has reacted to it which is a shame.
They're overdue for a Who's Next reaction. My favorite on that album is Love Ain't for Keeping. Much too short for anyone to react to on its own.
No ,Deborah , they never do and its epic in their body of work..They never played it on FM radio going back to the 70's and The Who never played it in concert ..Maybe they broke the string by playing it once or twice in recent years just for yuks and grins ,but I don't think so .
Nobody talks about "Goin' Mobile" ever _snif_
The Beatles Paul McCartney was so impressed with the hypnotic hardness of this track, that it inspired and compelled him to write ‘Helter Skelter’ in response.
You guys giving I Can See For Miles it's proper due, only serves to cement Andy & Alex as the top in reaction videos.
Experience "Kids are alright," & "I Can't Explain." Best early Who.
The Who had like 3 eras of sound in their evolution. 64-67 , 68-74 , and 75-82. I personally love them all.
Hmmm. I'd say it was more like 64-69 (Mods to Tommy)....or really 64-66- Shel Talmy and 66-69 - Kit Lambert's weird but cool production style / 70-73 - (the zenith of Leeds-Who's Next-Quadrophenia...their sound finally captured, both in the studio and on the live album)/and 74-78 (Keith in decline: the Tommy movie, the neurotic, aging rock star angst of Who By Numbers and Who Are You, Keith's death). And then post Keith. I mean that's a completely different sound with Kenny Jones. I don't lump in Who By Numbers with Face Dances and It's Hard in any way. That's an odd of way of dividing their career. 68-74? Sorry, but "Call Me Lightning" is a long way from "Quadrophenia" in sound.
I'm sure you won't find a bad recommendation anywhere in these comments. My suggestion for your next Who pick is 'Join Together.' It has a classic Who build-up intro, a great chorus, and it's a banger. This song was written and performed at their peak and released as a single-only between the Who's Next and Quadrophenia albums. There's also a video that was released with it (the same song version as was released on vinyl).
When "I Can See For Miles" came out in 1967 I was 9 years old & it was the first record ( 45 ) I ever bought. The "B" side was "Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand".
I grew up in the UK and was 15 in 1967. The 66 t0 69 period saw the greatest artistic freedom ever on popular music. It can never be repeated.
Examples to play - Beach Boys Wind Chimes
Beatles Tomorrow Never knows
The Who Pictures of Lily
Doors The End
Hendrix All Along the Watchtower
Cream White Room
The list is endless....
If you ever want a deep cut from The Who, allow me to recommend “The Music Must Change” from the “Who Are You” album. If “Long Live Rock” is a satirical take on the industry of rock and roll, “The Music Must Change” is a realization that even The Who can’t be the new guys forever.
Strongly seconded. A different but great track from the Who.
Yes, one of the best songs on that album.
Great one. And although I'm not recommending it for a reaction - at least not for a long time - I love "Guitar And Pen" as an inspiration to all songwriters! The day Keith died I went upstairs to my room and drummed to "Baba O'Riley" and then "Guitar And Pen" ("Who Are You" had just come out and that was the one I had homed in on for some reason!) Just saw an interview with Roger talking about that song, how it's almost like a cursed song for them. Here it is, if you haven't seen it: th-cam.com/video/acxt67--Nj0/w-d-xo.html
Don't forget the content of the lyrics. This is an emotionally searing song for anyone caught in this bitter situation.
Took me a long time but I finally realized that Entwistle and Moon were perhaps one of the best rhythm sections in rock.
The drumming on this song is impeccable.
Keith Moon might just be the greatest rock drummer of them all. There are some runs that just defy analysis they are so brilliant.
Timeless A+, at time of release S...Brilliant
Now that you're back to the Who, I want to go back to recommending "Slip Kid" from their underrated "Why By Numbers" album from 1975. Rocks hard with different phases to it, something you liked in their other songs.
Interestingly in following The Who one can actually hear rock evolve. This was released in 1967 and it was clearly more advanced than I Can’t Explain, which was released in 1964 and was a response to the Kinks “You Really Got Me”. An early important group was Them. Gloria was released also in 1964. Another important artist is Donovan. Listen to Sunshine Superman from 1966, check lead and bass guitar credits. And Season of the Witch from 1967.
As always, love your reaction, but boys...this a solid "S+" every day of the week! I do not understand your hesitation about needing a certain context for listening to it. This is not only an iconic song, but one of their biggest radio hits, constantly played from the moment it first came out right up to five minutes ago. The only other song from this era that is close to its equal is "The Seeker", which is another banger you must give a spin to ASAP (the lyrics are amazing!).
Every time y'all hit a Who song I say it: You really need to hit "Young Man Blues" off of Live at Leeds. Classic angry young man punk, long before punk rock was a genre. It's a stud Who banger.
Your main unexplored area of The Who is early Who, so that's where I would go next. I'd say your next Who song should be either "Substitute" or "The Kids Are Alright". The Who had some great singles in the '60s.
It's funny. The song The Kids Are Alright isn't actually in the movie by that name. So even if A&A have watched the film for Patreon, it would still be a new song for them.
I'm a Boy and Substitute, underrated.
1967? I was in 1st grade. No way. Guys, I’m in my early 60’s. This song has been involved in the soundtrack of my life.
This album really exhibits Pete Townshend's brilliance as a recording engineer. Really pushed the envelope in amazing directions.
HE is a world class audio engineer. Glyn Johns said he wasn't sure if he could improve on Pete's demos.
@@loosilu Absolutely! The stuff did with analog technology, especially on this albumin Tommy, makes the digital technologies we have no seem superficial.
As great as the Beatles were circa 1967 this is sonically way beyond anything they doing
@@kenjohnston1257 Well, they had just released Revolver. They were going far but in a completely different direction. This was a fertile time when bands were pushing each other and trying to outdo each other.
@@marktait2371 He was a big fan of Gilmour though. That's why he invited Gilmour to play guitar on his solo album White City.
Ok guys fast forward to 2001 Concert for New York they rocked it. Nothing like seeing it live✌🏼❤️
Saw the Who in the mid 70's before they lost Keith Moon. Fantastic stage show, not a stinker in their set
Townshend wanted to create the 'heaviest' song ever recorded and this was the result. That's all it was really about, he wasn't trying to make any other statement. He was disappointed that it didn't do better and wasn't sure what else he could do to follow it up. The result of that eventually ended up being Tommy, and he went on a roll for the next five years that was truly amazing - Tommy (double album), Who's Next, Quadrophenia (double album), and several other great songs that were singles or released later on (The Seeker, Join Together, Pure and Easy, Naked Eye...). One of the greatest creative phases ever for any rock songwriter, and he mostly did it by himself. Entwhistle wrote a song here and there, but Townshend was THE creative force in the band. Paul McCartney loved this song and heard about Townshend's intent and was motivated by that to write 'Helter Skelter'.
It's happened with a few songs before but you were so into that your reactions made me like this soon about 30% more
Magic Bus is the song you need, Live at Leeds version. Blow your minds. peace!
Keith Moon wore my visor while playing this song. My head was larger than his, so it sat on the ridge of his nose. And he went absolutely insane. For the first time, my little girl crush on Daltrey was totally overshadowed.
no way!! what's the story?
@@loosilu I was in the front row, having my own little Sally Simpson moment, and threw my visor on stage. It landed perfectly on Moon’s cymbal. He put it on his head, and it dropped to his nose. He wore it for the rest of the song, and was savage. The whole concert was incredible, but he definitely had my undivided attention for the rest of the song!
@@harriotteworthington3147 Wow, amazing story!!!! Lucky you! We lost him far to soon.
Did you ever get it back?
@@kentclark6420 Nope. I’m sure it was tossed after the gig. But in my little girl mind, we connected… 🤪
Another good one from the same album is “Our Love Was”. One of my favorites!
“Sunrise” is one of the most beautiful love songs ever written. Peter and a guitar, and John comes in on the very… last… note!
He wrote it for his mum! Pete penned the song in the earliest days of the Who -- they might've still been called the Detours or the High Numbers at that point -- when he was studying jazz guitar. He wanted to impress his mother, to prove to her that he could be "a proper musician" like his dad.
Awesome stuff here Andy and Alex!
Andy, Alex, WTF? I've seen you give mediocre artist's with mediocre songs an "S" tier rating. But when you hear one of the greatest rock songs ever recorded you can't decide if it's an "S" tier or not? I am shaking my my head in disbelief.
Ug
1967 time for Jimi. 2, count 'em 2 great albums. Love from Canada.💞
I would credit this track as being the intro to 70's style rock before the 70's arrived. It was new musical territory for the time.
YES, spot on
Yes, except it was still catchy enough to get heavy radio airplay alongside the Beatles, the Bee Gees, the Rascals, Aretha Franklin, the Grass Roots, 1910 Fruitgum Company, Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66, The Turtles, Mary Hopkin, Gary Puckett & the Union Gap, etc.
@@gregsager2062 Pete really knew how to write a single.
@@loosilu Yes, he did. The man understands what to do with a hook.
@@gregsager2062 looking at your comments I think we have very similar taste!
The Who's '72 song 'Join Together' is a real good one. You'll also find a good live version of this song from The Glastonbury Festival 2015.
I’m glad they liked this song which I enjoy a lot also. But this review, to me, emphasizes how wrong Alex was in the Carpenters Superstar review. He criticized the lyrics for saying baby baby 5 times but has no problem with The Who saying miles and miles a hundred times. I know you can’t compare the groups or the songs, I’m just saying the song writers have their own reasons for repeating words that we may never understand their thought processes.
We all know Alex blew the Carpenter’s Superstar reaction up. It’s his right, but 99% of the people listening to his reaction know he missed it.
Different context , different bands , different music. A band like The Who can get away with it because of the type of music. I just don't understand a comparison between the two. Maybe if you comparing them to Bread , Little River Band , or some of the other mor/soft rock bands of the era I'd understand.
Mentioning the carpenters on a Who thread borders on heresy.
@@pandacosu8217 Why? Just because you prefer one kind of music, doesn’t make it better or worse than any other style. I personally prefer The Who’s music over The Carpenter’s, usually, but I don’t go around putting down whomever likes it.
I've dug this track forever and I just learned from a guitar youtube channel the other day that a second guitarist was featured on this track. That guitarist was a young in demand London session player by the name of James Patrick Page. Yup, that's Jimmy Page in one of your ear holes.
Great reaction and great song. You used the perfect adjective for the feel: "menacing". It's raw and psychedelic but never meandering. It's sharp and focused. One of their best. A unique one that you might want to try: "A Quick One, While He's Away."
My high school days. Great memories.
I appreciate your love for The Who, but you've been missing out on one of the Greatest live albums Ever - LIVE at LEEDS. Recorded in 1971 on a night when the band was in top form, they deliver one raw banger after another. Like a runaway freight train, they keep on coming. Young Man Blues, Magic Bus, Amazing Journey/Sparks, and my favorite, a 15 minute version of My Generation which is a medley of 7 different songs.
Totally agree! Even though they have recently seen The Who live, it's not the same. In my opinion, nobody from that Era, and few since, could match the raw fury of The Who live; a whole different level of intensity and passion from their great studio work. Plus, live, Pete's guitar really steps to the forefront. Live at Leeds may be the best live rock album ever, easily top3.
mojoesixpack - They didn’t see The Who. They saw the Pete & Roger Show. The Who were one of those rare bands where each member was indispensable. The band stopped existing after Entwhistle passed and they barely got away with it after Moon died. Although Zak with Entwhistle still in the band did have magical moments ❤️
@@cirenosnor5768 Great point!
You need to listen to the Live At Leeds version of My Generation because it turns into a 15 minute medley of a few other songs and an amazing instrumental jam session!
This album has some gems. I remember buying this album as a cutout. The old folks here will remember those.😅
Lee Michaels Live…😀
Wow, I can't believe this was a cut-out! I felt so lucky to have the early Who albums (and Mothers of Invention albums too!) because a lot of those weren't in print! Zappa had so many albums out, no one had them all! lol. Anyways, what's my greatest cut-out score? Hmmmm. The only thing coming to mind right now is finding a Robert Fripp album at a Caldor, lol.
I find it pretty funny that people your age always think of music as an accompaniment to other activity, mostly driving. When I was a young rocker, we sat in a dark room lit only by black lights and lava lamps, neon posters on the wall, and listened for hours to our record collections, poring over the lyrics on the trcord sleeve and maybe smoking a doobie (if our our parents were out).
A&A, their “Long Live Rock” and “You Better, You Bet” are next for you!!
"I Can See For Miles" is from 1967, reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100.
And it's one of the CSI songs! It was the theme song for the short lived series CSI: Cyber.
“Join Together” is another great who song to add to the list
@@jacjr6193 They did Join Together at the DC show a couple of weeks ago!
When I saw The Who in (I believe) 1989, it was at RFK Stadium in Washington DC. During this song, there was a man running along the roof ledge. It was odd. Again, during this song, he stopped running when he got centered atop the Coke sign. He stretched his arms to the side and did a literal swan dive into the crowd below. He must have landed abut twenty rows down. I read later that he was fine but the woman he landed on had two broken legs. I will always remember this song and the events surrounding it. BTW, they opened the show doing the ENTIRE Tommy rock opera. Awesome concert!
This was on the radio when I saw them in 1967! Yes I saw them smash their instruments!!
Also one of my faves by The Who…
Next….Magic Bus… The video from Live At Leeds!
In the era of singles, Pete put everything he had into this song, convinced it would go to #1. When it charted disappointingly, he gave up on singles and started work on Tommy. So as much as I like this song, I’m glad it fizzled, or we might never have gotten some of the greatest concept albums ever recorded.
It didn't fizzle in America. It got to #9 on the *Billboard* chart, the highest of any Who single ever. But it only reached #10 in the U.K., where the Who had already had six higher-charting singles, which led Townshend to comment, "To me it was the ultimate Who record, yet it didn't sell. I spat on the British record buyer."
Also, Townshend didn't give up on singles. The Who continued releasing them throughout their career -- including such stand-alone singles as "The Seeker" b/w "Here For More" in 1970, "Let's See Action" b/w "When I Was a Boy" in 1971, "Join Together" b/w "Baby, Don't You Do It" in 1972, and "Relay" b/w "Waspman", also in 1972.
Finally, the album on which "I Can See For Miles" appeared -- *The Who Sell Out* -- is itself a concept album ... and it's arguably the best concept album that the Who ever did.
@@gregsager2062 Pete was terribly disappointed this song wasn't bigger. I agree with him.
This is such a spectacular early song by the Who. I understand why Pete thought it would be huge and was disappointed when it didn't meet his expectations. It's so great.
It fizzled in England; it was a hit in America. But I agree about "Tommy". Whatever it takes to bring me "Sparks" and "Underture" is fine by me! And of course, "The Who Sell Out" is practically a dry-run for "Tommy" in many ways.
@@TTM9691 It didn't fizzle in the U.K. It reached #10 on the British charts, which was only one spot below where it landed in the *Billboard* Hot 100 in America, and there's no way that a Top Ten single can be described as a fizzle. It's just that it didn't vault straight up to #1, which is where Townshend felt (rightfully, IMO) it should've reached.
I've heard this song thousands of times since I was a kid, never really listened to it.