In my opinion, the greatest rock band of all time. Why? they did it all, masters of the 3 minute single, concept albums, rock anthems, and the rock lore. Most of all, they were unmatched live in concert. Each musician was a master at their craft. Even today, Pete remains as prolific as ever with WHO, the solid new album. Although Keith and John died before they got old, their place in this band and in rock history will forevor remain indelible.
They’re not the all time greatest, but they’re definitely up there amongst Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. Nobody touches the Beatles, but what I love about The Who is their music makes you feel so energetic. They also have probably more talent in one band than anyone else, apart from Led Zeppelin maybe. Pete Townshend’s lyrics are so dark and yet the melodies absolutely rock. You can tell they worked so hard on each individual song.
It's sure great, but for it to be that caliber of an album as an abandoned concept project really makes me wonder how amazing the full "lifehouse" concept would've been. Possibly the greatest rock album ever? Impossible to say, but I think yes.
@@austrianpainterinhiding88 There are websites that outline the composition of Lifehouse, There is a special box set out there (very expensive at $350). All the songs eventually made it out (maybe one or two as Townsend's singles - I am not sure). www.amazon.com/Lifehouse-Chronicles-6-CD-Boxset/dp/B004K4CSVG Probably could set up a playlist on your streaming service.
Love The Who. One of my top 5 bands ever. For my ranking I'd put in my order it'll be.. 1. Quadrophenia 2. Who's Next 3. Tommy 4. The Who Sell Out 5. The Who By Numbers 6. My Generation 7. Who Are You 8. A Quick One 9. Who 10. Endless Wire 11. It's Hard 12. Face Dances
Pete, Sells Out was a couple years after My Generation, A Quick One was in-between. Also, several of the fun tracks you mentioned aren't from the actual album, they were re-release bonus tracks. Last, in the U.S. it was released as 'Happy Jack. Magic Bus was a half-assed 'best of' compilation.
Cool ranking video. Would enjoy a Kinks ranking. Here's my top 5. 1. Tommy. 2. Who's Next 3. Quadrophenia 4. A Quick One 5. WHO largely agree with your comments. I think the biggest problem with Endless Wire was the state of Roger's voice. The new WHO album was better than I thought possible. They really sound like the Who again. I'm hoping for another late career surprise by The Kinks. Cheers.
1) Quadrophenia (my favorite album of all time); 2) Who's Next (might be my 2nd favorite album of all time); 3) The Who Sells Out; 4) Tommy; 5) The Who By Numbers; 6) My Generation; 7) Who Are You; 8) It's Hard; 9) Who; 10) A Quick One While He's Away; 11) Face Dances; 12) Endless Wire. Odds & Sods and Live At Leeds would probably be ranked above Tommy for me.
A lot of people don’t like “It’s Hard”, but I love that album. Even a Roger never liked the album, but I think it has some great songs including some great Entwistle songs like “Dangerous”.
Your not kidding that was the tour I saw and they were seasoned vets just killing it . In that stadium when Eminence front started every one was going , what is this, first time I ever heard it , great concert. 😀
John's scarce songs throughout their albums are all incredible. It's a shame they don't play any after he died. They used to open with Heaven and Hell before I Can't explain... and now they seem to have forgotten all his songs...
While no one could replace Keith Moon, Kenny Jones is a solid drummer. The Faces with him, Ron Wood, Ronnie Lane, Rod Stewart and Ian McLagan were a fantastic band.
Daltrey put it right: Kenny is a very good drummer, but he was a wrong drummer for The Who just as Moon would have been a shitty drummer for The Faces.. I think that's quite exact. In fact, Moon would have been a wrong drummer for any band in the world except The Who.
Bargain is extremely underrated as a tune on their best album, Who's Next. If you haven't tried it, listen to Bargain on headphones. It is mindblowing...
When I have to clean up my office , and all that paperwork has piled up and books are scattered, only Bargain will get me going. Then the rest of the album gets me through it. Now that’s power !!!
Roger Daltrey is one of the best singers of ever, and Pete Townshend one of the best guitar players too. My top three albums are: Tommy (masterpiece), Quadrophenia (epic), and Who's Next (killer).
You might have mentioned the two albums, "Who's Missing" and "Two's Missing". Compilations that are a must for the serious Who fan. You won't be disappointed!
@@tommypwood672 yeah I agree on both statements. Naked eye on who's next lacks the power the odds and sods version, and the dynamics on the isle of Wight performance are breathtaking.. those 3 chords he plays after the initial solo are sublime.
Over the years, I could never decide which Who album is my favourite: “Who’s Next” or “Sell Out”. So, for me, it’s a tie, because they are indispensable and I love them both.
great list. the subscribers are piling up, Pete! almost 23K. my personal fave is "Who Sell Out". a special album... charming, sometimes psychedelic. love the commercials. and it has The Who's most "naive and charming" songs... "Tattoo" is an all time fave for me.
@@harryirene1 l hear ya Harry and respect your opinion,l just think when he gets to play that tune,singing it and also the gorgeous solo he does,he's all over that Song,it's all him and he seems to always enjoy playing that tune live,It's obviously not as "Classic" as 60/70s Who but it's a kickin tune :)
@@harryirene1 You are right,it's not the strongest of their albums but l do love that Song,l have my Fingers crossed he may play it in March when l go see em in Dublin. (for the fifth time,here's hoping)
One of the things we realize as we get older is the albums we used to have and enjoyed so much, but we no longer have them. Breakups and old roommates are sometimes the culprits. My ex-wife brought many of The Who albums to our life and they left with her. I still have some, but a couple I now miss again because of you bringing them up again. Curses.
@@wylier I do that, little by little, but sometimes I forget how much I miss an album until someone brings it up. Plus, I am not about to pay fifty dollars for an album.
9:32 sparks an interesting debate: Who had the three best consecutive albums? The Who: Tommy-Who's Next-Quadrophenia Beatles: Rubber Soul-Revolver-Sgt. Pepper Stones: Let it Bleed-Sticky Fingers-Exile As a massive Who fan, I'd still give it to the beatles, but you could make an argument for any.
I don't know if it's on a live or comp album anywhere, but the live version of "A Quick One" on the Rolling Stones' Rock N Roll Circus is the best version I've heard.
It is on the DVD of that show - it wasn't released until many years after the broadcast, as well as in "The Kids Are Alright" documentary movie. An equally good live version is also on the Live at Leeds CD (expanded version).
Good review. It is ironic that for their duration, the Who had very few studio albums. In my mind, the Who I knew ended in 1982 with the release of the lackluster "It's Hard Album" (which they had to do as they would have had to return a big advance to the record company if they didn't) I say the Who I knew because it was the post Keith Moon continuation of the Band that had started in the 60s. Maybe, in retrospect, they just should have called it a day after Moon the Loon died (like Led Zeppelin did after John Bonham's death). To be fair to Kenny Jones, he is good drummer, but is more regimented and stricter in style like Charlie Watts of the Stones. Moon was a mad man on the drums (Overture, Wont Get Fooled Again, Bargain, Dr. Jimmy, The Real Me, Love Reign O'er Me, The Rock) and also a mad man in personality (destroying hotel rooms, driving his car into swimming pools) and was essentially, irreplaceable. Kenny Jones was a good drummer but was no where near as good as Moon. As for the rankings, along my line of reasoning I don't even know (or count) the "Endless Wire" and "Who" DVD because in my mind, with their release years after their ending in 1982 I felt that the Who were no longer relevant. I cant even list a song off of them. As for your top three, remember that "Who's Next" was supposed to be another "concept album" like Tommy, with the "Life House" album concept about (from what I remember reading") some guy who had this special suit designed wherein he could change reality. Pete couldn't sell the other band mates on the idea (don't blame them) and we got "Who's Next" instead. I agree with you-their best non-concept studio album. With regards "Tommy" and "Quadrophenia" I prefer the latter. My mom bought me "Tommy" for Christmas when I was a freshman in high school. She said it was an important album and that I should have it. I concur with you that with the exception of "Pinball Wizard", this album is meant to be listened to in its entirety (somewhat like Jethro Tull's "Thick as A Brick") and not just by individual track. "Tommy" is also important because with the exception of some singles, the Who really did not have any stand out album that distinguished themselves. Note that by the time "Tommy" came out, their contemporaries (Stones and Beatles) had already put out a number of successful albums- Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Peppers The White Album, Abby Road, Aftermath, Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed). So Tommy as a "rock opera" really put them on the map. I do find some of the subject matter of "Tommy" quite disturbing "Cousin Kevin" and "Fiddle About" particularly so. I sometimes wonder if it was ideas like this that led to Pete's legal troubles in 2003 with the "Operation Ore" investigation that he was involved in. that being said, I like Quadrophenia better. I always had a soft spot for this album. When it was released, I only knew it was a Who Album from Chad (the Mod kid on the cover), who was wearing an army jacket that said "WHO" on the back (the title of the album was down the spine, not the cover. I was in the TSS ( a chain of stores in New York) when I first heard "Love Reign O'er Me" and thought it was a great song (but I was still a die hard Rolling Stones fan at the time) It was only in 1981 that I saved up some paper route money that I bought Quadrophenia. I am glad I did. I could really relate to that album. Although America did not have "Mods" and :Rockers", the theme that this Album represented Anxiety, Loneliness, isolation, conforming to peer pressure, the desire to fit in with the in crowd (like Rush's "Subdivsions") really struck home with me because those were real feelings I was going through at the time while a junior in high school. From what I remember reading" Quadrophenia" was difficult to play on tour due to all of the synthesizer use (and it also took a long time to make), I also think Roger and Pete got into a fist fight while making this album and Roger knocked Pete out !!! (which shows you the problems that were going on with them while recording this album. Quadrophenia was also not as well received in the states upon release ( I think maybe because America did not have a Mod/Rockers subculture, and also that the audience did not have the patience to listen to another sprawling double album concept album). Still Quadrophenia is my favorite of the your top three. I also have a soft spot for "Who By Numbers" but as you said, Pete was running out of ideas and I think after this release the Who had went on to a three year hiatus. "Slip Kid" (especially the guitar solo at the end) Is a great song. I remember also hearing this when I as a die hard Stone's fan and remember thinking how much it killed me that the Who had done Slip Kid and not the Stones. I also agree with you about "Who Are You"- the last good album from the original line up recorded before Keith Moon's death in 1978. This was a comeback album for them (similar to the Stone's "Some Girls", also released in 1978 and considered to be a Stones rebound after the misses of the "Goat's Head Soup" and "Black And Blue" albums. There is a great book you should read (if you haven't already done so) titled "The Who-Maximum R&B" that I think you would find very informative. Great review again. Thank you for your efforts.
Not a whole lot I can add to what you wrote, Michael, other than these points: Give "WHO" at least a few spins before dismissing it as not really authentically The Who, I wasn't expecting much after the disappointment I felt with their previous release "Endless Wire", but this new album really harkens back to a much earlier/more vital time in their history. And I've been a fan since the days when "The Who Sell Out" was their latest release. I fully identify with everything you said regarding "Quadrophenia", but in my case, it spoke directly to me as it came out when I was away to college for my first time as a freshman and was feeling all those same exact emotions plus having my first real longer-term relationship with a girlfriend. To this day, Quadrophenia remains easily my favorite album of all time, and The Who my favorite band (I've seen them live 11 times!).
I'm 68. I saw The Who in NYC at Fillmore East on May 18, 1969 two days after the release of Tommy. It was unbelievable. I related to Tommy in a very deep way; let's just say there was some very serious family disfunction in our home and the lines: "you didn't see it, you didn't hear it, you won't say nothing to no one ever in your life, how absurd it all seems without any proof." And then it did come out and the poop hit the fan. 1969 was a year where I was free to go and do pretty much what I wanted to do because my parents had been busted so to speak and they were so busy trying to sort out their problems they really didn't care what I was doing. That mostly consisted of seeing as many live bands of the time as I could at all the surrounding venues including but not limited to The Fillmore East. I missed seeing The Band of Gypsy's show by two days - I was out of town. Just so your viewers know, there is a band from New Jersey named The Smithereens. Most of their albums are covers of Beatles tunes, B-sides and the like. But they have a one LP disc of their version of Tommy. For those that find listening to Tommy in it's entirety a chore, give this LP by The Smithereens a try. It may be hard to find because it was a "Record Day" release but it really is quite good and they have distilled Tommy down to it's essence. By the way, I saw The Who a total of 7 times. And Pete never smashed his guitar for all those "haters" that think that was all they were about.
I know it is blasphemy, but I gave all my Who albums (along with my entire LP collection) to my brother and my nephew after our dad died. I had gotten my dad's albums earlier when he converted to CDs, and my brother had asked about them. I still have the CDs though.
For some reason I didn’t find this on the playlist. One of my favorite bands of all time. My ranking; 12) Face Dances 11) Who are you 10) Endless Wire 9) It’s hard 8) Who 7) A quick one 6) My Generation 5) The Who sell out 4) Who’s next 3) The Who by numbers 2) Tommy 1) Quadrophenia
“You better, you bet” is my #1 Who song. Great intro, amazing harmonies, interesting tempo changes and chord progression, cool outro key change, and great Daltrey vocal performance!
One of my favorite bands, used to listen to their records over and over back in the early 70's when I just discovering Rock N Roll!! My top 3 are exactly the same as yours, all of them are stunning Rock N Roll Albums!!
I agree Tommy is one of the best concept albums ever written, to me this is their best album. Who's Next is also awesome, a classic album full of hits. A legendary group no doubt.
This is the one ranking video I've been waiting for the most, since The 'Oo are my second favourite band of all time (after those Liverpudlians). I kinda feel they are a bit underappreciated these days, don't know why. Their importance cannot be understated and their run of albums from 1967-73 hasn't been topped since.
Tommy has to be taken as one solid work because despite having separate tracks its as if you're watching a r. And of course its great along it with S. F. Sorrow by The Pretty Things.
Been a big fan of The Who By Numbers for decades but I can understand anyone else not feeling that way. That fine collaboration of Lane/Townshend tops anything The Who did afterward. Pretty much most of Townshend's works, too.
I've owned and loved The Who By Numbers since '76. It's melodic and introspective, and never gets old, unlike their other albums. Nicky Hopkins makes some glorious contributions here, too.
Great list, Pete. I absolutely agree with Endless Wire. Still can't get into it. My only disagreement with you is Face Dances. I love that record! One of my desert island discs, for sure. Thanks for the vids, Pete!
I place "Who's Next" as being one of the top 5 Rock albums of all time: #1. The Chicago Transit Authority #2. Physical Graffiti #3. Revolver (British release) #4. Who's Next #5. Pet Sounds I would say that these top 5 are basically tied, but here is my order of them if someone were to force me to rank them....
Keith moon's drumming on who's next and quadrophenia is simply indescribable , it's so good. Thanks for reminding me think I'll listen to Quadrophenia 👍
Thanks Pete. I'm glad you got to my favorite band. While I might quibble over a couple things (eg, Quadrophenia is my fave), I think you assessed their catalogue well. I might move Who Are You up a slot and rearrange your top 3. Of course, if we bring in Leeds, then all bets are off. To me The Who were about corralling 3 lead instruments which Roger finally did with the greatest power rock vocals, while Pete let Keith and John play lead throughout. While the Stones and other top tier bands have been similar to others, no one was quite like The Who. Unique, powerful, innovative, and unapologetic. Thank you Pete and Roger for 50+ years of the most explosive and innovative music out there.
I consider " Face Dances " to be under - rated. Excellent songwriting on it. Different approach from what was unexpected - dealing with middle - age. And Entwhistle songs steal the show!
I agree, it just further proves that 1981 was an incredible year in music. You Better You Bet still has that haunting quality to me, I've loved that damn song from day 1.
Saw them at a Festival at Charlton, in the 70’s they were stupendous. Definitely in still in my top 3 best concerts I have ever seen him my life, and I have seen plenty. Album wise apart from Who’s Next, never really been sold on any of them.
Hey Pete, Agree with you on Tommy vs Quadrophenia. I go back and forth on these two all the time. Right now I hold Q above T. That damn banjo on I’ve Had Enough is giving it the edge tonight That and Daltrey’s vocals.
I have a soft spot for Face Dances due to it being the first Who album I bought when it came out in 1981. I always liked it and still do, although, suffice to say, it's not of the standard of Quadrophenia or Who's Next . Some of The Who members solo stuff is well worth checking out. Townshend's solo album Empty Glass and John Entwistle's 'Smash Your Head Against The Wall' and 'Whistle Rymes' are impressive.
I have that same T-shirt you're wearing. You should have stood up and shown everyone Moon going loon at the bottom. I love "…Sell Out". It's my favorite of the pre-Tommy albums. It was pretty much their first concept album.
ALRIGHT... just finished listening to Quadraphinia in its ENTIRETY on K-SHE95 the seventh day show where they play albums from 6 to midnight every Sunday night!! Let's GO!
Legendary status amoungst rock bands,but a very sporadic catalog. Pete Townsend: Genius songwriter. Roger Daltry:Powerful frontman with pipes in the late sixties to late seventies. A great rhythum section with "WildMan" Moon & Enwhistle. Who's Next,in my opinion;an almost perfect album!!! Much Respect🙏.
First exposure to The Who was the Ken Russell film which I saw in junior high. For some reason I never focused onto Quadrophenia until college (back then without a decent radio station and limited money, album exposure came from friends). Heard Quadrophenia played through while eating pizza with my best friend. Saw the movie later that semester. It has been my favorite since then.
Honestly, my ranking would be 12. Endless Wire (it's just boring) 11. It's Hard (Eminence Front boosts this one) 10. WHO (great for dudes in their 70s) 9. Face Dances (not as bad as some people say) 8. A Quick One (has so much charm to it, a 10/10) 7. Who Are You (really grew on me, I love it) 6. My Generation (one of the best debuts ever) 5. The Who by Numbers (incredibly underrated) 4. Tommy (my top 4 are all in my top 20 of all time) 3. Who's Next (every song is awesome) 2. Quadrophenia (my favorite rock opera of all time) 1. Sell Out (masterpiece) My favorite band of all time
Have to agree once again! They are definitely in my top ten favorite bands ever! I got to see them one time! It was 1983 on their Schlitz malt liquor tour! I was only17 but had a blast! It was at a Rock super bowl in Orlando, Florida.
Thanks Pete, a great list of a classic band.My favs are 1 - Who's next 2 - Quadrophenia 3 - Tommy 4- Who sell out 5 - Who are you 6 - A Quick one 7 - Who by numbers The first three are absolute classic albums and have remained so for decades. Thanks Pete you continue to deliver the goods.Would like to see a rankings list for Rory Gallagher Robin Trower Steve Hillage Captain Beefheart Cheers side until the next ones. Who are you
I can't give too much of an argument with #1and #2, though I do believe that if Tommy was recorded as well as "Who's Next" it would inarguably be first.
I also discovered The Who after seeing The Kids Are Alright and got the soundtrack. I had to have all of it and all these years later I can still enjoy them as much as I did discovering them. It does me good to see others went down the same path! I wouldn't be surprised if that movie was the gateway for a lot of great late 60's early 70's music for those of us in the middle of the punk era.
Dude, I'm going to say it. I thought I was a rock fan. A huge Rock fan you put me to shame. You've gone to places. I never even thought of going maybe even heard of. Budgie I couldn't even sit through half the stuff. Hats off to you, bro.
Thank you for the interesting Who album reviews, Pete. One of the best live shows I've ever seen was The Who at Shea Stadium in October, 1982. David Johansen and The Clash warmed up The Who, and it was an incredible show. The three greatest shows at Shea were The Beatles, Grand Funk Railroad ('71 - broke Beatles Shea ticket sales record), and The Who/The Clash. I was on the field witnessing the crowd surges towards the fencing by the stage. Wild... The live DVD was Pro Shot style, and worth a view and listen. For my list, I have Face Dances, The Who by Numbers, Who Are You, A Quick One, The Who Sell Out, The Who Sings my Generation, Tommy, Who's Next, and Quadrophenia the tops.
@@seaoftranquilityprog Cool! Did you go to the Tues (12th) or Weds (13th) show? I think the DVD is from the first night. I grew up in Westchester Cty. You mention Hudson Valley. Where did you grow up?
@@seaoftranquilityprog I was at the Tuesday show as well. My group of 8 were just to the right of the light towers on the field. Goshen is just below the Catskills, right?
I think Pete referred to it as the Lifehouse project-not lighthouse. I saw them in Cincinnati when all the kids-most my age (16 at the time) died, and then I took my 11 year old to see them on their Quadrophenia at 50 tour which, albeit only half of the band was left, but with Starkey on drums, Paladino on bass, and Pete’s brother on guitar-was still a hell of a show. I’m glad my 11 year old son got to see Roger and Pete and a classic album played start to finish. (Without the tragedy)
It was the Lifehouse project, not lighthouse. Also, Sell Out came out just before TOMMY; A Quick One was album number 2. Quadrophenia is the desert island disc, deluxe Who's Next is probably second and Tommy third. By Numbers and My Generation round out the top five with Who Are You coming in at 6, Quick One and Sell Out flip 7 & 8 depending on the day. The rest I'm fairly undecided but I would also put It's Hard over Face Dances.
Nice run for a list. My running order: 1 Tommy 2 Who's Next 3 Quadrophenia 4 A Quick One 5 The Who Sell Out 6 My Generation 7 Who Are You? 8 WHO 9 Face Dances 10 Endless Wire 11 It's Hard 12 Who by Numbers
Was familiar with all the better known stuff on Tommy but hadn’t heard the whole album from beginning to end, until 6 months ago. So wonderful. I love Overture. The sound of a great band giving it everything.
There should have been an album (in circa '72) Pure and Easy, Too much of anything, Postcard, Put the money down, Naked Eye, Heaven and Hell, Join Together , Lets see action, Relay, I dont know myself, Water, The Seeker.
@@davidgreenberg5517 Neither of those albums are considered true albums, and Whos missing was years after the fact.. Few if any bands had that amount of quality material available. That "missing " album would have sat between "Next" and "Quad" to produce a stunning run from 69 -73.
After much deliberation My Top 5 The Who albums are: 1. Who's Next 2. Quadrophenia 3. Tommy 4. Who by Numbers 5. Who are you Hats off to any band that can produce quality material over 6 decades 😀
My list is pretty much the same except I would put ‘Quadrophenia’ slightly over ‘Tommy.’ Interesting tidbit about ‘Who Are You’ album. Moon was on a downward spiral with drugs at that time so he tuned all of his drums to the same tension so they sounded the same. This was intentional so it would hide his mistakes on drum solo’s and keeping a consistent beat. He’s still great on the album but his sound doesn’t have the same diversity as other albums. Also, I remember reading that the band hated playing ‘Quadrophenia’ in concert cause it was so hard. They would get frustrated and it shows how ambitious that album was. Most underrated Who song is ‘Join Together’ simply because it was never released on a major album.
As one who grew up with bands like the Who (one of the top 10 rock bands of all time for me) I admit their discography is hard to evaluate. Especially everything they did before Tommy because their early albums did not represent what the Who were for us fans. As such, I would put their Meaty, Beaty, Big And Bouncy collection to the fold because it has those beloved Who anthems that never appeared anywhere else. 1. Who's Next (Desert island...top 10 rock albums of all time...I can only agree!) 2. Quadrophenia 3. The Who By Numbers (sooo underrated, I can remember that many were disappointed when it was released in 75, but that album still is relevant in 2020 and that tells a lot) 4. Meaty, Beaty, Big And Bouncy 5. Tommy 6. Who Are You 7. It's Hard 8. The Who Sell Out 9. The Who (2019) 10. Face Dances 11. The Who Sings My Generation 12. A Quick One 13. Endless Wire And Live at Leeds is right between #2 and #3, it is one of the best live albums ever released. PS - I assume that the versions you have of the early Who releases are different from the original non-US releases and may contain more of the original singles that come from the time but were not on the LPs?
Hi Pete. Enjoy your channel. I was a young teenager during the Tommy-Quadrophenia era and for me Quadrophenia was the soundtrack of my young life at the time, and I am not even British.Tommy would be second for me. But "Who's Next," is Rock. When someone said that the Who were the first rock band. This is what they are talking about. Rock just to bash your skull in.Nice to see that "U.K. Live cd in the background. They took it to another level as well.
My favourite band of all time, they're all just such legends and they've so many amazing songs and albums. Live at Leeds and Who's Next are 100% desert discs.
Pretty close to my rankng. I have never been a fan of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones , but i love The Who. Keep up your good work..Informative and fun videoes. I would like to see a ranking of The Outlaws ,Saxon and Blackfoot albums. Budgie was great. My top two bands are Jethro Tull and Rush, and although we are more apart there , i see your points. Rock on from Norway
Oh yeah! The fabulous Who! Here’s one guy’s opinion. 1. Quadrophenia 2. Who’s Next 3. Tommy 4. Sell Out 5. Who are You 6. A Quick One 7. By Numbers 8. Face Dances 9. My Generation 10. It’s Hard
Never been a HUGE fan of The Who, but they do have a handful of albums which are fantastic and absolutely essential if you call yourself a rock fan.... Tommy, Quadraphenia, who’s next, live at Leeds, I own them and love them. 🍺🎶✌️
Yeah, live albums are very overlooked just look at the brilliance of Made in japan and no sleep till hammersmith, those albums are so good and some of the live songs are better than the studio recordings
@@XenoMorphGaming79 i was in the audience for No Sleep Til Hammersmith, at Newcastle City Hall . its NOT recorded at Hammersmiyh odeon . Its mostly Newcastle and some Leeds
I consider live albums when they are released chronologically in a bands lifetime to count in there rankings imho.and which were recorded at that present time,last tour etc like Made in Japan,All the Worlds a Stage,Live and Dangerous,Strangers in the Nighy and of course Leeds.Granted you do the live album rankings but I would make a special mention of Live at Leeds since it was a pivotal album in their career.Anyway I agree with your list. Cheers
I just wish i was born in the 70's because the old motorhead trio where one of the loudest bands ever and every time i listen to how heavy the live album is, i just wish i was born earlier just so i could witness the sheer power and heaviness of the band at the concert.
My parents saw Led Zeppelin open for The Who in '69, what a killer night that was!
And their hearing was never the same
Wow! Just wow!
That's a Holy Grail lineup!
Were you by any chance born 9 months later?
@@Nick-qf7vt 1973, lol!
Today is the 50th anniversary of the legendary Who gig in a town called Leeds. Happy anniversary Live At Leeds!!!
Such a powerful document of the Who at the top of their game
Leeds is a city, not a town, and a fine one as well.
They also shook up the town of Hull
I was there at leeds gig
Philip Eaton You are a very lucky man that must’ve been incredible
In my opinion, the greatest rock band of all time. Why? they did it all, masters of the 3 minute single, concept albums, rock anthems, and the rock lore. Most of all, they were unmatched live in concert. Each musician was a master at their craft. Even today, Pete remains as prolific as ever with WHO, the solid new album. Although Keith and John died before they got old, their place in this band and in rock history will forevor remain indelible.
They’re not the all time greatest, but they’re definitely up there amongst Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. Nobody touches the Beatles, but what I love about The Who is their music makes you feel so energetic. They also have probably more talent in one band than anyone else, apart from Led Zeppelin maybe. Pete Townshend’s lyrics are so dark and yet the melodies absolutely rock. You can tell they worked so hard on each individual song.
@@eliasswift2921 dilmour
AMEN
Not enough lead guitar solos
@@symbiosisai Some pretty good bass solos, or keyboard solos.
Who by numbers is an incredibly underrated record.
I agree...it's a great album
My top 4
1 Who's next (simply there all-time best )
2 Quadraphenia
3 Tommy
4 Who are you
#1 who's next is one of my favorite albums ever!!!
It's sure great, but for it to be that caliber of an album as an abandoned concept project really makes me wonder how amazing the full "lifehouse" concept would've been. Possibly the greatest rock album ever? Impossible to say, but I think yes.
Who’s Next probably is their best, easily my favorite
how could anyone ever top those albums?
I still have The Who’s next album sleeve hanging up In my garage amongst all my favorite albums. Killer album and to me easily their best!
@@austrianpainterinhiding88 There are websites that outline the composition of Lifehouse, There is a special box set out there (very expensive at $350). All the songs eventually made it out (maybe one or two as Townsend's singles - I am not sure). www.amazon.com/Lifehouse-Chronicles-6-CD-Boxset/dp/B004K4CSVG Probably could set up a playlist on your streaming service.
The best band of all time! Pete Townshend is one of the greatest musics minds EVER.
He sure is. Incidentally, I have his autograph on a Who's Next LP.
Guys a genius...musical genius
@@TheTVisionsYou have no idea what I would pay for that autographed Who’s Next LP. If it was Quadrophenia, I’d break the bank for it lol
I can’t get enough of Tommy. That final track brings me to tears. Townshend is truly a genius.
HE IS!
Love The Who. One of my top 5 bands ever. For my ranking I'd put in my order it'll be..
1. Quadrophenia
2. Who's Next
3. Tommy
4. The Who Sell Out
5. The Who By Numbers
6. My Generation
7. Who Are You
8. A Quick One
9. Who
10. Endless Wire
11. It's Hard
12. Face Dances
Pete, Sells Out was a couple years after My Generation, A Quick One was in-between. Also, several of the fun tracks you mentioned aren't from the actual album, they were re-release bonus tracks. Last, in the U.S. it was released as 'Happy Jack. Magic Bus was a half-assed 'best of' compilation.
Cool ranking video. Would enjoy a Kinks ranking. Here's my top 5.
1. Tommy. 2. Who's Next
3. Quadrophenia
4. A Quick One 5. WHO
largely agree with your comments. I think the biggest problem with Endless Wire was the state of Roger's voice. The new WHO album was better than I thought possible. They really sound like the Who again. I'm hoping for another late career surprise by The Kinks. Cheers.
Great list...now bring on the Kinks!
I wouldn't bet on Pete having all of The Kinks albums. There is quite a few!
The Kinks are the quintessential English band. The village green album is one of the bedt rock albums ever made.
1) Quadrophenia (my favorite album of all time); 2) Who's Next (might be my 2nd favorite album of all time); 3) The Who Sells Out; 4) Tommy; 5) The Who By Numbers; 6) My Generation; 7) Who Are You; 8) It's Hard; 9) Who; 10) A Quick One While He's Away; 11) Face Dances; 12) Endless Wire. Odds & Sods and Live At Leeds would probably be ranked above Tommy for me.
Right on. Only bought Who's Next LP 1981, Quad..... on CD back in 2008, and Who Are you CD in 2009.
I would put quadraphenia as #1, because it was Townshend’s crowning achievement. Not his most accessible, but it was his ultimate statement.
Can't argue , spent too much time listening to it. A masterpiece, right down to bellboy.
Their definitive masterpiece
Agreed
A lot of people don’t like “It’s Hard”, but I love that album. Even a Roger never liked the album, but I think it has some great songs including some great Entwistle songs like “Dangerous”.
Entwistle is the man! Always liked that song
Yep I like it more than most, some even dislike Athena. I remember when it was released I was 14 yo, I loved the track a lot.
Can’t beat Athena and Eminence Front.
Your not kidding that was the tour I saw and they were seasoned vets just killing it . In that stadium when Eminence front started every one was going , what is this, first time I ever heard it , great concert. 😀
Entwhisle was so awesome and he looked so cool doing it
Glad you mentioned Meaty Beaty and Odds and Sods, compilations but they work as essential albums for Who lovers.
Agreed, there's compilation albums are essential Odds & sods are hardly throw away songs, especially the bonus tracks on the CD!
Those were the albums I heard as a kid from my older brother, my introduction to the band 👍
just to split hairs, here: "Meaty Beaty" was a singles compilation, while "Odds and Sods" was an anthology of unreleased material.
"Trick of the Light" from Who Are You has always been a very underrated gem, in my opinion.
John Entwistle songwriting is the band's secret weapon!
Best song on that album and that's saying something
John's scarce songs throughout their albums are all incredible. It's a shame they don't play any after he died. They used to open with Heaven and Hell before I Can't explain... and now they seem to have forgotten all his songs...
Did I take you to the point of ecstasy??
Also Guitar and Pen
While no one could replace Keith Moon, Kenny Jones is a solid drummer. The Faces with him, Ron Wood, Ronnie Lane, Rod Stewart and Ian McLagan were a fantastic band.
Daltrey put it right: Kenny is a very good drummer, but he was a wrong drummer for The Who just as Moon would have been a shitty drummer for The Faces.. I think that's quite exact. In fact, Moon would have been a wrong drummer for any band in the world except The Who.
Bargain is extremely underrated as a tune on their best album, Who's Next. If you haven't tried it, listen to Bargain on headphones. It is mindblowing...
Shane Egan the drumming is amazing in Bargain
Isn't a bad song on who's next.
Indeed
When I have to clean up my office , and all that paperwork has piled up and books are scattered, only Bargain will get me going. Then the rest of the album gets me through it. Now that’s power !!!
shizuokaBLUES the best I ever had....
Roger Daltrey is one of the best singers of ever, and Pete Townshend one of the best guitar players too. My top three albums are: Tommy (masterpiece), Quadrophenia (epic), and Who's Next (killer).
Keith one of the best drummers. Top 3 easily
Greeting s from Arkansas Tho Who Colour by Numbers
You might have mentioned the two albums, "Who's Missing" and "Two's Missing". Compilations that are a must for the serious Who fan. You won't be disappointed!
Naked Eye off Odds and Sods is a masterpiece.
Indeed and better version than Who next..also Pure and easy much more prolific on Odds
@@tommypwood672 yeah I agree on both statements. Naked eye on who's next lacks the power the odds and sods version, and the dynamics on the isle of Wight performance are breathtaking.. those 3 chords he plays after the initial solo are sublime.
I kind of wish it had made it to one of The Who best ofs meant for casual fans and the general public so they could hear it too.
@@ChromeDestiny oh easily. One of their more powerful songs in terms of lyrics and music.
I love odds and sods. Some great tunes on that.
Over the years, I could never decide which Who album is my favourite: “Who’s Next” or “Sell Out”. So, for me, it’s a tie, because they are indispensable and I love them both.
I feel exactly the same way.
Can't decide between those two. Sometimes Quadrophenia is almost right there with them.
I'm very partial to Sell Out, which is their psychedelic offering and easily among the best rock albums of the 1960s.
The intro to Baba is the greatest opener ever.
The drumming on Who's Next is a huge part of this album, like few others. Keith Moon rocked it perfectly on this album. Good show Pete.
great list. the subscribers are piling up, Pete! almost 23K. my personal fave is "Who Sell Out". a special album... charming, sometimes psychedelic. love the commercials. and it has The Who's most "naive and charming" songs... "Tattoo" is an all time fave for me.
"Eminence Front" is Townsend at his absolute peak. " lt's Hard" Never gets enough Love,an lncredible Album.
Thank You ❤
It's Your turn...brilliant song writing
Eminence Front is not Townshend at his peak dude. Just sayin :)
@@harryirene1 l hear ya Harry and respect your opinion,l just think when he gets to play that tune,singing it and also the gorgeous solo he does,he's all over that Song,it's all him and he seems to always enjoy playing that tune live,It's obviously not as "Classic" as 60/70s Who but it's a kickin tune :)
I don't even rank it as the best song on what is a weak album, but people hear things differently :)
@@harryirene1 You are right,it's not the strongest of their albums but l do love that Song,l have my Fingers crossed he may play it in March when l go see em in Dublin. (for the fifth time,here's hoping)
The Who by numbers is so damn underrated.
One of the things we realize as we get older is the albums we used to have and enjoyed so much, but we no longer have them. Breakups and old roommates are sometimes the culprits. My ex-wife brought many of The Who albums to our life and they left with her. I still have some, but a couple I now miss again because of you bringing them up again. Curses.
why not simply buy the albums you dont have but want to hear?
@@wylier I do that, little by little, but sometimes I forget how much I miss an album until someone brings it up. Plus, I am not about to pay fifty dollars for an album.
9:32 sparks an interesting debate: Who had the three best consecutive albums?
The Who: Tommy-Who's Next-Quadrophenia
Beatles: Rubber Soul-Revolver-Sgt. Pepper
Stones: Let it Bleed-Sticky Fingers-Exile
As a massive Who fan, I'd still give it to the beatles, but you could make an argument for any.
I don't know if it's on a live or comp album anywhere, but the live version of "A Quick One" on the Rolling Stones' Rock N Roll Circus is the best version I've heard.
It is on the DVD of that show - it wasn't released until many years after the broadcast, as well as in "The Kids Are Alright" documentary movie. An equally good live version is also on the Live at Leeds CD (expanded version).
Good review. It is ironic that for their duration, the Who had very few studio albums. In my mind, the Who I knew ended in 1982 with the release of the lackluster "It's Hard Album" (which they had to do as they would have had to return a big advance to the record company if they didn't) I say the Who I knew because it was the post Keith Moon continuation of the Band that had started in the 60s. Maybe, in retrospect, they just should have called it a day after Moon the Loon died (like Led Zeppelin did after John Bonham's death). To be fair to Kenny Jones, he is good drummer, but is more regimented and stricter in style like Charlie Watts of the Stones. Moon was a mad man on the drums (Overture, Wont Get Fooled Again, Bargain, Dr. Jimmy, The Real Me, Love Reign O'er Me, The Rock) and also a mad man in personality (destroying hotel rooms, driving his car into swimming pools) and was essentially, irreplaceable. Kenny Jones was a good drummer but was no where near as good as Moon.
As for the rankings, along my line of reasoning I don't even know (or count) the "Endless Wire" and "Who" DVD because in my mind, with their release years after their ending in 1982 I felt that the Who were no longer relevant. I cant even list a song off of them. As for your top three, remember that "Who's Next" was supposed to be another "concept album" like Tommy, with the "Life House" album concept about (from what I remember reading") some guy who had this special suit designed wherein he could change reality. Pete couldn't sell the other band mates on the idea (don't blame them) and we got "Who's Next" instead. I agree with you-their best non-concept studio album.
With regards "Tommy" and "Quadrophenia" I prefer the latter. My mom bought me "Tommy" for Christmas when I was a freshman in high school. She said it was an important album and that I should have it. I concur with you that with the exception of "Pinball Wizard", this album is meant to be listened to in its entirety (somewhat like Jethro Tull's "Thick as A Brick") and not just by individual track. "Tommy" is also important because with the exception of some singles, the Who really did not have any stand out album that distinguished themselves. Note that by the time "Tommy" came out, their contemporaries (Stones and Beatles) had already put out a number of successful albums- Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Peppers The White Album, Abby Road, Aftermath, Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed). So Tommy as a "rock opera" really put them on the map. I do find some of the subject matter of "Tommy" quite disturbing "Cousin Kevin" and "Fiddle About" particularly so. I sometimes wonder if it was ideas like this that led to Pete's legal troubles in 2003 with the "Operation Ore" investigation that he was involved in.
that being said, I like Quadrophenia better. I always had a soft spot for this album. When it was released, I only knew it was a Who Album from Chad (the Mod kid on the cover), who was wearing an army jacket that said "WHO" on the back (the title of the album was down the spine, not the cover. I was in the TSS ( a chain of stores in New York) when I first heard "Love Reign O'er Me" and thought it was a great song (but I was still a die hard Rolling Stones fan at the time) It was only in 1981 that I saved up some paper route money that I bought Quadrophenia. I am glad I did. I could really relate to that album. Although America did not have "Mods" and :Rockers", the theme that this Album represented Anxiety, Loneliness, isolation, conforming to peer pressure, the desire to fit in with the in crowd (like Rush's "Subdivsions") really struck home with me because those were real feelings I was going through at the time while a junior in high school. From what I remember reading" Quadrophenia" was difficult to play on tour due to all of the synthesizer use (and it also took a long time to make), I also think Roger and Pete got into a fist fight while making this album and Roger knocked Pete out !!! (which shows you the problems that were going on with them while recording this album. Quadrophenia was also not as well received in the states upon release ( I think maybe because America did not have a Mod/Rockers subculture, and also that the audience did not have the patience to listen to another sprawling double album concept album). Still Quadrophenia is my favorite of the your top three.
I also have a soft spot for "Who By Numbers" but as you said, Pete was running out of ideas and I think after this release the Who had went on to a three year hiatus. "Slip Kid" (especially the guitar solo at the end) Is a great song. I remember also hearing this when I as a die hard Stone's fan and remember thinking how much it killed me that the Who had done Slip Kid and not the Stones. I also agree with you about "Who Are You"- the last good album from the original line up recorded before Keith Moon's death in 1978. This was a comeback album for them (similar to the Stone's "Some Girls", also released in 1978 and considered to be a Stones rebound after the misses of the "Goat's Head Soup" and "Black And Blue" albums.
There is a great book you should read (if you haven't already done so) titled "The Who-Maximum R&B" that I think you would find very informative.
Great review again. Thank you for your efforts.
Not a whole lot I can add to what you wrote, Michael, other than these points:
Give "WHO" at least a few spins before dismissing it as not really authentically The Who, I wasn't expecting much after the disappointment I felt with their previous release "Endless Wire", but this new album really harkens back to a much earlier/more vital time in their history. And I've been a fan since the days when "The Who Sell Out" was their latest release.
I fully identify with everything you said regarding "Quadrophenia", but in my case, it spoke directly to me as it came out when I was away to college for my first time as a freshman and was feeling all those same exact emotions plus having my first real longer-term relationship with a girlfriend. To this day, Quadrophenia remains easily my favorite album of all time, and The Who my favorite band (I've seen them live 11 times!).
LONG LIVE THE WHO!!!
I'm 68. I saw The Who in NYC at Fillmore East on May 18, 1969 two days after the release of Tommy. It was unbelievable. I related to Tommy in a very deep way; let's just say there was some very serious family disfunction in our home and the lines: "you didn't see it, you didn't hear it, you won't say nothing to no one ever in your life, how absurd it all seems without any proof." And then it did come out and the poop hit the fan. 1969 was a year where I was free to go and do pretty much what I wanted to do because my parents had been busted so to speak and they were so busy trying to sort out their problems they really didn't care what I was doing. That mostly consisted of seeing as many live bands of the time as I could at all the surrounding venues including but not limited to The Fillmore East. I missed seeing The Band of Gypsy's show by two days - I was out of town. Just so your viewers know, there is a band from New Jersey named The Smithereens. Most of their albums are covers of Beatles tunes, B-sides and the like. But they have a one LP disc of their version of Tommy. For those that find listening to Tommy in it's entirety a chore, give this LP by The Smithereens a try. It may be hard to find because it was a "Record Day" release but it really is quite good and they have distilled Tommy down to it's essence. By the way, I saw The Who a total of 7 times. And Pete never smashed his guitar for all those "haters" that think that was all they were about.
These ranking videos are costing me a lot of money grabbing the records I missed. Keep them coming!!
I know it is blasphemy, but I gave all my Who albums (along with my entire LP collection) to my brother and my nephew after our dad died. I had gotten my dad's albums earlier when he converted to CDs, and my brother had asked about them. I still have the CDs though.
Great list, I think Who By Numbers is a quite a bit better than ranked but fun video, thanks, Pete! Also, Face Dances has got some real gems too!
Totally agree with your top 3. Who's Next is one of the best albums of all time IMO. Tommy is a masterpiece.
my favorite who songs is
join together
When u hear this song loud u will know why
My dad loves Join Together
You know, ranking the Live Albums of The Who would be quite interesting.
Hard to argue with that list. I hope we get a Kinks ranking at some point, but they have a lot of albums. Haha
Go for it P.P!
that would be awesome. Kinks are one of my favorite bands. Would like to hear what Pete would say about Village Green Preservation Society.
@@QueenFan12 My favourite is "Arthur", closely followed by "Village Green".
You can certainly argue one song being "better" than another, but every song on "Face Dances" is solid. Still a great Who album imo
Oh Kinks is definitely what I want. It will take two videos to do it right lol
For some reason I didn’t find this on the playlist. One of my favorite bands of all time. My ranking;
12) Face Dances
11) Who are you
10) Endless Wire
9) It’s hard
8) Who
7) A quick one
6) My Generation
5) The Who sell out
4) Who’s next
3) The Who by numbers
2) Tommy
1) Quadrophenia
“You better, you bet” is my #1 Who song. Great intro, amazing harmonies, interesting tempo changes and chord progression, cool outro key change, and great Daltrey vocal performance!
1. Who's Next
2. Quadrophenia
3. Tommy
4. Who Are You
5. The Who By Numbers
I like the rest but honestly don't know how I'd order them.
One of my favorite bands, used to listen to their records over and over back in the early 70's when I just discovering Rock N Roll!!
My top 3 are exactly the same as yours, all of them are stunning Rock N Roll Albums!!
I agree Tommy is one of the best concept albums ever written, to me this is their best album. Who's Next is also awesome, a classic album full of hits. A legendary group no doubt.
This is the one ranking video I've been waiting for the most, since The 'Oo are my second favourite band of all time (after those Liverpudlians). I kinda feel they are a bit underappreciated these days, don't know why. Their importance cannot be understated and their run of albums from 1967-73 hasn't been topped since.
“Who Sell Out “ is the one I listen to the most.
Ik its awesome
Tommy has to be taken as one solid work because despite having separate tracks its as if you're watching a r. And of course its great along it with S. F. Sorrow by The Pretty Things.
Thank you for ranking The Who CD'S!🎤🎸🎵🥁
Don't feel I know enough to rank all the albums of The Who, but Who's Next is a clear favorite for me.
Been a big fan of The Who By Numbers for decades but I can understand anyone else not feeling that way.
That fine collaboration of Lane/Townshend tops anything The Who did afterward. Pretty much most of Townshend's works, too.
I've owned and loved The Who By Numbers since '76. It's melodic and introspective, and never gets old, unlike their other albums.
Nicky Hopkins makes some glorious contributions here, too.
Great list, Pete. I absolutely agree with Endless Wire. Still can't get into it. My only disagreement with you is Face Dances. I love that record! One of my desert island discs, for sure. Thanks for the vids, Pete!
I appreciate that you do just the studio albums in your rankings as they are the true measure of a band through it's time.
I place "Who's Next" as being one of the top 5 Rock albums of all time:
#1. The Chicago Transit Authority
#2. Physical Graffiti
#3. Revolver (British release)
#4. Who's Next
#5. Pet Sounds
I would say that these top 5 are basically tied, but here is my order of them if someone were to force me to rank them....
Jimmy Plato agree and appreciate your opening statement if not the subsequent list.
Keith moon's drumming on who's next and quadrophenia is simply indescribable , it's so good. Thanks for reminding me think I'll listen to Quadrophenia 👍
Yes Yes Yes right on the money.
@@luisvaldes1568 yep I saw them in 83 Kenny was good but Keith may be the best rock drummer of all time 🤩
Live at Leeds is the greatest live album ever.
I love the who sell out. Its great.
I love all of The Who records, but Sell Out is my favourite. Brilliant for it’s time
The Who is my all time favorite band and Quadrophenia is my all time favorite album
"Who's Next" may be THE greatest rock album ever, imo. Great job Pete, this was a fun listen....Be Well!! 👍🏾👍🏻🕊️🎸🎸🥁🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
Thanks Pete. I'm glad you got to my favorite band. While I might quibble over a couple things (eg, Quadrophenia is my fave), I think you assessed their catalogue well. I might move Who Are You up a slot and rearrange your top 3. Of course, if we bring in Leeds, then all bets are off. To me The Who were about corralling 3 lead instruments which Roger finally did with the greatest power rock vocals, while Pete let Keith and John play lead throughout. While the Stones and other top tier bands have been similar to others, no one was quite like The Who. Unique, powerful, innovative, and unapologetic. Thank you Pete and Roger for 50+ years of the most explosive and innovative music out there.
I consider " Face Dances " to be under - rated. Excellent songwriting on it. Different approach from what was unexpected - dealing with middle - age. And Entwhistle songs steal the show!
Agreed ; I have always rated 'Face Dances' highly !
Love The Quiet One, from the ox!
Love "Another Tricky Day"
I recently listened again to Face Dances after a very long time, and it's definitely way better than I remember.
I agree, it just further proves that 1981 was an incredible year in music. You Better You Bet still has that haunting quality to me, I've loved that damn song from day 1.
Saw them at a Festival at Charlton, in the 70’s they were stupendous. Definitely in still in my top 3 best concerts I have ever seen him my life, and I have seen plenty. Album wise apart from Who’s Next, never really been sold on any of them.
Hey Pete,
Agree with you on Tommy vs Quadrophenia. I go back and forth on these two all the time. Right now I hold Q above T. That damn banjo on I’ve Had Enough is giving it the edge tonight That and Daltrey’s vocals.
I have a soft spot for Face Dances due to it being the first Who album I bought when it came out in 1981. I always liked it and still do, although, suffice to say, it's not of the standard of Quadrophenia or Who's Next .
Some of The Who members solo stuff is well worth checking out. Townshend's solo album Empty Glass and John Entwistle's 'Smash Your Head Against The Wall' and 'Whistle Rymes' are impressive.
I have that same T-shirt you're wearing. You should have stood up and shown everyone Moon going loon at the bottom.
I love "…Sell Out". It's my favorite of the pre-Tommy albums. It was pretty much their first concept album.
i LOVE "You" off Face Dances #GUILTY
Same here, I'd love to hear an extended mix to be able to hear more of the guitar at the end.
Face Dances has two of their greatest ever songs imho - YBYB and especially Another Tricky Day.
Great album IMO and 'The Quite One' really rocks big-time ; I love the attitude, drive and energy and Townsend's committed guitar work on that song
ALRIGHT... just finished listening to Quadraphinia in its ENTIRETY on K-SHE95 the seventh day show where they play albums from 6 to midnight every Sunday night!! Let's GO!
Fav band ever. Who s next,quadrophenia,my generation,Tommy,live at leeds...such masterpieces!
Legendary status amoungst rock bands,but a very sporadic catalog. Pete Townsend: Genius songwriter. Roger Daltry:Powerful frontman with pipes in the late sixties to late seventies. A great rhythum section with "WildMan" Moon & Enwhistle. Who's Next,in my opinion;an almost perfect album!!! Much Respect🙏.
First exposure to The Who was the Ken Russell film which I saw in junior high. For some reason I never focused onto Quadrophenia until college (back then without a decent radio station and limited money, album exposure came from friends). Heard Quadrophenia played through while eating pizza with my best friend. Saw the movie later that semester. It has been my favorite since then.
Who's Next, hands down. Actually one of my all time favorite albums. Honorable mention, Who Are you
My top three:
1) Who’s next ( In my opinion one of the best albums ever recorded by anybody)
2) Quadrophenia
3) Tommy
Honestly, my ranking would be
12. Endless Wire (it's just boring)
11. It's Hard (Eminence Front boosts this one)
10. WHO (great for dudes in their 70s)
9. Face Dances (not as bad as some people say)
8. A Quick One (has so much charm to it, a 10/10)
7. Who Are You (really grew on me, I love it)
6. My Generation (one of the best debuts ever)
5. The Who by Numbers (incredibly underrated)
4. Tommy (my top 4 are all in my top 20 of all time)
3. Who's Next (every song is awesome)
2. Quadrophenia (my favorite rock opera of all time)
1. Sell Out (masterpiece)
My favorite band of all time
Have to agree once again! They are definitely in my top ten favorite bands ever! I got to see them one time! It was 1983 on their Schlitz malt liquor tour! I was only17 but had a blast! It was at a Rock super bowl in Orlando, Florida.
yes please do a live show on this band thanks
Thanks Pete, a great list of a classic band.My favs are
1 - Who's next
2 - Quadrophenia
3 - Tommy
4- Who sell out
5 - Who are you
6 - A Quick one
7 - Who by numbers
The first three are absolute classic albums and have remained so for decades. Thanks Pete you continue to deliver the goods.Would like to see a rankings list for
Rory Gallagher
Robin Trower
Steve Hillage
Captain Beefheart
Cheers side until the next ones.
Who are you
I can't give too much of an argument with #1and #2, though I do believe that if Tommy was recorded as well as "Who's Next" it would inarguably be first.
Who's gonna watch this gem during his afternoon practice session... #THISguy
Jeff are you still on a Kansas "high" from that amazing Beacon concert?
I also discovered The Who after seeing The Kids Are Alright and got the soundtrack. I had to have all of it and all these years later I can still enjoy them as much as I did discovering them. It does me good to see others went down the same path! I wouldn't be surprised if that movie was the gateway for a lot of great late 60's early 70's music for those of us in the middle of the punk era.
Dude, I'm going to say it. I thought I was a rock fan. A huge Rock fan you put me to shame. You've gone to places. I never even thought of going maybe even heard of. Budgie I couldn't even sit through half the stuff. Hats off to you, bro.
Thank you for the interesting Who album reviews, Pete.
One of the best live shows I've ever seen was The Who at Shea Stadium in October, 1982. David Johansen and The Clash warmed up The Who, and it was an incredible show. The three greatest shows at Shea were The Beatles, Grand Funk Railroad ('71 - broke Beatles Shea ticket sales record), and The Who/The Clash. I was on the field witnessing the crowd surges towards the fencing by the stage. Wild...
The live DVD was Pro Shot style, and worth a view and listen.
For my list, I have Face Dances, The Who by Numbers, Who Are You, A Quick One, The Who Sell Out, The Who Sings my Generation, Tommy, Who's Next, and Quadrophenia the tops.
I was at that show too!
@@seaoftranquilityprog Cool! Did you go to the Tues (12th) or Weds (13th) show? I think the DVD is from the first night.
I grew up in Westchester Cty. You mention Hudson Valley. Where did you grow up?
@@geol1936 Just checked my ticket stub. I was at the Tuesday show. I grew up in Goshen in Orange County. Born in Brooklyn.
@@seaoftranquilityprog I was at the Tuesday show as well. My group of 8 were just to the right of the light towers on the field.
Goshen is just below the Catskills, right?
@@seaoftranquilityprog The DVD of the show is a must have for anyone who was there. Have you seen it yet? I just bought it last year.
I think Pete referred to it as the Lifehouse project-not lighthouse. I saw them in Cincinnati when all the kids-most my age (16 at the time) died, and then I took my 11 year old to see them on their Quadrophenia at 50 tour which, albeit only half of the band was left, but with Starkey on drums, Paladino on bass, and Pete’s brother on guitar-was still a hell of a show. I’m glad my 11 year old son got to see Roger and Pete and a classic album played start to finish. (Without the tragedy)
My top 3 for The Who's studio albums (no leeds)
1. The Who Sell Out
2. A Quick One
3. My Generation
Assuming Leeds really is #1, spot on.
Great records and I think many would agree Pete’s better lyrics came later
@@shanewright2772 Leeds is always number 1 in my Who book.
That's my top 3 too
It was the Lifehouse project, not lighthouse. Also, Sell Out came out just before TOMMY; A Quick One was album number 2. Quadrophenia is the desert island disc, deluxe Who's Next is probably second and Tommy third. By Numbers and My Generation round out the top five with Who Are You coming in at 6, Quick One and Sell Out flip 7 & 8 depending on the day. The rest I'm fairly undecided but I would also put It's Hard over Face Dances.
Nice run for a list. My running order:
1 Tommy
2 Who's Next
3 Quadrophenia
4 A Quick One
5 The Who Sell Out
6 My Generation
7 Who Are You?
8 WHO
9 Face Dances
10 Endless Wire
11 It's Hard
12 Who by Numbers
Was familiar with all the better known stuff on Tommy but hadn’t heard the whole album from beginning to end, until 6 months ago.
So wonderful. I love Overture. The sound of a great band giving it everything.
My fave is Tommy, one of the Best albums of all time. Followed by Who's Next, Face Dances, My Generation and Who Are You.
Tommy is their masterpiece....
I just saw The Who live last September and they're still kicking ass!
Well...what’s left of them.
There should have been an album (in circa '72) Pure and Easy, Too much of anything, Postcard, Put the money down, Naked Eye, Heaven and Hell, Join Together , Lets see action, Relay, I dont know myself, Water, The Seeker.
Most of those songs are on the following albums: " Odds And Sods " and " Who's Missing? ".
@@davidgreenberg5517 Neither of those albums are considered true albums, and Whos missing was years after the fact.. Few if any bands had that amount of quality material available. That "missing " album would have sat between "Next" and "Quad" to produce a stunning run from 69 -73.
How about "Melancholia" from 1968? How that didn't end up on an album is beyond me, a fantastic song.
After much deliberation My Top 5 The Who albums are:
1. Who's Next
2. Quadrophenia
3. Tommy
4. Who by Numbers
5. Who are you
Hats off to any band that can produce quality material over 6 decades 😀
This is my list as well
My list is pretty much the same except I would put ‘Quadrophenia’ slightly over ‘Tommy.’
Interesting tidbit about ‘Who Are You’ album. Moon was on a downward spiral with drugs at that time so he tuned all of his drums to the same tension so they sounded the same. This was intentional so it would hide his mistakes on drum solo’s and keeping a consistent beat. He’s still great on the album but his sound doesn’t have the same diversity as other albums.
Also, I remember reading that the band hated playing ‘Quadrophenia’ in concert cause it was so hard. They would get frustrated and it shows how ambitious that album was.
Most underrated Who song is ‘Join Together’ simply because it was never released on a major album.
It was never on a traditional studio LP, but it was on the Hooligans compilation LP.
I know it doesn't qualify but "The Who Live at Leeds Deluxe Edition' is my favorite Who album...
Before starting to watch I rank my top 3 the following:
1. Quadrophenia
2. Sell out
3. By Numbers
As one who grew up with bands like the Who (one of the top 10 rock bands of all time for me) I admit their discography is hard to evaluate. Especially everything they did before Tommy because their early albums did not represent what the Who were for us fans. As such, I would put their Meaty, Beaty, Big And Bouncy collection to the fold because it has those beloved Who anthems that never appeared anywhere else.
1. Who's Next (Desert island...top 10 rock albums of all time...I can only agree!)
2. Quadrophenia
3. The Who By Numbers (sooo underrated, I can remember that many were disappointed when it was released in 75, but that album still is relevant in 2020 and that tells a lot)
4. Meaty, Beaty, Big And Bouncy
5. Tommy
6. Who Are You
7. It's Hard
8. The Who Sell Out
9. The Who (2019)
10. Face Dances
11. The Who Sings My Generation
12. A Quick One
13. Endless Wire
And Live at Leeds is right between #2 and #3, it is one of the best live albums ever released.
PS - I assume that the versions you have of the early Who releases are different from the original non-US releases and may contain more of the original singles that come from the time but were not on the LPs?
Hi Pete. Enjoy your channel. I was a young teenager during the Tommy-Quadrophenia era and for me Quadrophenia was the soundtrack of my young life at the time, and I am not even British.Tommy would be second for me. But "Who's Next," is Rock. When someone said that the Who were the first rock band. This is what they are talking about. Rock just to bash your skull in.Nice to see that "U.K. Live cd in the background. They took it to another level as well.
My favourite band of all time, they're all just such legends and they've so many amazing songs and albums. Live at Leeds and Who's Next are 100% desert discs.
Pretty close to my rankng. I have never been a fan of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones , but i love The Who. Keep up your good work..Informative and fun videoes. I would like to see a ranking of The Outlaws ,Saxon and Blackfoot albums. Budgie was great. My top two bands are Jethro Tull and Rush, and although we are more apart there , i see your points. Rock on from Norway
Oh yeah! The fabulous Who! Here’s one guy’s opinion.
1. Quadrophenia
2. Who’s Next
3. Tommy
4. Sell Out
5. Who are You
6. A Quick One
7. By Numbers
8. Face Dances
9. My Generation
10. It’s Hard
Never been a HUGE fan of The Who, but they do have a handful of albums which are fantastic and absolutely essential if you call yourself a rock fan.... Tommy, Quadraphenia, who’s next, live at Leeds, I own them and love them.
🍺🎶✌️
I know you don’t include live albums but Live At Leeds is one of their best.
Yeah, live albums are very overlooked just look at the brilliance of Made in japan and no sleep till hammersmith, those albums are so good and some of the live songs are better than the studio recordings
Leeds, Hull, Woodstock, and Isle of Wight are big favorites of mine.
@@XenoMorphGaming79 i was in the audience for No Sleep Til Hammersmith, at Newcastle City Hall . its NOT recorded at Hammersmiyh odeon . Its mostly Newcastle and some Leeds
I consider live albums when they are released chronologically in a bands lifetime to count in there rankings imho.and which were recorded at that present time,last tour etc like Made in Japan,All the Worlds a Stage,Live and Dangerous,Strangers in the Nighy and of course Leeds.Granted you do the live album rankings but I would make a special mention of Live at Leeds since it was a pivotal album in their career.Anyway I agree with your list. Cheers
I just wish i was born in the 70's because the old motorhead trio where one of the loudest bands ever and every time i listen to how heavy the live album is, i just wish i was born earlier just so i could witness the sheer power and heaviness of the band at the concert.