who's next

The Who cobbled together their greatest album from the pieces of an abandoned science fiction rock opera, rising like a monolith from the slagheap. Pete Townshend had conceived the 'Lifehouse' project as a computerized collaboration between the band and a live audience that would result in a vibration so pure that it would result in a permanent state of ecstasy, a "celestial cacophony". He was inspired by the ideas of Inayat Khan and Meher Baba. They recorded in the studio and in concert; but the concept was too complex, and Townshend suffered a nervous breakdown trying to explain it to his bandmates, leading to a falling out with their producer Kit Lambert. They decided to re-record the material with a new producer Glyn Johns. The dynamic sound of 'Who's Next' owes equal parts to the improved recording techniques and a band let loose in the studio with aching ballads and crunching rockers to prove the concept doesn't matter at all. Townshend used synthesizers to create a droning effect that speaks to a sense of futuristic alienation that echoes in some of his most honest lyrical reflections of rage, regret, love, and laughter. 'Who's Next' was their biggest success, going triple platinum and making the top five on album charts around the world, topping the chart in the UK. It was the only time the band reached number one on any chart.







http://www.thewho.com/

Townshend used the marimba repeat feature on Lowrey organ to get the distinctive sound that starts 'Baba O'Riley'. It was Keith Moon's idea to add the violin solo, played by Dave Arbus, which is equal parts Irish folk and Indian classical music.

"Don't cry

Don't raise your eye

It's only teenage wasteland"

'Bargain' is more about spiritual enlightenment than romance or any financial transaction.

"I'd gladly lose me to find you

I'd gladly give up all I had

To find you I'd suffer anything and be glad

I'd pay any price just to get you

I'd work all my life and I will

To win you I'd stand naked, stoned and stabbed"

The resignation of the ballad 'The Song Is Over' was originally intended as the closing song for 'Lifehouse' after the police shut down the concert. Townshend and Daltrey share lead vocals and Nicky Hopkins plays piano.

"When I walked in through the door

Thought it was me I was looking for

She was the first song I ever sang

But it stopped as soon as it began"

In the futuristic 'Lifehouse' world, pollution is a huge problem and driving is banned. 'Going Mobile' describes a rebellious escape.

"I don't care about pollution

I'm an air-conditioned gypsy

That's my solution

Watch the police and the tax man miss me

I'm mobile"

In the dystopian 'Lifehouse' world, 'Behind Blue Eyes' comes from the perspective of Jumbo, the man who controls the matrix-like Grid. The song plays out like a prayer for help with the angst and inner turmoil over living a life of secrets and lies.

"When my fist clenches, crack it open

Before I use it and lose my cool

When I smile, tell me some bad news

Before I laugh and act like a fool

And if I swallow anything evil

Put your finger down my throat

And if I shiver, please give me a blanket

Keep me warm; let me wear your coat "

The anthemic album-closer 'Won't Get Fooled Again' revisits the drone effect that starts 'Baba O'Riley', channeling the output of the Lowrey organ into a synthesizer and modulating the tone back and forth from mellow to bright. It speaks to how regime change often leads to no change at all with it's climactic realization: "Meet the new boss; same as the old boss." Townshend says, "It is not precisely a song that decries revolution – it suggests that we will indeed fight in the streets – but that revolution, like all action, can have results we cannot predict. Don't expect to see what you expect to see. Expect nothing and you might gain everything. The song was meant to let politicians and revolutionaries alike know that what lay in the centre of my life was not for sale, and could not be co-opted into any obvious cause."

"I'll tip my hat to the new constitution

Take a bow for the new revolution

Smile and grin at the change all around

Pick up my guitar and play

Just like yesterday

Then I'll get on my knees and pray"

'Who's Next'
full album:




All songs written and composed by Pete Townshend, except "My Wife" by John Entwistle.  Lead vocals listed.  

Side one
1. "Baba O'Riley"   Roger Daltrey (verses), Townshend (bridge) 5:08
2. "Bargain"   Daltrey (verses), Townshend (bridge) 5:34
3. "Love Ain't for Keeping"   Daltrey 2:10
4. "My Wife"   Entwistle 3:41
5. "The Song Is Over"   Townshend (verses), Daltrey (chorus) 6:14
Side two
6. "Getting in Tune"   Daltrey 4:50
7. "Going Mobile"   Townshend 3:42
8. "Behind Blue Eyes"   Daltrey 3:42
9. "Won't Get Fooled Again"   Daltrey 8:32

bonus tracks
10. "Pure and Easy" (Original Version) 4:22
11. "Baby Don't You Do It" (Holland-Dozier-Holland) 5:15
12. "Naked Eye" (Live at the Young Vic 26/4/71) 5:31
13. "Water" (Live at the Young Vic 26/4/71) 6:26
14. "Too Much of Anything" (Original Version) 4:25
15. "I Don't Even Know Myself"   4:56
16. "Behind Blue Eyes" (Original Version)  3:25

'Lifehouse' 
full album:



All tracks composed by Pete Townshend unless otherwise noted.

00:00:00 "Pure and Easy"
00:04:22 "Baby Don't You Do It" (Holland—Dozier—Holland)

Live at the Young Vic 26/4/71:
00:09:36 "Naked Eye "
00:15:07 "Water"
00:21:33 "Bony Moronie" (Larry Williams)

00:24:56 "Too Much of Anything"
00:29:21 "Time Is Passing"
00:32:51 "I Don't Even Know Myself"
00:37:47 Studio Dialogue
00:38:34 "Behind Blue Eyes"

New York Record Plant session:
00:42:00 "Baby Don't You Do It" (Holland—Dozier—Holland)
00:50:22 "Getting In Tune"
00:56:57 "Pure and Easy"
01:01:31 "Love Ain't For Keeping" (Electric Version, Townshend on lead vocals)
01:05:34 "Behind Blue Eyes"
01:09:02 "Won't Get Fooled Again"

01:17:50 "Water"
01:22:30 "I Don't Even Know Myself" (Cancelled EP Version)
01:26:38 "Pure and Easy"