The Who By Numbers The Who

• 1Slip Kid04:38
• 2However Much I Booze05:05
• 3Squeeze Box02:41
• 4Dreaming From The Waist04:09
• 5Imagine A Man04:05
• 6Success Story03:23
• 7They Are All In Love03:03
• 8Blue Red And Grey02:49
• 9How Many Friends04:06
• 10In A Hand Or A Face03:23
• 11Squeeze Box03:19
• 12Behind Blue Eyes04:41
• 13Dreaming From The Waist04:50
• Total Runtime50:12

Info for The Who By Numbers

Arguably the most underrated of the Who's albums, „The Who By Numbers“ represents a return to a more straight-ahead rock & roll sound after the extensive orchestration of „Quadrophenia“. It includes a pair of certified classics in 'Slip Kid' and 'Squeeze Box,' as well as two of Townshend's prettiest ballads, 'Imagine a Man' and 'Blue Red and Grey.'

Released at a time when the man who wrote 'I hope I die before I get old' was turning 30, many of the songs on „The Who By Numbers“ seem to be Townshend's way of dealing with the hardships of life as a hard-living, quickly aging rock star. Melancholy, world-weary and nostalgic, „The Who By Numbers“ is a far cry from the youthful playfulness of early albums like „The Who Sell Out“.

The album was evidently the product of four exhausted musicians, as the next Who album did not appear until three years later. Although not as bombastically exciting as „Who‘s Next“ or „Live At Leeds“, „The Who By Numbers“ does include standout ensemble work from everyone involved (especially bassist John Entwistle) and serves as a fascinating mid-'70s snapshot of rock gods turning pensive at the height of their fame.

''The Who by Numbers' reflected Townshend's mid-life crisis - so charged were the individual personalities of the band's members that their collisions had always been fertile; but strain had begun showing, and Townshend, too felt threa- tened by the idea that the Who was becoming a dinosaur. The man who had, in 'My Generation', written, 'Hope I die before I get old', was now confronted with aging - and he panicked. 'However Much I Booze' and 'Blue Red and Grey' attested with pathos to Pete's struggle.' (Rolling Stone)

Roger Daltrey, lead vocals, percussion
Pete Townshend, vocals, guitars, keyboards, ukulele, accordion, banjo, percussion, backing vocals
John Entwistle, bass, brass, backing vocals
Keith Moon, drums, percussion
Additional musicians:
Nicky Hopkins, piano

Recorded from April to 12 June 1975, Shepperton Studios' soundstage using Ronnie Lane's Mobile Studio
Engineered by Glyn Johns, Jon Astley
Remastering by Bob Ludwig
Produced by Chris Charlesworth, Bill Curbishley, Glyn Johns, Robert Rosenberg
Executive producer: Robert Rosenberg

Digitally remastered

THE WHO
There are four names always on or near the top of the list of all time great Rock ‘n’ Roll bands: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and The Who.

The Who was formed by sheet-metal worker Roger Daltrey in 1963. The the line up, after a couple of adjustments, established itself with Daltrey on lead vocals, Keith Moon on drums, John Entwistle on bass and Pete Townshend on lead guitar. Townshend, honouring his art student credentials, wrote (and still writes) music famous for having an ‘edge’, complemented by the wildly creative performance techniques of each member of the band.

It is generally acknowledged among rock aficionados that The Who in their heyday were the most exciting live band on the planet, with their Live at Leeds album (1970) hailed as the greatest live album of all time. The compositional skills of Townshend have always been way beyond the conventional, as is proven not only in classic songs like ‘My Generation’ and ‘Baba O’Riley’ but also in his two great rock operas (a form he more or less invented single-handed) Tommy and Quadrophenia.

Today, despite the deaths of Keith Moon and John Entwistle, The Who remain a potent force on the rock music scene. Their Concert for New York City appearance after the tragedy of 9/11 was a classic, as have been their annual performances at the Royal Albert Hall in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust. In 2006, Pete Townshend wrote The Who’s first studio album for the new millennium, Endless Wire and the band toured Europe and the U.S. during 2006 and 2007.

The Who are still highly active, with Townshend continuing to write and seek new musical challenges and Daltrey still the charismatic frontman he’s always been. The Who have recently launched their very first official website, www.thewho.com.

This album contains no booklet.