Maximum R&B: The 'Orrible 'Oo

[Susan Foreman]

Pete in flight - The Spectrum Arena, Philadelphia in 1975

[Susan Foreman]

5 Life Lessons Learned Hanging Around With The Who / Louder Sounds

"Peter ‘Dougal’ Butler was Keith Moon’s friend and chauffeur in the 1970s, and the author of Full Moon: The Amazing Rock’N’Roll Life Of Keith Moon. Richard ‘Barney’ Barnes was Pete Townshend’s flatmate in the ‘60s, coined the name The Who and later became their official biographer. Here they provide five life lessons learned from being around The Who…

1. Never Build The Stage Too High.
BARNEY: I was there the first night Pete Townshend ever smashed a guitar. It was probably our fault. It was 1964 I was promoting a weekly club night at The Railway Hotel in Wealdstone. It was a downstairs room in this pub – the sort of place you’d go for a depressing wedding. But Tuesday night was The Who’s night. There wasn’t a stage so we had to build one from beer crates and tabletops. One night we just built it too high. Pete stuck his guitar up in the air, like he always did, and it smashed through the ceiling – and got stuck there, hanging from the plaster. So he had to pull it out, which broke the neck of the guitar. The audience were laughing. He didn’t know what to do, so he pretended he’d meant to do it, and smashed the whole guitar to pieces. At the time, that was an extraordinary thing to do. The pub landlord then gave us a bill for £2, 12 shillings and six pence [approximately £49 in 2016]. He said he’d just charge is for materials, not labour. Did we pay it? I don’t think so.

2. Learn How To Drive With A Smoke Bomb In The Car.
DOUGAL: I was working at Heathrow airport in 1968, when I was offered a job driving The Who on a two-week Scottish tour. I turned up to meet them for the first time at the Track Records office in Old Compton Street. Keith [Moon] and John [Entwistle] were there. Keith was wearing this old raccoon fur coat. It had seen better days. Every time he moved, bits of fur fell off. There was more fur on the floor than on the coat. But we hit it off straight away. My first job was to drive some equipment in the band’s van. Keith and John left at the same time in their Bentley. We’d both pulled up side by side at the traffic lights in St John’s Wood, near Abbey Road, when they told me to roll down the window. I did and Keith threw two smoke bombs into the van – “Welcome to the band, dear boy! You’ll be seeing a lot more of this” – and drove off, laughing. We were stuck at the traffic lights, while the van filled with blue smoke. In the end we had to throw the bombs into the middle of the road. That was my introduction to The Who.

3. Roger Daltrey Is A Man Of Many Nicknames.
BARNEY: When I think of The Who in the 1960s, there was Pete, John and Keith on one side and Roger on the other. Roger never joined in – with the drinking, the drugs or the humour. He was always on his own. For a long time, Roger also had problems with his image. He hated his curly hair because he thought you couldn’t be a mod with curly hair. Roger was given a lot of different nicknames by the rest of the band. His first nickname was ‘Dip’ after Dippedy-Do, this gel he used to straighten his hair. Later around 1968 after psychedelia, he had this bouffant, backcombed hair, like a woman. So we started called him ‘Duchess’. Then came Tommy. And that transformed Roger in every way. His singing became fantastic, he had this long curly hair and his top off and his chest out. He turned into a magnificent rock god. It was the making of him. Did we have a new nickname for him then? Yes, of course. Tarzan.

4. Never Buy A ‘Designer’ Overcoat.
BARNEY: Pete invited me on an American Who tour in the early 80s. At the time both lived on the embankment opposite Eel Pie Island on the Thames. He was at Number 2 and I lived at 24, in the house I’d bought off him. On the morning we were flying to New York, I walked up to his house and he was there, waiting. “Look the tour starts now!” he said, and started shaking me. I thought, “Wow! It was like he’d changed into rock star.” He was in ‘tour mode’. Very excited. His wife [Karen] was there looking very concerned. She didn’t want him to go on the road.

Pete was wearing this long red overcoat from a very trendy punk designer. This was around the time he was hanging out with Steve Strange. It cost him thousands and it looked ****ing awful. But he insisted on wearing it. We started drinking in the Concorde lounge, carried on drinking on Concorde, and then arrived in New York and went straight to the Navarro hotel, the only hotel that didn’t throw us out when we were with Keith Moon. Our rooms weren’t ready so we visited the 21 Club down the road. We met up with some record company people, everybody was drinking, and then Pete went off to the toilet. After 15 minutes, he still hadn’t come back. Eventually, he reappeared, looking very upset. The club’s security staff had accused him of ‘panhandling’ and tried to throw him out. Neither of us knew what panhandling was. Apparently, it’s begging. They thought he was a beggar – all because of this coat that cost thousands but looked like a down-and-out had got it of the Salvation Army. In the end, they called the police and were going to arrest him, until one of them finally realised, and said, “Don’t I know you?”

5. Beware Of Steve McQueen’s Killer Alsatian.
DOUGAL: In the 70s Keith and I lived in a big beach house in Trancas, Malibu. Steve McQueen was one of our neighbours. McQueen kept himself to himself. But then Keith bought himself an Excalibur that used to belong to Liberace – it was full of diamante. It was an horrendous looking motor. We went to the local bar and drove back to the house around 2am – not that late. But the car had twin exhausts and we’d taken the bafflers off, so it sounded like a spitfire taking off. We’d pulled up outside the house and gone in, when we heard this knock at the door. Keith looked through the spyhole and said, “You ain’t gonna believe who’s outside. It’s only Steve McQueen with his killer Alsatian.” I said “Leave it to me” and opened the door. The dog was on a leash but up on its hind legs. Very intimidating. I just said “Sit!” and the bloody dog actually sat. McQueen stood there and quietly said, “Can you please keep the noise down in the future?”

He got his own back later, though. McQueen hated Keith leaving his bathroom lights on, as it shone into his bedroom. So one night he got his shotgun, and blew the bathroom window – and the light – out."

[Susan Foreman]

Keith

Susan:
'Playing football in *those* heels? Yeah, right!'

[Susan Foreman]

Album #9:
The Who By Numbers

By the time the band got round to recording 'The Who By Numbers', they were tired, insecure and feeling the pace and although the record was never intended to be a concept album, there is a running theme of discontentment, disillusionment and, above all, the dilemma of growing old. It was as if Pete had approached this stage in The Who's career as a penitent might approach the confession box! Never one to shirk away from the truth, on this album Pete bares his soul and the demons that lay within...but this doesn't make for fun listening

Overall, 'The Who By Numbers' has a much lighter sound than any of its predecessors. Here, Pete abandons the the synthesizers of 'Who's Next' and 'Quadrophenia' and eschews his trademark block chords for for some diligent lead guitar. Keith's drums rarely pound like they once did and Roger's voice, becoming deeper and more sonorous as it aged, no longer spits out the lyrics with the ferocity of old. Only John retained his trademark bass style – fast and fluid and during the song 'Dreaming From The Waist', it is in a class of it's own

At this point of their career, The Who on record and The Who live were two totally different entities. Only two of the songs from this album – 'Squeeze Box' and the aforementioned 'Dreaming From The Waist' – were played live with any regularity in a set that was gradually becoming a celebratory and vigorously performed parade of 'greatest hits'. Saying that, bit 'Slip Kid' and 'However Much I Booze' were attempted on stage, but quickly discarded

On it's release in 1975, The Who made a triumphant return to the stage, touring the US with the same zest and expertise that they had shown five years earlier, but deep insode, Pete knew that to survive as a creative unit, and therefore retain his interest, the band had to change...or stagnate. The problem was the direction in which to change, and the expectations of the fans who liked their Who as loud and brash as it has alwayss been”

Released in October 1975, 'The Who By Numbers' reached no. 8 on the UK album charts

The front cover of the album is a self-deprecatory dot-to-dot cartoon that was drawn by John. In 1996, when asked about the cover, he replied:

"The first piece of artwork I released was the cover to 'The Who by Numbers'. I never got paid for it, so now I'm going to get paid. We were taking it in turns to do the covers. It was Pete's turn before me and we did the Quadrophenia cover, which cost about the same as a small house back then, about £16,000. My cover cost £32."

...while the back cover was plain except for the song titles

The album opens with 'Slip Kid'. An eight-beat count in leads to a shuffle rhythm that could be a drum machine, before Roger and Pete swap autobiographical lines about a rock and roll kid who is lost when he grows up. With Roger singing 'There's no easy way to be free', and Pete singing 'It's a hard, hard world' the mood of the album is immediately apparent. Nicky Hopkins is featured on the piano, and there is a fine guitar solo

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight

I've got my clipboard, textbooks
Lead me to the station
Yeah, I'm off to the civil war
I've got my kit bag, my heavy boots
I'm running in the rain
Going to run till my feet are raw

Slip kid, slip kid, second generation
And I'm a soldier at thirteen
Slip kid, slip kid, realization
There's no easy way to be free
No easy way to be free
It's a hard, hard world

I left my doctor's prescription bungalow behind me
I left the door ajar
I left my vacuum flask
Full of hot tea and sugar
Left the keys right in my car

Slip kid, slip kid, second generation
Only half way up the tree
Slip kid, slip kid, I'm a relation
I'm a soldier at sixty-three
No easy way to be free

Slip kid
Slip kid
Keep away old man, you won't fool me
You and your history won't rule me
You might have been a fighter, but admit you failed
I'm not affected by your blackmail
You won't blackmail me

Slip kid, slip kid, slip out of trouble
Slip over here and set me free
Slip kid, slip kid, second generation
You're sliding down the hill like me
No easy way to be free

No easy way to be free [repeat to fade]"

One of the most distinctive aspects of 'The Who By Numbers' is that the songs of personal anguish are cloaked in pleasant, almost cheerful, melodies. During 'However Much I Booze', while Pete is singing lyrics about his failures and vanities, reaching the conclusion that 'There is no way out', the band skip along brightly and Pete adds some authentic Country picking during his solo

"I see myself on T.V., I'm a faker, a paper clown
It's clear to all my friends that I habitually lie
I just bring them down
I claim proneness to exaggeration
But the truth lies in my frustration
The children of the night, they all pass me by
Have to drench myself in brandy
In sleep I'll hide
But however much I booze

There ain't no way out
There ain't no way out
I don't care what you say, boy
There ain't no way out

I lose so many nights of sleep worrying about my responsibilities
Are the problems that screw me up really down to him or me
My ego will just confuse me
Some day it's going to up and use me
Dish me out another tailor-made compliment
Tell me about some destiny I can't prevent
And however much I squirm

Won't somebody tell me how to get out of this place?!

Then the night comes down like a cell door closing
Suddenly I realize that I'm right now, I'm on the scene
While sitting here all alone with a bottle and my head a-floating
Far away from the phone and the conscience going on at me
And on at me, and I don't care what you say

There ain't no way out[x2]

Now the walls are all clawed and scratched like by some soul insane
In the morning I hungoverly detach myself, I take no blame
I just can't face my failure
I'm nothing but a well-****ed sailor
You at home can easily decide what's right
By glancing very briefly at the songs I write
But it don't help me that you know

This still ain't no way out
Won't somebody tell me?
I don't care what you say, boy
There ain't no way out[x4]
Give me the key [x4]
There ain't no way out [ad-lib to fade]"

[Susan Foreman]

An uncharacteristically jolly song with lascivious undertones, 'Squeeze Box' is a most un-Who-like tumble into uncomplicated rolling rhythms, enlivened by Pete as a multi-instrumentalist on accordion and banjo as well as guitar, though the ending (with its tremelo chords) is classic Who

'Squeeze Box' became a minor hit for the band, reaching #10 in the UK and #16 in the US, although it did reach the top of the Canadian chart and the second spot on the Irish chart

The song was originally intended for a Who television special planned for 1974 where the song was to be performed by The Who accompanied by 100 topless lady accordionists!

Pete:

"It was intended as a poorly aimed dirty joke. I had bought myself an accordion and learned to play it one afternoon. The polka-esque rhythm I managed to produce from it brought forth this song. Amazingly recorded by The Who to my disbelief. Further incredulity was caused when it became a hit for us in the USA."

"Mama's got a squeeze box
She wears on her chest
And when daddy comes home
He never gets no rest
'Cause she's playing all night
And the music's all right
Mama's got a squeeze box
Daddy never sleeps at night

Well the kids don't eat
And the dog can't sleep
There's no escape from the music
In the whole damn street
'Cause she's playing all night
And the music's all right
Mama's got a squeeze box
Daddy never sleeps at night

She goes in and out and in
And out and in and out and in and out
She's playing all night
And the music's all right
Mama's got a squeeze box
Daddy never sleeps at night

She goes, squeeze me, come on and squeeze me
Come on and tease me like you do
I'm so in love with you
Mama's got a squeeze box
Daddy never sleeps at night

She goes in and out and in and out
And in and out and in and out
'Cause she's playing all night
And the music's all right
Mama's got a squeeze box
Daddy never sleeps at night"

Originally entitled 'Control Myself', Pete hated playing 'Dreaming From The Waist' because of the tricky opening chords played high up on his fretboard, but with the tumbling rhythm, melodic, harmony-clad chorus and general sizzle, it's considered to be one of the bands best songs. It also offered John a chance to stretch out - his popping bass solo at the end of the sing is a stunning display of virtuosity which he would play live with the casual aplomb of a musician whose fingers other bass guitarists would kill for!

For some reason, YouTube notes that this song carries a parental warning for "explicit lyrics"!

I feel like I want to break out of the house
My heart is a-pumping, I've got sand in my mouth
I feel like I'm heading up to a cardiac arrest
I want to scream in the night, I want a manifest

I've got that wide awake, give-and-take, five o'clock-in-the-morning feeling
I've got the hots for the sluts in the well thumbed pages of a magazine
I want to drive, want to fly like I do in the dreams I've never really been in
I want to hump, want to jump, want to heat up, cool down in a dream machine

From the waist on down
(I'm dreaming) But I feel tired and bound
(I'm dreaming) Of a day when a cold shower helps my health
(I'm dreaming) Dreaming, of the day I can control myself
Day I can control myself

Sound like a priest and then I'm shooting dice
I'm burning tires with some guy whose hair is turning white
I know the girls that I pass, they just ain't impressed
I'm too old to give up, but too young to rest

I've got that numb-to-a-thumb over-dubbed
Feeling social when the world is sleeping
The plot starts to thicken then I sicken and I feel I'm cemented down
I'm so juiced that the whorey lady's sad sad story has me quietly weeping
But here comes the morning
Here comes the yawning demented clown

But I know it's all hot air
(I'm dreaming) I'll get back to that rocking chair
(I'm dreaming) Of the day when I can share the wealth
(I'm dreaming) Dreaming, of the day I can control myself
Day I can control myself
Hey, hey!
The day I can control myself
Woah!"

[Susan Foreman]

With an introduction not unlike 'Behind Blue Eyes', 'Imagine A Man' is a dramatic ballad with a lovely distinctive melody and profound lyrics about the tedium of day-to-day life - something that rock stars were not supposed to know about!

Pete:

"It just might be a key to the way that rock could grow old. It's about that feeling of being...not a failure, but over the hill. It's about that pathetic, pointless, tragic situation that a man gets into where -- well, I've never been a great puller of birds, so it's not autobiographical -- but for example where he can't pull without a big scene, and he's not really all that mad or drinking anymore, and to tell the truth he really does quite like watching television. It's a bit of an effort to get out on the pitch and play football on Saturdays and, to be perfectly honest, he does quite like sex on a regular basis so he can build himself up to it and not let the old lady down. It's that type of thing, and it's about how incredible all that is. And I realized after I'd written it what an amazingly perceptive piece of writing it was, and that either I was getting like that or somebody that I knew intimately was getting that way. Then of course I realized the song was about me. And if The Who end up recording this song, then it will definitely be a landmark in our career because it's got the kind of honesty there is in a song like 'Substitute.'"

"Imagine a man
Not a child of any revolt
But a plain man tied up in life

Imagine the sand
Running out as he struts
Parading and fading, ignoring his wife

Imagine a road
So long looking backwards
You can't see where it really began

Imagine a load
So large and so smooth
That against it a man is an ant
Then you will see the end
You will see the end

Imagine events
That occur everyday
Like a shooting or raping or a simple act of deceit

Imagine a fence
Around you as high as prevention
Casting shadows, you can't see your feet

Imagine a girl
You long for and have
And the body of chalky perfection and truth

Imagine a past
Where you wish you had lived
Full of heroes and villains and fools
And you will see the end
You will see the end
And you will see the end
You will see the end
Oh yeah

Imagine a man
Not a child of any revolt
But a man of today feeling new

Imagine a soul
So old it it is broken
And you will know your invention is you
And you will see the end
You will see the end
You will see the end
You will see the end
Oh yeah"

'Success Story' was written by John, and featured him playing an 8 string bass on record for the first time. The malaise that affected Pete had the same effect on John as well because the message of this catchy autobiographical rocker seems to be that where being a member of The Who used to be fun, it no longer was

John's songs rarely slotted into whatever theme occupied Pete's mind when the band were recording, but this time he was spot on

The line "I may go far, if I smash my guitar" can only have been written about Pete!

"Friday night, I'm on my way home
They oughta make work a crime
I'm home for the weekend
I'm going to make the most of my time
There's a rock and roll singer on the television
Giving up his music, gonna take up religion
Deserted rock and roll
To try to save his soul

Saturday night, gotta gig with a band
Playing the electric guitar
Someday I'm going to make it
Going to be a super-duper-star
Get a big flashy car
And a house for my Ma
The big break better happen soon
Because I'm pushing twenty-one

Just like Cinderella
When she couldn't go to the ball
A voice said, "I'm your fairy manager
You shall play the Carnegie Hall"
I got to give up my day job
To become a heartthrob
I may go far if I smash my guitar

Away for the weekend
I've got to play some one-night stands
Six for the tax man, and one for the band
Back in the studio to make our latest number one
Take two-hundred-and-seventy-six
You know, this used to be fun

Monday morning, I just got home
Six and the birds are singing
I need a drink and my clothes are wet
Oh, and my ears are still ringing
There's a rock and roll singer bopping on the TV
He used to be a preacher, but now he sings in a major key
Amended his decision to the new religion"

[Susan Foreman]

'They Are All In Love' 'is the lightest and prettiest song on the album, but beneath the nice tune it again speaks of disillusionment and cynicism, with a melodious Roger and gentle piano disguising bitter sentiments about the music business

Initially Roger refused to sing this song until Pete 'clarified certain aspects of it'

Pete:

"Punks didn't mean what it does today. Punks is what I used to call the New York fans who used to try and get you by the ears and pin you down and take you home in a cardboard box. The song was about what the band had become. It was about money, about law courts, about lawyers and accountants. Those things had never mattered and the band had a backlog of tax problems and unpaid royalties. We had to deal with it. I really felt like crawling off and dying"

"Where do you walk on sunny times
When the rivers gleam and the buildings shine
How do you feel goin' up hallowed halls
And the summer clothes brighten gloomy halls

And they're all in love
And they're all in love

Where do you fit in zzzzip magazine
Where the past is the hero and the present a queen
Just tell me right now where do you fit in
With mud in your eye and a passion for gin

And they're all in love
And they're all in love

Hey, goodbye all you punks; stay young and stay high
Hand me my checkbook and I'll crawl out to die
But like a woman in childbirth grown ugly in a flash
I'm seen magic and fame now I'm recycling trash

And they're all in love
And they're all in love
And they're all in love
And they're all in love"

'Blue Red And Grey' is an utterly charming song in which Pete accompanies himself on a ukulele unsupported by the rest of the band. He declaims the millionaire lifestyle, in favour of the virtues of a simple life. An uncomplicated melody is performed with a tongue-in-cheek sincerity

John is featured on brass playing his own silver band arrangement. A group version of the song was also recorded but unfortunately the tapes of this have long gone missing and so it has never been released

Pete:

"[Producer] Glyn Johns wanted it on the album. I cringed when he picked it. He heard it on a cassette and said, 'What's that?' I said, 'Nothing.' He said, 'No. Play it.' I said, 'Really, it's nothing. Just me playing a ukulele.' But he insisted on doing it. I said, 'What? That f*cking thing? Here's me wanting to commit suicide and you're going to put that thing on the record?

"Some people seem so obsessed with the morning
Get up early just to watch the sun rise
Some people like it more when there's fire in the sky
Worship the sun when it's high
Some people go for those sultry evenings
Sipping cocktails in the blue, red and grey
But I like every minute of the day

I like every second, so long as you are on my mind
Every moment has its special charm
It's all right when you're around, rain or shine
I know a crowd who only live after midnight
Their faces always seem so pale
And then there's friends of mine who must have sunlight
They say a suntan never fails
I know a man who works the night shift
He's lucky to get a job and some pay
And I like every minute of the day

I dig every second
I can laugh in the snow and rain
I get a buzz from being cold and wet
The pleasure seems to balance out the pain

And so you see that I'm completely crazy
I even shun the south of France
The people on the hill, they say I'm lazy
But when they sleep, I sing and dance
Some people have to have the sultry evenings
Cocktails in the blue, red and grey
But I like every minute of the day
I like every minute of the day"

[Susan Foreman]

March 2nd, 1981 - 40 years ago today, Roger is caught in the lasers at the Manchester Apollo

The laser equipment, which was owned by the band, had previously been hired by Ridley Scott in 1979 when he made the film 'Alien'

[Susan Foreman]

'How Many Friends' 'is a bitter, piano-based song. Being surrounded by sycophants who never say what they really mean is the theme behind this song

"I'm feelin' so good right now
There's a handsome boy tells me how I changed his past
He buys me a brandy
But could it be he's really just after my ass?

He likes the clothes I wear
He says he likes a man who's dressed in season
But no-one else ever stares, he's being so kind
What's the reason?

How many friends have I really got?
You can count 'em on one hand
How many friends have I really got?
How many friends have I really got?
That love me, that want me, that'll take me as I am?

Suddenly it's the silver screen
And a face so beautiful that I have to cry out
Everybody hears me
But I look like a fool now
With a cry and I shy out
She knows all of my friends
But it's nice to find a woman who's keen on living
Now I think I've reached the end
I wonder in the dead of night - how do I rate?

How many friends have I really got?
How many friends have I really got?
How many friends have I really got?
That love me, that want me, that'll take me as I am?

It's all like a dream you know
When you're still up early in the morning
And you all sit together to watch the sun come through
But things don't look so good
When you could use a bit of warning
Then you know that no-one will ever speak the truth about you

How many friends have I really got?
How many friends have I really got?
How many friends have I really got?
That love me, that want me, that'll take me as I am?

When I first signed a contract
It was more than a handshake then
I know it still is
But there's a plain fact
We talk so much shit behind each other's backs
I get the willies
People know nothing about their own soft gut
So how come they can sum us up
Without suffering all the hype we've known
How come they bum us up

How many friends have I really got?
You can count 'em on one hand
How many friends have I really got?
How many friends have I really got?
That love me, that want me, that'll take me as I am?"

With Roger sounding as bitter as ever in a final slab of self pity, 'In A Hand Or A Face' is pinned together by a repetetive three chord riff but, as an album closer, it's below par and rather anonymous highlighted only by Pete's lively solo and a short drum break.

"Ain't it funny how they're all Cleopatra
When you gaze into their past
When you find out about their birth signs
You realize there was no need to have ask

All the history of a soul in torment
Ingrained in a hand or a face
Ain't it funny how they all fire the pistol
At the wrong end of the race

I am going round and round
I am going round and round
I am going round and round
I am going round
Going round and round

There's a man going through your dust bin
Only this time he's looking for food
There's a tear in his eye, you don't know him
Oh but you know what he's going through

Ain't it funny that you can't seem to help him
Feelin' sick as he staggers away
Is it weird that you hate a stranger
Can a detail correct your dismay

I am going round and round
I am going round and round
I am going round and round
I am going round
Going round and round"

To promote the album, the band toured Europe and North America, playing 79i dates between October 3rd, 1975 and October 21, 1976. This was the first time that the band had used a laser show during their concerts. However, it was an eventful tour! The opening show in the US leg of the tour, in Boston on March 9th, 1976, came to an abrupt end when Keith collapsed on stage after playing only two songs ['I Can't Explain' and 'Substitute']. The following day, which luckily was a day off, he seriously injured himself and nearly bled to death. Following their show in Miami on August 9th, Keith was hospitalised for over a week. Keith's erratic behavior was very worrying, and Pete, John and Roger believed he would not be able to finish the tour. Ultimately he did manage to play the remaining shows, but these became the final public concerts he would play before dying in 1978

During May and June 1976, the band played a short UK 'festival tour', where they appeared at three UK football grounds with tickets costing £4:00:
May 31 - The Valley (Charlton Athletic football ground)
June 6 - Celtic Football Club Glasgow
June 12 - Swansea City Football Club .

It was the show at Charlton which resulted in the band getting an entry in the 'Guinness Book Of Records' as the loudest band in the world. The sound level fifty meters from the stage measured an earsplitting 127 dB!

The setlist for this show was:

• I Can't Explain
• Substitute
• My Wife
• Baba O'Riley
• Squeeze Box
• Behind Blue Eyes
• Dreaming From the Waist
• Magic Bus
• Amazing Journey
• Sparks
• The Acid Queen
• Fiddle About
• Pinball Wizard
• I'm Free
• Tommy's Holiday Camp
• We're Not Gonna Take It
• See Me, Feel Me
• Summertime Blues (Eddie Cochran cover)
• My Generation
• Join Together
• My Generation Blues
• Won't Get Fooled Again

[Susan Foreman]

'The Who Sell Out' (Super Deluxe Edition) - Pre-order available from Amazon UK - £80.98

Release date: April 23

"Box set features 112 tracks, including unheard demos & studio sessions

The Who‘s 1967 album The Who Sell Out will be reissued as a seven-disc super deluxe edition box set in April.

The album was originally planned by Pete Townshend and the band’s managers (Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp) as a loose concept album with jingles and commercials linking the songs. This approach was partly because the record label were demanding a new record and Townshend felt as if he didn’t have enough songs!

In the end, rather than actually going as far as to sell advertising space on the album, the band opted to write their own jingles, with a nod to pirate radio stations and an increasingly consumerist society. The iconic sleeve plays an important part of the overriding concept and was created by David King who was the art director at the Sunday Times, and Roger Law (yes, the guy who invented UK TV’s Spitting Image show, in the 1980s).

Only The Who’s third album, The Who Sell Out is regarded highly and features the transatlantic top ten hit ‘I Can See For Miles’.

The new Super Deluxe Edition of The Who Sell Out includes five CDs and two seven-inch singles and features 112 tracks, 46 of which are unreleased. The optical discs break down as follows:

CD 1 – Original mono mix, mono As & Bs and unreleased mono mixes
CD 2 – Original stereo mix and stereo bonus tracks
CD 3 – Studio out-takes, ‘fly-on-the-wall’ versions of early takes of songs from the album sessions, ‘studio chat’ etc.
CD 4 – ‘The Road to Tommy’ will contain stereo mixes of the studio tracks recorded in 1968 – some previously unreleased – plus 1968 As and Bs mono mixes (all tracks remixed from original 4 and 8-track session tapes in The Who vault)
CD 5 – 14 of Pete Townshend’s original demos, previously unreleased & exclusive to this set

Of the two seven-inch singles, one is a Track Records UK reproduction featuring an early mono mix of ‘I Can See For Miles’ (with a single-tracked vocal). This is backed with ‘Someone’s Coming’ (single mix with single-tracked vocal). The other is a Decca USA reproduction of Magic Bus (US/UK mono) backed with ‘Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde’ (original US Decca single mix).

All these discs come packaged in an 80-page hardcover book which features all the usual photos/memorabilia etc. and comes with a track-by-track annotation and new sleeve notes by Pete Townshend with comments from the likes of Pete Drummond (Radio London DJ), Richard Evans (designer) & Roy Flynn (the Speakeasy Club manager). The book slots into an outer slipcase which features the classic cover art.

This set also comes with a lot of ‘stuff’. Nine (count ’em) posters and various replicas"

• 20” x 30” original Adrian George poster
• Gig posters – City Hall, Newcastle: The Who, Traffic & The Tremeloes
• Saville Theatre 8-page programme.
• Business card for the Bag o’ Nails club, Kingly Street
• Fan Club photo of group.
• Flyer for Bath Pavilion concerts including The Who.
• Crack-back bumper sticker for Wonderful Radio London.
• Keith Moon’s Speakeasy Club membership card
• Who Fan Club newsletter.

CD ONE: THE WHO SELL OUT - MONO ALBUM
1. Armenia City in The Sky 3:47
2. Heinz Baked Beans 0:58
3. Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand 2:34
4. Odorono 2:30
5. Tattoo 2:48
6. Our Love Was 3:23
7. I Can See for Miles 4:06
8. I Can’t Reach You 3:27
9. Medac 0:56
10. Relax 2:38
11. Silas Stingy 3:03
12. Sunrise 3:04
13. Rael / Track Records run-off groove 5:54

BONUS TRACKS - MONO

14. Pictures of Lily (original UK Track single mix) 2:46
15. Doctor, Doctor (original UK Track single mix) 3:01
16. The Last Time (original UK Track single mix) 2:51
17. Under My Thumb (original UK Track single mix) 2:37
18. I Can See for Miles (original UK Track single mix) 4:03
19. Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand (original US Decca single mix) 3:19
20. Someone’s Coming (original US Decca single mix) 2:28
21. Unused Radio London ad / Early Morning… (original 1967 mono mix) 3:04
22. Unused Radio London bulletin link /Jaguar (original 1967 mono mix) 2:50
23. Unused Radio London ad /Tattoo (early alternate mono mix) 3:05
24. Rael (Talentmasters Studio, New York early rough mix) 5:58
25. Sunn Amps promo spots 2:42
26. Great Shakes ad 1:07

Tracks 21, 24 & 25 previously unreleased

CD TWO: THE WHO SELL OUT - STEREO ALBUM
1. Armenia City in The Sky 3:50
2. Heinz Baked Beans 1:01
3. Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand 2:34
4. Odorono 2:35
5. Tattoo 2:54
6. Our Love Was 3:25
7. I Can See for Miles 4:10
8. I Can’t Reach You 3:31
9. Medac 0:57
10. Relax 2:41
11. Silas Stingy 3:08
12. Sunrise 3:05
13. Rael 5:38

BONUS TRACKS - STEREO

14. Rael Naïve (complete with organ coda ending) 1:38
15. Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand (US single version) 3:27
16. Someone’s Coming 2:33
17. Summertime Blues 2:38
18. Glittering Girl 3:05
19. Early Morning Cold Taxi 2:59
20. Girl’s Eyes 2:52
21. Coke After Coke 1:09
22. Sodding About 2:51
23. Things Go Better with Coke 0:32
24. Hall of The Mountain King 4:27
25. Jaguar 2:58
26. Rael (remake; IBC version) / Track Records outro 6:26

Track 14 previously unreleased

CD THREE: STUDIO SESSIONS 1967 / 68
1. Glittering Girl (Take 4) (2018 remix) 3:29
2. Girl’s Eyes (Take 2) (2018 remix) 3:58
3. The Last Time (Take 8) 3:51
4. Under My Thumb (Take 3) (2018 remix with full ending)3:13
5. Our Love Was (Take 2) 3:21
6. Relax (4-track to 4-track mix with Pete vocal) 3:22
7. Relax (Takes 1 and 2) 1:58
8. Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand (Takes 1 & 9) 3:43
9. Relax (Remake Take 4) 2:37
10. I Can See for Miles (full version) 4:54
11. Medac (Take 11) 1:13
12. Odorono (Take 3) (2018 remix) 2:47
13. Heinz Baked Beans (Takes 1 & 3) (2018 remix) 2:16
14. Top Gear (Takes 1 & 2) (2018 remix) 3:03
15. Premier Drums (Takes 1 & 3) (2018 remix) 2:17
16. Charles Atlas (Take 1) 0:33
17. Rotosound Strings (Take 1) (2018 remix) 0:15
18. Track Records (2018 remix) 0:34
19. John Mason Cars (Takes 1 - 3) / Speakeasy / Rotosound Strings / Bag O’ Nails (2018 remixes)1:02
20. It’s A Girl (aka ‘Glow Girl’) (Takes 1 & 3) 3:21
21. Mr Hyde (1st stage mix Take 1) 2:39
22. Little Billy (Takes 1 & 3) 4:14
23. Mrs Walker (aka ‘Glow Girl’) (4-track to 4-track mix, take 7) 2:31
24. Call Me Lightning (Take 1 backing track, stereo mix & jam) 6:12
25. Dogs (Take 3) 3:14
26. Melancholia (Take 1) 3:50
27. Shakin’ All Over (Take 3) 1:35
28. Magic Bus (Take 6) 3:00

Most tracks on CD 3 include studio chat, all tracks previously unreleased in this form.

CD FOUR: THE 1968 RECORDINGS (‘THE ROAD TO TOMMY’)
1. Glow Girl 2:27
2. Faith in Something Bigger 3:09
3. Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde 2:38
4. Call Me Lightning 2:23
5. Little Billy’s Doing Fine 2:19
6. Dogs 3:10
7. Melancholia 3:21
8. Fortune Teller 2:22
9. Facts Of Life (aka ‘Birds And Bees’, backing track) 3:22
10. Magic Bus (single version) 3:20
11. Call Me Lightning (US/UK mono single mix) 2:24
12. Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde (UK mono single mix) 2:39
13. Dogs (UK mono single mix) 3:07
14. Magic Bus (mono, longer version) 4:35

Track 9 previously unreleased

CD FIVE: PETE TOWNSHEND ORIGINAL DEMOS
1. Kids? Do You Want Kids 1:43
2. Relax 3:44
3. Glow Girl 3:26
4. Glow Girl (Version 2) 3:00
5. Inside Outside USA 3:06
6. Jaguar 2:59
7. Little Billy 2:11
8. Odorono 3:09
9. Pictures of Lily 3:31
10. Relax (Version 2) 2:26
11. Melancholia (2018 remix) 3:21
12. Thinking of You All the While (‘Sunrise’ Version 2) 3:15
13. Mary Anne With the Shaky Hands 3:15
14. I Can See for Miles 4:15

All previously unreleased and exclusive to the Super Deluxe Edition.

BONUS 7” DISCS:
Track UK 45: I Can See for Miles (early mono mix with single-tracked vocal)/ Someone’s Coming (original UK Track single mix with single-tracked vocal)

Decca USA 45: Magic Bus (US/UK mono) / Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde (original US Decca single mix)