The Who Sell Out

#267 Heard Before? Yes. Notes: - it's the Who - massively talented as individuals, absolutely monstrously talented as a group. - it's the Who - songwriting is completely hit and miss. - it's the Who - obnoxious and unfunny. - it's the Who - production values are optional. Verdict: It's the Who. Listen Again? Every time I revisit this album I really want to like it. But I just don't. So, no?

More 60s .. Please randomiser I need some variety. That is 3 in a row :( The who are yet another of those iconic British bands I know for the hits only. Pinball Wizard is an absolute jam though. ---------------------------- Eh, I'm a miserable bastard, not ashamed to admit. The radio jingle concept gets old, fast. At least we know where Queens of the Stone Age got inspiration from! Despite this there are several tracks that exhibit the Who at their progressive best. The drums in particular are fantastic throughout. [I Can See For Miles] being a particular highlight. I'll snipe the songs I like, forget the whole concept album aspects and enjoy the handful of songs in isolation. 2*

The album concept, a pirate radio broadcast complete with advertisements, is really cool. Unfortunately, I find the music to be not that great. I can't help but feel like the Who are taking quite a bit from the Beatles' sound, so I guess the album title seems decently accurate at least. Stuff like "Heinz Baked Beans" is decently fun, and I enjoyed a few tracks, such as "Sunrise." But the whole package ends up as less than the sum of its parts. This one has not aged well, and I don't feel bad at all about leaving it behind. Favorite track: "I Can See For Miles," although I'm not a huge fan of the mono mix. It sounds kind of flat and tinny (a persistent problem with the mono mix of the album), so I think the version I've put on my playlist is a stereo remaster or something.

Armenia City In The Sky - 87 Heinz Baked Beans - 65 Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand - 85 Odorono - 81 Tattoo - 88 Our Love Was - 86 I Can See For Miles - 98 I Can't Reach You - 88 Medac - 72 Relax - 82 Silas Stingy - 74 Sunrise - 78 Rael (1 And 2) - 84 The Who Sell Out - 85

Même petit faible pour les Who que pour les Kinks.

Définitivement l'album studio le plus intéressant des Who à date pour moi (on doit tous les avoir rendu là...)! Soniquement on est ailleurs avec des gros murs de guit, un drum qui déchire et des arrangements vocaux dignes des Beach Boys. J'aime aussi le concept d'intercaler ça de pub et de segments radio. Et la pochette qui va avec! Bravo Townshend et sa gang vous avez fini par m'avoir !

Ça va les who là. Par contre concept original et cover rigolo

3.5 stars if I could. The music itself was pretty good, but I just love the absurdity of songs that have built in ads and jingles

This concept might have worked in the era when pirate radio stations were all the rage but it doesn't fit today. Which is a shame as there are some good tracks on here. I Can See For Miles is one of my favourite Who racks so it gets votes for that alone.

Meh....

Early Who is very much an enigma to me. When listening to this album, I can hear bits of who they are yet to become. Its enjoyable knowing where they end up. Its an enjoyable album from this perspective.

Not The Who’s best effort, but not a bad album. I liked the concept of it being a radio program. I understand why I can see for miles is the only song off here that’s put in hits compilations.

The only version on Apple music is the super deluxe and it's 5 hours 40 minutes long. :| Is any album that good? This one definitely isn't. What the feck even is this? 5 being generous, rounded up to 3/5 for I can see.

Easily the worst The Who album we've gotten out 5 or 6. Just standard 60s rock but annoying.

ive liked other albums from the who but this was incredibly irritating

Yeawhoo, but actually just okay

Meh. Nothing of note in here. I don't mind the jingles though.

Have had some Who on here and this is an album I remember listening to years ago and not really enjoying too much. Very late 60s British Who. Not full rocking out. Harmonies and some fun melodies. There’s a theme about corporate commercialism that runs throughout. In between songs there are short ads that connect the tracks. It kinda misses as a whole and makes the actual decent songs have less of an impact. Theres some good music here but it’s kinda messy with all of this. Not sure how to rate this. Probably a 3. It’s trying something different but doesn’t always work.

Too much circus

I knew the song "I can see for miles" but didn't know the rest. It's interesting/random that it has all these radio jingle tracks. Some of the songs are kind of funny, like "Tattoo" (which is sung to the tattoo). I think the drummer is pretty solid, up there with John Bonham.

Proof that rap doesn’t have a monopoly on tedious momentum killing interstitial skits. There’s probably a solid fuzzy rock album buried in here, but there are also probably better albums by The Who.

The tongue in cheekiness of the advertising jingles dilutes the dream pop feel of much of the songs in a good way - like a little tartness in your dessert. Don't know that I'd revisit this, but a decent listen that gives a good feel for 60s psych pop fun.

It’s just a little Kinks-like in its quirkiness to be really satisfying: where is the drum and bass of Live at Leeds?

Yes, thats special!!!

5/10

Wasn't really a fan of the ads or the songs. I guess they did sell out. 1.5/10

I really like this. A concept of course and somewhat annoying when it works to fit the idea into the album, but overall a success. Also surprisingly self aware for a band at that stage of their career. "I can see for miles" is a stone cold masterpiece. Going back and forth between a 4 or a five, but think I have to come down on a 5.

Some decent Who tracks but this album is mostly filler. I get that is the point of the concept album but the gimmick is hard to maintain interest in for so long.

Maybe the cold I had when listening to it made the impression worse, but there was not a lot of enjoyment to be had here. Ok it's fun that they made a pirate radio album, but the songs were mediocre. I don't like the strained vocals of early The Who. 2 stars for the cover and the idea

Not a top tier who album but good in parts

Weird 60s stuff

It's great in it's absurdity. Some really good songs on here, but some very different songs from other Who songs. The whole concept of how the songs are written is really fun and unique though.

Last really good/fun Who album imo

I'm not really sure what to make of this. I actually like The Who, but “Sell Out” really is... something you have to get used to. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean it's particularly experimental or innovative. Instead, they're trying their hand at a weird concept album, where the whole concept consists of sounding like a teleshopping show. Does anyone really need that?

The concept of inserting fake commercials in the album is interesting but terrible. A few good songs on here but mostly forgettable.

Fun album, far from their best.

I like The Who

Lots of gear tracks but also some sixties silliness.

I love Rael and I have to say that the 90s expanded edition is the best because it has Glow Girl on it. People that hate the gimmick are a bore!

I thought this album was fine. It was interesting, but no takeaways and wasn't jamming out at any point. Maybe 3.25 at most?

This is definitely one of my top favorite albums from The Who. It’s a very tongue in cheek psychedelic album that plays directly off the album’s title, The Who Sell Out. The whole thing is structured like a pirate radio broadcast, with fake commercials scattered between songs, which adds a clever conceptual layer. Musically, it’s a colorful psychedelic pop album with an experimental edge, but still maintains a pop friendly and accessible sound that’s easy to latch onto.

Better than Coldplay

"I Can See For Miles" ist ein Klasse Psychedelic Rock Song. Die anderen wirklichen Songs hier sind größtenteils schwach bis mittelmäßig. Dann dazwischen diese gewollt lustigen Radio-Fetzen... nee. Nicht unhörbar, aber auch nicht viel mehr als das. 2/5 - unterdurchschnittlich

I get the idea but it’s bloated and the good songs are buried

Wtf did I just listen to

As soon as I found out this was a concept album I was ready to pan it. But it wasn't bad. Weird and funny, with some catchy songs.

This is very fun and very inventive, especially for 1967. I have to admit that the "adverts" can be intrusive if you're only here for the songs but I'm disappointed that everyone is taking this so seriously, humour is an essential part of the human experience and it's nice to have it on the list. Stray observations: Armenia City In The Sky sounds a *lot* like a Beatles cover, and I was very surprised to realise that the sample used by Young MC Roll With The Punches "More music, more music, more music" is from this album.

I love The Who and I'm not sorry. Give me The Who over the Beatles and Stones any day of the week. Is this their best work? No, of course not, but who cares? Sorry, not sorry.

Interesting concept with the interludes and funky electronic vocals but fell flat

Wow... it had been years since I last listened to this album. The Who is one of my favorite bands. Back then, I had the impression that the album wasn't very polished sonically, especially compared to other releases from the same year. But today, I realize that my 16-year-old self simply didn't have the ear to fully appreciate it. The album sounds crystal clear! One thing that hasn't changed, though, is how fascinated I still am by the dynamic that weaves the songs together, simulating a radio broadcast. I mean, what other album did that? Anyway: More Music. More Music. More Music. It’s a 4-star album, but I’m giving it 5 because of the nostalgia I’m feeling right now.

Idk I just didn't super overly vibe with this one. Maybe I don't like The Who? Idk I don't think I've listened to them that much. It's fun they're being like "oooh Heinz baked beans" but like... then what? Idk.

Hot take: apart from the Beach Boys and Jimi Hendrix (and only because he moved to London) mainstream America in the late 1960s was doing nothing nearly as interesting as the UK, even the second-tier records like this that are a bit all over the place are crazy creative and really fun. It's not so much a 'good' album as one that's throwing a lot of stuff at the wall and I admire that. Also I like this quirky weird Englishness that was in the water at the time.

A complete mess

Some really good songs on this one. Being an ex-advertising guy, I also appreciated the concept. “I can see for miles” was one of my first favorite songs 100 years ago so it brings back fond memories. Better Who albums out there, but this is still a good one.

What can I say, The Who sold me - both beans and a new fandom. This album was quirky, disorienting, and surprising. Even the commercials made me chuckle. Well executed, and hella fun to listen to.

It isn't the best Who album, but its kinda fun.

Very strange

Oof, that was rough. Not really sure what they were going for here. The advertisement gimmick may have had a chance of working if the songs weren't terrible.

Huh. I didn't realize there was a Who album from their classic days that I had never listened to. Only one song had any longevity, but there were more than a few hidden gems. I'm landing on 3 but it's on the high end.

Good but long. There were some clunks.

This is The Who’s most divisive, transitional album: it was no longer the simple Mod-rock of their early work, yet not quite the monumental rock operas that would follow. It wasn't actually supposed to happen; the band's management simply advertised that a new record would be ready by Christmas without consulting the band itself. Since few songs had been written by that point, they decided to take a conceptual approach: they padded the runtime with parody commercial jingles (also penned by the band) and humorous songs extolling the virtues of deodorants and acne creams — all presented as a radio broadcast. It was a piece of psychedelic rock irony aimed at bands that sold their art to major corporations in exchange for lucrative advertising deals. The ultimate irony, however, is that no one got the joke — the album sold poorly. Oh well, they’d make up for it with the next one.

The Who nail the oft-attempted but rarely mastered concept album with The Who Sell Out. Penned almost entirely by Pete Townshend, Sell Out is a nod to the guerilla radio stations that helped The Who rise in popularity, product placement jingles and station identification bumpers included. It's a cohesive collection of songs with very little reason to skip ahead. Even the commercials are fun and add to the overall experience. The only issue I can find is that everything is close to the same level of quality and nothing really stands out as a "whoa" moment, there's no song (or songs) to really latch onto. It really is a record best enjoyed start to finish, for better or worse.

I was never a big fan of The Who but was pleasantly surprised when I got their first album. It had a different vibe than I was expecting. Maybe more raw I suppose. This one, however, was a little bland. Didn't have the rawness of that first album nor the monster hits of their later ones. Not sure why it deserved a place on this list.

Absolutely hat stand - some of it terrible some of it really good. Not understanding Pirate Radio or UK consumer brands would make this difficult to enjoy

abcs

A lame Who album. Thank goodness the 70s came along for them

I like The Who, but this isn't my favorite of theirs. Has some very odd songs and doesn't really deliver a solid favorite for me.

Glimrende album

Who fan here. Who? Me. Sorry, couldn't resist the who's on first riff, however bad. However, this release leans too far into the silly psychedelic Kinks direction for me. Of course, 'I Can See for Miles' is amazing and hard to believe it came from the band when they were this young and weird. But overall, this is otherwise barely listenable. I prefer to have their catalog start with Tommy, thank you very much.

Album 319. The Who Sell Out (https://open.spotify.com/album/2nbxElNcpz1C8LudsOW3ZH?si=h9QQlEWfR4qnrlmta1kRHA&utm_source=copy-link) — The Who (1967) Unfortunately, I forgot the album in a couple hours. Initially I wanted to rate it higher... It's okay, conceptually good, I like psychedelic motives, but overall pretty weak 2/5 Liked: — I Can't Reach You — Silas Stingy

I think I can only describe this as a whimsical album. I kinda dig the jingles, but they don't really make the album better or worse. Sorta feels like some shit Ween would do, but not really in a good way highlights: our love was i can see for miles relax rael

Weird and disappointing. Couple cool songs, but honestly there’s no much here.

The concept of this album, from what I understand, is to make fun of the commercialization of society - the album cover is a dead giveaway with the Warholesque motifs. How I perceived the album is that it represents a radio station with a bunch of unrelated songs, mixed with jingles, commercials, etc. The problem is that this is a very unexciting radio station: the concept is nowhere near as fleshed out as it could've been (an idea that comes to mind is a central figure to the album such as a radio presenter/host who gives a traffic or weather report in between songs that somehow relate to the discussed topic), it falls flat by the second half, and the songs themselves are not that good. Even the one track that was probably envisioned to be a hit, "I Can See For Miles", is just an okay song. All in all, what frustrates me the most about this one is the untapped potential; 2.5 rounding up.

Late 60s psych rock. God, I really dislike this genre.

Interesting concept I guess but not many good songs

Repetitive asf

Interesting as a concept, they made more interesting music on other albums

i think the concept for this one is pretty clever, though part of me does wish it didn't function as advertising for real brands. i guess the bluntness of that is part of the point. can bands even "sell out" in 2026? there's some cool messy psych rock on here. i like I Can See for Miles. some of this mixing though.. woof. its clearly not intended for headphones, but there's something viscerally unpleasant about hearing the guitars in only your left ear. i just can't fucking take it. deserves to be one of the 1001? it has Personality, but is committed to its own thing to the point where it gets edged out by the easier picks to canonize. i think you could cut it. that said, if you want to maximize ur list's aura: make this the only album by The Who on there

Varför har dom med ett album utan några bra låtar?

Om man hade fått smaka en gnutta av vad Pete Townsend rökte asså Ganska lättglömt album, fanns någon stark låt på slutet men annars sisådär

Vill typ ge en etta men omslaget var kul.

Mellanmjölk, rätt bra stundtals

The songs in between the dumb fake commercials are pretty fine

I just don’t find myself being that impressed with The Who. I sure am glad I didn’t accidentally listen to the version with 114 tracks though.

Honestly, I get that this is kinda a beloved deep cut album from fans of the band from my understanding, but I'm not getting it. The concept with advertisements inbetween every song isn't doing anything for me, and I'm just not into this style from The Who. Basically the only song that really works is I Can See for Miles, which sounds like a quintessential Who song, whereas the rest of the songs are too light and airy, with Moon's drumming buried too far in the mix. Additionally, their forays into psychedelic rock aren't great. I know The Who to be a band that ROCKS. Not a band that dicks around with silly Ren Faire horns and whatnot. They would expand a bit more on Tommy, and finally come into their own with Who's Next. Perfectly OK album, but yeah. Nothing special. Definitely doesn't belong on the list, should have put Quadrophenia on instead. Definitely hearing a lot of sounds on this that they would reuse on later albums to much better effect (Such as the guitar lick in Sunrise being suspiciously similar to Pinball Wizard). Definitely feels like a "Test shit out" album.

Woof, this is definitely the roughest Who album. The moments they're jamming and doing normal vocals are great, but then it gets hampered by the bit of it being a commercial. So no, not a must listen I'd say. Unless you're one of those guys who think fart sounds are high art.

As annoying as one could actually make an album from a band that can do better. Worth less than the sum of its parts due to the painfully unfunny and long jingles. And the songs between those jingles weren't the strongest work of the Who either. The sound is often thin and the vocals too high up in the mix. This is the band that made baba o riley for crying out loud.

Ok. I will not return to it. ★★★

At first, I thought I was going to hate this album - the first track has kind of a rock opera-y vibe to it, somehow. It wasn’t actually a rock opera, though, and the little “Radio London” interstitials and fake ads were kind of funny. It didn’t take itself too seriously, which I appreciated. That said, aside from “I Can See For Miles,” the music itself wasn’t all that great. I didn’t hate it in the end, but it’s definitely not the best The Who album. 2.5-3

Didn't enjoy this, songs were aggravating, but I do enjoy the album art.

Schifo

this kind of annoyed me at first but the weird ads started to grow on me. i find the who to be kind of theatrical in a bad way sometimes but can't deny some of their songs are so memorable and anthemic. Minus point for disgusting album cover (maybe most disgusting)

Definitivamente no conecté con el concepto de emisora con anuncios poco habituales, entiendo que va en tipo crítica pero si, no me llegó

No es su mejor álbum

Completely agree with whoever called this 'schifo'. A few alright songs but completely ruined by the wacky radio adverts between tracks.

I recognize a few of these tracks by title, but have never listened to this album start-to-finish. The tracks I do recognize aren't my favorite songs by The Who, and what I do know about this album doesn't give me high hopes. The only track really worth listening to here is "I Can See For Miles" and it's not even that good. If the title of this list was "1001 Albums Should Know About Before You Die," sure, this album belongs on that list. But this troll album is nowhere near a "must listen."

The Short Review The Who Sell Out is a four-star album wrapped in a five-star concept, with the standout track being 'I Can See for Miles'. The Long Review The Who Sell Out is the third studio album by The Who and is built around an inventive premise: structured as a broadcast by the 1960s offshore pirate station Radio London, it features authentic station jingles, humorous fake commercials, and public service announcements linking the tracks together. This, alongside the wonderful and memorable artwork, makes for a brilliant, quirky concept presented in a distinctly 1960's British style. It functions equally well as a straightforward radio broadcast parody or as a satirical commentary on consumerism and pop culture - the latter theme proved to be years ahead of its time. Anyone listening to this album for the first time without awareness of this context (it was released in late 1967) might wonder what the fuss is about. It does not sound like the band that went on to release Tommy, nor the 1970s stadium act behind "Who's Next" or "Quadrophenia". Instead, "The Who Sell Out" bridges the gap between the short, sharp pop singles of the band's early career and the expansive rock structures that began with "Tommy". The song-writing, anchored by 'I Can See for Miles', 'Tattoo', and 'Sunrise', is consistently strong. Including 'Pictures of Lily' on the track listing would have strengthened it further, though that song was recorded and released earlier in 1967 as a standalone single. For those looking to explore the album in greater depth, the Deluxe Edition is well worth hearing, not least because it includes the original mono mix, which sounds terrific. Last point - the driving acoustic guitar motif and the accompanying heavy instrumental progression in the middle section of in 'Rael (1 and 2)' serve as the primary blueprint for 'Overture', 'Sparks', and 'Underture' on "Tommy". Side one 1 "Armenia City in the Sky" (4/5) 2 "Heinz Baked Beans" (4/5) 3 "Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand" (5/5) 4 "Odorono" (4/5) 5 "Tattoo" (5/5) 6 "Our Love Was" (4/5) 7 "I Can See for Miles" (5/5) Side two 1 "I Can't Reach You" (4/5) 2 "Medac" (3/5) 3 "Relax" (4/5) 4 "Silas Stingy" (4/5) 5 "Sunrise" (4/5) 6 "Rael (1 and 2)" (includes 'Track Records Run Out Groove' as a hidden track) (4/5) Total - 54 Average - 4.2 420/1001 220/420 albums reviewed were new to me.

Something I've noticed over the years - "funny" tracks/albums can be really fun the first couple of listens, but they tend to grow old quickly. There are some great tracks on this, but too much of the funny attempts. An alright listen once, but only once. 2 1/2 stars

I think The Who sold out on this record.

Fun album, but not great as other albums by them