Who's Next

"Baba O'Riley" is one of the greatest tracks ever laid down and earns this album 5 stars all by itself. Unfortunately, this album also has "Going Mobile", which is the single lamest song ever written, so that docks it a full two stars. The rest of the tracks are just good, not great, and don't move the needle either way.

The next door neighbours are renovating and it’s been a power tool symphony for about a week. So I cranked The Who up to 11 in my lounge room to drown them out for a while. Accidentally discovered this is how The Who are meant to be played. LOUD. Definitely the most I’ve ever enjoyed listening to them.

Many consider this one of the best rock albums in history. That’s open to debate, but arguing that it’s The Who’s finest work would be entirely pointless. It’s a solid five-star record — a collection of stadium rock anthems featuring catchy synth motifs, compelling basslines, and drums that, while sounding somewhat flat, pack an incredible punch. There is a catch, however: the beginning and the end are so strong that the middle section suffers by comparison. The songs in the middle are perfectly decent, but they simply don’t measure up to the opening and closing tracks. The pacing is quite uneven; the eight-minute finale never feels like it drags, whereas a six-minute track in the middle definitely does. I could mention that the album — much like Tommy — was originally conceived as a rock opera, but that’s not particularly interesting. What is interesting, though, is that I’ve spent my whole life looking at the cover, seeing four stylish musicians, only to realize just now that these stylish guys are actually pissed on a wall.

I enjoyed it, never been blown away. 3.8

Now a new decade and a very different world from the one that the Who became a household name in, the band move on from being a raunchous and rebellious group to a band a band that has refined their sound for the blossoming stadium rock era. They transition rather seemlessly, even if this record is packed with too much filler. If every song was "Baba O'Rilly", this would be an easy 5/5. Ballad "Behind Blue Eyes" is another highlight. The album closer "Won't Get Fooled Again" would be great if it didn't go a smidgen too long. My third Who record I have generated since doing this project, I have yet to be completely blown away by them and I don't think that moment will ever come.

It is a classic album, and it is rightfully celebrated for being bookended by two of the cornerstone tracks of seventies rock. But the truth is that the rest of the album feels like filler. That's unfair, of course; the other tracks are perfectly fine Who songs, but I did find myself drifting off as I waited for 'Won't Get Fooled Again' to come along, and in the end, it can't get the full five because of that. I did at least manage to get out my own vinyl copy and hear it as intended, which was satisfying, but it's an object lesson in not loading your best track at the front - everything is going to sound pale in comparison. Until you get to the scream, of course.

Love The Who even if Peter Townshend is famously a dick

Strong album!

YEAHHHHHHHHH

I wasn't expecting to like this as much as I did. I find that The Who are very overrated, and I only recognised 2 songs from this album, so went in blind, but with pretty low expectations. Turns out this is brilliant! 'Baba O'Riley' is obviously one of the greatest songs of all-time, so are 'Behind Blue Eyes' and 'Won't Get Fooled Again', but I was surprised by how great 'Bargain' and 'Getting In Tune' were! I was disappointed by 'My Wife' and 'The Song Is Over', but this is likely my favourite album by The Who!

Low expectations until I realized this is the album with Baba O'Riley, and even though I knew it was wrong my brain kept thinking Eleanor Rigby. Once I hit play there was a flashback of all the uplifting movie trailers I've ever seen set to that song running through my vision like fireworks. The songs that follow aren't half bad either, though I think it's hard to compose work equivalent to genius when genius just strikes at random every so often. There's great musicianship, and the classic rock feels more standard here, less dated than some of their earlier work. I could see myself spinning this again when I'm in that classic rock mood, the intro alone is icing on the cake. This project works perfectly at 9 tracks in length. Greed fuels a multiple hour listening experience that muddies the whole thing. Those keys at the end of Won't Get Fooled Again really create the aura of a final climax, it's a pretty well thought out and executed project, especially for its age. 3.9/5

Début par Baba O'Riley, classique parmi les classiques, on se met dans l'ambiance du rock de nos padres. On continue avec Bargain, sons de guitare bien bluesy et gras en alternance avec l'acoustique, batterie qui sonne du tonnerre même avec un casque moisi, des sons de synthé qui se marient vraiment bien et un morceau qui se permet d'exister et de durer. Love ain't for keeping est à l'image des deux premiers morceaux. My wife semble sortir d'un peu nulle part ensuite mais nous fait aller ailleurs avec des sonorités plus proches de ce qu'on trouverait chez Wings et une manière de chanter proche de McCartney. On revient à quelque chose de plus Who derrière. Enfin, on se finit avec Won't get fooled again, qui ne nous aura pas deux fois : 8 minutes, c'est beaucoup.

the quintessential dad rock album, they killed it

Great album, what an opening track!

Number: 291 Familiarity: Extremely (5) Rating: 4 Before: ======= Nice, this should be a good listen. During: ======= I predict a 4 or 5. The opening track is a 5, but we'll see how the others turn out. We had this album in the house I recall as a kid in the early 70s so I know I've listened to it multiple times, though it's been a very long time since I've listened to the whole thing as The Who are more of a tier 2 that tier 1 band for me...Now on number 4, My Wife, which is OK but not that engaging or memorable, that one gets a 3... After : ======= I guess there's a reason I don't remember listening to this very much. It's probably because there's only a couple of songs I really like a lot, a couple that are pretty decent, and the rest is mostly just ok.

So many hits!!!!!!

Hell yeah

Jon Entwistle’s bass alone is enough to get this to 5 stars for me. One of my favorite albums of all time.

Oh boy. Didn't need to listen to this one cover to cover to rate it high. I listened anyway. I don't like all the songs equally, but I still catch myself singing/humming/drumming along with the ones I groan about during the opening bars. Will absolutely listen to again. More than a couple times, lifetime permitting.

The bass lines are the greatness of this album, John Entwistle makes an incredible job. Besides from the obvious smasher Baba O'reiley, "Wont get fooled again" is really fun to listen to, how cool that mainstream rock songs could be over 8 minutes in 70's?

Pretty good, much better than Tommy. Singles are absolute bangers, the rest is mid. Like a 3.8/5 but rounding up

Full recommend. Classic, necessary listening.

Overall good album

on first look this album cover is ugly lol and the font is ugly too but when you think about it, it's kind of influential. I feel that a lot of 2010s albums used that font and had a similar type of exposure and shot composition. anyWHO.... The album has some iconic songs on it. No doubt that they put together a cohesive and well thought out album. Great production too. I think it’s up there as a 4.5-5 so I’ll round up. Probably their best work.

Love The Who. No notes.

One of the first albums I bought were by the Who, we watched Tommy in highschool, we dressed as mods to watch Quadrophenia in our local cinema and Pete Townsend was always my guitar hero. I saw them live in 1980 in Frankfurt Festhalle on the Who Are You tour and they played Rockpalast on German TV. This is their best album with innovative Synth use featuring 3 of their greatest songs.

5/5 my favorite who album tied w quad

3.5

Kann man nix mit falsch machen.

Und wieder ein Fall von: Ich sehe die Qualität, aber es erreicht mich emotional nicht.

Solid, as always

En ole mikään The Who -fani, itse asiassa bändin tuotanto on isossa kuvassa aika vierasta. Aiemmin listalla ollut Tommy oli ihan vieras albumi mutta erinomainen. Tämä ei ole samaa sarjaa ollenkaan. Päinvastoin, albumin päätöskaksikko ”Behind blue eyes” ja Won’t be fooled again” on todella puhkisoitettuja hittejä. Ja niin on avausraita Baba O’Riley, sitä en vain tunnistanut nimen perusteella. Eli tuttua mutta huttua, ei iske, kuultu kyllästymiseen asti. 2/5

Was always just whatever about The Who, but this album is packed with jams. The Limp Bizkit cover was pretty nice as well.

It's the who they've got they're hit but roger can go fuck himself

I get it, The Who are talented musicians, but I think I’ve suffered from classic-rock radio overload. Baba O’Riley and Won’t Get Fooled Again have been played so many times that I’m practically ready to change the station before they even start! Maybe I’m missing something, or maybe The Who are just a little overrated in my book. Talent? Absolutely. Do I need to hear these songs another thousand times? Absolutely not!

What a mixed bag. I was expecting this to be really good, The Who at the peak of their powers, because it includes the absolute classics Baba O'Reilly (a bit prog for me, but good) and Won't Get Fooled Again (great). BO'R is sort of "power prog", and I suppose I expected more of the same, but some tracks felt surprisingly insipid - The Song is Over felt like I was listening to a terrible musical. Getting in Tune was better, but had a cheesy repetitive chorus. I felt a lot of tracks hadn't aged well, musically or lyrically. I really like the melodies, rhythms and harmonies of Love Ain't For Keeping, but I can't find many other positives. The non-Roger-sung songs sounded especially dated and dull. Keith Moon sounds consistently great, but he can only do so much. I'm only writing all these gripes at length because I was genuinely disappointed by the songs themselves. I think WGFA is brilliant. But the album is summed up by Behind Blue Eyes - a bit of a car crash of some fabulous moments but very much only good in parts and doesn't hang together cohesively. I've now read that the album grew out of an aborted musical/opera project. That makes a lot of sense. PS gross pic, boys.

Played this to death when I was in middle school. Used to listen to my dad’s record collection with headphones incessantly. This one is great, lotsa hit power.

I've never been a huge Who fan but I can't argue that this album isn't really good. Also, on the scale from cool to dweeb in this photo, it clearly goes Townsend, Entwistle, Daltrey, a country mile, then Moon. [Using the original tracklist] 8 keepers in 9 (89%). 1 banger (11%). 100

I really liked this album. from the first chords of baba o'reilly to the last song, overall a great album

Great.

a BAND

fucking 5

Excellent anthemic rock album, with one of the best bookends to an album ever with Baba O’Reilly and Won’t Get Fooled Again. The thing about those tracks are they’re allowed to breathe, there’s a great build up and release in both songs and the whole band is featured The Pete Townsend stuff loses me Love Keith Moon 4.5

Baba is the most overplayed song. But the rest of the album is great.

Bra skiva med 3 klassiker som sticker ut. Ingen låt som är dålig.

Rock - above average. 2,9

Actually disliked this less than I thought I would. Started and ended well but I got a little bored in the middle. It's a strong 2 for me.

Not terrible but any means but some distance from the music by The Who that I most enjoy. Baba O’Riley is a great tune too. Two stars but well up the list of the two stars. Tom.

Single are solid, some of their best songs. The rest is very mid

Fun listen. I enjoyed the guitar work and organ/keyboards.

Probably the only Who album I can listen to straight through.

"Baba O'Riley" is in the Counterintuitive Song Title Hall of Fame. Despite a couple of clunkers, this album is filled with some of the Who's best work.

Hits were great, the rest just ok.

Not sure how I feel about this album

Middle of the road rock, nothing wrong with it but doesn't do too much either

Sick Awesome

Nostalgic, remote yearning for something lost, calm rebellious tone Favorite track - Behind Her Eyes

Thought I would rate a 5 since I love three songs from it. Incredibly famous album, thinking I would find some new hidden gems. The truth is that for me, the rest is average. Don’t get me wrong, it’s no close to a bad album. But yeah, I still stick to my fave songs from this.

Apparently all the Who songs I actually like are on this album. I still think The Who are overrated in general, but “Baba O’Riley,” “Behind Blue Eyes,” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again” are all great. Those three alone do a lot of the heavy lifting for me the rest of the album was pretty good but not enough to make me a legit fan of the band. Favorite song: "Won't Get Fooled Again"

1. Baba O'Reilly: when you get past the opening, it's kind of repetitive and milquetoast. Pete Townshend's vocals on the bridge never appealed to me. Great instrumentation, especially that piano glissando and Keith Moon's drums. I do love the end building up to silence. 2. Bargaining: kind of a proto AC/DC feel. Pretty great. Daltrey's vocals kill in this simple, rocking jam. 3. Love Ain't For Keeping: great bluesy song. Love the background vox. 4. My Wife: here we GO. Entwistle should've sung more Who songs. Kicks ass. The HORNS my GOD. Maybe The Who never needed Roger Daltrey? Nah. But? Maybe. 5. The Song is Over: slowing it down for more soppy, flimsy Townshend lyrics. This song can eat it. Treating Townshend and Daltrey as this two-headed Jeckyl and Hyde just doesn't work for me. Killer guitar solo though. 6. Getting in Tune: this is a great start to side B. 7. Going Mobile: this is fun use of Townshend's voice. It suits him. 8. Behind Blue Eyes: Great song. Like an early Beegees song. 9. Won't Get Fooled Again: I love this song. Perfect finishing song.

Was pretty good

The Who are an exception in my enjoyment of classic rock. The Who are loud. They're rock and roll in every sense of the phrase. A very enjoyable listen.

I like quite a lot Some really good instrumentation, the vocals and lyrics are nice All are worth listening to again

They feel like the fathers of many many subgenres I like their most known songs but I could properly get into this, possibly because I was on the verge of sleeping during the entire experience. I'll definitely enjoy it better if I happen to give it another go, and I'll probably like others works by them

Who? MIKE JONES.

The Who is one of those bands that simply did not age well for me. They were a huge influence on the music I consumed and performed at a young age, but it just didn't stick. Now, I find most of their albums have a single "hit" to anchor them but are filled out with mostly fluff. This one is an outlier though, Baba O'Riley, Bargain, Going Mobile, Behind Blue Eyes, Won't Get Fooled Again, it's practically non-stop bangers. One of my favorite album of theirs.

After slowing crawling through The Who's discography I have finally gotten to the album I have been waiting to here in full, Who's Next, and now after sitting through all 43 minutes of this album I hate to say it but I am a bit disappointed. Even with classic tracks like Behind Blue Eyes, Won't Get Fooled Again, and Baba O'Riley, Who's Next feels a bit underwhelming. This album doesn't have as much of a sprawling and impress composition/design as Tommy but it also isn't trying to. This is a Hard Rock album through and through and it definitely can rock but just not to an equal level all the time. I feel the first 3 tracks do a stellar job at really grabbing you and then everything after is a mixed bag of solid but slightly forgettable Rock songs to some of the sharpest writing on Behind Blue Eyes. As much as I wanted to think Who's Next was a very complete and very thought out project, it feels like a mixed bag of ideas thrown together to get the band back on their feet after a very adventurous swing. Thankfully for the band this safe move worked in helping make them a more household name so they could continue their more artsy adventures on Quadrophenia, but again I am left wanting so much more from this band that I simply don't think I'll ever truly find. It is pretty solid but not much more than that if you are asking me.

some good dad rock, at last.

Starts strong with Baba O'Reilly, a few known songs in there. A couple of repetitive songs , overall though, no poor songs. Think I need to sit and re-listen to it again to appreciate it more. Can see why, especially at the time, it was considered such a strong album.

Heard before?:✔️ Will listen again?:❓️

Track By Track Baba O’Riley - I think this was maybe one of the first instances of minimalist synth motifs being used in a rock song like this. Not sure. I don’t know the history of it in depth enough! I did go down a mini research rabbit hole about the song’s history (watched one video :) ) and it was interesting to learn about his innovative use of the synthesiser and his being into minimalist Terry Riley at the time. Anyway, what an opener. Belter of a song. Great vocal delivery on this one too. Properly earnest. I do know this though and I am biased. It’s my favourite Who song, although my knowledge of them is limited. Nice reading about the history, that this was meant to be like a rock opera. This song absolutely fits that description. Also read that the title is named after Meher Baba and Terry Riley. Very cool. Classic. Awesome. Bargain - Starting with ethereal, Bowie-like chords, into more Who vibes. Still with that rock operatic feel, particularly the drumming. It’s got sections like a musical or something. That slower break with the more prominent vocals is very of that style. I’m imagining a stage and lights. Love Ain’t for Keeping - Some of these songs starting abruptly! Nice vocals again on this one. Feel he was properly at his peak on this in terms of power. It is a tiny bit reminiscent of Led Zeppelin. Got that medieval tinge. My Wife - I liked the chorus of this one a fair amount and it’s decent, but not a standout. They’re spanning the whole gamut of musical instruments though by introducing those horns. The Song Is Over - This is quite nice. Ballady but also with synths. Goes into the rock musical vibe with the full band. That part I liked less. Quite enjoyable song though. Getting In Tune - Hilarious opening lyrics. Lovely tune. It’s almost comically epic. It’s a lot of fun this one. Liked it. Enjoy that I can hear the instruments clearly (bass, piano, etc.) Going Mobile - This has a good rhythm and vibe to it. Rocking and great. Solid tune. Behind Blue Eyes - Another nice ballad. Again, can hear Led Zeppelin’s influence. Sounds very of the time this one. Those harmonies very distinctive. Well written song. Personally didn’t love. Won’t Get Fooled Again - I just keep thinking of that infamous George Bush quote! Anyway, it’s a great tune, with quality playing. If I’m honest, these epic 8/9 minute rock numbers can get a little waring. But I can dig it if I’m in the right mood. Overall Review: I enjoyed reading a little about this album’s history. It’s like it’s verging on a concept album. I did appreciate how it was put together and can also appreciate it likely had a strong legacy. The artwork is also very apt, as it’s like it’s representing not only the teenage wasteland he’s singing about, but also the salvaged nature of the songs which is alluded to in the album’s context. It’s an impressive piece, even though not all songs really did it for me if I’m honest. Some very strong highlights though. It’s a high 3 for me. 3.5/5 Favourite Songs: Baba O’Reilly, Love Ain’t for Keeping, Getting In Tune

Have I listened to this album before No How familiar am I with this album A little familiar How do I feel about this artist? I like The Who Pre-Listen Thoughts: The Who is one of those bands that I like but I don’t love. I like quite a few of the songs on here though. Favorite track(s): Baba O‘Riley, Won’t Get Fooled Again. Post-Listen Thoughts: Barbara O’Riley is an amazing album opener, and Won’t Get Fooled Again is a great closer. But everything in between was just kind of mid, not bad but not amazing.

The tracks I knew before are still the best ones on their album. You can see how it was planned as a rock opera.

Objetivamente es un muy buen album. Personalmente no terminé de encontrarle la vuelta. Por ejemplo, no entiendo por qué Baba O´Riley es tan famosa, no me pareció la gran cosa. El final del album me gustó mucho

Enjoyed this more than I thought I would as I am not a huge fan of Baba O’Riley and that’s what I associate this album with. Rest of the album surprised me, especially Love Ain’t for Keeping and The Song Is Over. The real standout though is Won’t Get Fooled Again. Haven’t heard it in a long long time and totally got chills hearing it again, absolute banger.

Never the biggest Who fan but this is one to listen to if you are going to listen to them.

A delight of an album. Energy, verve and musicianship.

It’s … fine. Most songs are pretty boring.

Pretty cheesy in some places, but the last song is a banger.

Iconic. When you kids say, “What are The Who”? This is the album you play

Baba O’Reily kicks this off with a bang and then it fizzles out. I live Behind Blue Eyes but this just sounded really dated (I much prefer Limp Bizkit’s version). I don’t get The Who hype.

I think The Who are my definition of a 3 band. The hits are undeniable. The rest generally annoys me. I’ve heard enough to know for sure. I’m not a fan. 3 Boolean: what can I say?

I was born a few years after the Who formed, but grew up hearing their music on the radio throughout the 70s and 80s. I always liked them, but they were such a big part of the radioscape that I took them for granted and never even bought one of their albums. Listening to this was a wonderful kind-of-nostalgic treat. I say 'kind of' becasue I was 3 when this album came out but know most of these songs. I thought I never needed to hear Baba O'Reily again, but what a banger! Not hearing it for so long allowed me to appreciate it and the rest of the album all over again. A couple songs were new to me, like "My Wife"! What a funny tune--this guy's trying to escape from his angry wife bc he came home drunk and is sure she's going to kill him. The hyperbole in the song makes for a good laugh. The whole album rocks.

Erster Song als Radfahr Song klassifiziert! Texte irgendwie sehr geradlinig, "No one knows how to be the bad man, the sad man" Hat die Leute früher nicht mehr beschäftigt? Ja halt rock..........man kann es fühlen aber finde mich gerade eben nicht so rein. Sehe mich leider nicht so in diesem Album wieder aber fände es spannend wie es die Szene damals geformt hat. Das cover finde ich dagegen sehr sehr cool, erinnert mich an die Gletscherlandschaft mit dem ganzen Geröll, warum who`s next? Wen wollen die attackieren? saved: Baba O´Riley Love aint for keeping won't get fooled again 3 Sterne

Baba drar lasset. Uten BBE hadde denne vært på midten.

Hot take: album should’ve just been an EP with first two and last two songs. Behind Blue Eyes is fire. Pete Townshend is a musical genius but The Who is not really my favorite

Featiuring the mighty Baba O'Riley and Won't Get Fooled Again, this album - released not long after the Live at Leeds classic - is rightly regarded as one of The Who's finest. There's no slacking on the job here, barely any filler, just the sound of a band still at the top of its game. Very recommended!

Brilliant from start to finish

Stupid band name

Better than Coldplay

Unfortunately it didn't hit with me.. I don't know why.. I think the voice of the lead is quite too boring and the songs didn't reach me or my heart 3/5

What can I say about Who's Next? It's one of the pinnacles of rock, from the iconic and still amusing cover to the flawless tracklist. Even the "lesser" songs like My Wife, Love Ain't For Keeping, and Getting in Tune are phenomenal. And the iconic warhorses still sound fresh after hearing them thousands of times. You'd think I'd flip the channel when something like Baba O'Riley or Won't Get Fooled Again starts playing, but I still crank it up. There's a reason why the punks of the 70s gave the Who a pass and Gen X bands revered the band. As a Gen Xer myself, this album was omnipresent on radio and the Who were one of the cornerstones of my musical knowledge base.

I’ve heard this before and I own it. So this is the first studio album by The Who where the recording was done properly to capture their sound without sweetening it up to take off the edges. It’s unfortunately also when their music started turning downward into overwrought self important arena rock. Most of the radio hits are good, and Baba O’Reilly and Won’t Get Fooled Again, while being overwrought and goofy, really fucking rock, but Behind Blue Eyes is abysmal, and the deep cuts are pretty forgettable. It’s not bad like their late 70s output but it’s not great especially coming after Live At Leeds.

8.5 / 10

Starts off with one of my all-time favourite songs and ends incredibly strong with Behind Blue Eyes and Won't Get Fooled Again, two absolute classics. Lags in the middle a bit, but that can be forgiven for the absolute bangers on this album.

Quite a few hits. Instant feel good.

Peak The Who right here. What’s not to like????

I love The Who, but feels like a lot of filler between the bookended hits.

One of my favorite album covers. (Hahah) So many hits on this one. I like that old time rock and roll!

Pretty much what I expect from one of this group's albums.