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Who's Next

The Who

1971
Who's Next
Album Summary

Who's Next is the fifth studio album by English rock band the Who. It developed from the aborted Lifehouse project, a multi-media rock opera conceived by the group's guitarist Pete Townshend as a follow-up to the band's 1969 album Tommy. The project was cancelled owing to its complexity and to conflicts with Kit Lambert, the band's manager, but the group salvaged some of the songs, without the connecting story elements, to release as their next album. Eight of the nine songs on Who's Next were from Lifehouse, the lone exception being the John Entwistle-penned "My Wife". Ultimately, the remaining Lifehouse tracks would all be released on other albums throughout the next decade. The Who recorded Who's Next with assistance from recording engineer Glyn Johns. After producing the song "Won't Get Fooled Again" in the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, they relocated to Olympic Studios to record and mix most of the album's remaining songs. They made prominent use of synthesizer on the album, particularly on "Won't Get Fooled Again" and "Baba O'Riley", which were both released as singles. The cover photo was shot by Ethan Russell; it made reference to the monolith in the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, as it featured group members standing by a concrete piling protruding from a slag heap in Easington Colliery, County Durham, apparently having urinated against it. The album was an immediate success when it was released on 14 August 1971. It has since been viewed by many critics as the Who's best album and one of the greatest albums of all time. It was reissued on CD several times, often with additional songs originally intended for Lifehouse included as bonus tracks.

Wikipedia

Rating

3.9

Votes

8467
Genres
Rock
Hard Rock
Psychedelic Rock

Reviews

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Thu Feb 18 2021
5

Now here's a classic album. This marks the third album on here I have on vinyl (actually fourth since my Pink Moon vinyl arrived today). Opens with one of the greatest songs ever made. I'm a Baba O'Riley boy through and through. There are plenty of other bangers on here too, and I also enjoyed a handful of the tracks I'd never heard before. In total, I gave a little Apple Music heart to seven of the nine tracks--that's what we in the business of calling things things call a "hit machine." Honestly insane that this album opens AND closes with two of the greatest songs the Who has ever made. This album is undeniable. Plus, I fear if I gave this less than a perfect review that my younger self would materialize to kick my ass. Good thing it more than holds up. Favorite tracks: Baba (booey) O'Riley, Won't Get Fooled Again, Behind Blue Eyes, The Song Is Over. Album art: Iconic. This should honestly be on a short list for best album covers ever. Top 15 maybe? Four blokes in a quarry, around this man-made monolith type thing. The angle of the monolith is part of the charm too--it's not centered, but it feels centered. A strong, dark energy emanates from this one. Also, I love the stylization of the title: "Who's next" Not a question, nor a statement really. Maybe just an observation. 5/5

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Mon Feb 15 2021
5

Anyone who doesn't rate this a 5 doesn't know what they are talking about. This is a nearly perfect album. Epic.

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Thu Oct 08 2020
5

Dad rock but by actually talented musicians

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Sat Nov 06 2021
5

Who’s Next by The Who (1971) [Is this the best album cover ever?] How many of us first heard this album in our formative years, when we began to discover that hard rock was an art form, a catalyst for serious reflection on answers to the big questions, for markers along the trail toward maturity and contentment, for companionship in the pursuit of truth that we could not get from our teachers, pastors, coaches, father-figures, counselors, and drill sergeants? How many of us sat at the feet of a sage like Pete Townshend when we had tried and failed to distill life’s lessons from George McGovern, Walter Cronkite, Malcolm X, T.S. Eliot, Karl Marx, and Saints Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John? How many of us were there? And how many of us are left? We learned from the songs we absorbed. We learned that the nature of love is sacrificial (“Bargain”), that love for spouse and offspring is not passive but active (“Love Ain’t for Keeping”), that in the midst of the anger and the vengefully voided conscience of being misunderstood, self restraint is wiser than violence (“Behind Blue Eyes”), that adolescent angst is only a ‘teenage wasteland’ (“Baba O’Riley”), and that this Revolution too will pass when the ‘slogans are effaced’ and ‘the beards have all grown longer’ (“Won’t Get Fooled Again”). Of course, all these truths could have been found in the Christian faith, but the searching was hard when the more popular theologians and moralists of the mid-twentieth century had so royally screwed it up. So how many of us became atheists who had to seek these truths elsewhere? But these priceless truths would be inaccessible without a suitable vehicle of expression. It had to be heavy (“Getting In Tune”), dexterous (“Going Mobile”), and punctuated with comic relief (“My Wife”). So this is where the music comes in—guitar, bass, drums, piano, synthesizer (yes, we were ready for that), and voices that could both melt hearts (“The Song Is Over”) and produce involuntary cris de coeur. Putting yourself in the context of a post-revolutionary survivor, patiently listen to “Won’t Get Fooled Again” (loud!) and take note of what happens in your upper thoracic region at the 7:43 mark. I dare you. The physicality is astonishing. The best (and most paternal) transition from Side One to Side Two in the history of recorded music: “The song is over Excepting one note, pure and easy Playing so free, like a breath rippling by . . . I’m singing this note . . . But I’m in tune, and I’m gonna tune right in on you.” This is the album that first compelled me to listen seriously. What album did that for you? 5/5

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Wed Jul 28 2021
3

A lot of classics, but the ones that aren’t classics kind of drag. Even the big ones are more “great riff” than “6 minutes of excellence”.

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Thu Feb 18 2021
5

Oh my let me use Who’s words to say Bargain the best I ever Had”. Buying this album is the best you’ll ever buy. I lost 2 pounds listening to this album. Baba Riley had me playing air guitar, air drums,keyboard and violin. I needed water half way through due to beltimg out the words to so many - so loud! My goodness what a piece of art from the 1st track to last. This is what a masterpiece sounds like . Belisamo!

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Mon Oct 11 2021
5

The apotheosis of talent show rock (songs where all the band’s gifts are on display), nothing here is less than masterful. But what shines brightest is how consistently brilliant their final acts are. Baba O’Reilly’s gypsy coda is as great as its famous opening. Daltrey’s gravelly commitment to “When my fist clenches, crack it open” and “Put ya fingers down my throat” in Behind Blue Eyes’ finale is what tips it into all-time great. Won’t Get Fooled Again somehow finds a way to level-up at the end even though the whole song’s essentially the album’s final act. Even the lesser numbers pack a big finish: Bargain’s drum battering, My Wife’s creeping horn charts, Going Mobile’s squiggly synths. The sleeper is Getting in Tune, which re-routes its concept with each verse. First one’s about making music, second one’s about loneliness, third one’s about getting yourself right, fourth one’s about finding connection. Then they all get blitzed together. Something like that, anyway. When the material isn’t strong enough to fully embody, the McCartneyish try hard in Daltrey’s voice can be irritating; but when it is strong—which is most of the time here—it brings out the character actor in him and he puts the songs over like a motherfucker.

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Sat Jan 22 2022
5

One of the greatest albums of all time. Top 5 ‘final track on an album’ ever…

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Mon Jan 18 2021
3

Very strong start and finish but lags in the middle, much like me having a shag.

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Sat Jul 03 2021
5

This is an all-time classic, one of the best albums ever in my opinion. There really isn't a bad song in the bunch. Lately I've really been appreciating My Wife (the song, although I do appreciate my real-life wife as well). Listen to the drumming in that song, and then the horns kick in. And of course, Won't Get Fooled Again is epic. 5 stars easy.

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Mon Mar 29 2021
5

Classic album. Second favorite Who album behind Quadrophenia. 9-10/10 1. Baba O'Riley 2. Won't Get Fooled Again 3. My Wife

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Sun Apr 25 2021
5

Much of Who's Next derives from Lifehouse, an ambitious sci-fi rock opera Pete Townshend abandoned after suffering a nervous breakdown, caused in part from working on the sequel to Tommy. There's no discernable theme behind these songs, yet this album is stronger than Tommy, falling just behind Who Sell Out as the finest record the Who ever cut. Townshend developed an infatuation with synthesizers during the recording of the album, and they're all over this album, adding texture where needed and amplifying the force, which is already at a fever pitch. Apart from Live at Leeds, the Who have never sounded as LOUD and unhinged as they do here, yet that's balanced by ballads, both lovely ("The Song Is Over") and scathing ("Behind Blue Eyes"). That's the key to Who's Next -- there's anger and sorrow, humor and regret, passion and tumult, all wrapped up in a blistering package where the rage is as affecting as the heartbreak. This is a retreat from the '60s, as Townshend declares the "Song Is Over," scorns the teenage wasteland, and bitterly declares that we "Won't Get Fooled Again." For all the sorrow and heartbreak that runs beneath the surface, this is an invigorating record, not just because Keith Moon runs rampant or because Roger Daltrey has never sung better or because John Entwistle spins out manic basslines that are as captivating as his "My Wife" is funny. This is invigorating because it has all of that, plus Townshend laying his soul bare in ways that are funny, painful, and utterly life-affirming. That is what the Who was about, not the rock operas, and that's why Who's Next is truer than Tommy or the abandoned Lifehouse. Those were art -- this, even with its pretensions, is rock & roll.

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Sun Aug 01 2021
5

I feel like anything I would have to say about this album would be woefully insufficient. I mean, this is the epitome of a 5 star album. Best thing the Who ever made. There's a reason why we know so many of these songs, to the point where some have become overfamiliar. Don't let that get in the way of your enjoyment. There are literally some of the best rock songs ever made on this album, including the monumental "Baba O'Riley," the blistering "Won't get Fooled Again," and the deeply intense "Behind Blue Eyes." This is the Who musically at their best and going for broke on every song. Fave Songs: Baba O'Riley, Bargain, Behind Blue Eyes, Won't Get Fooled Again, Going Mobile

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Thu Aug 26 2021
5

After the success of Tommy, Pete Townsend embarked on another ambitious rock opera project titled Lifehouse. This project was eventually abandoned but some of the elements made their way onto Who's Next. This album is surely one of the Who's best. It is concise and coherent and features some of their greatest hits. Many of the lesser known songs come from Lifehouse and concern themselves with the relationship between music and its audience. This is truly a great album.

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Wed Jan 19 2022
5

What a great album! Compared to earlier Who albums, this is a marvel. "Bookended" by three mega hits, the rest of the album is studded with everything, fast paced songs, power ballads, guitars, synthesisers

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Wed Jan 19 2022
5

A masterpiece rock classic. I don’t think any band makes such a dramatic change in their career as The Who, Beatles aside. The album is packed with 3 mega iconic songs, great musicianship that well produced, all packaged in a great runtime. The album is a must and truly belongs on the list.

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Mon Feb 14 2022
5

This is one of my all-time favorites. With some devastating lyrics and incredible musicianship, it's got so many great songs that it feels like a "Best of..." record. (Though there are many, many more of The Who's bests not on this album.) It is grandly exuberant, theatrical, cinematic. (There is a reason Baba O'Riley is the soundtrack to so many movie trailers.) Listening to this album just feels HUGE. Like I need to expand to fit the music in. It's exhilarating. lovelovelovelovelove

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Thu Mar 10 2022
5

What kind of crazy, fucked-up world do we live in where this album isn't one of the top 20 highest rated on this sites list? This is the sound of a band at the absolute peak of their powers. It's the epitome of a classic album. There's a reason the best songs from the album have been overplayed everywhere: they're simply that good. I even like the track John Entwistle sings lead on.

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Wed May 25 2022
5

10/10, I feel like Joe Pera when I listen to this

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Sun May 29 2022
5

What a ride. This is probably the best album that’s going to be on this list. And to think this was leftovers from their previous record. Absolute legends.

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Thu Oct 14 2021
3

This album starts and ends brilliantly. Baba O'Riley, Behind Blue Eyes and Won't Get Fooled Again are classics and still sound fresh in 2021, particularly the former. In the middle it is less memorable though, and seemed like fairly average rock. 3.5/5.

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Fri Jan 28 2022
1

Beyond a couple of early singles, I have never understood the interest in The Who. This album is far from a classic, and sounds like a really bad hangover from the Sixties. Lumpen rock with no soul or even meaningful lyrics. There is nothing ‘mod'ern about this, even for the time. Even Townshend’s guitar playing - so often discussed and admired - doesn’t really stand out as being either virtuosic or particularly original, to these ears. Next!

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Fri Apr 08 2022
1

As I've mentioned in my reviews of the other Who albums, never been a big fan. At least those albums ("Tommy" and "My Generation") I wasn't as familiar with. This record is not so lucky. Classic rock radio has beaten at least four of these to absolute death, so much so that when I saw the last two songs were "Behind Blue Eyes" and "Won't Get Fooled Again", I decided to spare myself. If I had known "Bargain" by the title, I would've skipped that one as well. Two of these songs both have similar enough melodies, albeit differing intensities, and to have them back to back is just poor design ("The Song is Over" and "Getting In Tune"). The other three songs are absolutely forgettable. The Who are a classic rock band that I've never understood why every radio station in America is required to play their music. I just wish they'd go away. Favorite track: "Won't Get Fooled Again"

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Wed Jul 21 2021
5

A classic!! I think I first heard this sometime in high school. "Going Mobile" is really really good in particular - that one always stood out to me, even more so than "Behind Blue Eyes" or "Won't Get Fooled Again". As someone who has listened to the Who's entire discography, this is without a doubt one of the strongest points.

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Thu Nov 05 2020
5

Classic Who album. Great individual songs, moderate composition

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Fri Feb 12 2021
5

One of the toughest for me to get through so far. I realized after listening to this that The Who are the MOST overplayed classic rock group of all time. Ugh.

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Thu Jan 21 2021
5

Love the rich music and chord progression. Rad.

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Thu Apr 15 2021
5

Even though I still feel this album has some arguably filler-ish tracks - 'My Wife' in particular, and 'Love Ain't for Keeping' always felt a bit bland - the strength of the songs are just too great to justify anything other than 5 stars.

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Tue Feb 09 2021
5

So many classics that are simply fantastic.

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Fri Jan 15 2021
5

This one was full of nostalgia for me. I don't think I appreciatecd the nuance of the percussion and just the raw angsty feel. when I was young. It was over too soon

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Tue Jan 19 2021
5

A jubilant slice of classic 70s rock. Tumbling rolling drums. Mold-breaking. Baba O Riley. Behind Blue Eyes.

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Sun May 30 2021
5

One of the best albums ever. One of my favorite albums. Every song is great.

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Sun Mar 28 2021
5

Amazing album overall great story saved a lot

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Tue Jan 19 2021
5

This album was simply amazing. The band was inspiration to countless bands and multiple generations . damn near perfect

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Sun Feb 28 2021
5

one of the best albums ever made. period.

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Wed Feb 17 2021
5

All-time classic. Nothing but great tracks. One of my favorite records.

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Tue Feb 09 2021
5

Great songs but bonus album was way too long

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Wed Apr 21 2021
5

Hey these guys are pretty talented

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Sun Jun 27 2021
5

Classic album just. a bit of a dip in the middle. BT: Baba O'Riley, Behind Blue Eyes, Won't Get Fooled Again

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Sat Jul 10 2021
5

Any album that starts with one of the greatest Youth anthems of all time is an easy 4star. That it ends with behind blue eyes earns it the 5

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Sat Jul 10 2021
5

Great album! I don't know The Who very well so happy to listen through a full album of theirs

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Fri Mar 26 2021
5

Seminal album with countless classic tracks. The musicianship is excelling to the point where vocals are the weakest link, which is saying something.

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Sat May 08 2021
5

Not my favorite Who album, I don’t think, but goddamn, every song goes hard

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Wed May 12 2021
5

Great album. No weak tracks. Bargain, love ain’t for keeping, going mobile, behind blue eyes, all great secondary tracks. Probably the best Who album

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Tue Jun 29 2021
5

Nonstop rock from start to finish. Insanely iconic introduction and closer but the meat and bones hold their own for the runtime. 4.5 to 5/5

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Thu Jul 29 2021
5

Brilliant. Love the synths and the rock elements. This is The Who that I know best.

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Mon Aug 23 2021
5

Always liked The Who, but never truly appreciated them for their collective talent until recently. It was sparked by this album. Surely, there are many classics on here, But, the genius and musicianship are often hidden when the songs are overplayed. For me, I really began to appreciate Moon and Entwistle, both separate and together on this album, which only grew as I would re-listen to the other Who albums.

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Fri Sep 10 2021
5

Aunque conocía varias de las canciones por separado, no había oído el disco completo y en orden y me sorprendió lo bueno que es. Cons sus 9 canciones y 43 minutos, todas tienen mucha coherencia y armonía entre ellas y el disco entero se va volando. Mi parte favorita, por mucho, es todo Baba O'Riley: desde la entrada con el sintetizador hasta la parte climática que viene al final, esa rola no tiene una nota de desperdicio.

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Fri Sep 10 2021
5

Sin duda, así es como me gusta The Who. Nunca había escuchado el disco completo tal cual era y, sin temor a equivocarme creo que es ahora mi disco favorito de ellos. Me encanta el gran sonido completo que lograron con este álbum. En mi opinión, muy similar en partes a Tommy pero ahora, quizá debido a que no se logró cuajar la historia y el album "concepto" dio lugar a solo usar la música mejor lograda. Hay mucha grandilocuencia en todas las canciones y drama en todas partes sin seguir el molde de la ópera rock. "Baba O’Riley" siempre ha sido una de mis canciones favoritas y puedo escucharla una y otra vez. Esa canción para mí es parte esencial del hard rock y un excelente ejemplo del estilo destilado. La parte de acompañamiento con el sintetizador es muy original para su momento. Siempre me ha gustado "Won’t Get Fooled Again", y "Going Mobile". "Getting in Tune” fue nueva pero me gusto bastante. Y luego está "Behind Blue Eyes" que se había arruinado para mí hace mucho debido a un cover de Limp Bizkit. Sin embargo, creo que estoy listo para apreciarla y, sí, se siente medio cursilona pero es de esos puntos que nos recuerdan que esto iba a ser una ópera rock y en ese sentido no está nada mal lograda. Al final, tenemos creo sin duda uno de los mejores discos de los 70s y de todo el hard rock clásico en general.

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Sun Sep 12 2021
5

Got better and better over its brief run. There's nobody who ever played like Keith Moon.

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Sun Sep 26 2021
5

I think one of their best, maybe the best. It’s all spot on, exemplary of their unique brand, and of course a fist full of absolute iconic rock classics.

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Wed Sep 29 2021
5

A well-regarded classic, peppered with epoch-making tunes, and a lighter touch than I remembered. Great to hear it again.

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Sun Oct 03 2021
5

One of my all-time favorites from my favorite band. An awesome album. Essential classic rock.

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Tue Oct 19 2021
5

This is is the pantheon of great albums

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Thu Oct 21 2021
5

Great album. Good music and nice synths

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Wed Nov 17 2021
5

Obviously iconic album. That intro to Baba O'Reily teleports me to riding in the car with my Dad.

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Tue Nov 23 2021
5

MAYBE the best The Who album in their catalogue. Baba O Riley, Behind Blue Eyes, and Won't Get Fooled Again are the headliners, but don't sleep on Love Ain't For Keeping, Getting In Tune, and Going Mobile are all terrific as well.

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Tue Nov 23 2021
5

Great listening, influential, a bridge from the Beatles to later music.

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Sat Dec 25 2021
5

Classic rock here, some absolutely euphoric bangers, Daltrey’s vocals have an epic quality, Townshend’s guitars providing great fills, harmonies and riffs, Entwistle’s shuffling and grooving baselines keeping things moving and Moon’s insane drum fills and cymbal runs make sure the whole album never just settles but crackles and pops all the way through. Varied and always an interesting listen. Top tracks: Won’t Get Fooled Again, Baba O’Riley, Love Ain’t for Keeping, My Wife, Behind Blue Eyes

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Thu Jan 06 2022
5

Never listened to The Who before but highly recommended. Would purchase this album.

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Thu Jan 13 2022
5

Another classic album that formed rock and roll.

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Sun Jan 16 2022
5

Un dels millors discos de la història del rock. Des de l'icònica portada a l'èpica de 'Baba O'Riley' i 'Won't Get Fooled Again', passant per l'himne dels himnes, 'Behind Blue Eyes' i un reguitzell de temes menys coneguts però igualment triomfants. Obra mestra molt difícil d'igualar

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Mon Jan 17 2022
5

LOL I recognise this opening from...everything ever. Classic.

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Tue Jan 18 2022
5

Rock and roll. So good and great falsetto vocal

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Sat Jan 22 2022
5

My first memorable exposure to The Who was thanks to trailers for 'A Bugs Life' featuring the song 'Baba O'Riley', though I didn't know it yet. 'Boris the Spider' was my second thanks to my Uncle; curiously I also use to call him 'Baba' as a kid, though I doubt there's any connection. Some of the songs definitely come across as a filler but there's nothing that is flat out awful and some genuine amazing songs are featured in this album. Absolutely nothing original in my opinion for those songs being 'Baba O'Riley', 'Behind Blue Eyes' and 'Won't Get Fooled Again'.

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Mon Jan 31 2022
5

Clássico essencial do rock.

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Mon Jan 31 2022
5

Fantastic album. Starts off great, ends also with a great song. Just a classic album. Favourite songs - Baba O’reily - Behind blue eyes - Won’t get fooled again

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Mon Feb 14 2022
5

I have probably heard this album before, but I only remember the big hits off this. A monster album. So great! I loved every song.

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Mon Feb 14 2022
5

I have heard of this album, but never listened to it…and I don’t know why. It was great!

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Mon Feb 14 2022
5

It's very exciting to listen to a classic album for the first time and to find that the whole thing is as engaging and enjoyable as the classic songs I know from it. I consider myself a bigger Who fan as of today because of this one.

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Tue Feb 15 2022
5

hit em são tomé das letras

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Thu Feb 17 2022
5

Four stars and a half. An all-time classic, and an album which still holds its own many years after it was released. Highlights abound throughout this record, from that iconic opening played on synths on "Baba O'Riley" to the poignant, immediately gripping and memorable "Behind Blue Eyes", followed by epic closer "Won't Get Fooled Again". Like many classic albums by The Who, the whole might be just *a little* too grandiose and "over the top" to be digested in one single take, but this here is a very minor complaint. Just press pause once in a while to catch your breath, and then head right back into it. There are enough wonders and treasures inside this record to make it a worthwhile experience. As is usually the case with those classic albums, I won't write a full-blown review here given that others have already written wonderful stuff about them and there's not much I can add that I feel could be relevant and interesting. *Who's Next* is just a timeless gem for anyone who has even a remote interest in The Who. Go and listen to it a.s.a.p. if you haven't already. Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 970 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 12 (including this one). Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 7 Albums from the list I will *not* include in mine (as I think many others are more important): 9 Albums I might not be able to judge (some might end up on my final list but it's because I recognize how culturally important they are): 2

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Fri Feb 25 2022
5

Excelente! Muito bom ouvir mais do The Who! Melhor música: Tirando Baba O'Riley que é uma das minhas músicas favoritas da vida, Getting in Tune

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Tue Mar 01 2022
5

Incredible album, my favorite the who album so far.

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