Published on Sep 13, 1997
When it comes to The Who, it sometimes is a difficult choice as
to what album I should listen to next. This could be why I’ve
waited so long since I last featured them here.
So, the decision was left to reader (and Who fan) Andrew
Santoni,who made his suggestion with almost no hesitation:
The Who Sell Out. Digging deep into the Pierce Memorial
Archives, I passed on the re-issue from MCA and grabbed my copy of
the original 1967 release – when I do things like this, you know I
mean heavy business.
Believe it or not, prior to this review, I had never listened to
the whole album. Now, I’m kicking myself – this contains some of
The Who’s strongest material, and shows the band at their creative
and humorous heights.
Coming off of the “mini-opera” of “A Quick One,” Pete Townshend
starts to create a true concept album, by making the first half of
the record sound like you were listening to a London radio station.
And though it partially continues onto the second side, I wish he
had run the theme through the entire album.
And then there is the music – holy cow! I had become familiar
with some of the cuts courtesy of the 30th anniversary box set (a
wonderful Christmas gift from Bill Ziemer last year), but when
surrounded by the ads for Heinz baked beans, Rotosound and Charles
Atlas, the true beauty of these songs come out.
Most rock fans – even those who have a limited knowledge of the
Who – are familiar with the big hit “I Can See For Miles,” a song
which started to plow new ground for the band. But it’s not the
strongest song on the album. In fact, with the exception of the
throwaway ad-song “Odorono,” the entire first side is incredible.
“Armenia City In The Sky” starts the aural barrage, and it doesn’t
let up until the last note of “I Can See For Miles” fades out. Cuts
like “Tattoo,” “Our Love Was, Is” and “Mary-Anne With The Shaky
Hands” are all songs that should be revered as classics. (I’m still
undecided as to whether “Mary-Anne…” is another song like
“Pictures Of Lily”, related to masturbation. Reader comments are
requested on this concept.)
The second side is a shade weaker – possibly because the theme
is broken early on. Songs like “Silas Stingy” have lessons that can
be learned, but they also feature The Who a little sillier than I
would have liked. Other songs like “Sunrise” and “Rael” are solid
efforts – one could even say that drummer Keith Moon is finally
showing some control in his playing.
What is a shame is that
The Who Sell Out is more known not for the music, but for
the pictures on the album jacket, including one of Roger Daltrey
sitting in a tub filled with baked beans. (The pictures all fit
with one of the ads recorded on the album.) These days, you’re
hard-pressed to hear anything about the album or from the album on
the radio.
And this, kids, is a damn shame. Not only is some of The Who’s
best music being overlooked (and hardly shows any age after 30
years), but you’d also miss the germination of ideas for their
eventual “masterpiece”
Tommy. You can hear a little bit of “Pinball Wizard” and
“See Me, Feel Me” in some of the movements – if you didn’t know
this album was recorded two years before
Tommy, you’d swear Townshend was stealing his own riffs. I
find it interesting to hear the conception of
Tommy, as well as the further development of the band as
musicians and songwriters.
The Who Sell Out could possibly be the lost treasure of The
Who’s career – I personally think it’s their best work. And even
with the one tiny mistake of not following through the album’s
concept to the finish, it still is an album that awaits
rediscovery.