Who’s Next – The Who

The MARK’S VINTAGE VINYL page features something from Mark’s collection of recordings from over the years. Most of it is on vinyl – hence the name – though there will be a few entries from his CDs (remember those?).

Who’s Next by The Who

  • Fifth studio album by British hard rockers The Who, released in 1971.
  • This was the first absolutely classic rock album that I bought. I was too young to be a true Who fan in 1971, but by the mid-seventies, I had discovered how groundbreaking they were. Between 1975 and 1982, I bought four of their classic albums, including Who’s Next and their amazing rock operas Tommy and Quadrophenia (for my blog on Quadrophenia, see my post from October 22, 2017).
  • Who’s Next became their best selling record, certified 3x platinum. Every song is a legitimate classic. My particular favorites are Baba O’Riley, Won’t Get Fooled Again and Behind Blue Eyes. Roger Daltrey’s vocals on these songs are epic (can’t you hear him screaming “Teenage Wasteland” at the top of his lungs, the classic line from Baba O’Riley?). And their use of the synthesizer on Baba O’Riley and Won’t Get Fooled Again was something never before heard in rock music before that time.
  • The album and its songs have received numerous awards and accolades. Who’s Next was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2007. It was ranked at #77 on Rolling Stone’s Greatest Albums of All Time list. Baba O’Riley and Won’t Get Fooled Again ranked #159 and #295 on Rolling Stone’s Greatest Songs list.
  • Here’s the band in 1978 (just a few months before drummer Keith Moon’s death) performing Baba O’Riley. Classic!

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