The Who

The Who Sell Out

Only the beans were half-baked One of the three great British bands of the sixties along with The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, were The Who. They were by far the least prolific. Yet the sounds they left behind easily match their more famous rivals. They were the most visual of the three bands, the clothes and stage act make the band icons. The Union flag jacket sported by Townshend, and the target jumper sported by Moon made a band almost as ugly as The Electric Prunes or Supergrass, look just amazing.

The visual sense extends to the pop art cover of this album which makes this a whole integrated package. The advertising images complement an album that is structured as a commercial radio station broadcast, complete with Who written adverts for the likes of Rotasound strings and Premier drums. This is a conceit that could be very boring after a while, but such is the quality of execution that the finished product bears repeated listening.

The extended remastered version adds extra value to the original LP with more adverts and songs. The songs fit into the advert mould with songs about tattoos and deodarant, but the quality is top notch. The album includes their greatest single, I Can See For Miles and great tracks like Mary Ann With The Shaky Hand, Our Love Was and I Can't Reach You.

The whole package is a more satisfying whole than Tommy or Quadrophenia, it is better even than Who's Next. It is a towering achievement that they never bettered. There is a lightness and a humour to this that was perhaps lost in their later incarnation as the greatest - and loudest - live band in the world. It is the subtlety and litheness of this album that makes it their best.