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The Who By Numbers by: The Who

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Rating: - A bit of a downer on Who terms, but still a great album.

For all the the big bad power chords, crashing drums, looping bass runs, and Rock and Roll screams that define The Who, it's the tender, mandolin driven "Blue Red and Grey" that stands out the most to me. I'm not exaggerating when I say that the line "But I love every minute of the day" can occasionally bring a tear to my eye.

The rest of the album may not compare to the best of The Who's work, but it still packs a punch if you let it. "In a Hand or a Face" would easily fit on any of the band's earlier works and it would have held its own. The drums on the revelatory "However Much I Booze" are proof that Keith could still crash and bang while somehow maintaining his own unique sense of rhythm. "Slip Kid" is a nice musical return to "Magic Bus" and "How Many Friends" is typical of Pete's lyrical approach. I guess the records biggest flaw is that it doesn't break any new ground (and that it contains the sophomoric "Squeeze Box"), but things could be worse than regurgitated Who.

Rating: - Doubt, denial, punch-ups and peace of sorts

In August 1975 it had been two years since Quadrophenia, which itself had been two years after "Who's Next", so these were lean times for Who fans. It would be three years the next one. "The Who By Numbers" is a remarkable album, recorded in discord, punch-ups and hospitalisation for Townshend after a Daltrey special to the jaw. May and then August had seen two very honest and confrontational interviews in NME first from Townshend being highly critical of himself and especially Daltrey, (leading to the Big Fight)and then Roger Daltrey laying it on the line about Pete's problems, all caused by Pete himself. Here was the atmosphere for the recording!

Sessions had to be suspended as Townshend, Moon and Entwistle took time out to get their feel again as a working unit. On return the band knuckled (literally) down to produce a work of an extremely rare type for the times, the confessional, almost self-deprecating honesty of a band and specifically a song-writer who had to question whether their time had come and gone, were they still relevant to their ideals, and more importantly in their opinions, were their audience still receptive to The Who?

The answer is a resounding yes, still relevant, still receptive. On release there was much criticism in the letters pages of NME and Melody Maker over the lyrics of "They're All In Love" (Goodbye all you Punks...)while the confessional and self-analytical nature of other songs escaped many minds. Townshend didn't want to go down the same road as the majority of the Rock audience, the It's only Rock 'n Roll, it's entertainment with a few gestures (The Stones,Led Zep, Glam etc), so produced with Glyn Johns a re-statement for grown-ups, we're older but still here, here's my soul so take it or leave it. Funnily enough, it was "Squeezebox" which gave them a return to the Top ten singles charts, a laugh on record and off. The 1975 tours on the back of this showed, as NME journalist Charles Shaar-Murray said at the time "who the real Guv'nors were. Who's the Greatest Rock 'n roll band in the world? The Who, that's who". The audiences at the UK shows were mainly under 20's, so relevancy, not nostalgia, were assured. It's much the same today.

The re-issue/remaster comes with three live tracks from Swansea in June 1976, all excellent, especially Entwistle's bass fingering during "Dreamin' From The Waist". Sure, most Who fans would have preferred the live versions of rarieties performed on the '75 UK tour, but you can't have everything. 'Tho you can ask.

Rating: - Different, but still brilliant

held back over buying this who album, even though im a really big fan, because it was not as recognised as the others.
However, far from dissappointed. Exceptionally good. A refreshing new slant by Pete Townshend and The Who, even though the stuff before was amazing.

Very impressed and i would reccomend to anyone who likes The Who, a definite 5 stars.

Rating: - Gem

I first bought this album in 1984 on vinyl and I knew nothing about it. If you only buy one Who album then buy this one (well, maybe this or Who's Next). It's the best example of Townsend as a song-writer without drifting into his occasional bouts of pomposity. "How many friends" "Blue, Red and Grey" Slip Kid" are real nuggets. I think this album falls into that "just before punk" limbo sometimes and gets overlooked which is a shame. Buy this album, it's a bargain and you won't be disappointed.

Rating: - Who's Better Than The Who? Who exactly!

I can't complement this LP highly enough. Its one of The Who's hidden gems. Many of the songs here have an autobiographical feeling to them. Townshends' lyrics are very sensitive and sung with such strength and character by both Daltrey and Townshend himself. Highlights? Slip Kid, However Much I Booze, the timeless Squeeze Box but the very best track for me personally is Blue Red & Grey. Its a beautiful track sung by Townshend accompanied only by the ukulele.
This is probably the last great Who LP. I pondered over buying it for a long time and I don't know why I waited so long to purchase it.
Well worth purchasing, you won't regret adding this to your collection!

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