THE WHO – WHO’S NEXT LP – Nr MINT A1/B2 UK 1971 ORIG TOWNSHEND DALTREY MOON ENTWISTLE

The Who – Who’s Next
(Track Records  1971  2408102)
Matrix No’s: A1/B2 – UK Pressing
First Pressing

Vinyl in Nr MINT condition
(there are some surface marks visible on the vinyl when held up to the light but they don’t affect the sound quality – Side 2 shows some light bag rash)

Sleeve in Excellent/Very Good+ condition
– some wear to edges/corners, crease on bottom right corner & some light rainwear on back
Original Poly Lined Inner Sleeve with “0771” in bottom right corner

The Who are an English rock band that formed in 1964. Their classic line-up consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered one of the most influential rock bands of the 20th century, selling over 100 million records worldwide and holding a reputation for their live shows and studio work.

The Who developed from an earlier group, the Detours, and established themselves as part of the pop art and mod movements, featuring auto-destructive art by destroying guitars and drums on stage. Their first single as the Who, “I Can’t Explain”, reached the UK top ten, followed by a string of singles including “My Generation”, “Substitute” and “Happy Jack”. In 1967, they performed at the Monterey Pop Festival and released the US top ten single “I Can See for Miles”, while touring extensively. The group’s fourth album, 1969’s rock opera Tommy, included the single “Pinball Wizard” and was a critical and commercial success. Live appearances at Woodstock and the Isle of Wight Festival, along with the live album Live at Leeds, cemented their reputation as a respected rock act. With their success came increased pressure on lead songwriter and visionary Townshend, and the follow-up to Tommy, Lifehouse, was abandoned. Songs from the project made up 1971’s Who’s Next, which included the hit “Won’t Get Fooled Again”. The group released the album Quadrophenia in 1973 as a celebration of their mod roots, and oversaw the film adaptation of Tommy in 1975. They continued to tour to large audiences before semi-retiring from live performances at the end of 1976. The release of Who Are You in 1978 was overshadowed by the death of Moon shortly after.

Kenney Jones replaced Moon and the group resumed activity, releasing a film adaptation of Quadrophenia and the retrospective documentary The Kids Are Alright. After Townshend became weary of touring, the group split in 1982. The Who occasionally re-formed for live appearances such as Live Aid in 1985, a 25th anniversary tour in 1989 and a tour of Quadrophenia in 1996–97. They resumed regular touring in 1999, with drummer Zak Starkey. After Entwistle’s death in 2002, plans for a new album were delayed. Townshend and Daltrey continued as the Who, releasing Endless Wire in 2006, and continued to play live regularly.

The Who’s major contributions to rock music include the development of the Marshall stack, large PA systems, use of the synthesizer, Entwistle and Moon’s lead playing styles, Townshend’s feedback and power chord guitar technique, and the development of the rock opera. They are cited as an influence by hard rock, punk rock and mod bands, and their songs still receive regular exposure.

Who’s Next is the fifth studio album by English rock band The Who, released in August 1971. The album had origins in a rock opera conceived by Pete Townshend called Lifehouse as an attempt to follow Tommy. The ambitious, complex project did not come to fruition at the time and instead, many of the songs written for the project were compiled onto Who’s Next as a collection of unrelated songs. After difficulty with initial recording sessions at the New York Record Plant, events stabilized with the arrival of producer Glyn Johns, who worked on the finished album. The album featured the group’s first use of the synthesizer, particularly on the tracks “Baba O’Riley” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again”.

The album was a critical and commercial success when it was released, and has been certified 3× platinum by the RIAA. It continues to be critically acclaimed and has been reissued on Compact Disc several times, adding additional material intended for the Lifehouse project.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Pete Townshend, except “My Wife”, which was by John Entwistle.

Personnel

The Who

• Roger Daltrey – lead and backing vocals, production, harmonica on “I Don’t Even Know Myself”
• John Entwistle – bass guitar, backing vocals, brass, production, lead vocals and piano on “My Wife”
• Keith Moon – drums, percussion, production
• Pete Townshend – guitars, organ, VCS3 and ARP synthesiser, backing vocals, production, piano on “Baba O’Riley”, lead vocals on “Going Mobile” and the original version of “Love Ain’t for Keeping”, co-lead vocals on “Baba O’Riley”, “Bargain”, and “The Song Is Over”

Additional musicians

• Dave Arbus – violin on “Baba O’Riley”
• Nicky Hopkins – piano on “The Song Is Over” and “Getting in Tune”
• Al Kooper – organ on alternate version of “Behind Blue Eyes”
• Leslie West – lead guitar on “Baby, Don’t You Do It”

Technical personnel

• Glyn Johns – production, engineering, and mixing
• Pete Kameron – executive production
• John Kosh – album design
• Kit Lambert – executive production
• Ethan Russell – photography
• Chris Stamp – executive production