The WHo Sell Out poll "go to the church of your choice"

I think I like Tommy more than this album...like they own the "rock as musical" more fully there, & I think the hooks are consistently stronger there, for two albums w/o a lot of obvious singles. but I like this album a bunch too, prob gonna vote "Mary Anne"

no one voting for 'armenia city'? that song is so huge

One difference between Tommy and the Sell Out era Who is during Sell Out Townshend wrote three minute pop mini-operas whereas later he needed four LP sides to accomplish the same thing. Despite that,I think The Who did bombast better than even the Zep.

Armenia is great.

Mmm, I don't hear any three minute pop mini-operas on this album unless you're counting "Odorono." "Rael" is almost six minutes.

Used the term opera pretty loosely there. A better way to put it might be short stories vs novels. Either way, I prefer the conciseness of Sell Out to the sprawl of Tommy.

You reminded me there's not enough love for Rael on this thread.

Doesn't Rael reappear in another guise on Tommy?

yeah, "Sparks"

Doesn't Rael appear in another guise on The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway?

srsly tho why did they both name a songy character Rael

The "Love love love long" bit in "Our Love Was (Is)" is pretty operatic. Likewise, I could see some clown in a cape prowling around a stage to "Silas Stingy".

I Can't Reach You, narrowly over Armenia

should poll the reissue bonus tracks
melancholia v glow girl

listening again, "Sunrise" is pretty gorgeous, also want to vote for "I Can't Reach You"

lotta Pete on this album, kinda weird, guess that's one of the "talking points" of this album?

still gonna vote "Mary Anne" though I think

I sometimes think of this album in tandem with Kinks "Arthur," as both seem to build up rather eclectically to a (possible) best-ever single right around the middle and then sort-of drop off, though not in any horrible way.

I think that sentimentally I'm attached to Tatoo, and the whole album is pretty great, but have to concede that I Can See For Miles is as perfect a rock single as you could want. Probably will get undervoted due to relative overexposure.

srsly tho why did they both name a songy character Rael

iirc, Peter Gabriel was a massive Who fan, and named his character Rael as an homage. Also, Townshend's Rael is a place, not a person ("the womb of my religion/to me, the center of the earth").

should poll the reissue bonus tracks
melancholia v glow girl

The funny thing is, the Who are generally seen as not being nearly as prolific as their contemporaries, but there's at least another double album from this period lurking among the outtakes and non-LP singles/b-sides.

"Melancholia," though, is a bit of an outlier; it was recorded after Sell Out was released.

Like Tommy fine but the theme is kinda heavy which seems to weigh down or lessen some of the individual songs whereas here the theme is merely a kind of a framing story, allowing for these interesting little character studies or in places just being ignored altogether.

Halfway through first listen to the PH a capella cover album, the cumulative effect is pretty amazing.

Rejected James Redd screenname:
Sotorono

cranked Armenia on the way home from the supermarket

...there's at least another double album from this period lurking among the outtakes and non-LP singles/b-sides.

― Let A Man Come In And Do The Cop Porn (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Saturday, February 18, 2012 5:57 PM

There's a pretty remarkable 40 non-LP A- and B-sides (bolded) in their U.K singles discography:

--1964
Zoot Suit / I'm the Face (as The High Numbers)
--1965
I Can't Explain / Bald Headed Woman
Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere / Daddy Rolling Stone (UK single) / Anytime You Want Me (US single)
My Generation / Shout and Shimmy
--1966
Substitute / Circles (Instant Party)
A Legal Matter / Circles (Instant Party)
The Kids Are Alright / The Ox
I'm a Boy / In the City
La-La-La-Lies / The Good's Gone
Happy Jack / I've Been Away
Ready Steady Who EP: Disguises / Circles (Alternate Version) / Batman / Bucket T / Barbara Ann
--1967
Pictures of Lily / Doctor, Doctor
The Last Time / Under My Thumb
I Can See for Miles / Someone's Coming
--1968
Dogs / Call Me Lightning
Magic Bus / Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
--1969
Pinball Wizard / Dogs Part 2
I'm Free / Tommy, Can You Hear Me?
--1970
The Seeker / Here For More
Summertime Blues (Live) / Heaven and Hell
See Me, Feel Me / Overture from Tommy
--1971
Won't Get Fooled Again / I Don't Even Know Myself
Let's See Action / When I Was a Boy
Behind Blue Eyes / Going Mobile
Baba O'Riley / My Wife
--1972
Join Together / Baby Don't You Do It (Live)
The Relay / Wasp Man
--1973
5.15 / Water
Love, Reign o'er Me / Water

A lot of these have been rereleased on the remastered CDs from the '90s, but there's still 7 or 8 that you can only get on some of the old rarities collections, including Entwistle's incredible "When I Was a Boy":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u64J7lTs_MU

That should have been an album cut.

And why haven't they put out a remastered version of Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy? A lot of it might be redundant if you own everything else, but it's a perfect comp, and I don't own a remastered version of "Substitute" for fuck's sake (the version on the 30 Years box is the Live at Leeds version).

The Last Time/Under My Thumb?

Yup:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWf3O8EG75E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIjO2x2Js9g&feature=related

"Special Announcement: The Who consider Mick Jagger & Keith Richard have been treated as scapegoats for the drug problem and as a protest against the savage sentences imposed on them at Chichester yesterday. The WHO are issuing today the first of a series of Jagger/Richard songs to keep their work before the public until they are again free to record themselves."

no one voting for 'armenia city'? that song is so huge

― Michael B Higgins (Michael B), Saturday, 18 February 2012 18:39 (Yesterday)

it got my vote!

And why haven't they put out a remastered version of Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy? A lot of it might be redundant if you own everything else, but it's a perfect comp, and I don't own a remastered version of "Substitute" for fuck's sake (the version on the 30 Years box is the Live at Leeds version).

There's a remastered "Substitute" on the 2004 Then & Now compilation, which also has the better-than-expected 2004 tracks "Real Good Looking Boy" and "Old Red Wine."

I was always hoping to stumble across Then & Now in a used bin.

which also has the better-than-expected 2004 tracks "Real Good Looking Boy" and "Old Red Wine."

Yes. The 2000s Who is better than people realize. Mike Post Theme from Endless Wire is an alltime classic, the best Who or Who-related song since the early 70s.

I've got a cool legit German Polydor disc that has 25 of those stray tracks on it.

"Special Announcement: The Who consider Mick Jagger & Keith Richard have been treated as scapegoats for the drug problem and as a protest against the savage sentences imposed on them at Chichester yesterday."

Can't remember where I read it, but Jagger concluded this was nothing more than an attempt to steal their "stronger" material. Those limey rock stars.

I voted for I Can't Reach You, a song that has a lot of personal meaning for me. Love this whole thing (and the bonus tracks) to bits, tho

I've got a cool legit German Polydor disc that has 25 of those stray tracks on it.

If that's Rarities, Vol. 1 & 2, I've got it; I even had the double vinyl back in the early '80s. I listened the hell out of those records, and the two Missing collections from a few years later.

Can't remember where I read it, but Jagger concluded this was nothing more than an attempt to steal their "stronger" material. Those limey rock stars.

According to Dave Marsh in Before I Get Old, Jagger's response was, "Peter, you're a gentleman." Perfect.

My vote went to "I Can See For Miles." Granted, a predictable choice (I came close to voting for "Heinz Baked Beans" -- none of the Who's peers dared put anything as defiantly comedic on a record). But it perfectly encapsulates one the Who's engagingly myriad contradictions: it was a perfect encapsulation of their live sound, but was rarely played live. And it's as soaring as it is biting. Also, Daltrey never sneered better.

If that's Rarities, Vol. 1 & 2, I've got it; I even had the double vinyl back in the early '80s. I listened the hell out of those records, and the two Missing collections from a few years later.

That's it. Found it for $5 at a Half-Price Books a couple years ago. Had never heard of it before, but it's easily one of the best official Who comps ever.

Felt lucky and privileged to see them play both Tattoo and I Can See For Miles at the LA stop on the 1982 tour.

Voted I Can't Reach You. Always wanted to record a Spacemen 3-styles take on Armenia

If we included extras I'd go for Melancholia, possibly my favourite Who song. That leaves an impossible choice. I Can See for Miles is extraordinary sonic bombast, I Can't Reach You pop genius, Sunrise just beautiful. Even the ads have wit, charm and style.

Has to be "Miles". "Tattoo" is my next favourite.

Jagger's response was, "Peter, you're a gentleman." Perfect.
Oh maybe it was keef.

A lot of these have been rereleased on the remastered CDs from the '90s, but there's still 7 or 8 that you can only get on some of the old rarities collections, including Entwistle's incredible "When I Was a Boy":

Just listened to this on the new Japanese remaster of Who's Missing. What a tremendous song. If Townshend wasn't so insistent that every Who album be A MAJOR STATEMENT, they could've put out a killer 1972 record with the Lifehouse leftovers and b-sides like this.

really tempted to vote for 'i can see for miles' because it's the only who anthem that never sounds even a little bit tired or overplayed to me even after a hundred listens, whereas i'd be completely happy to hop into that alternate universe posited upthread where the who turn into the non-twee kinks and 'baba o'riley' and 'won't get fooled again' and 'who are you' never get to exist. but i'll probably vote for 'mary anne' because it has the best title of any who song.

xpost there is an album called "The Ox", it contains all the Entwistle songs up to that point.

whereas i'd be completely happy to hop into that alternate universe posited upthread where the who turn into the non-twee kinks and 'baba o'riley' and 'won't get fooled again' and 'who are you' never get to exist.

^i dont wanna live in this alternate universe

Going through the "Quadrophenia" deluxe edition notes, it seemed there was an idea to have the 'story' songs alongside some 'pop music' stuff, but they couldn't work out how to knit them together without them appearing disjointed.

This is one of those v minor nuisances one should never even voice, but it's bothered me since the day I bought the CD that the spine says
THE WH0 SELL OUT
with a zero in their name like it's a copy of Mechanical Animals.

Yeah, I noticed that.

I Can't Reach You. It always stuns me - I just stop and listen intently whenever I hear it. So, so lovely. But I admit I could have easily voted for I Can See For Miles or Armenia City In The Sky.

I must confess, I haven't listened to this album for quite some time, but looking at the tracklisting now I could pick out a few tracks that would definitely go on a personal Who best-of. I did go for 'Odorono', but it could have been several tracks. I do prefer the version of 'Tattoo' on Live At Leeds though.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

armenia

tattoo

I Can't Reach You