The Who - Who's NextWhen I started this thread I was determined not to fill it with a bunch of obvious choices. You know, choices like Miles Davis'
Kind of Blue for jazz listeners or something like The Allman Brothers Band
At Fillmore East for rock fans. Most people who haven't spent their lives in a cave and know a little something about music are in the know about the important recordings in the genres of music they follow. And it is certainly true that people who frequent on-line communities such as this one know considerably more about music than the music buyer who thinks that Walmart is the best place to shop for music. I think I have mostly done what I set out to do. I tried to pick some recordings that are slightly off the beaten path, that most people might not think would be mentioned in a thread like this, or just a surprise or two to give my fellow music lovers something to investigate that they might not be too familiar with. My tastes are all over the map but there are limits to what I will recommend in this thread...so I won't be discussing Throbbing Gristle here anytime soon (even though I have both the 24 Hours of Throbbing Gristle and TG+ boxed sets) But darn it, I want to talk about Who's Next for a minute even though it is one of those "obvious choices." Yeah, no self-respecting rock fan would be without this staple of hard rock. But what's really to like about it? Well, there are four things that immediately come to mind: Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, and Keith Moon. There are a other reasons. I love the cover art.
And then there are the songs. Yeah, that's it: the music.
This is really a ballsy record. Pete Townshend brings keyboards into the mix and writes a memorable slate of songs that have been in motion picture soundtracks and have kept the CSI TV show franchise going for the past 12 years. They're all winners, naturally, but my favorites are the obvious ones:
Baba O'Riley,
Bargain,
Going Mobile,
Behind Blue Eyes, and the album's signature tune
Won't Get Fooled Again. This is available in a 2CD Deluxe Edition and the sound quality is very good (though the extras are something of a let down). But good news for vinylphiles is that original pressings of this album in great playing condition are plentiful and cheap. Buy it if you don't have it...
--Jerome