The Who The Who by Numbers Original U.S Pressing Vinyl Rip Flac With Bonus
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The Who by Numbers
Studio album by The Who
Released 3 October 1975
Recorded April – 12 June 1975, Shepperton Studios' soundstage using Ronnie Lane's Mobile Studio
Genre Rock
Length 37:19
Language English
Label Polydor Records
Producer Chris Charlesworth, Bill Curbishley, Glyn Johns, Robert Rosenberg
Professional reviews
* Allmusic 4/5 stars link
* Robert Christgau (B+) link
* Rolling Stone (positive) link
Singles from The Who by Numbers
1. "Squeeze Box"
Released: October 1975
2. "Slip Kid"
Released: 7 August 1976
The Who by Numbers is the seventh album by the English rock band The Who, released on 3 October 1975, in the United Kingdom through Polydor Records and on 25 October 1975, in the United States by MCA Records. It was named the tenth best album of the year in The Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics poll.[1]
Contents
History
Without the massive structure and ambition of the band's better known works Tommy, Quadrophenia, and Who's Next, Pete Townshend's songwriting stands on its own in the sparse and dark The Who by Numbers. Gone are the synthesizers and the massive layers of overdubs. In their places are descriptions of Townshend's alcoholism, lust, and self-loathing, as well as the dark side of creeping middle-age and the fear of irrelevance. On "They Are All In Love," Townshend laments: "Hey goodbye all you punks, stay young and stay high / Hand me my checkbook while I crawl off to die." These themes extend from the hopeless refrain of "However Much I Booze" (sung by Townshend, as Daltrey thought it too personal to sing), "There ain't no way out", to the disillusioned question, "How many friends have I really got?"
A few tracks stand in contrast, including the playfulness of the top ten hit "Squeeze Box" and "Blue, Red and Grey's" claim that "I like every minute of the day." But John Entwistle's contribution, "Success Story", returns to display nearly as despairing and cynical a view of stardom as the rest of the record. "In a Hand or a Face" revisits both lyrical and musical themes of Who songs dating back to the previous decade and offers an unexpectedly fiery ending to the album.
In an interview from 30 Years of Maximum R&B, Pete Townshend declared "Dreaming from the Waist" and "Sister Disco" (from Who Are You) as his least favorite songs to play on stage. In humorous contrast, John Entwistle, declared in the same series of interviews that "Dreaming from the Waist" was one of his favorite songs to perform live.
The cover was drawn by John Entwistle as he was drawing a cartoon history of The Who.
The Who by Numbers peaked at the number 7 position on the UK album chart and number 8 on the Billboard 200 album chart in the United States.
The Rolling Stone review of The Who by Numbers stated: "They may have made their greatest album in the face of it. But only time will tell."
Track listing
All songs written by Pete Townshend, except track 6 (John Entwistle).
Side One
1. "Slip Kid" Roger Daltrey 4:31
2. "However Much I Booze" Pete Townshend 5:03
3. "Squeeze Box" Roger Daltrey 2:42
4. "Dreaming from the Waist" Roger Daltrey 4:09
5. "Imagine a Man" Roger Daltrey 4:04
Side Two
6. "Success Story" Roger Daltrey (with John Entwistle in the bridge) 3:24
7. "They Are All in Love" Roger Daltrey 3:03
8. "Blue Red and Grey" Pete Townshend 2:50
9. "How Many Friends" Roger Daltrey 4:06
10. "In a Hand or a Face" Roger Daltrey 3:25
Also Included
"Slip Kid" (Single Edit) Roger Daltrey 3:30
Sales chart performance
Album
Year Chart Position
1975 Billboard Pop Albums 8[2]
1975 UK Chart Albums 7[3]
Singles
Year Single Chart Position
1976 "Squeeze Box" Billboard Pop Singles 16[citation needed]
1976 "Squeeze Box" UK Singles Chart 10[3]
Sales certifications
Organization Level Date
RIAA – U.S. Gold 10 December 1975[4]
RIAA – U.S. Platinum 8 February 1993[4]
Personnel
The Who
* Roger Daltrey – lead vocals, Harmonica on "Squeeze Box"
* John Entwistle – bass guitar, 8-string bass, brass, keyboards, vocals, lead vocals on bridge in "Success Story"
* Keith Moon – drums, percussion
* Pete Townshend – guitars, keyboards, ukulele, accordion, banjo, vocals, lead vocals on "However Much I Booze" and "Blue, Red, and Grey"
Additional musicians
* Dave Arbus – violin
* Nicky Hopkins – piano on "Imagine a Man", "Success Story", "They Are All in Love", and "In a Hand or a Face"
Production
* Jon Astley – remixing
* Chris Charlesworth – executive producer
* Bill Curbishley – executive producer
* John Entwistle – album art
* Richard Evans – remaster album art direction, design
* Glyn Johns – production
* Bob Ludwig – remastering
* Robert Rosenberg – executive producer
* John Swenson – liner notes
* Chris Walter – photography
Rip Disclaimer Included