The Who Who Are You First U.S MCA Pressing FLAC With Bonus Upgrade
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Who Are You
Studio album by The Who
Released 18 August 1978
Recorded October 1977 – April 1978
Genre Rock
Length 43:00
Language English
Label Polydor (UK)
Label MCA (US)
Catalog # 3050
Producer Jon Astley, Glyn Johns, and The Who
Singles from Who Are You
1. "Who Are You"
Released: 1978
2. "905"
Released: 1978
Who Are You is the eighth album by English rock band The Who. It was released on 18 August 1978,
through Polydor Records in the United Kingdom and MCA Records in the United States.
It peaked at number 2 on the U.S. charts and number 6 on the U.K. charts.
It is The Who's last album with Keith Moon as the drummer;
Moon died about three weeks after the release of this album.
Composition
Who Are You was put out at a time when the two major camps of rock, progressive rock and punk rock,
were conflicting due to their antipodal styles. Pete Townshend's compositions were written as an attempt to bring the two styles together.
The album showcases some of the most complicated song structures guitarist Townshend had ever composed, with multiple layers of synthesizer and strings.
Moon's deteriorating health is reflected in some of the tracks; the alcohol and drug abuse had taken away from the frenzied drumming he was renowned for,
but he delivered a powerhouse performance on the title track.
There was a three-year hiatus between Who Are You and The Who's previous album, The Who by Numbers.
The band was drifting apart during this period, due to the band members working on various solo projects,
Moon sinking deeper into alcohol and drug abuse, and general exhaustion from the gruelling tour schedule the band had kept over the decade.
Moon's health was especially an object of concern, as he only managed to come in during the last few weeks of recording
and was unable to play in 6/8 time on the track "Music Must Change", so drums were removed completely from the track and only a few cymbal crashes were added.
Moon died just under a month after its release, and on the cover, he is shown sitting in a chair labeled
"Not to be taken away". Moon is sitting backwards on the chair to hide his excessive weight gain over the prior three years.
"Sister Disco"
"Sister Disco" seems to mourn the death of disco, but in fact is a criticism of it.
It features complicated synthesizer tracks that are the result of hours Pete Townshend spent
rogramming an ARP 2500 synthesizer.
The song was never performed with Keith Moon. However, it was performed regularly when The Who
toured with Kenney Jones as drummer, and quickly became a live favourite,
despite Townshend's claim that this was the song he least enjoyed to play on stage.
It was included on the band's 2002 Ultimate Collection album. It was also revived for their fall 2008 tour.
Reception
The album was a commercial success, going 2× platinum in the U.S. and peaking at Number 2 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart.
The soundtrack to Grease prevented Who Are You from achieving Number 1 status in the U.S.
The success of Who Are You generated excitement at the prospect of a new Who tour for the album.
However, the album is surrounded by tragedy for Who fans due to Moon's death shortly after the album's release.
The songs on the album were later performed on tour in 1979 when The Who were joined by new drummer Kenney Jones and keyboardist
John Bundrick. Bundrick had been invited to play on the album, but broke his arm falling out of a taxi at the studio door
and was unable to participate.
Track listing
All songs written by Pete Townshend, unless otherwise noted.
Side one
1. "New Song" – 4:14
2. "Had Enough" (John Entwistle) – 4:27
3. "905" (John Entwistle) – 4:02
4. "Sister Disco" – 4:23
5. "Music Must Change" – 4:39
Side two
6. "Trick of the Light" (John Entwistle) – 4:45
7. "Guitar and Pen" – 5:56
8. "Love Is Coming Down" – 4:04
9. "Who Are You" – 6:16
Also Included Who Are You (U.S Single Edit)
Had Enough (U.S Single)