The Who by Numbers
Encyclopedia
The Who by Numbers is the seventh album by 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.
, 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 synthesisers 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 chequebook and I'll crawl off to die". These themes extend from the hopeless refrain of "However Much I Booze" (sung by Townshend, as Daltrey thought it was too personal to sing), "There ain't no way out" to the disillusioned question, "How many friends have I really got?" Who fans have often jokingly dubbed The Who By Numbers, "Pete Townshend's suicide note".
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, Townshend declared "Dreaming from the Waist
" and "Sister Disco" (from Who Are You
) as his least favourite songs to play on stage. In humorous contrast, Entwistle declared in the same series of interviews that "Dreaming from the Waist" was one of his favourite songs to perform live.
The cover was drawn by 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 US.
The Rolling Stone
review of The Who by Numbers stated: "They may have made their greatest album in the face of [their personal problems]. But only time will tell".
, except where noted.
Singles
Additional musicians
Production
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, released on 3 October 1975 in the United Kingdom through Polydor Records
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
, and on 25 October 1975 in the United States by MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
. It was named the tenth best album of the year in The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
Pazz & Jop
Pazz & Jop
The Pazz & Jop critics' poll is a poll of music critics run by The Village Voice newspaper. It is compiled every year from the top ten lists of hundreds of music critics...
critics poll.
History
Without the massive structure and ambition of the band's better known works TommyTommy (rock opera)
Tommy is the fourth album by English rock band The Who, released by Track Records and Polydor Records in the United Kingdom and Decca Records/MCA in the United States. A double album telling a loose story about a "deaf, dumb and blind boy" who becomes the leader of a messianic movement, Tommy was...
, Quadrophenia
Quadrophenia
Quadrophenia is the sixth studio album by English rock band The Who. Released on 19 October 1973 by Track and Polydor in the UK, and Track and MCA in the US, it is a double album, and the group's second rock opera...
and Who's Next
Who's Next
Who's Next is the fifth studio album by English rock band The Who, released in August 1971. The album has origins in a rock opera conceived by Pete Townshend called Lifehouse. The ambitious, complex project did not come to fruition at the time and instead, many of the songs written for the project...
, Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
's songwriting stands on its own in the sparse and dark The Who by Numbers. Gone are the synthesisers 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 chequebook and I'll crawl off to die". These themes extend from the hopeless refrain of "However Much I Booze" (sung by Townshend, as Daltrey thought it was too personal to sing), "There ain't no way out" to the disillusioned question, "How many friends have I really got?" Who fans have often jokingly dubbed The Who By Numbers, "Pete Townshend's suicide note".
A few tracks stand in contrast, including the playfulness of the top ten hit "Squeeze Box
Squeeze Box (The Who song)
*The song is covered by English squeezebox players John Kirkpatrick and Chris Parkinson on their album Sultans of Squeeze.*Roxy Blue did a version on their 1992 album Want some?...
" and "Blue, Red and Grey's" claim that "I like every minute of the day". But John Entwistle
John Entwistle
John Alec Entwistle was an English bass guitarist, songwriter, singer, horn player, and film and record producer who was best known as the bass player for the rock band The Who. His aggressive lead sound influenced many rock bass players...
'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, Townshend declared "Dreaming from the Waist
Dreaming from the Waist
"Dreaming from the Waist" is a song by The Who, written by Pete Townshend and released on the group's 1975 album The Who by Numbers ; it also served as the B-side of the "Slip Kid" single, released in 1976 in the United States...
" and "Sister Disco" (from Who Are You
Who Are You
Who Are You is the eighth studio 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 #2 on the US charts and #6 on the UK charts...
) as his least favourite songs to play on stage. In humorous contrast, Entwistle declared in the same series of interviews that "Dreaming from the Waist" was one of his favourite songs to perform live.
The cover was drawn by Entwistle as he was drawing a cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
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
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
album chart in the US.
The Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
review of The Who by Numbers stated: "They may have made their greatest album in the face of [their personal problems]. But only time will tell".
Remaster
The 1996 remaster was also remixed by Jon Astley. The end of the song "They Are All In Love" is cross faded with the beginning of "Blue, Red and Grey". The original mix of the album did not feature this cross fade remaining unique to the 1996 remix/remaster of the album which is also the current version available.Track listing
All songs written by Pete TownshendPete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
, except where noted.
Reception
Sales chart performance
Album| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Billboard Pop Albums | 8 |
| 1975 | UK Chart Albums | 7 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | "Squeeze Box Squeeze Box (The Who song) *The song is covered by English squeezebox players John Kirkpatrick and Chris Parkinson on their album Sultans of Squeeze.*Roxy Blue did a version on their 1992 album Want some?... " |
Billboard Pop Singles | 16 |
| 1976 | "Squeeze Box Squeeze Box (The Who song) *The song is covered by English squeezebox players John Kirkpatrick and Chris Parkinson on their album Sultans of Squeeze.*Roxy Blue did a version on their 1992 album Want some?... " |
UK Singles Chart | 10 |
Sales certifications
| Organization | Level | Date |
|---|---|---|
| RIAA – U.S. | Gold | 10 December 1975 |
| RIAA – U.S. | Platinum | 8 February 1993 |
Personnel
The Who- Roger DaltreyRoger DaltreyRoger Harry Daltrey, CBE , is an English singer and actor, best known as the founder and lead singer of English rock band The Who. He has maintained a musical career as a solo artist and has also worked in the film industry, acting in a large number of films, theatre and television roles and also...
– lead vocals, percussion - Pete TownshendPete TownshendPeter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
– guitars, keyboards, ukuleleUkuleleThe ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings....
, accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, percussion, backing vocals, lead vocals on "However Much I Booze" and "Blue, Red and Grey" - John EntwistleJohn EntwistleJohn Alec Entwistle was an English bass guitarist, songwriter, singer, horn player, and film and record producer who was best known as the bass player for the rock band The Who. His aggressive lead sound influenced many rock bass players...
– bass guitar (four and eight-string), brassBrass instrumentA brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
, keyboards, backing vocals, joint lead vocal on "Success Story" - Keith MoonKeith MoonKeith John Moon was an English musician, best known for being the drummer of the English rock group The Who. He gained acclaim for his exuberant and innovative drumming style, and notoriety for his eccentric and often self-destructive behaviour, earning him the nickname "Moon the Loon". Moon...
– drums, percussion
Additional musicians
- Dave Arbus – violin
- Nicky HopkinsNicky HopkinsNicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins was an English pianist and organist.He recorded and performed on noted British and American popular music recordings of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s as a session musician....
– piano on "Imagine a Man", "Success Story", "They Are All in Love", and "In a Hand or a Face"
Production
- Jon Astley – remixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
- Chris CharlesworthChris CharlesworthChris Charlesworth is a British-based music journalist and author; and managing editor of Omnibus Press. He is particularly noted for his work about, and with, The Who, for whom he has worked as an executive producer....
– executive producer - Bill Curbishley – executive producer
- Richard Evans – remaster album art direction, design
- Glyn JohnsGlyn JohnsGlyn Johns is a musician, recording engineer and record producer.-Career:He has worked with such artists as Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Easybeats, The Band, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Eagles, Eric Clapton, The Clash, The Steve Miller Band, Small Faces, Spooky Tooth, The Ozark...
– production - Bob Ludwig – remasteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
- Robert Rosenberg – executive producer
- John Swenson – liner notesLiner notesLiner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
- Chris Walter – photography