Who's Next

Who's Next is an album by The Who. It was released on August 2, 1971 in the United States and August 25, 1971 in the United Kingdom.

Arrangement and songs

The album was immediately recognized for its dynamic and unique sound. The album fortuitously fell at a time when great advances had been made in sound engineering over the previous decade, and also shortly after the widespread availability of music synthesizers. The result was a sound that was absolutely stunning at the time, and rather unprecedented in rock music (although disliked by some traditional Who fans of the time). However, as full and brash as the sound is on most of the album there are contrasts with finger-picked acoustic guitar, and Roger Daltrey's swaggering vocals alternate with quieter introspective moments.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Townshend used the early synthesizers and modified keyboard sounds in several modes: as a drone effect on several songs, notably "Baba O'Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again", and, elsewhere, in a more delicate role as in the introductory notes to "Bargain", or as a playful noisemaker, sounding almost like a boiling teapot on "The Song is Over". Townshend also used an envelope follower to modulate the spectrum of his guitar on "Going Mobile", giving it a distinctive squawking sound that degenerates into a bubbling noise at the end of the song.

Related Topics:
Drone - Envelope follower

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The album opened with the innovative "Baba O'Riley", featuring piano by Nicky Hopkins and a violin solo by Dave Arbus. Titled in honor of Townshend's guru Meher Baba and influence minimalist composer Terry Riley (and informally known by its chorus line "Teenage Wasteland"), the track brought together Townshend's experimental synthesizer work and exotic textures with the Who's traditional hard-rock sound. Other signature tracks include the hard-edged ballad "Behind Blue Eyes" and the album's closing song, the epic "Won't Get Fooled Again".

Related Topics:
Nicky Hopkins - Dave Arbus - Meher Baba - Terry Riley - Won't Get Fooled Again

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~