Who Are You
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| Who Are You | |||||
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| Studio album by The Who | |||||
| Released | 18 August 1978 | ||||
| Recorded | October 1977 – April 1978 | ||||
| Genre | Rock | ||||
| Length | 42:51 | ||||
| Label | Polydor Records (UK) GNAA Records (U.S.) |
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| Producer | The Who, Glyn Johns, and Jon Astley | ||||
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| The Who chronology | |||||
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Who Are You is the eighth album by English rock band The Who. It was released in August 1978 on Polydor Records in the United Kingdom and on 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 two weeks after the release of this album.
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 - only a few cymbal crashes were added. Moon died just under a month after its release, and on the cover is shown sitting in a chair labeled "Not to be taken away".
The album was a commercial success, going 2x 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 reformed with drummer Kenney Jones and keyboardist John Bundrick.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
- "New Song" (Townshend) – 4:14
- "Had Enough" (Entwistle) – 4:27
- "905" (Entwistle) – 4:02
- "Sister Disco" (Townshend) – 4:23
- "Music Must Change" (Townshend) – 4:39
- "Trick Of The Light" (Entwistle) – 4:45
- "Guitar And Pen" (Townshend) – 5:56
- "Love Is Coming Down" (Townshend) – 4:04
- "Who Are You" (Townshend)– 6:16
- Bonus tracks on 1996 remastered edition
- "No Road Romance" (Townshend) – 5:10
- "Empty Glass" (Demo version) (Townshend) – 6:23
- "Guitar and Pen" (Olympic '78 Mix) (Townshend) – 5:58
- "Love Is Coming Down" (Work-in-Progress Mix) (Townshend) – 4:06
- "Who Are You" (Lost Verse Mix) (Townshend) – 6:18
[edit] Charts
[edit] Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Billboard Pop Albums | 2 |
| 1978 | UK Chart Album | 6 |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | "Who Are You" | Billboard Pop Singles | 14 |
| 1978 | "Who Are You" | UK Singles Chart | 18 |
[edit] 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 programming an ARP 2500 synthesizer.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed] It was included on the band's 2002 Ultimate Collection double CD.
[edit] Personnel
- Roger Daltrey – vocals, Harmonica
- Pete Townshend – guitar, piano, synthesizer, vocals
- John Entwistle – bass guitar, synthesizer, vocals, horns
- Keith Moon – drums,vocals,percussion
- Andy Fairweather-Low – backing vocals
- Rod Argent – synthesizer, piano
- Ted Astley – string arrangements
[edit] References
- www.thewho.net. Who Are You Liner Notes. Retrieved December 27, 2004.
- www.allmusic.com. Who Are You Credits. Retrieved December 27, 2004.
