The Who. What more is there to say about The Who? Probably the most influential rock band of all time? And I do mean ROCK! A seminal band in every sense of the word. Think of all the rock sub-genres that have emerged in their wake, and it would be impossible not to trace The Who as the source. So doesn’t it make sense for me to make up a list of THE BEST WHO SONGS OF ALL TIME???
For the uninitiated, The Who were Pete Townshend (guitar), Roger Daltrey (vocal), John Entwistle (bass) and Keith Moon (drums). A schizophrenic collective that epitomised art-school nous and rock ’n’ roll excess at the same time. On records, the band synthesised high art and rock bombast while on stage, The Who exploded with an unmatched visceral presence that spawned a million imitators.
So what does it mean to make a list of THE BEST WHO SONGS OF ALL TIME? Is this very act carrying out a severe injustice and disservice to the fact that The Who pioneered Album Oriented Rock and demanded that fans listened to their albums as a whole. Think of Tommy and Quadrophenia — two rock operas cum concept albums that redefined radio format irretrievably.
So perhaps down the line, I need to contemplate a post on the best Who albums but in the meantime, as an introduction here are THE BEST WHO SONGS OF ALL TIME! (In alphabetical order, of course)
“Baba O’Riley” (Who’s Next, 1971)
“Behind Blue Eyes” (Who’s Next, 1971)
“5:15” (Quadrophenia, 1973)
“I Can’t Explain” (single, 1965)
“I Can See For Miles” (The Who Sell Out, 1966)
“I’m A Boy” (single, 1967)
“Long Live Rock” (Odds and Sods, 1974)
“Love Reign O’er Me” (Quadrophenia, 1973)
“My Generation” (My Generation, 1965)
“Pictures of Lily” (single, 1967)
“Pinwall Wizard” (Tommy, 1969)
“Sunrise” (The Who Sell Out, 1967)
“Tattoo” (The Who Sell Out, 1967)
“The Kids Are Alright” (My Generation, 1965)
“Who Are You” (Who Are You, 1978)
“Won’t Get Fooled Again” (Who’s Next, 1971)
There you have it – THE BEST WHO SONGS OF ALL TIME – comment if you will at our Facebook page. There should be loads to talk about. If the response is good enough, surely the best Who albums of all time must be next! It’s all up to you, kind reader.
… still there’s more …