Who Are You [Bonus Tracks] [Remaster]

Performer: The Who
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: The 1996 reissue of WHO ARE YOU contains 5 previously-unreleased bonus tracks. The Who: Pete Townshend (vocals, guitar, piano, synthesizer, bass, drums); John Entwistle (vocals, synthesizer, bass); Roger Daltrey (vocals); Keith Moon (drums, percussion). Additional personnel: Rod Argent (piano, synthesizer); Andy Fairweather-Low (background vocals). Reissue producers: John Astley, Andy MacPherson. Originally released on MCA (3050) on August 25, 1978. Includes liner notes by Matt Resnicoff. All tracks have been digitally remastered. The Who: Roger Daltrey (vocals); Pete Townsend (vocals, guitar, piano, synthesizer); John Entwistle (vocals, horns, synthesizer, bass); Keith Moon (drums, percussion). Additional personnel: Rod Argent (piano, synthesizer); Andy Fairweather-Low (background vocals). Personnel: Pete Townshend (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards, synthesizer); Roger Daltrey (vocals, harmonica); John Entwistle (vocals, horns, keyboards, synthesizer, bass guitar); Keith Moon (vocals, drums, percussion); Ted Astley (strings); Rod Argent (piano, synthesizer); Andy Fairweather Low (background vocals). Audio Remasterer: Bob Ludwig. Audio Remixers: Jon Astley; Andy MacPherson. Liner Note Author: Matt Resnicoff. Recording information: Goring Studios (10/1977-04/1978); Olympic Studios, London, England (10/1977-04/1978); RAK Studios, St. John's Wood (10/1977-04/1978); Ramport Studios, Battersea, Ontario, Canada (10/1977-04/1978). Photographers: George Bodnar; Terry O'Neill; Martyn Goddard; Ross Halfin. By the end of the '70s, the original version of the Who was reaching the end of its tether (Keith Moon was nearing the end of his life). WHO ARE YOU can be seen as something of a swan song for the spirit that ignited the rock & roll juggernaut that was the Who in its prime. The increased prominence of synthesizers here (the electronic flavoring of the title track recalls "Baba O'Riley") points towards the direction the post-Moon '80s version of the band would take. Instead of casting aspersions on socio-political ills, Townshend was casting glances askance at current musical trends ("Sister Disco") and his own occupation ("Guitar and Pen"). Entwistle's bass still rumbles melodically through the tunes in the grand style, and Daltrey's wounded-beast roar is at its most impassioned on such songs as "Had Enough." The end of an era was just around the corner, but the band blazed away regardless, making WHO ARE YOU the last must-have Who album. On the Who's final album with Keith Moon, their trademark honest power started to get diluted by fatigue and a sense that the group's collective vision was beginning to fade. As instrumentalists, their skills were intact. More problematic was the erratic quality of the material, which seemed torn between blustery attempts at contemporary relevance ("Sister Disco," "New Song," "Music Must Change") and bittersweet insecurity ("Love Is Coming Down"). Most problematic of all were the arrangements, heavy on the symphonic synthesizers and strings, which make the record sound cluttered and overanxious. Roger Daltrey's operatic tough-guy braggadocio in particular was beginning to sound annoying on several cuts. Yet Pete Townshend's better tunes -- "Music Must Change," "Love Is Coming Down," and the anthemic title track -- continued to explore the contradictions of aging rockers in interesting, effective ways. Whether due to Moon's death or not, it was the last reasonably interesting Who record. The 1996 CD reissue adds five previously unreleased alternate takes and demos. ~ Richie Unterberger

Entertainment Weekly (4/4/97, pp.81-82) - "...The corrected CD add[s a] booklet with extensive essays and photos--disc-respect at last..." - Rating: B-

From the youthful arrogance of their early 1960s recordings to their ambitious rock operas and the more introspective FM rock staples of their mid-1970s albums, the Who raged like a rock & roll inferno. Pete Townshend's guitar fireworks and Keith Moon's larger-than-life drumming combined with the busy basslines of John Entwistle and Roger Daltrey's vocal roar to create one of rock's mightiest noises. The band reconvened numerous times following the hard-living Moon's death in 1978, and even continued to play for several years following the death of Entwistle in 2002.

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