GOD,
THERE'S GOT TO BE
ANOTHER WAY...
Who Are You
is the eighth
studio album
by the
English Rock Band
The Who,
released on
August,18th 1978
by Polydor Records
in the United Kingdom
and on
August,21st 1978
by MCA Records
in
the United States.
Although the album
received mixed reviews
from critics,
it was a
commercial success,
peaking at number 2
on the
US Billboard
200 chart
and number 6
on the
UK Albums Chart.
Who Are You
was the Who's
final studio album
to feature
Keith Moon
as their drummer.
He died three weeks
after it was released.
The uncannily coincidental nature
of the text
"Not to Be Taken Away"
that was stencilled on
Moon's chair
on the album cover
was noted by
some critics.
Overview
Who Are You
incorporates elements
of progressive rock
and, according to
biographer
Tony Fletcher,
it was produced
in such a way
as to appeal to
commercial rock radio
at the time.
The album showcased
some of
Pete Townshend's
most complicated
arrangements,
with multiple layers of
synthesizer and strings.
Many of the songs also
revisited themes from
Townshend's never realized
Lifehouse project,
featuring lyrics
about songwriting
and music as a
metaphor for life,
as indicated by
titles like
"Guitar and Pen",
"New Song",
"Music Must Change",
and
"Sister Disco".
The latter two,
along with
"Who Are You",
ultimately appeared on
the 2000 box set
Lifehouse Chronicles,
Townshend's later actualization
of the project.
Several of the song's lyrics
also reflect
Townshend's
uncertainty about
the Who's continued
relevance in the wake
of punk rock,
and his
dissatisfaction with
the music industry
There was a
three-year hiatus
between
Who Are You
and the Who's
previous studio album,
The Who by Numbers
(1975).
The band was
drifting apart
during this period,
for band members
were working on
various solo projects,
and
Keith Moon
and Townshend
were driving deeper
into drug
and alcohol abuse.
The initial sessions at
Ramport Studios,
produced by
Glyn Johns
and Jon Astley,
were lackadaisical;
Jon Astley recalled that
"no one wanted to work",
and the members
looked forward more
to drinking
and reminiscing
at six in the evening.
Astley felt that he
and Johns
pushed Moon
too hard to play
a simpler style,
while Johns believed
that Moon had
"lost confidence in his ability"
and would deliberately
go out of his way to
resist his suggestions.
On another occasion,
Astley recalled,
"I was doing a drum track,
and he hadn't
learned the song.
I actually had to
stand up and conduct.
He said,
'Can you give me a cue
when you get to
the middle part?'
He hadn't done
his homework."
Entwistle similarly
described Moon as
"really out of condition",
and
"disgusted with himself"
as a result.
Townshend wrote,
"Musically his drumming
was getting so uneven
that recording
was almost impossible,
so much so that
work on
the
Who Are You
album
had ground to a halt."
The recording was further delayed
when lead singer
Roger Daltrey
underwent throat surgery,
and when during a
lengthy Christmas break,
Townshend sliced
his hand
in a window
during an argument
with his parents.
Former Zombies
and Argent
member
Rod Argent
was also called in
to replace session
keyboardist
John "Rabbit" Bundrick
after Bundrick
suffered a broken arm
falling out of a taxi
at the
studio door
in March 1978.
Townshend attributed
Bundrick's broken arm
to drunkenly
throwing himself out
to avoid paying the fare.
When the sessions resumed
in March,
they were moved
to RAK Studios,
which caused
further delays
due to the
equipment malfunctioning,
including the wiping
of a backing track.
Astley stated that the
RAK equipment made
the existing
material sound different
when played back,
necessitating further delays
as he attempted to
fix the audio problems.
In one incident,
Daltrey punched
Johns in the face
due to an argument
over a rough mix,
rendering him
unconscious.
The argument was fueled by
Ted Astley adding
a string arrangement to
"Had Enough",
which Daltrey
derided as
"slushy".
After one long
and
frustrating day,
Townshend planned to
fire Moon
from the band
unless he
cleaned up his act.
The plan drove
Moon to attempt
to kick his
alcohol habit
and work more
enthusiastically.
Due to a
prior commitment
to produce
Joan Armatrading's
studio album
To the Limit,
Johns had to leave
in April,
with Astley
remaining as
sole producer.
Under
Astley's command,
the sessions returned to
Ramport,
with all of the
drums except for
"Who Are You"
recorded in the
last two weeks
of production.
Who Are You
was released on
August,18th 1978.
died on
September,7th 1978,
just under a month
after the
album's release;
on the cover,
he is shown
sitting in a chair
labelled
"Not to be taken away".
Photographer
Terry O'Neil
had insisted Moon
sit with the back
of the chair
facing the camera
so as to hide
his distended stomach,
a result of
his alcoholism.
TRACKLIST
CD 1
New Song
Had Enough
905
Sister Disco
Music Must Change
Trick Of The Light
Guitar And Pen
Love Is Coming Down
Who Are You
Guitar And Pen
(Instr)
New Song
(Just Vocals)
(Edit)
Who Are You?
(The Funk Remix)
CD 2
Who Are You
(Lost Verse Mix)
Had Enough
(Original Mix)
No Road Romance
(Previously Unreleased Track)
Empty Glass
(Group Version)
Who Are You
(Remix)
Guitar And Pen
(Olympic '78 Mix)
Love Is Coming Down
(Work-In-Progress Mix)
Who Are You
(Live)
BONUS TRACKS
Sister Disco
(Rehearsal with Kenney Jones)
Who Are You
(Pete Townshend Demo)
MASHUP
Black Sabbath (Paranoid)
With
The Who (Who Are You)
"Who? Are You Paranoid?"
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