The Who – Who’s Next

Welcome to the Album Nerds podcast with your hosts, Andy, Don, and Dude. It's getting hot out there. It's summertime and this is the Album Nerds podcast. I'm Dude. I got Andy and Don with me. Gentlemen, Summer Don continues. You ready to get crispy? Yeah, I got my sunscreen lathered on pretty good here. Doing some light stretching just in case I need to do any leaps into a full split. Just make sure and wear yoga pants or something. You don't want any accidents happening. Right.

Keep things secure. What about you, Don? What are we doing again today? Who's next? That's what I'm asking. Who's next? Yes. We're doing yes? No. Why are you asking me? No, Don. Who's next? Come on, Andy. You too? No, not you too. Who is next? You guys are killing me. I have to guess who? No, not the guess who, man. Oh, come on. All right. That's enough. That's good. If you can't tell already, we're going to be talking about the who today. So we've got a great show.

As the Summer of Don continues, we'll be talking about the who's who's next, which was on his list of albums. He'd like to talk about the who's who's next. And we're going to be talking about the who's who's next. And we're going to be talking about the who's who's next. And we're going to be talking about the who's who's who's next, which was on his list of albums. He'd like to talk about that Andy and I discussed on previous shows before Don joined us.

We threw those on the wheel of musical discovery and she tells us which of those albums we'll be focusing on. Then Don is going to ask us yet another deep question. We'll have some shout outs to albums and album related items we're digging. And then we're going to spin that wheel of musical discovery to find out where this crazy summer is going to take us. This week, it's all about the who. That's what I'm asking. Who? Stop it. I proclaim this the summer of Donnie Lakey.

That's what I'm talking about. Well who's next is the fifth studio album by the rock band, the who formed in London in 1964, this album was released in August of 1971. Features the classic lineup of the who, guitarist Pete Townsend, lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. So yeah, the songs on this album are basically remnants of Townsend's discarded multimedia rock opera, Lifehouse.

Lifehouse is supposedly set in the near future in a society in which music is banned and most of the population lives indoors in government controlled experience suits. A rebel, Bobby, broadcasts rock music into the suits, allowing people to remove them and become more enlightened. Not too preachy there. No. Okay, well here is the opening cut, Baba O'Reilly. What is it? Yeah, some kind of wasteland, I'm not sure exactly what age would be in this wasteland.

Now is this Baba is in the teenage wasteland or? Mr O'Reilly's wasteland, yeah. So the title actually refers to two of Townsend's inspirations at that time, Indian spiritual master Mer Baba, Mer Baba and American minimalist composer Terry Riley. Interesting. But yeah, so this is from that Lifehouse, a Scottish farmer named Ray would have sung the song at the beginning as he gathered his wife Sally and his two children to begin their exodus to London.

But according to Townsend, at the end of the band's gig at the Isle of Wight festival, the field was covered in garbage, or as the English would say rubbish, left by the fans. And so that's where he came up with the line teenage wasteland. So it's not glorifying, like, hey, let's all get wasted. Right. Yeah, I always took it as sort of the youth culture gone wrong kind of a thing. That was always my interpretation.

So yeah, of all the jock jams out there that are so overplayed, this one still kind of pumps me up. I know sometimes in baseball they use this as like walk up music and got that dun, dun, dun. I'm just a sucker for that. Yeah, no, it's very anthemic and does get your blood pumping for sure. And there is a nice little violin part at the end by Dave Arbus. Yeah, it kind of gets it European folk-y sounding. Yeah. All right. Well, let's hear another cut from the album.

This is Love Ain't For Keeping. It's track three on the album, this short acoustic number really stands out. I know for me, for my money, I think the Who, they're such talented musicians and they just kind of like step back from all the artistic posturing and maybe just extravagance that they had on their previous record. Man, they're just great musicians and they play so well together. Yeah, it's so weird.

I think of Them and Led Zeppelin as two of the bands from this time period that have incredible players at every level, like the best bassists, the best innovative drummers, the best vocalists with these just giant ranges and then virtuoso guitarists. I mean, that's rare for four guys to all be- It's like top of their game, like it's like a super group but they're not really living in your band.

Yeah, I think this one strikes the balance, I think, of pretentiousness and just simple rock and roll. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. That clickbait headline for Who's next is the Who relieve themselves of the theatrics and fertilize the soil for generations of rock to come. I love the album art, man. The album art is as classic as the sound here, I think. It really sums up how I think of rock and roll, just sticking it to the past, sticking it to the man.

There's like a cement column and the band's standing there and there appears to be liquid places on it where perhaps they peed on the column. Yeah, and they're all adjusting their flies. That's not too subtle. I have a feeling that a lot of people at the time, probably dudes were like, hey, badass and a lot of other people just were like, hey, it's a cloudy day and then they noticed the- Yeah, right. Like a little closer. Yeah, so for me, this record, it's an all-time classic.

I think it really holds up well after all these years. I mean, it feels like some really fundamental things about rock are kind of established and here. I was kind of struck by just the variety of different sounds. I always think of them as being like the classic rock formula, but there's a good amount of organ and piano and synthesizer is pretty probably used on the record. Even some horns spigattered in throughout.

They really, I mean, they do veer in that more artistic direction, seems to be in their blood but you can't argue with them just being great musicians at their core. Totally. All right, well, let's hear more. Here's My Wife. Take My Wife. Please. Please. So that's, I believe, the only cut on the album that wasn't part of the Lifehouse song cycle. This one was actually written and sung by bassist John Entwistle. He plays piano and he plays those horns on that track.

And the lyrics basically are kind of, My Wife is gonna kill me. Yeah. It's really funny. But yeah, that's just a fun and interesting track. I guess from what I saw, he had done a solo project and that was the only leftover song he had. So are they doing like a Beatles thing here? They can kind of contribute their own? I think Entwistle is the only one who gets songwriting credit on this album other than Townsend.

So my clickbait headline for this album, four legends on one disc, whose next is a bargain, the best we ever had. Very nice. So yeah, so again, as Andy said before, I mean, you just have four, I guess basically people, they're the prototypes for a rock band. I mean, you know, Townsend, his guitar playing is interesting because he is kind of both a rhythm and a lead guitarist at the same time. Kind of reminds me of Johnny Marr in that way. Or Johnny Marr reminds you of him.

Yeah, let's get this straight. Okay, that is fair. Entwistle is just an innovative bassist. And you really have to pay attention. You kind of have to focus your listening to notice how much is going on there. A lot of his parts, I assumed were guitar parts, but it's his lightning fingers. He just stands there like a statue. Yeah, he just stands there. And the other guys are going nuts doing windmills and jumps and kicks and swinging microphones and smashing the drums.

And this guy's just standing there. But if you watch his hands, he's moving as fast as they are. It's just holding these two parts. It's incredible. And then of course, Keith Moon is just a maniac. I mean, everything is just loud and aggressive. How many people has he inspired? Intentional offbeats and stuff. Just nuts. He's really something. Yeah, and then Daltry, he's the... Daltry, sorry, I keep wanting to call him Daltry. Daltry is the prototypical rock frontman.

I think he and Mick Jagger basically created that character, that rock and roll character. The big mane of hair, the tight pants, the tight shirt, the microphone swinging thing that he did where it had to be taped up with duct tape to keep it from ripping off the wire. But the scream, the gut roll sort of going from being a nice guy to being a not so nice guy in one song is kind of his thing. Yeah, he's so good at that.

I guess I never really appreciated that before, but behind blue eyes, I mean, his voice is actually pretty. And what's the other one? In tune, right in tune, whatever, same idea. But then it goes right to that more guttural sounding thing. And then the screams. I wish Daltry sang going mobile. I like how Pete Townsend throws in some vocals in the songs, but I don't like when he sings the whole song. Yeah, I'm less a fan of his voice, but... It's not nearly as strong, I would say. It's different.

It's very different. It's a unique voice and I understand why he isn't the full time lead singer. But yeah, I mean, again, it really depends on when recording these songs, how much of it was influenced by what would have been happening in that life house thing or what character might have been. Oh, that's a good point. All right, well, let's hear the closing cut. Won't get fooled again. We spent a little time with that yeah on our last episode when we were talking about great yas.

That is one of the biggest and that is such a moment in an album, a final song, a long song, with ebbs and flows and ups and downs to bring it back to high energy at the end. I love that. That's just a great idea. Yeah, that song is a wild ride, man. It goes up and down. It feels like you're on a roller coaster a little bit, but yeah, the climaxes are freaking intense. Oh, and the song's got that futuristic synthesizer riff created by Pete Townsend using an ARP 2600, which was again...

So you used to play Pac-Man on... I think that's an Atari 2600, but very close. The verses are kind of about skepticism towards political and social change and how maybe the hippie generation failed and that there's a cycle. I think we see it even today. This is nothing new and they kind of pointed it out at a time when the hippie generation were becoming adults and leaving that behind and I think it's pretty poignant.

Dramatic instrumental break and then that climax, having a climax towards the end of the song is just awesome. So my clickbait headline is, Who's Next? The Who at Their Creative Peak Synth Experiments and an Epic Scream Included. Yeah. That's my version.

Epic. The Who innovated and created their own kind of branch of rock and roll while keeping it, as Andy pointed out, more simple than bands like the Beatles and the Beach Boys who were bringing in lots of orchestration and tricks with backwards stuff and sound effects and all that kind of thing. And they're less reliant on blues tradition like bands like the Stones.

So I think they're kind of a whole other animal that opened the doors for harder edged rock like Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, then moving forward into metal. So I think they kind of forged this new path and that's one of the things I love about them and this album in particular where it's on full display when these guys are at their absolute peak of creativity and it's awesome.

Yeah. The only record I ever hear talked about is being held up by along side this one in their discography is the Who Sell Out. What are your thoughts on that in relation to this record? Is that as impactful? Well, I haven't spent as much time with that one, but it was sort of like a pseudo concept album because it has advertisements and stuff in between the songs. So it's sort of like this vague- Yeah, more conceptual piece.

The songs are more of like 1967, so it's more kind of that British psychedelic thing. Yeah, like I Can See For Miles I think is probably the most well-known song and that's the sound that Don's talking about. I can see for miles and miles where it's a little more jangle pop kind of stuff.

That year was like, that was almost like the peak I think of that psychedelic sound because the Beatles did Sargent Pepper's, I forgot what the Stones album was at that time, but they all kind of moved on after that and kind of went back to a more sort of classic rock and roll style. Yeah, I mean, for me, I'd say that this is like I said, creative peak and in the same way really finding who they are as a band.

And so I think that that was part of their evolution, but I would say that this is certainly more innovative and indicative of what they are and who they are as a creative force throughout their career. I think this defines them. Sort of previews what's next. Yes, for generations to come. All right, I get the feeling that we're all pretty high on this record. So let's nominate it for the Album Nerds Hall of Fame.

I'll just bring up the point again that it's kind of cool that it started out as this grandiose concept and got weeded down into something smaller, which actually made it much better. Well, it shows the quality of the song. So they had this whole production, they started like actually blocking it out, trying to stage it and figure out how it was going to work. And it's like, this doesn't make sense. No one's going to get it. These songs are great. Let's make a record.

Yeah. Yeah. Pretty much all the concept albums out there are the rock operas. I mean, it's the songs that make them good. A lot of times the concept is just sort of nonsense. Totally agree. Totally agree. That's a good point. So if the inspiration of the songwriting was from the concept, then I think more bands should try that. Come up with the concept, write for it, and then you don't have to make it into a concept album. Maybe you just get some great stuff because you have a direction.

Your brain is set on something. You're not just reaching for whatever. I don't know. So yes, it gets my vote. Was it yes? Yes. I've said a lot of things. Yes, absolutely. Yeah. I think this is kind of a shoe in for me too. It's a definitive record. I think you can trace a lot of things back to it. So definitely. Yeah. I don't think we've had a full agreement in a little bit. Well congratulations to the Who. Who's Next is now in the Album Nerds Hall of Fame.

Excuse me. I'd like to ask you a few questions. It's time again for Deep Questions by Don. So Who's Next ends with the track, Won't Get Fooled Again. When have you been fooled? Well many, many times, but I will share a story from my teenage years. I was working at a grocery store in the frozen foods department. And as part of my job, I would walk through the bulk foods department carrying my rack of food to stock.

And I came across this group of young, maybe like 12, 13-year-old boys who were in the bulk food section. And they were just hanging out. Oh yeah. And they had the buckets along the wall of candies and nuts and that kind of stuff. Yeah. They were in the candy area, not surprisingly. Of course. Right. They probably weren't looking for the health benefits of nuts. Yeah. We're just concerned about the health benefits.

They were like, excuse me, sir, would it be all right if we sampled some of the candy before we purchased some? And growing up, my mother had always had the policy, try a piece before we buy it. Right? I was like, that seems logical to me. We had the opposite. I was like, can I eat a grape? No. Anyway, I told the kids, yes, go ahead, try a piece of candy. Just don't overdo it. So I go and I stock the groceries. I come back about a half hour, maybe 20 minutes later.

Just this whole section of bulk food, the candy aisle has been cleared out. Oh, geez. Empty bins. And these kids, I see one of them with a hand of gummy worms just shoving it in the back of the stools. So I gave them a little bit of my mind there and told them you guys are taking advantage of the situation. And they, of course, just left the store and I got in trouble. And that's why I don't have kids to this day. Oh. I thought that was maybe why you left the grocery game. That's funny.

I mean, I think you went for it because they called you sir. And when you're a teenager and someone calls you sir, you're like, oh, no. Hey, I'm a man. I'm a man. People listening, if your kids are in the car, cover their ears. So for me, I was fooled into believing in Santa Claus, but in a weird way, my parents tried something with me where they told me that Santa is not real. They told me this early. So I kind of knew that going into school and I was already aware of it.

But one year we came back from my grandparents' house Christmas Eve. We pulled in and my mom went to unlock the door and turn on the lights. And we come in and there were these presents from Santa. And so my sister believed in Santa and they did the whole thing for her. And I remember being like, wait a second, you guys told me there isn't a Santa. So after my sister fell asleep, I asked my dad, I'm like, I thought there wasn't a Santa, but how did he, how is this stuff here from him?

He's like, your mom put these out when she came in and turned on the lights. So for a brief moment, I believed there was still a chance. So squashed. Yeah, I kind of like it that way. Were you that kid in school that would be crushing other kids' dreams? I didn't. I did not. No, I was told not to do that and I didn't. Okay, well mine, I'll try to make this quick. This was long ago. My wife and I went out to dinner with another couple. It was a restaurant I hadn't been to before.

Anyway, we're sitting there. I drink a ton of water when I'm out and when I'm eating. So eventually I get to the point where I have to go to the bathroom. So I excuse myself. So did you find a concrete column to pee on? No. No, so I didn't know where the bathroom was, but it's like, is it a guy trade or something where you don't like to ask for directions? So I start kind of going through the process. I'm like, hmm, where could the bathroom be?

So I do remember when I had walked into the restaurant that I had seen a sign that said ladies. So I'm like, oh, the men's room is probably just in that direction. So I head that way. And so the ladies' room is at the beginning of what appears to be a long, dark hallway. So I take another logical leap. Hey, the men's room is probably just down this hallway. So I start walking and it's kind of dark and I see this person coming towards me and kind of like a shadowy figure.

Is this going to be a horror story? So I get to the point where the person's right in front of me and it's kind of a narrow hallway. So I start to move left and they move in that direction. So we're just doing that uncomfortable dance for as long as you can imagine. I'm like, excuse me. And so this went on until I realized it was a mirror. Anyway, that's not where I thought that was going. So I was fooled by a mirror. Not the first time.

I remember going into Old Country Buffet one time and it's like all mirrors everywhere. So you just think it's like just this gigantic buffet. But it's just like three little. That's funny. Anyway so when have you been fooled? Let us know. Hit us up on the socials, Facebook, Instagram and threads. Also on our website AlbumNerds.com. Can you dig it?

Can you dig it? Can you dig it? Okay, so we've been rocking hard all week with The Who. What else have you been digging? Well, I got a handful of things here inside of a concrete column I can share with you guys. You have a pocket full of kryptonite? I thought he had a pocket full of gummy worms. There you go. I'll start things off from London, England with a group called La La Roux. The album is called Starface. Let's play track three. I love this title. Manifestation and manifested.

Starface about Paul Stanley. I like it. I'm not sure that it is. It's kind of like a psychedelic video full sort of sound with some funkiness going on I would say. An interesting record. I've been enjoying it quite a bit so far. Next one up for me is from a Japanese singer-songwriter. I apologize for the name pronunciation already. I believe it's pronounced Akushi Hasegawa. Wow, sure. That sounds right. The album is Mahogato. Gakko. Mahogako. Mahogako? I think so.

Sure. It's the fourth studio album for the singer-songwriter. It's her US debut though. It's on Brainfeeder Records. It's played the new single. This is called Boys Texture. When you said singer-songwriter, I was thinking more of like Carly Simon or something. I was wondering that too. I mean she does write the songs and she does have vocals on the record. Yeah, it works. But yeah, not an traditional folk artist there. One of the more creative records I've heard this year though for sure.

And last one for me is from an artist I think I mentioned on the show a couple of times before, Dunzel Curry. He's a rapper from Miami, Florida. He has a new album out called King of the Mysterious South, volume two. I don't think there's a volume one as far as I could tell, but here we are anyway. Let's play a track for Hot One. Super fun, this half-hour record just kind of in your face the whole time. Bouncy beats. I really enjoy that style of hip-hop.

I like the idea of volume one being this like mythical album that like isn't available streaming and you can't find a copy anywhere and like everybody clamoring to find it. Yeah, I was looking for about 10 minutes so I guess it worked on me. I got fooled again. What you been digging on, Dun? The singer-songwriter duo Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. They've kind of been around a long time, sort of an Americana sounding folk and bluegrass little bits of all that stuff.

They've been writing together for a long time on each other's solo albums. This is their second album where they're credited together. Well the album comes out August 23rd. Here's the lead single, Empty Trainload of Sky. Kind of a little Bonnie Raitt vibe there. Yeah. That's got that sound. Okay and then in the opposite direction Empire of the Sun. The Australian electronic duo formed in 2007. Their latest album just came out July 26th, Ask That God. Here's the title track.

This one's Sexy Soundin' Robot. Yeah, kind of dreamier than the Pet Shop Boys but I think it's that Pet Shop Boys thing that probably appeals to me. Yeah, something is going on there. And then we'll go all the way back to 1957, Carl Perkins' debut album. It's just called Dance Album of Carl Perkins. This is basically his early recordings from Sun Records. You guys know this one. One for the money, two for the show, three to get ready. One for the money. Yeah, I know this one.

Of course, Blue Suede Shoes. So yeah, I've been really into this Sun Records era lately. Carl Perkins is interesting because he's actually a songwriter, unlike Elvis. So definitely an innovator in the world of rockabilly. So did he write that song originally? He did. Yep. He wrote it for him first. Actually supposedly Elvis didn't want to release it as a single because he didn't want to step on Perkins' toes. Blue Suede Shoes, yeah. Dude, what you digging?

All right, so a band I've been following for a few years now, American Aquarium has come out with a new album called The Fear of Standing Still. Let's listen to a little bit of the track, Cryer. Now that's not unfortunately about John Cryer of Pretty in Pink Fame. So American Aquarium is kind of this sort of like alt country but depressing, which isn't usually part of that. But I really like them. This record is pretty strong. I'm enjoying it so far.

But for new listeners, you might want to give it a couple of spins before you make up your mind. It's a Cryer. Next up is a band called Return to Dust and they just released their debut LP called Return to Dust. Let's listen to a little bit of Belly Up. Kind of like grunge. Yeah. Oh well. STP thing going on there? Yeah. A little bit. A little Alice in Chains. I guess they blew up on TikTok, which that's not how I found them, but that's the way to do it these days. Yeah, it's a 35 minute album.

There's some moments where it's like a little, it seems a little too influenced, but I'm kind of digging it. It's fun. It's nice to hear a new band playing around with that sound. Yeah. Check it out. Coming up last here is a vinyl record I picked up this week by The Stray Cats called Built for Speed released in 1982 in the US. It's actually a compilation of a couple of albums they released in the UK because no one in the US knew who they worked. They're a 50s sounding rockabilly band.

So why don't we listen to a little bit of Stray Cats drugs. I loved the Stray Cats when I was a kid. I mean, I think it's probably because I liked Happy Days and this had that 50s rock sound. Of course, Brian Setzer is the lead singer and guitarist here and he went on to Brian Setzer Orchestra, which is swing music-y and all that stuff. So it's got that swing. That's his sound for sure. But they looked like punks. They looked like punk rock guys.

And I think that was part of the confusion, but with pompadours. Well, what are you digging? Let us know. Join us on social media and Facebook, Instagram and threads. Also on our website, AlbumNerds.com. It will be a discovery of extraordinary value. Well, it's about that time on the show when I'm reminded of the great American doctor of wisdom, Dr. Seuss. Yes. Who famously wrote, today you are you. That's truer than true. There is no one alive who is you-er than you.

With that in mind, let's bring out my friend and yours, Wodbot. See what we'll be talking about on next week's episode. The summer of Don is coming to an end. With that in mind, I will be choosing an album that Don has mentioned many times, but has never been properly discussed. Next time, grab your surfboards and truly experience summer with the Beach Boys 1966 classic, Pet Sounds. It's fitting then the summer of Don with one of my favorite albums.

And this is, you know, the Beach Boys can't get much more summery than that. It's a quick reminder that we do have an ongoing vote for the Red Hot Chili Peppers blood, sex, sugar magic. Blood, sugar, sex and magic. Magic sugar, blood, sex. That sounds worse, right? I know. That's a very good one. It's disgusting. Now where blood and sex are is very important. Yes. You want to keep them separated as much as possible.

Ongoing vote for the Red Hot Chili Peppers classic album, go to our website, Eldinerts.com or hit us up on the social media, cast your ballot. And yeah, big news for all the Billy fans out there who voted for his album Black Star to get into the Eldinerts Hall of Fame. Congratulations. Your votes have been answered and the album is now in the Hall of Fame. Good. Glad I made it. He has risen. No. He's Lazarus. Does blood, sugar, sex, magic belong in the Album Nerds Hall of Fame?

What do you think of the Beach Boys' pet sounds? What else are you listening to? Leave a comment on our website or email us at podcast at albumnerds.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and threads at albumnerds. Also please subscribe, rate and review on your favorite podcast app. If you'd like to support the show, you can do so via PayPal at albumnerds.com slash support. Thank you as always for joining us on the Album Nerds podcast. We'll catch you next time with a classic album pet sounds.

Thanks for listening everybody. See you then. Wouldn't it be nice if we were older that we were- Bah, bah, bah, bah. The sweet harmonies of the- That sounded bad. Sorry Brian Wilson.