Coming in at number 6 on the Best of the 70's list is this 1971 release from The Who. The story goes that Townshend was working on a sequel to Tommy called Lifehouse when he had a nervous breakdown. He abandoned the idea of this rock opera and pulled out the best songs to make Who's Next. What distinguished this album in 1971 was Townshend's use of synthesizers to add more texture and rhythm to The Who's sound. Add to this the fact that these are the tightest group of songs Townshend ever put together on an album and you get what is widely considered The Who's best album and what is considered by many the best rock album of all time.
This really is one of those albums that you can put on at any time for any reason.
Following the Rhapsody rating method I give it 4 out of 5 stars for Pretty Good.
I'm so thrilled to discover that clicking on the album cover takes me to Amazon where I can hear a bunch more clips and/or buy the album.
ReplyDeleteMatthew, why didn't this album get five stars? Which are the tracks that you don't think really work?
ReplyDeleteI'll be honest I have never made a point of putting this album on. The songs are great, the musicianship is great, but it is not an album that has ever interested me. It is closer to a 3 than a 5 for me.
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