THE WHO SELL OUT

Plenty of reviews written about this, I don´t think I can say anything new about it, but because I found the last review of it a bit poor, I think I should say something about it. I think the last review is a part of that trend in 2000`s to try to prove sixties music wasn´t as great as it was. I know there are many people, who think 2000`s music is as great as sixties and or/seventies, or maybe even better. I am not saying all the 2000 music is shit, there are still great musicmakers, but in 60-70 specially major record companies hadn´t made their artists that kind of money making products as today. Of course money making has always been their priority, but the artists freedom to make music was much more bigger then, record companies gave them many chances to try to make selling albums before they throw them away than today. And I think that was one reason to the great music of 60-70, not the only.

About this masterpiece, I have listened Who now thirteen years and over a decade this has been the greatest Who album to me. Of course I really love also Tommy, Who´s Next and Quadrophenia, but I have also always loved the energy of first Who albums. This album has both: energy of first Who albums, but also the more progressive music from the later albums. Only true sixties pop songs in this album are "Our Love Was" and "Can´t Reach You". I find the first side of the album as great as the second. "Odorono" and "Tattoo" are really spiritual, the latter is also very acoustic with great symbal playing from Moon. The side one ending piece "I can see for miles" is the greatest Who single to me, it has that great Who-energy and starting "Armenia City In the sky" too. "Silas Stingy" and "Sunrise" in the b-side are also very spiritual songs. The endind "Rael" is a crown of this album! Towshend used part of this song later in Tommy, as he did also some other earlier songs released later in Odds and Sodds, but I have found this version the best. Rael was also Towshend´s will to do larger entities just like "A Quick One, While He´s Away" was a year later, but I think it was better although it was only almost six minutes long. There was part 2 of "Rael" that ended only into first album version credits, it was released later in the "Thirty Years of Maxium R`n`B".

About commercialism in music, even the Who had pressures of selling records that time. Their singles weren´t selling much in 1967 and although the Who Sell Out is masterpiece, it didn´t sell well. But what band of today decides to make an rockopera after commercial failings? The Who took a big risk into it, but it was worth of it. Tommy become one of their biggest artistic and commercial success. 1967 was the begin year of concept albums. I think the Who sell out was one of the most genius concept albums of that year. To built up album round the pirate radio channel Radio London was very original and rebellious idea and it still works well.

This is really not prog album, specially if you think prog is the same as Genesis and Yes seventies albums. I listen a lot progmusic, but to me any music genre is not better than the other. To me this Who album is one of the ten best all time albums. It´s just because it´s genius sad melodies also it´s brilliant idea of concept album. Really have always loved the cover of it. I recommend people who don´t like sixties music generally, doesn´t listen it and really doesn´t write reviews about it. Although Who´s best years are over, they continue to play their great music. I was really happy about their latest great live version of Tommy. "Endless Wire" from 2006 was also really great new album, to me it´s better than "Who by Numbers" or "Who are You". So I am not sad although most of the new music just bores me. Although I have now listened music forty years, I still found great albums from sixties and seventies that I´ve never heard.