WHO'S NEXT

WHO'S NEXT has been claimed as one of the most influential THE WHO and 70's rock scene records. Not unfairly I would say. A purely 60's band seems to have matured and produces sounds that can not be compared with any other band at that time.

According to the few experiences I have of THE WHO, this album does not sound at all like their 60's efforts and the band does not bring much of that culture into the 70's. Of course, experts on this field can prove me wrong and I will not deny it... Musically, WHO'S NEXT is based on the edge of rock 'n roll and 70's rock, with the latter slowly but steadily taking the lead.

The album consists of some very mature rocking compositions (i.e. Bargain, possibly the best track here) with strong vocal performances and an unexpected level of maturity from the band. I will dare to say that the very few prog rock elements make their appearance - strangely enough - in the opening and closing tracks: clever use of keyboards, breaks and more sophisticated song structures reflect the turn to more progressive settings.

The middle part of the album unfortunately fails to impress me although there are very decent and pleasant tracks with good rock riffs encompassed with lots of rock 'n roll and slow mellow parts. Although the compositions are very well structured, they lack the extra push that would make them memorable. Behind blue eyes deserves a special mention as its intriguing melodic start interchanges with a great rocking break to produce a powerful yet lyrical song that has remained as a classic.

Nevertheless, I still believe this album sounds well ahead of its age. In 1971, few bands could produce such a mature level of songwriting, even if the rock 'n roll elements are still evident. The 1995 remastered version includes several interesting and robust bonus tracks that constitute a bargain, taking into account the insignificant amount of money I had to pay for this CD.

As the progressive elements are few, I would recommend this release to prog fans with caution; 70's classic rock is the bargain here and it's well worth 3.5 stars...

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