The Who has been a popular band since its founding in 1964 with lead singer Roger Daltrey, bassist John Entwistle, lead guitarist Pete Townshend, and drummer Keith Moon. Along with The Beatles, The Who carried the new age of Rock n Roll, and throughout the 60s came across lots of fame. Their best album, however, came out in 1971. The album was called Who’s Next. With the Who’s 5th studio album. Who’s Next sold over 4 million copies, which makes it one of their best-selling albums.
“Baba O’ Riley”
This song started off the album as well as it could have. The opening sequence is well-known and iconic. The song itself is about the desolation of youth culture, which the famous rock festival Woodstock influenced. Daltrey is great with his vocals, and overall a great song, and one of their more popular songs. I give this song a 10/10.
“Bargain”
This is another one of The Who’s best songs. Keith Moon’s drumming is great here. Moon was known for his wild style of drumming. It works great with the band, especially on this song, along with Daltrey’s powerful vocals. The song starts slow and builds up and explodes towards the end. This song is considered a masterpiece by many, and it’s once again one of the Who’s best songs. With that, this song is a 9/10.
“Love Ain’t For Keeping”
This is one of the shorter songs on this album, and it leans toward more folk rock instead of the heavy tone that The Who is known for. Townshend uses an acoustic guitar here and does a pretty good job. Other than that, there’s not much else to say about this song. It’s definitely not as good as the two songs before it. Overall, this song is a 7/10.
“My Wife”
This song does a complete 180 from the previous song. The Who goes back to the heavier tone for this one. Entwhistle sings this song in contrast to Daltrey, and he does an awesome job. Moon once again is great on the drums, and his fills are consistent throughout the song. “My Wife” is more upbeat compared to other songs on this album, and it fits well despite the overall softer vibe of the album. I give this song an 8/10.
“The Song is Over”
“The Song is Over” is a slow song and very emotional overall. It’s a more depressing song, but it is delivered beautifully. Both Townshend and Daltrey’s vocals are amazing and carry the weight of the song perfectly. Moon is more controlled here, in contrast to other songs. However, this song is a little long for what it should be, but nevertheless, it’s still good. With that, I give this song a 7/10.
“Getting in Tune”
Roger Daltrey carries this entire song. He delivers powerful lyrics that create the mood for this song. Entwhistle’s bass line is also underrated for this song. The combination of quieter, softer sound and harder rock makes this song an underrated gem. This song gets forgotten a lot, and it deserves more attention. This song is an 8/10.
“Going Mobile”
This is my least favorite song on the album, but that does not make it a bad song. This song is very much what The Who is in a nutshell. The vibe and tone of this song are very easy to recognize as The Who, even if you don’t know what this song is. The song itself, for me, is very forgettable and weak compared to other songs on this album. Entwhistle is very good here, with his smooth bassline throughout, and Moon is as good as always. But overall, a 6/10 song. It’s good, but compared to other songs, just not as strong.
“Behind Blue Eyes”
Another incredible masterpiece composed by The Who. It’s a slower, more emotional song overall. Daltrey once again carried the tone of the song with his vocals, and Townshend and Entwistle’s melody makes the song very smooth-sounding. The song, once again, is built up to a heavier rock sound, something that, in my opinion, The Who do really well. In its entirety, it’s just a good all-around song. I give it a 9/10.
“Won’t get Fooled Again”
This is a perfect way to end the album. Their longest, most meaningful song. Once again, a slow build-up to a heavier ending, which is a theme of this album. With the opening synthesizer sound and Daltrey’s best song, in my opinion. His scream towards the end is iconic. Perhaps the most famous part of this solo is Moon’s drum solo, which is the beginning of the end of the song, and brings an overall great sound. It finishes off the buildup throughout the song. Despite being longer, this is one of the best songs ever made, and deserves a 10/10.
Who’s Next is made up of incredible songs that have different vibes. From slower songs like “Love ain’t for Keeping” and heavier songs like “My Wife.” This song is filled with many iconic songs, and one of the best albums that The Who has ever put out. This album in all deserves a 9/10. Only a couple of songs bring it down, and I would recommend this album to anybody wanting to get into music.
