Top Ten Songs by the Who
10. Sister Disco – From the late Who album, Who Are You, Sister Disco features heavily in synthesizer and cymbal crashes. The song as a whole, in fact, is marked by this kind of melodrama, bidding what proves to a tearing tongue-in-cheek farewell to the musical form known as Disco, singing , “I’ll stay beside you and comfort your soul, when you are lonely and broken and old.”
9. Going Mobile – Going Mobile, a song off of the prolific Who’s Next album, is a song which, like many Who songs, was constructed, and made what it is by bandleader and guitarist Pete Townshend. He provides the vocal energy of the song, and the tune is substantially tailored around the driving accoustic guitar riffs. The only thing that disappoints is the whimsical lyrics, which, though fantastic for what they are, one wishes they’d have the kind of writing depth characteristic of other songs from the period.
8. Eminence Front – The only song on this list which was released following the death of drummer Keith Moon, located on the album It’s Hard, Eminence Front, again capitalizes upon the efforts of Pete Townshend to attain its fame. Townshend is responsible for not only the vocals but also the elaborate synthesizer and guitar-driven solo, which allows for this track to make up for having, in its almost funk-like, rhythmic sound, what many consider to be a sound very much unlike anything which The Who had released heretofore.
7. The Ox – Located on The Who’s often underestimated debut album My Generation, The Ox proves a fantastic instrumental onslaught of – of all things – surf music, nestled within an otherwise rhythm-and-blues inspired album. Drummer Moon, fresh recruited from a surf band, proved the star of this track, performing what proves to be a quite literally unbelievable torrent of a performance.
6. Who Are You – Who Are You, from the similarly-titled album, is a track which somehow proves to be far greater than the sum of its parts. This song is filled with cheesy handclapping and backup vocals, a drum track, which, while offset by some periodic, neat improvisations by Moon, seems rather lackluster, and a bridge which almost disarms the overall tone of the song. However, mysteriously, all of these oddball pieces, along with what is one of singer Roger Daltrey’s better performances, seem to merge together fantastically, with the eclecticism only serving to provide the band’s answer to the question posed by the title.
5. Magic Bus (Live) – While the original studio recording of this track is certainly not to be taken for granted, the performance of Magic Bus live was certainly a highlight of the show for the audience and band alike. Running no less than seven minutes, this initially rhythm-driven song becomes an epically-improvised masterpiece. Various manifestations of the live version of the song can be found on Live at Leeds and the Isle of Wight concert recordings.
4. Baba O’ Riley – This track proves to be another lasting live Who favorite, however the studio track, released on famed album Who’s Next, certainly manages to stand on its own. From the the initial synthesized opening, which has leant the song its reputation for being the closing track of quite a few films, to the accelerated violin solo at the end, this song seems to have very few flaws.
3. Long Live Rock – A faux-history of The Who, Long Live Rock is made into the veritable anthem that it is based upon the often-humorous narrative lyrics, and simply the unceasing energy contained within the song itself. Ironically composed around the time when the band began to move toward less traditional rock, this piece, based on traditional 12-bar blues rhythm, was to have been included on a Tommy-esque history of the band, “Rock is Dead – Long Live Rock,” a project one can only wish had come to fruition so as to provide more such songs.
2. Don’t Know Myself – A not very widely known track coming off of Who’s Next, this song embodies the best features of the latter-day Who, with a crooning Daltrey, a rediculously extravagant Keith Moon, staid John Entwistle, and moody, incredibly self-searching Townshend. What more could one ask for?
1. A Quick One While He’s Away – This song, clocking in at around ten minutes, this “mini-opera” constitutes five songs in one. In addition to being the foundation upon which Tommy was built, this song is also another song which is best heard live (Live at Leeds). “Quick One,” displays the kind of complex musical sound with The Who would come to perfect in their latter years, but also the sheer irreverence which they displayed heartily in their early years, as the whole song, is, after all, about a rather comedic and illicit love affair. This allows this song, standing at this transitional point (along with being a wonderful song) to be the best in the Who’s prolific lineup.
