Post by Pete70s on May 13, 2005 23:27:30 GMT -5
What better time to do an album review than at the Click Anniversary party! I did this quickly, so forgive me if I didn't go as in depth as I usually do with my reviews
I played this album a few times over the past couple of days. Forgotten how great it was. I hope to pick up the remastered version with bonus tracks soon!
The Who Sell Out - The Who, 1967
1. Armenia, City In The Sky/Heinz Baked Beans
2. Mary-Anne With The Shaky Hands
3. Odorono
4. Tattoo
5. Our Love Was, Is
6. I Can See For Miles
7. I Can't Reach You
8. Medac
9. Relax
10. Silas Stingy
11. Sunrise
12. Rael
In 1967, the pirate radio stations that operated off the coast of England were dying. These were the stations that played the music that inspired a generation of English rockers. Pete Townsend had an idea to create a concept album that would re-create the feel of those stations.
Keep in mind that Tommy and Quadrophenia were yet to come at this point. The Who in 1967 was primarily a singles act, but on their previous album they had done a nine-minute mini opera called "A Quick One While He's Away". As more rock acts embraced the album format, Pete made the most of this opportunity to create more interesting material than the simple 3 minute pop songs the Who had been doing up to that point.
"The Who Sell Out" was to run like a radio broadcast of a station that only played Who songs. Advertisements ran between the songs (some for real products, some fictional), as well as station IDs. The band was "selling out", hence the title. Mysteriously, the ads stop midway through the second side (It's been said that it was because the band didn't have time to finish the concept, but that was obviously not true because the remaster has several bonus cuts/ads). My belief is that it was done that way on purpose (the ads die out, just like pirate radio did).
The ads were funny, witty and charming. Some of the ads got the band free stuff (Premier Drums and Rotosound Strings gave Moon and Entwistle endorsement deals). I'm not sure if they got any free baked beans, though. There was originally going to be an ad for a car dealership, but it wasn't used (too bad, they might have gotten free cars!). The cover was funny, as well, with Roger sitting in a tub full of Heinz baked beans (he had actually caught pneumonia at the photo shoot), Pete sticking a giant deodorant under his arm, John dressed as a caveman with a blonde girl on his arm, and Keith squeezing a giant tube of Medac acne cream on a giant "zit" on his face. Sold out, they did!
The songs:
Armenia City In The Sky-The album opens with a "Monday thru Sunday" jingle, then the opening cut, A great piece of psychedelia from a band who really weren't into the LSD hippy-trippy stuff. Which kicks right into:
Heinz Baked Beans- "What's for tea, Mum?" John Entwistle wrote this funny little piece, which sounds oddly similar to Moon's "Cobwebs and Strange" from their previous album. Side note: A buddy of mine met John Entwistle after a solo gig in the early 90's. He asked him why he didn't play "Heinz Baked Beans". John gave him a look like "What do you want to hear THAT for?"
Mary-Anne With The Shaky Hands- "More music, more music, more music". This song kicks right in, a nice acoustic number. Then an ad for Premier Drums fades into:
Odorono- A commercial n the form of a full-length song. A cute little ditty about an actress who loses an audition because "Her deodorant had let her down, she should've used Odorono". Then we get a "Radio London" segue into:
Tattoo-A song about a young mans need for a tattoo to prove his "manhood". He gets beaten by his dad for getting one that says "mother", but his mother liked it. His brother wasn't so lucky, he got a tattoo of a naked lady, and a beating from mom as well.. "I suppose I'll regret you but the skin graft man won't get you.."
After a brief PSA "Radio London reminds you, Go to the church of your choice", we get two classic Who pop tunes. The first, "Our Love Was, Is" would also appear on the "Magic Bus" album a few months later.
Then we get a Rotosound Strings ad, followed by the albums only single, in fact The Who's ONLY top 10 single, "I Can See For Miles". A perfect song, ending a perfect album side.
Side two kicks off with a brief ad for the Charles Atlas course (did that dynamic tension stuff actually work?), followed by what has become my favorite of the early Who songs, "I Can't Reach You". WHY wasn't this released as a single? I've listened to this song at least ten times in the past two days! Can't get enough of it!
A cute little one minute spot for Medac acne cream ends the radio jingles. The remainder of the album is just straight songs.
Relax-I love this song, another little psychedelic piece. "Relax and settle down"..
Silas Stingy-A John Entwistle song about an old miser man. I usually don't bother with this, It's kinda stupid. ::SKIP BUTTON::
Sunrise-A very pretty ballad, sung by Pete.
Rael- A Mini opera, don't know what it's about, though. It's been said that "Rael" is short for "Israel". That's all I know. Oh, and that parts of this song would resurface in "Tommy" one year later!
I played this album a few times over the past couple of days. Forgotten how great it was. I hope to pick up the remastered version with bonus tracks soon!
The Who Sell Out - The Who, 1967
1. Armenia, City In The Sky/Heinz Baked Beans
2. Mary-Anne With The Shaky Hands
3. Odorono
4. Tattoo
5. Our Love Was, Is
6. I Can See For Miles
7. I Can't Reach You
8. Medac
9. Relax
10. Silas Stingy
11. Sunrise
12. Rael
In 1967, the pirate radio stations that operated off the coast of England were dying. These were the stations that played the music that inspired a generation of English rockers. Pete Townsend had an idea to create a concept album that would re-create the feel of those stations.
Keep in mind that Tommy and Quadrophenia were yet to come at this point. The Who in 1967 was primarily a singles act, but on their previous album they had done a nine-minute mini opera called "A Quick One While He's Away". As more rock acts embraced the album format, Pete made the most of this opportunity to create more interesting material than the simple 3 minute pop songs the Who had been doing up to that point.
"The Who Sell Out" was to run like a radio broadcast of a station that only played Who songs. Advertisements ran between the songs (some for real products, some fictional), as well as station IDs. The band was "selling out", hence the title. Mysteriously, the ads stop midway through the second side (It's been said that it was because the band didn't have time to finish the concept, but that was obviously not true because the remaster has several bonus cuts/ads). My belief is that it was done that way on purpose (the ads die out, just like pirate radio did).
The ads were funny, witty and charming. Some of the ads got the band free stuff (Premier Drums and Rotosound Strings gave Moon and Entwistle endorsement deals). I'm not sure if they got any free baked beans, though. There was originally going to be an ad for a car dealership, but it wasn't used (too bad, they might have gotten free cars!). The cover was funny, as well, with Roger sitting in a tub full of Heinz baked beans (he had actually caught pneumonia at the photo shoot), Pete sticking a giant deodorant under his arm, John dressed as a caveman with a blonde girl on his arm, and Keith squeezing a giant tube of Medac acne cream on a giant "zit" on his face. Sold out, they did!
The songs:
Armenia City In The Sky-The album opens with a "Monday thru Sunday" jingle, then the opening cut, A great piece of psychedelia from a band who really weren't into the LSD hippy-trippy stuff. Which kicks right into:
Heinz Baked Beans- "What's for tea, Mum?" John Entwistle wrote this funny little piece, which sounds oddly similar to Moon's "Cobwebs and Strange" from their previous album. Side note: A buddy of mine met John Entwistle after a solo gig in the early 90's. He asked him why he didn't play "Heinz Baked Beans". John gave him a look like "What do you want to hear THAT for?"
Mary-Anne With The Shaky Hands- "More music, more music, more music". This song kicks right in, a nice acoustic number. Then an ad for Premier Drums fades into:
Odorono- A commercial n the form of a full-length song. A cute little ditty about an actress who loses an audition because "Her deodorant had let her down, she should've used Odorono". Then we get a "Radio London" segue into:
Tattoo-A song about a young mans need for a tattoo to prove his "manhood". He gets beaten by his dad for getting one that says "mother", but his mother liked it. His brother wasn't so lucky, he got a tattoo of a naked lady, and a beating from mom as well.. "I suppose I'll regret you but the skin graft man won't get you.."
After a brief PSA "Radio London reminds you, Go to the church of your choice", we get two classic Who pop tunes. The first, "Our Love Was, Is" would also appear on the "Magic Bus" album a few months later.
Then we get a Rotosound Strings ad, followed by the albums only single, in fact The Who's ONLY top 10 single, "I Can See For Miles". A perfect song, ending a perfect album side.
Side two kicks off with a brief ad for the Charles Atlas course (did that dynamic tension stuff actually work?), followed by what has become my favorite of the early Who songs, "I Can't Reach You". WHY wasn't this released as a single? I've listened to this song at least ten times in the past two days! Can't get enough of it!
A cute little one minute spot for Medac acne cream ends the radio jingles. The remainder of the album is just straight songs.
Relax-I love this song, another little psychedelic piece. "Relax and settle down"..
Silas Stingy-A John Entwistle song about an old miser man. I usually don't bother with this, It's kinda stupid. ::SKIP BUTTON::
Sunrise-A very pretty ballad, sung by Pete.
Rael- A Mini opera, don't know what it's about, though. It's been said that "Rael" is short for "Israel". That's all I know. Oh, and that parts of this song would resurface in "Tommy" one year later!
