The Who Sell Out

I've had The Who thrown in my face twice in my lifetime. The first time was back in 1970, when the know it all 13 year old I was in those days was talking music with one of my Dad's co-workers from the Air Force.

Rick was from Massachusetts if I remember correctly. He was probably in his mid-20s at the time I was telling him how cool Grand Funk Railroad was. Apparently he wasn't a big GFR fan, because he told me that if I really wanted to hear good rock and roll, I should listen to The Who. It was a couple more years before I believed him, but I came around.

Since those dreaded junior high days, I came to appreciate The Who, and although I didn't go nuts for them like I did for the Beatles and later on, for Springsteen, I felt like I qualified as a fan. Maybe not a rabid fan, but a fan nonetheless.

The most recent occurrence of having The Who thrown in my face was less direct. It happened yesterday during Dave Marsh's Kick Out the Jams radio show on Sirius.

Marsh declared that The Who had the album of 1967 with The Who Sell Out. In his opinion, The Who Sell Out was a more psychedelic album than Pepper. Now, I happen to like Dave Marsh as a critic and a writer of several great books on rock and roll. I can't agree with him on this one I'm afraid.

Don't get me wrong, The Who Sell Out is a fine album. I admit I had forgotten about it, but I've been listening to it quite a bit since yesterday morning. For me it's no Pepper, but it doesn't need to be.

Pete Townshend could do more with three minutes than most groups at the time. On The Who Sell Out, he created the concept album that Pepper never was.

The Who Sell Out was Townshend's tribute to the pirate radio stations of the day. The cleverly assembled album featured mock commercials in between some of Townshend's best work to date. In the middle of John Entwistle's ode to Heinz Baked Beans and Townshend's mini-opera Rael, was a little tune called I Can See For Miles.

This was the first Who song I can remember being aware of growing up. There was more going on here than what I was used to from The Beatles, that's for sure. The Who was rock and roll with attitude. Attitude was something that The Beatles traded in for suits when Brian Epstein came aboard.

The Who Sell Out belongs in the discussion about the music of 1967. Sgt. Pepper still holds up today, a testimonial to what the rock album could be. The Who Sell Out holds up today too, a testimonial to the work that Townshend and The Who had done and would continue to do until Keith Moon's death.