What makes this digitally remastered CD even better than the original album is the addition of five previously unreleased songs from "Lifehouse," and the previously unreleased, original version of "Behind Blue Eyes. " These songs, which include "Baby Don't You Do It," "Naked Eye," "Water" and others, are equal in quality to the more familiar songs which make up the original "Who's Next" album. Also included are very well written liner notes by Pete Townshend and John Atkins, which explain the evolution of "Who's Next" from "Lifehouse."

"Who's Next" is one of the landmark albums of all time. It's also one of my personal favorites, and an essential CD, not only for fans of The Who, but for all fans of rock and roll music.


Who's Next -- A Hard Act To Follow   June 3, 2008
 34 out of 34 found this review helpful

Throughout the 1960's the Who were basically a singles band with the notable exceptions of "A Quick One While He's Away," supposed theme album "The Who Sell Out" and, of course, "Tommy." The latter's success would force the group to stay together when bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon had debated forming a group called Led Zeppelin with Jimmy Page (this fact perhaps leading to Who guitarist Pete Townshend's outspoken resentment of that venerable act). Further success with "Live At Leeds" would lead the band into the studio once again to commence work on yet another Townshend theme album titled "Lifehouse." While "Lifehouse" failed to reach fruition during the Who's lifetime, many of the songs from that project formed the nucleus for one of the group's greatest achievements: "Who's Next."

With "Who's Next," the Who would enter the world of AOR as well as provide themselves with sure crowd pleasures along the lines of "Baba O'Riley," "Behind Blue Eyes" and "Won't Get Fooled Again." This being more than an ample enough amount of "hits" for the traditional album of the period, the group would continue to provide meaningful listening with "Bargain," "Love Ain't For Keeping" and "Getting In Tune." Even Entwistle's humorous "My Wife" and Townshend's bouncy "Going Mobile" maintain the pace of high caliber material on this, the group's finest hour as a working unit.

The Who would continue to make music into the 1970's, on through the untimely death of drummer Moon, eventually disbanding in the early 1980's before surviving members Roger Daltrey, Entwistle and Townshend revived the act--minus Moon replacement Kenny Jones of the Small Faces--until Entwistle's own unexpected demise at the turn of the century.

Outside of greatest hits packages "Meaty, Beaty, Big And Bouncy" and "Hooligans," this is the one definitive Who album to have in your rock and roll arsenal. The later release of a double-disc CD set provides some interesting alternate takes, but nothing to rival the pure energy of the original album.


WHO'S NEXT is a success because LIFEHOUSE failed   September 5, 2002
 33 out of 35 found this review helpful

The Who have always been overshadowed throughout their career by other, more `relevant' trends. The Who persisted, however, and in the end created a body of work, largely penned by Townshend, which has become stands in the rock canon, but they've always had to fight for the spotlight. In the mid 1960s they had to contend with The Beatles and Stones and the rest of the Peace movement. From the early 1970s they had to deal with the singer-songwriter influx, and in the late part of their recording career they had to contend with punk (much of that relationship is dealt with in the highly underrated WHO ARE YOU album).

However, in a three year span, The Who was THE center of rock and roll. From 1969 to 1971, The Who had the world in a spin with ferocious live shows, a whole new idea of what rock and roll could do (TOMMY), and the sheer power and velocity of them live was absolutely amazing. The Who were at the top of their game, and took the live performance of TOMMY on the road for two years. Everyone was wondering what their next move would be.

WHO'S NEXT was the next move. Coming from the failed LIFEHOUSE, the album suddenly changed the direction that The Who had been established in. This is the turning point in The Who's career as far as sound goes. Townshend went from writing mod anthems to more album-oriented rock. When listening to albums like TOMMY or SELL OUT or QUICK ONE and then the later albums such as QUADROPHENIA, this one, or WHO ARE YOU, while you can tell it's the same band they've changed their sound drastically. Although they've always been loud, now The Who were playing genuine hard rock, and boy did it ever rock.

The source material for WHO'S NEXT, LIFEHOUSE, a multi-media extravaganza about how rock was going to save the world, has become, like Brian Wilson's SMILE, one of the great mysteries which everyone wonders what would have been had it come to completion. In The Who's case, I think it benefitted the work overall to not come to completion. Although it always escapes me why "Pure and Easy" was left off the album (as well as "The Naked Eye"), over all WHO'S NEXT plays very tightly, concise, and extremely focused. Townshend sometimes let the concept bog down the music, although not nearly as much as, say, Roger Waters. To his immense credit, Townshend always made sure that the songs were very catchy, and TOMMY has some of the band's best music, but taking it outside the context of the "concept," the music does not stand up as well as WHO'S NEXT.

That's the main difference between TOMMY and WHO'S NEXT, and that's what makes this record such a fascinating listen. If you know the plot of LIFEHOUSE*, then each song makes sense within its context. However, what makes WHO'S NEXT so powerful is the fact that, taken out of the LIFEHOUSE context, the music becomes an entirely different animal, which cannot be said for TOMMY. With LIFEHOUSE failing, instead we, as the listeners, have to take it on the basis of each individual song, and this gives the tracks from WHO'S NEXT more power than they ever could have if Townshend's second rock opera had been fully realised.

The best example of Townshend's songs working better outside the LIFEHOUSE plot is, of course, the last track on the album, "Won't Get Fooled Again." Instead of it being that great finale where Bobby and all his friends have escaped and are playing the final Lost Chord, it acts as excellent social commentary, and coming at the very beginning of the 1970s, after seeing the turbulence of the 1960s and all the tumult we were going through, Townshend manages to pen one phrase that blows the entire free love, hippie generation mentality, and with this one blow they never recovered. "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss," the very climax of the song, hits so hard and so fast it left the culture reeling, making that song the single most powerful statement made against the 1960s.

Much of "Won't Get Fooled Again's" power would have been deflated had LIFEHOUSE been completed. Another excellent example is "Behind Blue Eyes" which is about the villain of LIFEHOUSE. Instead of being about one specific villain, it instead becomes about the villain in all of humanity. The same can be said of "Bargain." Instead of talking about some esoteric Lost Note that will crumble the Grid, Townshend gives us a very spirituality-driven song. To those who interpret the song about a man and a woman, that's their right, but I've always taken it as more of man's relationship with God.

In the end, WHO'S NEXT becomes The Who's most powerful statement, not in spite of LIFEHOUSE's failure, but BECAUSE of LIFEHOUSE's failure.

*There are several places on the Internet where you can get in detail LIFEHOUSE's plot. Essentially, it's a science fiction piece about rock and roll saving the world. Everyone is plugged into this Grid, and it reads kind of like Huxley's BRAVE NEW WORLD where they're kept doped up in the fact that they realise nothing's wrong. Bobby, the main character, decides to instigate a revolution, founds this place called the Lifehouse, where a band is playing music. When you go to the Lifehouse, people take all your personal data, everything you are, and then you are given your own personal musical identity. The climax is everyone gets caught up in the music, and everyone's information is fed into this computer which then produces everyone's identity into one single note. The rebels play the Note, everything is put right in the world, and they live happily ever after. Townshend was going to actually do this, and The Who would play rock concents and everyone's data would be represented musically. Can anyone say Spruce Goose?

Good science fiction; hard as hell to pull it off in any other format other than the novel. No wonder it never got completed.

P. S. Stop acting like the bonus tracks are part of the album. It's unfair to deduct stars from an album because of the bonus material. They are bonus tracks, simply that.


WHO'S NEXT is a success because LIFEHOUSE failed   September 5, 2002
 32 out of 32 found this review helpful

The Who have always been overshadowed throughout their career by other, more `relevant' trends. The Who persisted, however, and in the end created a body of work, largely penned by Townshend, which has become stands in the rock canon, but they've always had to fight for the spotlight. In the mid 1960s they had to contend with The Beatles and Stones and the rest of the Peace movement. From the early 1970s they had to deal with the singer-songwriter influx, and in the late part of their recording career they had to contend with punk (much of that relationship is dealt with in the highly underrated WHO ARE YOU album).

However, in a three year span, The Who was THE center of rock and roll. From 1969 to 1971, The Who had the world in a spin with ferocious live shows, a whole new idea of what rock and roll could do (TOMMY), and the sheer power and velocity of them live was absolutely amazing. The Who were at the top of their game, and took the live performance of TOMMY on the road for two years. Everyone was wondering what their next move would be.

WHO'S NEXT was the next move. Coming from the failed LIFEHOUSE, the album suddenly changed the direction that The Who had been established in. This is the turning point in The Who's career as far as sound goes. Townshend went from writing mod anthems to more album-oriented rock. When listening to albums like TOMMY or SELL OUT or QUICK ONE and then the later albums such as QUADROPHENIA, this one, or WHO ARE YOU, while you can tell it's the same band they've changed their sound drastically. Although they've always been loud, now The Who were playing genuine hard rock, and boy did it ever rock.

The source material for WHO'S NEXT, LIFEHOUSE, a multi-media extravaganza about how rock was going to save the world, has become, like Brian Wilson's SMILE, one of the great mysteries which everyone wonders what would have been had it come to completion. In The Who's case, I think it benefitted the work overall to not come to completion. Although it always escapes me why "Pure and Easy" was left off the album (as well as "The Naked Eye"), over all WHO'S NEXT plays very tightly, concise, and extremely focused. Townshend sometimes let the concept bog down the music, although not nearly as much as, say, Roger Waters. To his immense credit, Townshend always made sure that the songs were very catchy, and TOMMY has some of the band's best music, but taking it outside the context of the "concept," the music does not stand up as well as WHO'S NEXT.

That's the main difference between TOMMY and WHO'S NEXT, and that's what makes this record such a fascinating listen. If you know the plot of LIFEHOUSE*, then each song makes sense within its context. However, what makes WHO'S NEXT so powerful is the fact that, taken out of the LIFEHOUSE context, the music becomes an entirely different animal, which cannot be said for TOMMY. With LIFEHOUSE failing, instead we, as the listeners, have to take it on the basis of each individual song, and this gives the tracks from WHO'S NEXT more power than they ever could have if Townshend's second rock opera had been fully realised.

The best example of Townshend's songs working better outside the LIFEHOUSE plot is, of course, the last track on the album, "Won't Get Fooled Again." Instead of it being that great finale where Bobby and all his friends have escaped and are playing the final Lost Chord, it acts as excellent social commentary, and coming at the very beginning of the 1970s, after seeing the turbulence of the 1960s and all the tumult we were going through, Townshend manages to pen one phrase that blows the entire free love, hippie generation mentality, and with this one blow they never recovered. "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss," the very climax of the song, hits so hard and so fast it left the culture reeling, making that song the single most powerful statement made against the 1960s.

Much of "Won't Get Fooled Again's" power would have been deflated had LIFEHOUSE been completed. Another excellent example is "Behind Blue Eyes" which is about the villain of LIFEHOUSE. Instead of being about one specific villain, it instead becomes about the villain in all of humanity. The same can be said of "Bargain." Instead of talking about some esoteric Lost Note that will crumble the Grid, Townshend gives us a very spirituality-driven song. To those who interpret the song about a man and a woman, that's their right, but I've always taken it as more of man's relationship with God.

In the end, WHO'S NEXT becomes The Who's most powerful statement, not in spite of LIFEHOUSE's failure, but BECAUSE of LIFEHOUSE's failure.

*There are several places on the Internet where you can get in detail LIFEHOUSE's plot. Essentially, it's a science fiction piece about rock and roll saving the world. Everyone is plugged into this Grid, and it reads kind of like Huxley's BRAVE NEW WORLD where they're kept doped up in the fact that they realise nothing's wrong. Bobby, the main character, decides to instigate a revolution, founds this place called the Lifehouse, where a band is playing music. When you go to the Lifehouse, people take all your personal data, everything you are, and then you are given your own personal musical identity. The climax is everyone gets caught up in the music, and everyone's information is fed into this computer which then produces everyone's identity into one single note. The rebels play the Note, everything is put right in the world, and they live happily ever after. Townshend was going to actually do this, and The Who would play rock concents and everyone's data would be represented musically. Can anyone say Spruce Goose?

Good science fiction; hard as hell to pull it off in any other format other than the novel. No wonder it never got completed.

P. S. Stop acting like the bonus tracks are part of the album. It's unfair to deduct stars from an album because of the bonus material. They are bonus tracks, simply that.


Who's next? A better version of a classic album   October 26, 1999
 29 out of 30 found this review helpful

Peter Townshend may not have gotten what he wanted out of "Who's Next" when The Who released it in 1971, but it's still one of the finest examples of rock & roll out there. Originally one of Townshend's "concept" albums (and titled Lifehouse), it contains fragments of a story that sounds, well, far-fetched: a secret rock concert takes place in a futuristic society where all music has been banned. A messianic leader named Bobby and his followers go to the concert, where their collective personality traits and vital signs are fed into a synthesizer and translated into sound. At the end of the concert, as the anti-music forces close in on the people, they disappear with a sudden "mystical chord". This, plus the technological advances that Townshend wanted to make, lend "Who's Next" a pedigree equal to "Tommy" or "The Who Sell Out". "Baba O'Riley" kicks off the album with its ARP synthesizer line that runs down your back like cold water. Piano, thundering drums courtesy of Keith Moon, Roger Daltrey's defiant voice, and a spare but powerful guitar riff propel you into the teenage wasteland. It's Townshend's kiss-off to the 60s hippie idealism. Quickly following is "Bargain", a frenetic rumble of passion, and the acoustic "Love Ain't For Keeping". Two of Townshend's best songs come next, "Song is Over" and "Gettin' in Tune". The reflection of the lyrics shows how far he's come from "I Can't Explain". And no Who record would be complete without a bit of John Entwistle's dark comic relief in "My Wife". The other chief tunes here are "Behind Blue Eyes", originally meant for Lifehouse's villain, Brick, and the anthemic "Won't Get Fooled Again", a song that marks Townshend's cynical view of hippie communalism. It's The Who at their most vicious - an attack of zinging guitar, atomic bass and shotgun drum blasts and Daltrey's throat-shredding howl at the end, and again the incessant drone of the synthesizer. Were it not for the material originally written for (and subsequently left out of) "Who's Next", the theme might be entirely lost to listeners. The addition of these other songs gives new life to Lifehouse. "Pure and Easy" recalls the mystical Lost Chord that Townshend was looking for. "Naked Eye", although available for years on "Odds and Sods", truly belongs here. "Water" is also notable for its bouncy rhythm. My favorite out of these is "I Don't Even Know Myself" which was the B-side to "Won't Get Fooled Again". All of these songs have the trademark Who sound (post Tommy): playful, gritty guitars, jaunty piano, supple, growling bass and Moon's karate-chopping drumming. There's no one quite like him, R.I.P. And no one like The Who in all of pop music.