Released August 14, 1971, Who’s Next was the fifth studio album by The Who. It developed from the aborted Lifehouse project, a multi-media rock opera written by the group’s Pete Townshend as a follow-up to the band’s 1969 album Tommy. The project was cancelled due to its complexity and conflicts with Kit Lambert, the band’s manager, but Townshend was persuaded to record the songs as a straightforward studio album.
Track listing
1. “Baba O’Riley”
2. “Bargain”
3. “Love Ain’t for Keeping”
4. “My Wife”
5. “The Song Is Over”
6. “Getting in Tune”
7. “Going Mobile”
8. “Behind Blue Eyes”
9. “Won’t Get Fooled Again”
Flip through the gallery to go learn more about Who’s Next by The Who!
The decision to shoot the cover photo came from John Entwistle and Keith Moon discussing Stanley Kubrick and the film 2001: A Space Odyssey. According to photographer Ethan Russell, most of the band members were unable to urinate, so rainwater was tipped from an empty film canister to achieve the desired effect
Lifehouse Photo By: Evening Standard/Getty Images
The album developed from a project called Lifehouse, a multi-media futuristic rock opera which evolved from a series of columns Townshend wrote for Melody Maker in 1970. Lifehouse was set in the near future in a society in which music is banned and most of the population live indoors in government-controlled "experience suits
Joe Walsh’s Gretsch Photo By: Keystone/Getty Images
The band used New York's Record Plant Studios for the recordings and were joined by guests Al Kooper on Hammond organ, Ken Ascher on piano and Leslie West on guitar. Townshend used a 1957 Gretsch 6120 guitar, given to him by Joe Walsh, during the session and it went on to become his main guitar for studio recordings
Mick Jagger’s Stargroves Photo By: David Cairns/Express/Getty Images
The first session for what became Who's Next was at Mick Jagger's house, Stargroves, at the start of April 1971, using the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio. The backing track of "Won't Get Fooled Again" was recorded there before the band decided to relocate recording to Olympic Sound Studios in Barnes, London
No Roger Daltrey Photo By: PRPhotos.com
Roger Daltrey did not take part in the recording of "Going Mobile,” leaving the rest of the band to record it as a power trio. Townshend handles the lead vocals, guitars, and synthesizers, with John Entwistle on bass and Keith Moon on drums
Behind Blue Eyes Photo By: PRPhotos.com
Behind Blue Eyes" originated after a Who concert in Denver on June 9th, 1970. Following the performance, Townshend became tempted by a female groupie, but he instead went back to his room alone. Upon reaching his room, he began writing a prayer, the first words being "When my fist clenches, crack it open
The album has been re-issued and remastered several times using tapes from different sessions. The master tapes for the Olympic Studios sessions are believed to be lost, as Virgin Records threw out a substantial number of old recordings when they purchased the studio in the 1980s
