Review Summary: A depressing, autobiographical Pete Townshend record, essential for die hard Who fans.
The Who By Numbers is the seventh album by The Who released in the fall of 1975. Townshend (the main songwriter of the group) was 30, and dealing with personal issues (drinking, women, and overall relevance as a musician). This is what makes up the bulk of the record, save for one Entwistle track ("Success Story"). The fact that this isn't a concept album is surprising, but will only attract the listener to hear songs without a story from beginning to end.
"Slip Kid" is the opening track and the best cut on the album. It features exploding power chords by Pete, excellent piano by Nicky Hopkins, and an intense vocal that shows the band was still intact. "However Much I Booze" is nearly as good, with Townshend revealing his demons for everyone to hear ("I see myself on TV; I'm a faker, a paper clown"). Apparently Daltrey refused to sing this song as it was too personal. Townshend uses a capo on different frets for both the acoustic and electric guitar, giving the song almost a country twang to it. The song is depressing as Townshend can't seem to control his drinking problem, which he shouts out angrily during the chorus ("I don't care what you say boy, there ain't no way out").
"They're All In Love" is pessimistic, but has a waltz feel to it (it's in triple meter). Hopkins plays beautiful treble notes on the piano and Townshend strums out a simple chord progression. It sounds rather generic until the chorus comes in, where the band has one of their best harmonies to date ("And they're all in love"). "How Many Friends" is another winner, with Daltrey playing the role of a woman meeting a man ("I'm feeling so good right now, there's a handsome boy, tells me how I changed his past"). It's a bit strange and makes you wonder why they didn't get a female singer (like Linda Ronstadt) to do this part. Nonetheless the melody is moving, especially in the bridge ("It's all like a dream you know") where the chords resolve from minor to major.
The remaining cuts range from good to average. "Squeeze Box" was the only hit, and features an open tuning on electric guitar and an enjoyable banjo solo. "Dreaming from the Waist" deals with Townshend's mid life crisis and problems trying to attract women. ("I know the girls that I pass, they just ain't impressed"). In fact, I'm surprised that Daltrey agreed to sing on this cut as it's the bleakest song on the record ("But here comes the morning, here comes the yawning demented clown"). In fact, the only optimistic cut on this album is "Blue, Red and Grey," which features Townshend on ukulele and Entwistle on French horn. The song is bare arrangement wise, yet feels like a therapy session. The gentleness of the song and Pete's squeaky vocal make it very moving. It's the most optimistic track on the record; featuring the lyric "I love every minute of the day."
The rest of the album doesn't work as well, ("Success Story" and "In a Hand Or a Face") as the band doesn't break new musical ground. Despite these two cuts, the rest of the album is worth checking out. In fact, Moon would return for their next record, "Who Are You," but unfortunately it would be his last (dying twenty days after the release of that album). If you're looking for another "Tommy," "Who's Next," or "Quadrophenia," look elsewhere as it doesn't feature synthesizers or make any grand statements. However, if you're looking for a stripped down sound of the Who that offers a nice change in their discography, this is worth checking out. If you're really lucky, you can buy the album and connect the dots.
B
