The Who Sell Out – THE WHO*****

Armenia City In The Skies/Heinz Baked Beans/Mary Anne With The Shaky Hands/Odorono/Tattoo/Our Love Was/I Can See For Miles/I Can’t Reach You/Medac/Relax/Silas Stingy/Sunrise/Rael 1

The Who finally release an album of an equal calibre to their singles. The Who Sell Out comprises a diverse selection of songs interspersed with commercial jingles. It contains the top ten hit single I Can See For Miles. (US:48 UK:13)

"This is quite simply inspiring and should belong in the collection of every music lover with any interest in '60s music or British pop. The sophistication, the craft, the range of genres from song to song, the songwriting and the playing have no equal anywhere."

"The songs are astonishing. First of all, they are extremely diverse. Nearly every song sets a different mood, not a thing that just any rock band could do on a single album. Commonplace with great albums, you can't emphasise individual songs, the album works as a whole. The jingles are a crucial part of the experience, and the mixture of real and fictitious jingles was a great idea."

"The Who Sell Out is one of the most underrated and overlooked albums of the rock era. Essentially it's twelve songs juxtaposed next to ad jingles to give the impression that one is listening to a broadcast of a 60s London radio station. The songs themselves are very good but sadly many are unknown to rock fans in general. Only the hit single I Can See For Miles is well known, but there are many other gems."

"The actual songs on The Who Sell Out are markedly more psychedelic than those on any other Who album; or perhaps faux-psychedelic is more accurate, because these songs don't actually sound like the work of a real band, but the music in a comedy sketch that parodies the hippy trippy-ness of the '60s. What makes this recording especially refreshing is that while it seemed as if the entire pop culture was taking itself much too seriously during the Summer of Love, The Who were willing to inject a bit of whimsy into the proceedings. In the process they produced some of their most enduring songs."

"My favourite album by The Who. I love how they play different genres as if it were songs by other artists during the 60s. Very creative and it works amazingly. There's a terrific set of songs that ultimately stand as one of the group's greatest achievements. With every listen, the album reveals another beautiful layer."