This is one of the most powerful, well written albums in rock music history. All four members were at their peak creatively and performance-wise. If I could only own ten albums, this would be one of them.

The added tracks make a great album even better. Pure and Easy is the best of the additional tracks.

that will tell you how great this album is. I first bought the album in 1971 and played it till it was no longer payable.
As much as you hear the short bursts on the television, it gives you an indication of how great this music is. Rock on and widen your scope for THE WHO.

This is my favorite album of all time. It is the one album in my collection that transcends the ages. "Who's Next", can still reach me after more than 35 years of discovery. "Baba O'Riley", "Bargain" and "The Song Is Over" speak to the inner spirit of a man, whether he is 18 or 50. It continues to bring pleasure and it always will.

After the enormous success of the band's previous album "Tommy" it was going to be very difficult for The Who to top it. Pete Townshend started off writing another concept piece called The Lighthouse Project. The recording sessions went on and on with the project eventually suffocating under its own weight. The band gave up on it, and went back into the studio to pick up the pieces. What emerged was the ultimate Who statement and probably one of the ultimate statements of rock n roll. "Who's Next" is about as close to a perfect album as you could get. Starting with the fist pumping anthem "Baba O'riley" and closing with what is in my opinion one of the greatest and most important songs of all time "Won't Get Fooled Again". "Meet the new boss.....same as the old boss", indeed. Words that are as relevant today as when they were written 30 plus years ago. Roger Daltry's famous scream near the end still sends shivers up my spine. In between these two tracks are 6 more great songs, "Bargain", "Love Ain't For Keeping", John Entwistle's "My Wife", "The Song Is Over" which featured the main theme from the abandoned Lifehouse Project, "Getting In Tune", and "Going Mobile". All just classic stuff. This is The Who at the top of their game and solidified their place as one of the greatest rock bands of all time. As great as this album is, in my opinion they topped it with the next one "Quadrophenia".

Every one can argue back and forth on the Who's greatest album. But this album goes sooooo far beyond that. This album is one of the few fundamental pillars that define rock and roll. Its place belongs right between Sgt Pepper and Led Zeppelin IV. Any one who does not get that is musically illiterate. Period.

ive been looking for one song, baba o reilley for a while. the local store had a copy for 29 dollars. what a rip off. this cd came to me in a short amount of time undamaged. i am extremely happy with this product.

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.

What can I say? This is THE Classic Who album. One of the all time best albums ever produced by anyone. The extra tracks threw me off though. I've listened to this album hundreds of times over the years and hearing extra songs seemed to tarnish the original.

Simply one of the best rock albums of all time and certainly the best Who Album

What an album this is! "Who's Next" is The Who at the peak of their creativity. And one wonders what their creation would have been like had Pete Townshend ended up making his "Lifehouse" concept come into being. This CD has two essays in the liner notes--one by Townshend and the other by John Atkins, as they discuss the ambitious concept that would move far beyond their rock opera "Tommy." There were four recording sessions, according to the notes. When "Lifehouse" fell apart, bits and pieces were pulled together for "Who's Next." And, in this CD, four songs from the original "Lifehouse" project not in the original album are included here. Thus, there is an interesting historical aspect of this version of "Who's Next." That explains why this version has 16 cuts, more than the original recording.

Another singularity to this work is its use of electronic music (synthesizers), which had not been much apparent in rock and roll until that time.

A sampling of some of the songs.

"Baba O'Riley": One of the best Who songs--and one of the best in the annals of rock and roll. The sound is very different from that of The Who compared with just a few years earlier, featuring both keyboards and synthesizer. Of course, at the center of it all is The Who sound--Keith Moon on drums, John Entwistle on bass, Roger Daltrey's vocals, and Pete Townshend's guitar (as well as synthesizer, keyboard work, and sometimes vocals). On this cut, David Arbus contributes another twist with his violin work. One key line:

"Don't cry, don't raise your eye,
It's only teenage wasteland."

In fact, when I was younger, I thought the name of this song was "Teenage Wasteland"!

"Going Mobile." I love this song! It gets off to a lively start, with Moon's drumming anchoring the band.

"Going mobile, keep me moving."

Nice synthesizer effects, too.

"The Song Is Over": This starts off with some nice piano work by Nicky Hopkins and some cool guitar work by Townshend. Daltrey sings lines such as:

"The song is over.
It's all over.
I should have known it,
She tried to find me.
Our love is over."

A wonderful six minutes plus song.

What about "Won't Get Fooled Again"? Another terrific song.

"I tip my hat to the new revolution.
. . .
Pick up my guitar and play
. . .
Then I get on my knees to pray
We don't get fooled again."

Political commentary wed to steaming rock and roll. A hard combination to beat!

The song closes out with a primal wail from Daltrey and the final, climactic lines that speak to the disappointment with leaders who try to fool us:

"Meet the new boss,
Same as the old boss."

The original songs make this special, of course. The addition of several songs from the "Lifehouse" project makes this even more intriguing. Well worth 5 stars.

One of the most essential of the Amazon "essential recordings", a candidate for greatest rock and roll album of all time - millions upon millions of words have been written about these songs which I can't really add much too except for one element of them that isn't captured on this CD.

While of course the music stands on its own merit, the most famous of these songs contain a profundity, a theatricality, a majesty and a drama (REAL DRAMA, not melodrama) that was not completely fulfilled until they were performed live (the only comparison that comes to my mind is Springsteen with "Rosalita" and "Badlands"). When The Who were at their performing peak, "Baba O'Reilly" and "Won't Get Fooled Again" were not only the most thrilling moments in the history of live rock performances, they were the most meaningful moments in the history of English-language popular music.

Tragically, the biggest hole in the Who's recorded legacy are the concerts where the Who's Next songs became the centerpiece. We have the soundstage show from "The Kids Are Alright", the out-of-print The Who Rocks America 1982 videotape and precious little else - even the marvelous crowd dynamic you see with "The Concert for New York City" can't make up for the already obvious fading of Roger's voice. I don't have a good feel for the bootlegs, and I'm not sure I can even bring those up on Amazon anyway.

What these songs really mean isn't going to be known until people get to hear the way they were done onstage - I'm hoping whoever reads this will use the comments to help younger Who fans get to experience what I did.

If just for "Goin Mobile" this is a five star. Power, class, cool they had it all. Not enough can be said about the Who. This is the one must have if you don't have any of the other great stuff from them. A massive attack from one of the top 4 groups of all time.

Seriously. You're not voting this album 5 stars? Huh? Don't make me write a long essay. If you don't like this album, you REALLY should question yourself, and what you're doing on any page discussing this album. Just face it YOU DON'T GET IT, BUT MILLIONS OF PEOPLE DO - so stay in your own arena, and leave the judging up to others.

By the way, do also you hate chocolate? Or sex? Or sunsets? Just trying to figure out your other pathologies.....

Why is it, after thirty years of listening to this album I'm still moved by its power and structure. Granted it isn't Baba O' Riley or Won't Get Fooled Again that touch me as much anymore; I'm now more likely to find meaning in My Wife or Behind Blue eyes, but this speaks to the depth and breadth of the albums thematic elements. Who's Next is an invitation to look closely at the world and your place in it, and it does so within the strict confines of the rock genre. The fact that it reaches so high and hits the mark it is aiming for makes Who's Next a major work of art.

Who's Next moves from anthems for revolution to odes of exhaustion effortlessly, which is likely why it still has an appeal for me. When I was younger I didn't understand why Who's Next was peppered with introspection, after all revolution is about the physical manifestation of an idea, not the creation of the idea itself. Only now, years later, do I see that Peter Townsend was talking about revolution of a different sort. Now when the rousing cords of the power anthems end and the acoustic mid-tempo pieces begin instead of skipping forward, I listen and I'm stirred into a different kind of consideration of who I am and what purpose I have in the world, as middling as that purpose might be. Thanks Pete. Won't Get Fooled Again indeed.

The Who's use of a synthesizer for rock was groundbreaking (as far as I know)Walter/Wendy Carlos used it but for classical music. Good choice if you're building a rock collection.

I'm just reviewing the boring old CD release with the original track list and no extras. I've been listening to this album since my early teens, so it has become the soundtrack of many wonderful memories. More importantly, though, it is simply one of the most consistently high-quality albums I've ever heard. Classics like "Baba O'Reilly," "Behind Blue Eyes," and "Won't Get Fooled Again" have deservedly stood the test of time.

Based on what I've read about it, it sounds like "Lifehouse," the concept album cum science fiction film for which these songs were originally composed, would have been awful. Thank God it was never produced; these powerful songs probably would have been forgotten by now if it had.

This was the second Who album I ever got, on Halloween of 2000. Though at that point I was still only becoming a more serious fan, this was one album I loved and got into right away. It helped that I was familiar with a number of the songs already, and because so many songs from this album are classic rock staples, it really seems like the ideal introductory album for a new fan. Really, what more could be said about this album that hasn't already been said? I know some people feel it's overrated, which could be a valid point given all of the attention given to this album over other of the band's masterpieces, but even though it seems to get more popular attention and acclaim than equally great albums like 'Quadrophenia' and 'Sell Out,' it's still an awesome perfect album. Some people also might feel it's overrated because it seems to be their most commercially successful, but just because an album is a big commercial success and really overplayed on the radio doesn't mean it's less worthwhile than an album that critics often ignore.

Back when I first got this album and was in the process of getting acquainted with it, I was so impressed with it that after listening to it, I would sometimes push play and listen to it all over again. The measure of a truly great album is if one wants to listen to it all over again immediately, if there are no bad tracks (or at least the lesser tracks aren't the types one wants to skip), and if it never gets old, if one still loves it long after first experiencing it. I personally no longer rate it quite as highly on my list of favorite Who records, perhaps because so many of the songs are so overplayed on the radio, but it still sounds so fresh, moving, and wonderful so many years later. Now I tend to only play the original first nine tracks (what song worth its salt is worthy of following "WGFA"?), but the bonus tracks are just as great as the original ones. While later on the remastering team did kind of seem to get lazy and not put as much care and effort into choosing enough bonus tracks, this is one they did get right, with the album's original running length about doubled. Good bonus tracks don't detract from the original album material but only make it even better. This album also works so well for so many purposes--listening to while working out, while getting ready in the morning, to wake up to, while driving down the road, in hot weather, and, perhaps most importantly of all, as a springboard for the new fan to want to explore more Who albums.

Another who album that needs no hype. From vinyl to cassette and now on CD, I never tire of listening to the classic songs on this album. As an added extra, there are some more songs on this version not found on the vinyl and cassette versions I had. The Who were pioneers of rock in their day, and today while some may consider the material a bit tame for current times, in my opinion, it stands head and shoulders above the material these people think of as being "better". The Who.....Long Live Rock!!

Nine songs, all of them rock classics- now there's an album. Released in 1971, Who's Next is a damn good record by a damn good band, full of great riffs, anthemic choruses, and beautiful ballads. This is "hard rock" as it was meant to sound, and the world is all the better for it. "Baba O'Riley" is a classic rock `n' roll anthem, with that brain-bending synth line and a chorus the size of Mt. Everest. "Bargain" is a similarly crunching rocker, and "Won't Get Fooled Again" is an epic politically charged masterpiece, with a strong cynical edge and some great guitar playing. "Love Ain't For Keeping" is an eerily pretty, folk-driven stroll, and "Going Mobile" a rollicking postmodern car song. "Behind Blue Eyes" is a bitter and introspective ballad, and "My Wife" is one of the funniest rock songs ever written. And it's catchy! "Getting In Tune" and "The Song Is Over" are lush, gorgeous piano driven ballads. Now that's what I call a great album!

Hi,
I'm a little bit worried because the CD hasn't arrived so far.I know that it's christmas time, but it should be here by now.
It has happened with me before.I bought an O.C.Smith CD that was delayed for more than two months.I had to mail it back, because you sent me a second one after my complain.
Can you trace the shipment?
Regards,
Sergio

This is the best Who album ever hands down - Pete had a post Tommy and Hendrix compitition that resulted in a no nonsence approch to Rock - Catchy tunes good lead and chord changes - everything on this album is great - Perfect - there is a good show on DVD about the making on Who's Next - This was Townsends creative peak - He is a modern day artist - one who worked in his little studio at home for hours and hours on the writing of these songs and backing loops on Won't Get Fooled Again etc..
of course when rest of The Who got thier hands on Pete's Demo's they put thier own finger print on it so to speak - a lot of the songs were played live as much as possible using the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio etc..This may be from a failed earlier attemp to Record in New York City in late 1970 using standard recording process - Pete was very unhappy with the results of that and was affriad of losing Kieth Moon to drugs there - He was becoming a bloody junkie partying there he said - so they left and started recording in England in early 1971 - on the DVD they had Roger Daltrey sitting at the mixer Board listening to the masters of this album - You can tell by the expression on his face and reaction to the tracks he was very proud to be on them - Townsend played Accostic Guitar on many tracks as a Guide for the rest of the band recording live - then he went back and played lead on top with electric guitar etc.. Kieth Moon's drumming was outstanding on all these songs - at this stage of the Who they had matured into the best live band out there then and used that approch to recording this album the third time ( they tired a live show too that didn't work either ) - overall it may go down as the best Rock Album ever - Recording - Song Writing - Musicianship - It just the perfect Rock Album that all others are compared to - I guess that's debatible but probably true - not bad for a bunch of blokes from Sheppards Bush - it was a long hall mates - A lot of live shows - about 800 of Live Tommy Concerts up to this point - so they were pro's at making good Rock at this point - Pete Townsend went to Art College for a while when he was about 18 and still thinks as himself as a artist not just a musician - His approch then was as a artist with a Electric Guitar as his brush - A real good one too - John contributed My Wife as a song to the group a some what lame song from his first solo ablum - The Who's version was ten times better here - Pete's Bargin and Won't Get Fooled Again is the best to me - If your gonna buy three Who Albums I would get Live at Leeds - Who's Next - and Quadraphinia these are the best - The Delux version of Who's Next has from the second recording effort the Young Vic shows worth searchin out- I was 10 years old when this album came out and still remember the first time I heard Won't Get Fooled Again - I was on a swing listening to a transister radio at my granddads house - after the song went off the DJ said " a new one from The Who I don't know if I like that new sound I think Tommy was better to me - I guess it takes time to like a new song I guess - to me Who's Next better - Out here in the fields I pay my own bills I get my back into my living - I don't need to fight to prove I'm right I don't need to be forgiven - Yeah Yeah Yeah Great Album buy it

This is the best album of the who, which makes it one of the best albums in the history of music.

I'm not gonna talk about this album. Everybody knows its one of the best rock records of all time. I wanna talk about the one star reviews. Twenty of them. Interesting. I think they were all written by the same person. He/she is an idiot. Please don't waste your time reading or responding to these reviews.

Their best non-concept album. The best of the Lifehouse material. I wonder what the radio DJs at the time (1971) thought of the long synthesizer intro to Baba? Since there was nothing else like it then, they may have thought Townshend had gone mad.

This is one of my alltime favorite Who albums. Their are classics, such as, "Baba O'Riley", "We Want Get Fooled Again", and "Behind Blue Eyes" that solidify the album as a definite buy. However, there are plenty of B-side tracks and bonus tracks that pack a punch.

I've been listening to Who's Next for for 36 years. If I listened to it 100 times that first month (at least) then once a month after that(at least), that means I've listened to it over 500 times. It still sounds like it came out last week. This isn't the rantings of some "old hippie". I work with 20-somethings who name this as one of their favorite albums. Universal and never sounding dated, the remastering keeps it fresh, vibrant a valid today. Who's Next is a true work of art that ushered rock and roll out of the cutesy poppy ditties of the 50's & 60's and made it clear that real and powerful statements could be made through the rock venue. Everyone has a different reasons to praise this icon of an album. For me it's the whole package. Daltry's soaring and subtle vocals, Townsend's songwriting, and Mad man Moon's unbelievably unique thunderstorm of drums playing off Entwistle's surging bass. If you listen carefully to each instrument - it's all rather quite sloppy - but as the sounds intertwine like a fine jazz band the whole of the picture comes together like a monument to rock. And it is.

This is about as good as it gets. So much praise has been heaped on this record, and it's not hype at all. It's been said that "every song on Who's Next is the best song on the album", and that's a great way to put it (I thing Bono from U2 was the source of that quote).

Ivan Rorick

This CD helped convince me that The Who may very well have been the greatest Rock and Roll band in history.

First, the down side - the extra tracks add and take away. The original album had a certain kind of compact balance that does not exist in this expanded version.

Now, the upside - the original album is outstanding top to bottom, front to back. Variety, symmetry, dynamism and impact. No need for a track by track analysis - the original album was and is a living, breathing monument to beauty and creativity. Long live the Who!!!

classic who at there best ,baba o reily ,behind blue eyes ,wont get fooled again, the highlights of the album.the who at there musical best.

The period of the mid 60's through the mid 70's represents the Golden Age of Rock and Roll for me. The sheer number of great rock and roll albums that came out during this time has never and will never be equaled. Who's Next is undoubtedly the Who's best and also one of the best from the golden age. This disc is a must have for any true rock and roll fan and if you don't have it you are seriously doing yourself a disservice.

By the time Who's Next was released in 1971, rock had already seen numerous masterpieces, such as Are You Experienced?, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Abbey Road, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, Led Zeppelin II, and others; however, The Who's fifth album is with no doubt the representative of the entire rock genre as we know it. From the synthesizer-driven beginning of the classic "Baba O'Riley" to the excellent end of "Won't Get Fooled Again," Who's Next is pure, party-hard rock 'n' roll. The way The Who played their songs is both incredible to the ears and eyes, and going to a concert by the foursome had to be a once in a lifetime experience. Who's Next, the follow up to 1969's Tommy, is one of the top 10 greatest albums of all time, if not one of the top 5. No tune on the nine-track album is skippable, and others that stand out are "The Song is Over," "Gettin' in Tune," "Going Mobile," and of course "Behind Blue Eyes," which is another megahit by The Who. John Entwistle's bass is especially good on "Going Mobile," and guitarist Pete Townshend's racing guitar is at its best on "Baba O'Riley" and "The Song is Over". Of course the band's distinct sound and stage performance would not be the same at all without drummer Keith Moon, who also provides excellent drum play on the two above mentioned songs. Vocalist Roger Daltrey also deserves credit for all songs by the band, and is one of rock's greatest singers, right up there with Freddie Mercury and Robert Plant. Either way, Who's Next is the definition of rock 'n' roll and is no joke one of the top 5 greatest albums of all time, if not the greatest.

The Who's 1971 album Who's Next brought in a new era for The Who, and for rock music in general. A very personal album, the songs are introspective, adult, and hold back nothing, musically or lyrically. Other than the hilarious My Wife, these are not fun songs, they cover serious matters, in an earnest way. From the first verse in Baba O'Riley, "Out here in the fields, I fight for my meals", the songs signify a determined stuggle for survival. Bargain is a hard rocking tempest of immaculate longing.

I'd gladly lose me to find you
I'd gladly give up all I had
To find you I'd suffer anything and be glad.

The song's devotion is complete, unconditional, and cuts to the soul. It's one of The Who's best songs. Love Ain't For Keeping and Going Mobile highlight the band's acoustic side. One describes the urgency and uncertainty of love and the other is about a life on the road. The Song Is Over and Getting In Tune are both very good piano-based songs (Getting In Tune also rocks). The acoustic/electric, lonely and bitter Behind Blue Eyes is a pure classic from The Who and also one of their most popular songs. Without this, there would probably be no Metallica, no Staind, or any other angry metal music. We Don't Get Fooled Again is The Who's anthem, and it's cynical (but sadly, on target) view of the changes that were taking place in the world during the tumultuous 1960s and early 1970s. Musically, the song is a mighty force, with Pete Townsend's electric guitar power chords, an explosive Keith Moon drum assault during the extended, spacey instrumental break, and the longest, loudest screams in the history of recorded music from Roger Daltrey. Of course, "The Ox", John Entwistle, as always, brings it all together with his legendary bass guitar. This album changed the landscape, and the direction of rock music. A more powerful, masculine, and maturely introspective era of music soon followed. Who's Next is one of the greatest albums of all time, and it has had a profound effect on many people's lives in the world (including my own).

Judging from the almost unanimous outpouring of praise for this album, one could say that The Who's album "Who's Next" is not only their masterpiece, but one of only a handful of rock's masterpieces. I couldn't agree more. Many have eloquently described the many virtues of this amazing record and I can't improve on this. However, I must say that "The Song is Over" is in many ways my favorite cut on this album. There are so many great things about it. It has the longest intro without Moon's drumming in any Who song, thereby making his entrance all the more exciting in the bridge. The piano chord voicing with 9ths is really majestic, expecially in the hands of session player, Nicky Hopkins. Then there's Townshend's vocal, which displays a vulnerability that you don't hear from him that often and it's really cool. And the song builds to a powerful crescendo during the coda, where we hear the first strains of "Pure and Easy." Add to this, the explosive drumming of Moon as he plays measure after measure of sixteenth note tom rolls, without missing a beat. What a great tune!