'' (see
1967 In Music ) is
The Who 's third album. It is a
Concept Album , formatted as a collection of unrelated songs interspersed with ''
Faux '' commercials and
Public Service Announcements . The album purports to be a broadcast by
Pirate Radio station
Radio London . Part of the intended irony of the title was that The Who was actually making commercials during that period of their career, some of which are included as bonus tracks on the remastered CD.
The album came during a period when The Who was experimenting with
Psychedelic Rock . Though the engineering is somewhat mushy and the material is somewhat quirky even by Who standards, the album continues as a big favorite among Who fans.
The cover is divided into panels featuring each of the band members, two on the front and two on the back. ''Front:'' applying
Medac from an oversized tube;
John Entwistle in a leopard-skin ''
Tarzan '' suit, squeezing a blonde woman in a leopard-skin bikini with one arm and a
Teddy Bear with the other (an ad for the
Charles Atlas course mentioned in one of the album's ''faux'' commercials). Originally Moon was seen applying a tube of
Clearasil , but the manufacturer objected and the cover was changed for the US and subsequent editions.
The album's release was reportedly followed by a bevy of lawsuits due to the mention of real-world commercial interests in the ''faux'' commercials and on the album covers, and by the makers of the real jingles (Radio London jingles), who claimed The Who used them without permission. (The jingles were produced by
PAMS Productions of Dallas, TX, creators of thousands of station ID jingles in the 1960s and 1970s.)
"I Can See For Miles" was released as a single and became a hit; it remained in The Who's concert repertoire throughout the rest of their career. "Rael" was an excerpt from one of
Pete Townshend 's early attempts at
Rock Opera . The plot is not clear from the excerpt, but it apparently involves a heroic "Captain" who is betrayed by his crew during a clandestine attempt to save Rael (Israel) from a looming invasion by the Red Chins (Red Chinese). The dramatic instrumental section in the second half of the song shows up as a dreamy sequence in both "Sparks" and "Underture" of the later
Rock Opera ''
Tommy ''. A live version of "Tattoo" appears on the remastered CDs of the ''
Live At Leeds '' album. The remaining songs on ''The Who Sell Out'' have had little impact, and are almost unknown outside the circle of Who fans. "Mary-Anne With The Shaky Hand" is variously listed with and without the hyphen, and with or without an ''-s'' pluralizing ''Hand''.
In 2005, singer ." Haden's work has prompted a number of fans (and others) to take a closer look at the original.
#"Armenia City In The Sky" (
Keene )
#"Heinz Baked Beans" (
Entwistle )
#"Mary-Anne With The Shaky Hand"
#"Odorono"
#"Tattoo"
#"Our Love Was"
#"
I Can See For Miles "
#"I Can't Reach You"
#"Medac" (Entwistle)
#"Relax"
#"Silas Stingy" (Entwistle)
#"Sunrise"
#"Rael 1"
#"Rael 2"
#"Glittering Girl"
#"Melancholia"
#"Someone's Coming" (Entwistle)
#"Jaguar"
#"Early Morning Cold Taxi" (
Daltrey ,
Langston )
#"Hall of the Mountain King" (
Grieg )
#"Girl's Eyes" (
Moon )
#"Mary-Anne with the Shaky Hand (Alternate Version)"
#"Glow Girl"
;
[
;
[
;
[''. Track list and order as described above.
;
[.
;
[,
Robert Rosenberg , and
Chris Charlesworth .
- Many of the factual details in this article are derived from the insert to the remastered CD of 1995, ISBN 08811-12682.
