The Who by numbers

Description

This record was produced by Glyn Johns. It was the first time Johns had been solely in charge of a Who recording; previously, he had only been associate producer. Recording took place at Shepperton Sound Stage studios with the assistance of Ronnie Lane’s mobile studio during the months of April and May 1975. It all began with an improvisation session on April 4, continued in May, and the overdubs were added in June. Mixing was carried out at Island Studios, Notting Hill, London, during the months of July and August. Pete Townshend was suffering from writer’s block when writing The Who By Numbers. He later said that practically everything he had written at the time ended up on the album apart from a handful of songs, which contrasts with the Lifehouse project and Quadrophenia, where the songwriter had been very prolific. The record is more often known for being the most “dark” and personal written by guitarist Pete Townshend. It is certain that the dominant themes are particularly depressing. Almost all the songs on the album present a particularly disillusioned view of existence, even morbid at times. However Much I Booze and They Are All in Love are examples of this desperate atmosphere. It should be remembered that Pete Townshend has always drawn inspiration from his inner turmoil in his writing, always with a certain form of honesty, as in My Generation or Pictures of Lily. Here, Pete Townshend’s personal situation was rather unfavorable. The music on this record is quite different from the previous albums, although it fits within the Who’s style. Synthesizers have practically disappeared (they would return in force on the next album, Who Are You); the compositions are much less complex than those on Quadrophenia. However, several trademarks of the Who remain: the virtuosity of the rhythm section (John Entwistle in particular), a blend of acoustic and electric guitars, vocal harmonies, all played with a particular energy.