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Review
The authors' enthusiasm for the music burns across every page - an intriguing patchwork of the group's career.
--Record Collector magazine, October, 2010
Another worthy addition to the literature about one of rock's most unique and seminal acts. --Vive Le Rock magazine, December, 2010
Exhaustively researched and crammed with detail; a near essential source of reference for all fans and collectors.
--Shindig magazine, December, 2010
Grantley's insight and knowledge animates the sonic technique and alchemical might of the classic original Who.
--Classic Rock magazine, April 2011
--Record Collector magazine, October, 2010
Another worthy addition to the literature about one of rock's most unique and seminal acts. --Vive Le Rock magazine, December, 2010
Exhaustively researched and crammed with detail; a near essential source of reference for all fans and collectors.
--Shindig magazine, December, 2010
Grantley's insight and knowledge animates the sonic technique and alchemical might of the classic original Who.
--Classic Rock magazine, April 2011
Product Description
Emerging from the mid-60s R&B mod scene with furious teenage anthems like `My Generation,' The Who were the wildest, angriest and loudest kids on the block. But, in spite of Townshend's most famous line, `Hope I die before I get old,' and unlike so many rivals, The Who lived to forge more mature works in the late 1960s and the 1970s with the phenomenal success of pioneering rock opera Tommy, revered song collection Who's Next and Townshend's mod masterpiece Quadrophenia and beyond.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I already own at least twenty books about The Who and i wasn't sure about buying this one, but i have to say it is a very good read. The book focuses on the music of the band and has insights about each individual song and in some cases bonus tracks from the remastered albums. There are facts about the making of each album and album covers aswell. A very good book indeed. :)
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
If you like the Who.....
3 Feb 2011
Format:Paperback
This book tells the story of the Who track by track, with some interesting bits about each album or song's creation, including info on the instruments used, writing process, etc.
If you like the Who, it's a great book. It is NOT, however, a straight biography, so don't expect one. I don't agree with the authors' assessment of some of the songs (they don't have enough to say about the tracks they too-often dismiss as "poppy," for example, which I found a bit annoying) but as a huge Who fan, I found it a great read. I learned interesting facts about many of my favorite Who tracks. It wasn't as exhaustive as it could have been, but it provides some essential "liner notes" to the Who catalog and some great interview and backstory excerpts that one might not find compiled anywhere else.
Wouldn't recommend for someone who doesn't really know anything about the Who, but for the casual and hardcore fans, it's a good read.
Another great book from Helter Skelter.
If you like the Who, it's a great book. It is NOT, however, a straight biography, so don't expect one. I don't agree with the authors' assessment of some of the songs (they don't have enough to say about the tracks they too-often dismiss as "poppy," for example, which I found a bit annoying) but as a huge Who fan, I found it a great read. I learned interesting facts about many of my favorite Who tracks. It wasn't as exhaustive as it could have been, but it provides some essential "liner notes" to the Who catalog and some great interview and backstory excerpts that one might not find compiled anywhere else.
Wouldn't recommend for someone who doesn't really know anything about the Who, but for the casual and hardcore fans, it's a good read.
Another great book from Helter Skelter.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Welcome Overview of The Who On Record
2 Aug 2011
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book offers the sort of focus on The Who's recordings that I've long waited for and was increasingly doubtful would ever happen. Most writing on the group winds up becoming far too fascinated with one or another of the personalities, particularly Townshend and Moon, to be terribly informative or even trustworthy concerning what it was they actually did that made them worth the attention in the first place.
The Who By Numbers not only covers the band's remarkable recording career, it gives each of the original members a fair division of attention, focusing on the aforesaid Townshend and Moon only when it's actually pertinent. And that means Townshend still gets the lion's share if only because of one unavoidable fact: he wrote most of their stuff. Daltrey, however, gets ample chance to put his two cents in and does, and there is a surprising immediacy to the input of Moon and Entwistle that's included, in spite of the time that has passed since we were last able to hear from them.
Even so, there is a certain attitude exhibited by the authors in terms of which recordings are worthwhile and which aren't. What is particularly unfortunate is how negative they are towards anything that strays from what they regard as The Who's proper musical and lyrical territory. By that reckoning The Beatles should never have ventured beyond Hard Day's Night; The Who may not have been equipped to achieve equivalent heights such as the Fab Four attained in their later years, but what they did do is not really deserving of the dismissiveness and moments of veiled contempt exhibited here.
The Who By Numbers not only covers the band's remarkable recording career, it gives each of the original members a fair division of attention, focusing on the aforesaid Townshend and Moon only when it's actually pertinent. And that means Townshend still gets the lion's share if only because of one unavoidable fact: he wrote most of their stuff. Daltrey, however, gets ample chance to put his two cents in and does, and there is a surprising immediacy to the input of Moon and Entwistle that's included, in spite of the time that has passed since we were last able to hear from them.
Even so, there is a certain attitude exhibited by the authors in terms of which recordings are worthwhile and which aren't. What is particularly unfortunate is how negative they are towards anything that strays from what they regard as The Who's proper musical and lyrical territory. By that reckoning The Beatles should never have ventured beyond Hard Day's Night; The Who may not have been equipped to achieve equivalent heights such as the Fab Four attained in their later years, but what they did do is not really deserving of the dismissiveness and moments of veiled contempt exhibited here.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
For Who Fans
11 April 2011
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a story of The Who's music and brief history of the band. It's not a tell all book or behind the scenes although they do mention certain events during the making of each record. What I like about this book is that it goes through all The Who albums from first 45s to debut My Generation up to 2006 Endless Wire. They even cover the reissue CDs that include the bonus tracks.
This book covers all the tracks & how it was created by the artists, most notable Pete Townshend. It gives a detail explianation of his Lifehouse project which I can understand how everyone around Pete was very confused.
At times they just may mention in a few lines about the solo records if they mention them at all. I notice Pete and Roger's solo records had more copy than John's. They did mention his earlier ones then just skipped over the rest. Of course Moon's only solo had some copy even though not so good reviews. Pete's Iron Man had detail on 2 songs since The Who was invovled in the recording.
I did enjoy reading each Who album and made me appreiciate the creation of these tracks. A lot of Pete's lyrics was his struggle trying to be spiritual from his Meher Baba's teachings and dealing w/ rockstar status. Along w/ the fame and fortune as well as the downfalls of drugs and alcohol.
My favorite section is the making of Quadrophenia album which is my all time favorite Who record. Also found the making of the Tommy movie interesting to read that Pete tossed about names such as Tiny Tim, David Bowie, Mick Jagger or Stevie Wonder as The Pinball Wizard and Lou Reed as The Acid Queen.
This book uses past articles to cover some the records and interviews w/ The Who members living and dead. It was interesting to read what they have to say about the songs good or bad.
It's also good to point out that the authors Steve Grantley is a musician who plays w/ Stiff Little Fingers and the Alarm. Alan Parker is a consultant for EMI Records and Secert Music. His work is also in a number of music publications. So you have an insight from people in the field.
At the end of the book it does give a Discographies all the albums including solo, compilitations, rarities, singles, soundtracks and live.
If you are like me who reads through all the credits and liner notes on each album this book is won't disappoint you.
This book covers all the tracks & how it was created by the artists, most notable Pete Townshend. It gives a detail explianation of his Lifehouse project which I can understand how everyone around Pete was very confused.
At times they just may mention in a few lines about the solo records if they mention them at all. I notice Pete and Roger's solo records had more copy than John's. They did mention his earlier ones then just skipped over the rest. Of course Moon's only solo had some copy even though not so good reviews. Pete's Iron Man had detail on 2 songs since The Who was invovled in the recording.
I did enjoy reading each Who album and made me appreiciate the creation of these tracks. A lot of Pete's lyrics was his struggle trying to be spiritual from his Meher Baba's teachings and dealing w/ rockstar status. Along w/ the fame and fortune as well as the downfalls of drugs and alcohol.
My favorite section is the making of Quadrophenia album which is my all time favorite Who record. Also found the making of the Tommy movie interesting to read that Pete tossed about names such as Tiny Tim, David Bowie, Mick Jagger or Stevie Wonder as The Pinball Wizard and Lou Reed as The Acid Queen.
This book uses past articles to cover some the records and interviews w/ The Who members living and dead. It was interesting to read what they have to say about the songs good or bad.
It's also good to point out that the authors Steve Grantley is a musician who plays w/ Stiff Little Fingers and the Alarm. Alan Parker is a consultant for EMI Records and Secert Music. His work is also in a number of music publications. So you have an insight from people in the field.
At the end of the book it does give a Discographies all the albums including solo, compilitations, rarities, singles, soundtracks and live.
If you are like me who reads through all the credits and liner notes on each album this book is won't disappoint you.
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