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20 illinoisentertainer . com may 2021
THE WHO The Who Sell Out Super Deluxe
( UMC / Polydor )
The Who ’ s third album The Who Sell Out arrived in December 1967 , hailed as a triumph that fulfilled the pop potential of debut My Generation . The album endures as a top-flight mod-era touchstone , even if author Pete Townshend himself once dismissed it as a “ ragbag of an album .” For context , consider that Sell Out followed quickly on the heels of the Beatles ’ Sgt . Pepper ’ s Lonely Hearts Club Band , the Beach Boys ’ Pet Sounds , the Kinks ’ Something Else , and Hendrix ’ Axis : Bold as Love , with many critics at the time declaring the Who ’ s collection to be the year ’ s best album . Arriving between A Quick One and the groundbreaking Tommy , Sell Out was a pause between Townshend ’ s ambitious rock opera efforts while engaging a different sort of concept . The album ’ s enduring singles are led by the anthemic expression of karmic revenge “ I Can See For Miles ” with its showcase for Keith Moon ’ s manic drumming and Townshend ’ s slashing power chords . The program is interspersed with radio bumpers and advertising jingles , casting the album as a pirate radio broadcast – a radio format outlawed in the UK only months prior to Sell Out ’ s release . Products both real and imagined are promoted in Sell Out ’ s songs and artwork . Townshend models antiperspirant Odorono on the album cover and sings a wry song by the same name , describing a would-be starlet whose dreams are dashed because “ her deodorant let her down .” Moon offers Medac acne cream . Bassist John Entwistle promotes the Charles Atlas bodybuilding program . Singer Roger Daltrey sits in a bath of Heinz Baked Beans . The Heinz company recently produced a commemorative Beanz Meanz can , partnering with the Who in support of the Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America . The limited-edition legumes were indeed a quick sell-out . The main attraction remains the music , and this Super Deluxe set offers a deep dive into Sell Out ’ s creation with 112 tracks . Five CDs include the album in monophonic sound , a stereo mix , bonus tracks , unreleased cuts , and original demos from Townshend ’ s home studio . The demo disc is made more revelatory when accompanied by Townshend ’ s track-by-track notes . He describes the controversy the band hoped to stoke over 1967 single “ Pictures of Lily ” ( a UK # 4 on the charts ) and mentions masturbation as a means of remaining faithful to his partner at home while he was on the road . Townshend writes that Sell Out ’ s “ Mary Anne with the Shaky Hands ” ( with Al Kooper on organ ) was inspired by the gestures of a beautiful dancer he saw in London ’ s Marquee Club at an Arthur Brown show . Thematically speaking , the sublime psych-pop of album track “ I Can ’ t Reach You ” finds Townshend straining to bridge an insurmountable distance between himself and the object of his desire . Daltrey brings his skills as a character-driven actor to coming-of-age tale “ Tattoo ,” with bombastic pop that foreshadows the orchestral and operatic flourish of Tommy . Entwistle and Moon drive the heavy swing of “ Armenia City in the Sky ” while Townshend ’ s guitar feeds back like the sound of careening traffic below the gleaming metropolis . The song was written by Thunderclap Newman ’ s Speedy Keen , who joins Daltrey on vocals . Entwistle composed the comical “ Heinz Baked Beans ” advertisement with its stirring marching band cadences , the Medac spot , and the gothicpop portrait of the miserly “ Silas Stingy ” with its funereal organ . “ Rael ( 1 and 2 )” found Townshend flexing his artistic and conceptual skills , but not everyone was impressed . According to Townshend ’ s liner notes , the Who ’ s manager was nonplussed . “ Kit Lambert reminded me that while I was pretending to be Wagner , The Who needed a new single ,” the guitarist writes . Themes from the track would resurface in Tommy . One disc called The Road to Tommy explores the origins of the then-forthcoming classic through songs like fan-favorite deep-cut “ Dogs ” and its very-English snapshot of love blossoming by the greyhound racetrack . 7 ” vinyl discs include the original mono single releases for “ I Can See For Miles ” and 1968 ’ s “ Magic Bus .”
An 80-page book features photos of the band and relevant ephemera from the period , as well as several essays and Townshend ’ s aforementioned notes . Other goodies give a tangible sense of the era via a replica concert program , gig posters , Adrian George ’ s psychedelic poster that shipped with the album ’ s first thousand copies , 1968 fan club newsletter ( offering fans the date and number of the band ’ s upcoming flight to America ), Wonderful Radio London bumper sticker , and Keith Moon ’ s Speakeasy membership card . Bonus tracks include more advertising songs dedicated to Sunn amplifiers and prestigious British automaker Jaguar .
“ Hold your group ( continued page 24 )