[.ca] Who By Numbers

From Amazon.com:
This 1975 collection excels in large part due to its modest goal. It's the Who's singer-songwriter record. Without the ostensible shield his "rock operas" provided, Pete Townshend's personal demons strut about nakedly. Not a pretty sight, but an involving spectacle nevertheless. "They Are All in Love" and "How Many Friends" are forgotten Who songs, but they've aged beautifully. John Entwistle's "Success Story" sequences nicely with the rest of the album. And "However Much I Booze," "Dreaming from the Waist," and "In a Hand or a Face" are great decade-early exercises in mid-life self-pity. There are only three bonus tracks here--live versions of "Squeeze Box," "Dreaming from the Waist," and the earlier "Behind Blue Eyes"--but By Numbers is such a cohesive collection that they're less welcome extras than annoying distractions. Still, By Numbers now stands as one of the linchpins in a great band's catalog. --Steven Stolder

Updated review:
I have not changed my mind about the rating of this album, I wish only to add more to what has already been said. This album holds precious sentimental value, not only to Townshend but to listeners all around. Slip kid deals with the angst of climbing to a point of near success and then falling down again. However much I booze reveals Townshend's opinion about his own alcoholism habits. The infamous big-hit, Squeeze box is featured, dealing with the strange incantations of the working man's life. Dreaming from the waist is a very powerful rocker that shows Townshend's worries about woman and if thy really love him. Imagine a man is supposedly Townshend's dream of happiness, it's a very pretty song. John Entwistle contributes Success Story that attaches itself to the story line of the album; stardom is rough. They're all in love reveals that Townshend feels like everyone but him is happy. Blue, red, and grey offers a look into the madness that seeps into musician's lives on the road. The next song, How many friends, is probably the most endearing song on the album, it reveals that Townshend really doesnt know if his friends are real, a bit paranoid but very endearing, a high light for all instruments. In a hand or a face is a good closer and has a bit of a hard rock edge to it. The extra tracks, Squeeze box, Behind blue eyes, and Dreaming from the waist, are very good. The following songs were played live at Swansea, June 12th, 1976. You can get the whole performance of this concert as a bootleg if you are willing to spend enough energy to find it. Squeeze box runs at a different tempo on this live version and is longer I think. Behind blue eyes is rather ghostly being heard live, nevertheless, it is a good listen. Dreaming from the waist is at a rapid tempo live and is enjoyable to listen to.

Spectacular, but Most Underrated item in Who Catalog:
I never understood why this album never got a fair shake. What always made the Who special to me was not just the aggressive, bombastic musical approach that was so influencial, but Pete Townshend's allowing his deep emotions to shine through in his songwriting. This album continues the soul searching that was so powerful on Quadrophenia. Here, if Pete had an issue, he wrote a song about it. His drinking was a problem: witness the harrowing "However Much I Booze"; despite (or maybe because of) his Rock star status, Pete never felt truly connected with women: "The Are All In Love", "Dreaming From The Waist", "In Hand Or Face". He never felt like he had TRUE friends: "How Many Friends" ("..he's really just after my ass)+ ("we talk SO much (...)behind each other's backs"), his life was falling out from under him in the extremely powerful "Slip Kid". Entwistle's "Success Story" adds a little comic relief and sarcasm to the mix, unfortunately, the label also wanted a hit single, so "Squeeze Box" is thrown into the mix (a quality song, don't get me wrong, but) which doesn't even come close to fitting the mood of the rest of the collection, it just affects the flow of self depricating midlife crisis songs that give the album it's theme. Easily up there with other " hold on for dear life" albums such as: Lennon's "Plastic Ono Band", Harry Nilsson's "Pussycats", Big Star's "Thirds/Sister Lovers", Roger Water's "the Final Cut", etc.. So, don't pass this one up due to the mindlessness of critics: unless you have never had moments of sincere doubt in your life, never questioned yourself, or what IT ALL means, this album will pull on your emotions and remind you that "I hope I die before I get old" wasn't just a line to create a cultural anthem, Pete feels a lot of pain in his heart and brings us all along for the ride.

Remastering?:
Sorry, this isn't a review but rather a request. Can someone who has it please write a review about the quality of the remastering. Also, did they mess with the mixes at all on this one like they did on "Quadrophenia"?

Prozac, anyone?:
Long before Pete Townshend started making a public fool of himself by getting caught in interent porn sweeps and accidentally overdosing on heroin while partying with Duran Duran (!), he wrote nine tenths of "The Who By Numbers." (The tenth song, "Success Story" was a John Entwhistle song that for once fit in with the context of Townshend's tunes!) For one thing, it sounds like back-to-basics "Live At Leeds" style-Who. There isn't a synthesizer in sight, to the point where you wonder if the group was embarrassed by "Quadrophenia"'s excesses (excellent album though it is) and decided to strip down the sound. And Keith Moon was indeed deterioriating, but he hadn't gotten to the ballooned up "Who Are You"/"Kids Are Alright" phase yet. This album is above all, guitar music-probably Townshend's finest. As for the songs themselves, this album is up there with "John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band" and Neil Young's "Tonight's The Night" for meditating on the high price of fame. After all, not all songwriters could write about their midlife crisis as convincingly (or as much) as Pete Townshend. "Squeeze Box" is the only obvious exception (which explains why it was a hit)...songs like "Dreaming From The Waist", "They Are All In Love" and "How Many Friends Have I Really Got" are brutal, cynical and uncompromisingly honest pieces of work. Supposedly Roger Daltrey was forced to sing some of these ("However Much I Booze" he understandably declined outright) but you'd never tell from the singing. Yet there are some great lines in the songs, "Like a woman in childbirth, grown ugly in a flash" is one that sticks in my mind, as is "When I first signed the contract, it was more than a handshake then -I know it still is- but there's a payback: we talk so much s--- behind each other's back I get the willies." Gee...you don't suppose Pete had anybody specific in mind with that one, do you? Add a little ditty like "Blue, Red and Grey" and you could see how many of the Who's songs were definitive at the demo stage. "The Who By Numbers" is a great album, but by no means a happy one. Listen to the music, because, as great as the lyrics are, and as admirable it is that that Townshend not only wrote them but was willing to let the world hear them, they are depressing and very down. Too bad Prozac didn't exist in 1975.

Depressing... last good performance of the who and Keith:
This is an album specifically constructed for Townshend to express his own problems, addictions, and angers toward society. Among the best here are However much I booze, which evidently tells Townshend's problems with drinking, by the speed of the drumming you can tell that Moon heartily welcomed the idea of a song about booze! Blue, red, and grey is an eccentric little number wrote and sung by Townshend, the song offers a banjo as the solo instrument, however nothing could be added with instruments without the song sounding forced and muddled, it's best as it is. Dreaming from the waist is both great live and in studio, pesonally I prefer the live because of the rapid energy put into the performance. The ever famous Squeeze box is great live as well as in studio. This version of Behind blue eyes sounds strange live but is still good. The rest of the songs are good too. This is an album you should get instead of Who are you? Because it would end the first half of the Who's career more proudly. Thank you.

• Slip Kid
• However Much I Booze
• Squeeze Box
• Dreaming From the Waist
• Imagine a Man
• Success Story
• They Are All in Love
• Blue, Red and Grey
• How Many Friends
• In a Hand or a Face
• Squeeze Box \oLive\c\o#\c\o*\c
• Behind Blue Eyes \oLive\c\o#\c\o*\c
• Dreaming From the Waist \oLive\c\o*\c