The Who - The Who Sell Out

The Who Sell Out's pirate-radio concept goes south in the album's second half--the Who ran out of time before they could write enough faux commercials--but it still remains in many ways their best and most entertaining album. Pete Townshend and John Entwistle supply song after great song, and along with Keith Moon play them with power and focus. The classic single "I Can See for Miles" is matched on at least a handful of tracks, including the opening psychedelic-pop blast of "Armenia City in the Sky" (written by Townshend pal Speedy Keen), the hilarious social-interaction tales "Odorono" and "Tattoo," and the majestic mini-opus "Rael." This remaster's bonus tracks are occasionally too much of a good thing, but the Tommy rough draft "Glow Girl" is brilliant. --Rickey Wright Amazon.com essential recording

 great old rock album
armenia city in the sky was a favorite in 60's, good old rock and roll March 23, 2008

 Excellent!
I love this album. It ws a head of it's time and when you put it on it brings back the good times. February 8, 2008

 Forgettable
This album has a great concept, but lacks in the execution. The songs lack the energy of earlier albums and the improved songwriting of later albums. I know others like this album a great deal, but it strikes me as a very forgettable performance. February 7, 2008

 The Who's first flawless masterpiece 40 years later
The Who's third album titled The Who Sell Out was released in December of 1967 in the UK and January of 1968 here in the US.
Up to Sell Out, The Who were a singles band and their first two albums The Who Sings My Generation and A Quick One (Happy Jack) all had their moments but the band were still trying to find their feet as a band. While their first two efforts did well in their native England and had a US Top 30 hit with "Happy Jack", The Who (comprised of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bass player John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon) toured the US and gained a following. By the time The Who Sell Out was released, The Who were poised for superstardom as I found out when I first heard the album in June of 1989 on the double album repackage of this and A Quick One (Happy Jack).
The whole premise of the album is that it's a concept album about an outlawed British pirate radio station program complete with fake commercials connecting the songs. In fact, some of the commercials become full-fledged songs.
We open with Radio Jingle 1 which segues into "Armenia City In the Sky" which is a great British psychedelic rocker. Then after Radio London 2 is The Ox's "Heinz Baked Beans" (funny track). Next is "Mary Anne With the Shaky Hands" which is a nice acoustic piece (an electric version appears as a bonus track). Then after the Premier Drums/Radio london 3 jingle is Townshend's "Odorono" which is sung superbly by Pete and is a great rocker. After another Radio London jingle is the tongue-in-cheek "Tattoo" which would be a concert staple for The Who over the next 15 years off and on. Following that is another Radio London jingle which gives way to the lovely "Our Love Was" with its razor sharp electric guitar break coupled with Townshend's beautiful clean electric playing and Entwistle's French horn accents. After this is Speakeasy/Rotosound Strings 1 which gave way to the ultimate Who single "I Can See for Miles" which is a great rocker and was The Who's biggest hit here in the US hitting the Top 10.
The second half starts with a country-ish Charles Atlas commercial which segues into the beautiful "I Can't Reach You". Next is another commercial penned by The Ox called "Medac" about an acne cream. "Relax" follows and is a nice number. Then (on th re-issue) is Rotosound Strings 2 before The Ox's tale about a Scrooge fellow names "Silas Stingy". Next is the beautiful "Sunrise" which is just Pete and his guitar. we end the original album with "Rael" which was a mini-opera along the lines of "A Quick One While He's Away" (which appeared on the previous album). Some of the themes here would creep into the next Who album Tommy.
The Who Sell Out was another Top 20 hit album for the abnd in the UK and was the band's first album to hit the US Top 50 peaking at #48 in 1968.
When the album was re-mixed and remastered in 1995, it featured loads of bonus tracks. In addition to several previously unreleased commercials (like Coca-Cola), there's the unreleased "Glittering Girl" and their version of "Hall of the Mountain King". Then there are the tracks "Rael 2", "Melancholia", "Jaguar", "Early Morning Cold Taxi" and "Girl's Eyes" which were released a year earlier on the band's Thirty Years of Maximum R&B box set. Plus there is the Entwistle-penned "Someone's Coming" which first appeared on the 1968 US compilation The Who Magic Bus On Tour. "Mary Anne with the Shaky Hands" featuring Al Kooper on organ was previously unreleased. Lastly, there is "Glow Girl" from 1974's Odds and Sods". The last line of that track would then be re-used for the impetus of the band's next album which will be reviewed next.
RECOMMENDED! January 29, 2008

 Less Is Best
This album epitomized 'thinking person's rock' in 1967, and I had hoped that an expanded version would make it even more rewarding 40 years on. Sadly, the commercial breaks are shortened, and the added songs are not up to the quality of original selection. I have to say that it was a disappointment, and I'm glad I still have a CD of the original to refer to. January 12, 2008

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