Who Are You is an album by British rock band The Who. It was released on August 18, 1978 on Polydor Records in the United Kingdom and on August 25 on MCA Records in the United States. It peaked at Number 2 on the US charts and Number 6 on the UK charts. It is notable for being the last Who album with Keith Moon as the drummer.
Commentary
Who Are You was put out at a time when the two major camps of rock, progressive rock and punk rock, were conflicting due to their their antipodal styles. Pete Townshend's compositions were written as an attempt to bring the two styles together. The album showcases some of the most complicated song structures guitarist Pete Townshend had ever composed, with multiple layers of synthesizer and strings. Keith Moon's deteriorating health is reflected in some of the tracks; the alcohol and drug abuse had taken away from the frenzied drumming he was renown for.
There was a three year hiatus between Who Are You and The Who's previous album, The Who By Numbers. The band was drifting apart even more during this period, due to the band members working on various solo projects, drummer Keith Moon sinking deeper into alcohol and drug abuse, and general exhaustion from the grueling tour schedule the band kept over the decade. Moon's health was especially an object of concern, as he only managed to come in during the last few weeks of recording. On the album cover, he was told to sit on the chair in that manner to hide all the weight he had gained since 1975; his gut was actually sticking far out over the trousers he was wearing.
The album was a commercial success, going Platinum in the US and peaking at number two on the Billboard Pop Albums chart, as well as generating excitement at the prospect of a new Who tour for the album. However, the album is surrounded by tragedy for Who fans due to Keith Moon's death shortly after the album's release. The songs on the album were later performed on tour when The Who reformed with drummer Kenney Jones and keyboardist John Bundrick.
See also 1978 in music.
Track listing
The original Who Are You LP had nine tracks:
- "New Song" (Townshend) - 4:13
- "Had Enough" (Townshend) - 4:27
- "905" (Entwistle) - 4:02
- "Sister Disco" (Townshend) - 4:22
- "Music Must Change" (Townshend) - 4:38
- "Trick Of The Light" (Entwistle) - 4:45
- "Guitar And Pen" (Townshend) - 5:56
- "Love Is Coming Down" (Townshend) - 4:04
- "Who Are You" (Townshend) - 6:16
The CD remaster, issued on November 19, 1996, added these five tracks:
- "No Road Romance" (Townshend) - 5:10
- "Empty Glass" (Townshend) - 6:23
- "Guitar And Pen [Olympic '78 Mix]" (Townshend) - 5:58
- "Love Is Coming Down [Work-In-Progress Mix]" (Townshend) 4:06
- "Who Are You [Lost Verse Mix]" (Townshend) - 6:18
Personnel
- Andy Fairweather-Low: Backing vocals
- Rod Argent: Synthesizer and piano
- Ted Astley: String arrangements
Trivia
External links
