The only album by The Who to reach number one
In terms of the truly classic rock artists, only a few can claim to have definitively changed the focus of popular culture. The likes of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix instantly spring to mind, with another of the most important of that generation being London’s The Who.
Comprised of frontman Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon, the quartet were one of the most raucous and boundary-pushing of their generation, gradually metamorphosing from a mod-oriented outfit into something more primal. From the timeless anthem ‘My Generation’ to other cuts such as ‘Behind Blue Eyes’, the group’s impact has been multifaceted.
Despite being so closely linked to the development of rock music and culture and their status as one of the most successful bands of all time, The Who has only ever secured one number-one record, which came in the form of an album. Even their era-defining anthem ‘My Generation’ failed to reach the top spot, peaking at number two on the UK Singles Chart and 74 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Whilst the 2019 release of WHO hit the top spot on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums chart in the US, it is not number one in the traditional sense. The record reached number three on the UK Albums Chart and two on the American Billboard 200.
Famously, the group’s first single, ‘I Can’t Explain’, set the band in good stead for the successes of their later career by peaking at number eight in the UK in early 1965. Later that year, its successor, ‘Anyway Anyhow Anywhere’, peaked at number ten in the UK, with follow-up single ‘My Generation’ then trouncing its duo of predecessor’s chart performances. To date, the band have enjoyed 14 top-ten singles in the UK without ever taking a top spot, with their songs also failing to reach the top of the charts on the other side of the Atlantic.
Whilst The Who’s albums in the US have performed better than the singles, with the band cracking the top ten on ten occasions, they too have never hit the summit. Only one of their albums has ever been an actual number one, which came in the UK. Unsurprisingly, this was the quartet’s epic rock opera, 1971’s Who’s Next, the album that boasts ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’, ‘Baba O’Riley’ and ‘Behind Blue Eyes’. It reached four in the US.
Its follow-up, 1973’s Quadrophenia, became the group’s joint-greatest album success in the US, reaching second place there and in the UK. Elsewhere, 1978’s Who Are You – the last to feature Keith Moon before he passed away later that year – also hit number two in America.
Listen to Who’s Next below.
