The Who – ‘The Who By Numbers’
How does one top one of the most extravagant concept albums of all time? After The Who came off the cycle of records with Tommy and Who’s Next, Quadrophenia was Pete Townshend operating at the peak of his powers, crafting an elaborate concept album around the character Jimmy and working his way through the streets of his hometown and his psyche at the same time. Since the last records were so extravagant, the only logical explanation for The Who By Numbers was to strip things back.
For the first time since A Quick One, the intent behind The Who By Numbers was merely a collection of the best songs the band knew how to put together. Even though there might not be a story behind the madness this time, some of the cinematic scope is retained, with ‘Slip Kid’ sounding like an outtake from Townshend’s imaginary fourth concept outing that he never made.
Compared to the usual vocal swaps from their past records, Roger Daltrey’s tenor dominates most of By Numbers, giving the listener the sense that The Who is becoming much more like a traditional rock and roll band. This is evidenced by the old-time rock and roll sound of ‘Squeeze Box’. For all their time making songs about intricate story beats, this horny-as-hell song about an older couple getting it on is a piece of pure rock and roll fun.
Since this is The Who, it doesn’t stay that dopey for long, with Townshend having one of his few vocal breaks on the song ‘However Much I Booze’. Originally written for Daltrey to sing, Townshend is candid about his experience with the bottle, trying to find some sort of emotional release from his booze that will never come. After Daltrey had undergone his stint in rehab, he felt that the song was far too close to the bone to go through with it, giving Townshend’s voice a far more delicate look at the subject.
Although Townshend may have gotten his shining moment on the front side of the record, bassist John Entwistle’s offering’ Success Story’ is much more seething. Taking on the music industry to some degree, Entwistle seems a little bit burned out by the manufactured side of rock and roll, not buying into the more superficial elements that go into making some of the biggest artists who they are.
Even with some of the morbid subject matter laced throughout the past few songs, Keith Moon is always the madcap lunatic he’s always been behind the drum kit. Although there are more than a few songs on the record that are primarily acoustic, Moon’s understanding of laying back into the groove gives the track space to breathe.
Granted, being just a collection of songs also means that some of the tracks fall on deaf ears as well. Despite having some fairly solid production all the way through, a track like ‘Dreaming From the Waist’ is a bit of a dirge by comparison, as if the band is resting on easy mode and trying to play to their strengths instead of breaking any new ground.
Though the album might be a bit more mellow, that’s not necessarily bad when talking about a song like ‘Blue Red and Grey’. Despite being one of the only songs on the album that features Pete Townshend by himself, this dissection of different human relationships tends to be a nice jaunt to break up some of the monotony on the album.
As listeners reach the back half of the record, The Who save all of their tricks for the final tunes, with ‘How Many Friends’ being one of the best tracks from the album. After being lulled into a daze for the past few tracks, this is The Who working at their peak, as if Townshend is trying to make some spiritual epiphany go off in the listener’s head as Daltrey talks about the power of loneliness. And while the closer ‘In a Hand or Face’ could have benefited from being a touch longer, it works with the mindset of the record: leaving the listener satisfied.
By the album’s end, though, fans can feel two ways about where The Who was going. Despite having some of the sturdiest songs that the band had made in years, musically, there’s a little bit to be desired, especially coming off of the rock and roll juggernauts just a few albums before.
Regardless of the lack of story, The Who could still be a rock and roll powerhouse without any type of narrative driving everything along. This might not be the first record to show prospective fans what the band can do, but it certainly should not be overlooked by the enthusiast looking to see the lower lights of their catalogue.
