90. The Who - The Who Sell Out

Artist: The Who
Album: The Who Sell Out
Year: 1967

The Who Sell Out is a masterpiece. It's a fun album with the same kind of whimsy as Sgt. Pepper, but it really rocks.

This album has about a dozen actual songs, interspersed with fake radio jingles for products like Heinz Baked Beans. The jingles seem frivolous, and in some sense they are. But they are genius on a couple levels. On one level they are a commentary on the pervasiveness of commercial culture at that time (a message that obviously persists today). On an even more basic level, they serve as transitions between the songs, which allows this album to contain many different kinds of songs without ever seeming disjointed or forced. How else to explain how seamless it is that wildly whimsical songs like "Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand" and "Silas Stingy" are on the same album as punishing rockers like "I Can See for Miles" and "Jaguar."

The Who Sell Out is entertaining from start to finish--quite a feat for an album that clocks in at over an hour in length. There are gems here all over the place. "Armenia City in the Sky" is a melodic slice of psychedelia. The aforementioned "Mary Anne..." is a glorious ode to a woman who sure gives a mean handjob. "Our Love Was" takes a page out of The Beach Boys' book of vocal harmony. "I Can See for Miles" combines stoned psychedelia with a look into the band's future as one of the quintessential hard rock bands. Fun fact: "I Can See for Miles" stands as The Who's biggest hit in the United States in their entire career. I kinda like it that way. Love that ringing guitar in the chorus... "Glittering Girl" sounds kind of like The Rolling Stones, only, you know, actually good. Mid-tempo ballad "I Can't Reach You" shows off Roger Daltrey's impressive vocal range.

I've heard Tommy. I've heard Who's Next. I've heard Quadrophenia. I'm sure all three of those will be part of the 1001 albums here. For me, The Who Sell Out stands as The Who's finest moment. This is one of the best albums of the 1960's, a distillation of all the good stuff that was going on in rock at the time. Major bonus points for not taking itself too seriously.

Rating: Indispensable