Pete Townshend
originally planned
The Who Sell Out
as a concept album of sorts that would simultaneously mock and pay tribute to pirate radio stations, complete with fake jingles and commercials linking the tracks. For reasons that remain somewhat ill defined, the concept wasn't quite driven to completion, breaking down around the middle of side two (on the original vinyl configuration). Nonetheless, on strictly musical merits, it's a terrific set of songs that ultimately stands as one of the group's greatest achievements.
"I Can See for Miles"
(a Top Ten hit) is
the Who
at their most thunderous; tinges of psychedelia add a rush to
"Armenia City in the Sky"
and
"Relax"
;
"I Can't Reach You"
finds
Townshend
beginning to stretch himself into quasi-spiritual territory; and
"Tattoo"
and the acoustic
"Sunrise"
show introspective, vulnerable sides to the singer/songwriter that had previously been hidden.
"Rael"
was another mini-
opera
, with musical motifs that reappeared in
Tommy
. The album is as perfect a balance between melodic
mod
pop
and powerful instrumentation as
(or any other group) would achieve;
psychedelic pop
was never as jubilant, not to say funny (the fake commercials and jingles interspersed between the songs are a hoot). [Subsequent reissues added over half a dozen interesting outtakes from the time of the sessions, as well as unused commercials, the B-side
"Someone's Coming,"
and an alternate version of
"Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand."
] ~ Richie Unterberger