SPILL RETRO REVIEW: THE WHO – WHO’S NEXT

THE WHO
WHO’S NEXT
TRACK RECORDS

ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE: AUGUST 2, 1971

Who’s Next, the fifth studio album by The Who, is truly a teenage wasteland. If I had to describe Who’s Next, it would be a unique and well-done work that embraces all the best qualities of this band.

The opening track, “Baba O’Riley”, is a nice opener to an album that encompasses a peaceful yet chaotic point in one’s life. Being a teenager. If I had to describe this album, it would be about a growing-up period. This album not only showcases The Who’s growth as a band, but also serves as a reflection of aging and transformation. The album’s opening track serves as something of a signaler. A teenage wasteland is here. The entire album continues this idea, delivering a work that is almost angsty and breathless, best characterized as a fast-paced journey of indulgence that typically maintains a pleasant flow and largely succeeds in its endeavors and goals.

Who’s Next feels like a nice evolution for a band that was so great before but yet they simply improved to a point where it feels there is no more room for improvement. They have a true hit here, simply. The only issue with this record is its excessive indulgence, which can occasionally lead to mistakes. This is due to the album’s sheer bluntness, which takes away from certain moments. For instance, in the opening track, mentioned before, it builds itself up to the teenage wasteland line and weaves this feeling of growing up through its nice build and use of sound. The low point is that when the song is about to end, it trips slightly into bluntness, with a line basically saying they are all wasted. While this is a minor issue, its presence is unnecessary and detracts from a song that excels in its mystique, rather than disrupting its essence. Simply put, it feels like when some songs hit their stride, slight tweaks to them hurt the impact and come off more as careless moves in a masterfully crafted work.

Overall, Who’s Next is a magnificent album and a true magnum opus that not only takes the group’s sound to another level, but also takes music to another level.

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