The Who – The Who By Numbers (1975)

01. Slip Kid – 4:28
02. However Much I Booze – 5:01
03. Squeeze Box – 2:40
04. Dreaming From The Waist – 4:06
05. Imagine A Man – 3:59
06. Success Story (John Entwistle) – 3:19
07. They Are All In Love – 3:00
08. Blue, Red And Grey – 2:45
09. How Many Friends – 4:03
10. In A Hand Or A Face – 3:22
Bonuses:
11. Squeeze Box (Live) – 4:13
12. Behind Blue Eyes (live) – 3:41
13. Dreaming From The Waist (live) – 4:50

- Roger Daltrey - lead vocals, percussion
- Pete Townshend - guitars, ukulele, banjo, accordion, keyboards, percussion, lead (2,8) & backing vocals
- John Entwistle - 4- & 8-string bass guitars, brass, co-lead (6) & backing vocals
- Keith Moon - drums, percussion
+
- Nicky Hopkins - piano (1,5-7,9,10)

This seventh album by The Who is a solid one in terms of songwriting, performance as well as production. When I compare this production in 1975 compared to their first two albums in mid 60s, the sound production is totally different. This has made the music sounds better, overall. As an album this "By Numbers" charted no. 7 in UK. As far as my personal experience (in the past) with this album, "Success Story" is the most memorable song. It's written by Entwistle and I salute him for the overall composition of this song especially on its simple riffs that serve as main rhythm section and played repeatedly throughout the singing of Daltrey. The riffs have in some way influenced Led Zeppelin's fourth album as it sounds similar, even though the song melody is different.

All songs contained in this album are excellent including the acoustic-based "Imagine a Man" where the acoustic guitar works serves brilliantly throughout the song, accompanying wonderful singing by Daltrey. The song seems like a ballad but the flow is quite dynamic. "They Are All in Love" is also another great song where the band brought in a piano session player "Nicky Hopkins" whom the piano playing flows brilliantly throughout the song. This song has a logical connection with the next (and my favorite when I was teenager - even until now) "Blue, Red, and Grey". It's great enjoying powerful voice of Daltrey backed by only banjo instrument. "How Many Friends" is also a great composition with dynamic basslines by Entwistle and nice piano playing by Nicky Hopkins. The guitar fills are also stunning especially at the background or during transition pieces. "In a Hand or a Face" is a straight rocker with, again, great bass lines.

The bonus tracks are also great, especially with good communication to the crowd, just before the band' single and hit "Squeeze Box". Observe how Entwistle plays his bass guitar - it's so dynamic and energetic! It includes Daltre's nice "Behind Blue Eyes" which is performed better during live version here. The last track "Dreaming From The Waist" is also a nice and energetic song.

Overall, every home must have this excellent album by the Who! ---Gatot, progarchives.com

O ile na "Who's Next" powrót do grania niepowiązanych ze sobą utworów (zamiast nudnych rockowych oper) wyszedł znakomicie, tak na "The Who By Numbers" już niekoniecznie. Nie ma tutaj tak wyrazistych i fajnych utworów, jak "Baba O'Riley", "Behind Blue Eyes" czy "Won't Get Fooled Again". Najbardziej znanym fragmentem longplaya jest banalna pioseneczka zalatująca country, "Squeeze Box". Jeszcze więcej country pojawia się w koszmarnym "Blue, Red and Grey", w którym w roli głównego wokalisty wystąpił Pete Townshend, wykorzystujący tutaj swoje najbardziej irytujące rejestry. Fatalnie wypada także drugi śpiewany przez niego utwór, "However Much I Booze" - nie tylko przez wokal, ale także banalną warstwę muzyczną. Słabe okazują się także ballady, w których nie dzieje się nic interesującego ("Imagine a Man", "They All in Love", "How Many Friends"). Nieco lepsze okazują się te bardziej zadziorne kawałki, jak "Slip Kid", "Success Story" i "In a Hand or a Face". Nie prezentują sobą nic wyjątkowego, ale od biedy można ich posłuchać. Jedynie "Dreaming from the Waist" wyróżnia się zdecydowanie na plus. Jest w nim i świetna partia basu Johna Entwistle'a, i udane zmiany dynamiki. Ogólnie jednak album może się podobać chyba tylko największym wielbicielom The Who. ---Paweł Pałasz, pablosreviews.blogspot.com

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