The Who

"I Can See For Miles" went Top 10, but the rest of this sterling concept album (which sports one of the best cover ideas in history) was ignored in the U.S. Too bad, because this is the Who at their best. All their early trademarks are here, with the bonuses of a sly psychedelic spirit, a very British wit, and a clutch of the prettiest melodies Pete Townshend ever penned.

This album is fantastic, it has an exquisite sense of humor (songs of the humbly homespun)
and consummate musicianship. The cover, of course, is amazingly funny: deodorant,
pimple cream, baked beans and the Charles Atlas course, each shot perfectly suited to the
character of the person in the group. It's almost too English. The first thing you are going to
see are the commercial plugs and Radio London spots. They take various forms;... More >

Back when they were as underground Stateside as Jefferson Airplane or the Mystery Trend, their charm was that they didn't take their pretensions seriously. This illusion was perpetuated beguilingly on their only great album, an exultant tribute to top 40 consumerism in which sleek, glorious singles yield gracefully to dumb, catchy ads--all paced as if the world's smartest AM jock has been stricken with laryngitis and forced to juggle 45s and carts until help arrives. There are no bad songs here, ads included--my three favorites, "I Can See for Miles" included, are "Tattoo," "Armenia City in the Sky," and "Heinz Baked Beans," none of which most AORheads ever heard. Plus 10 bonus cuts that are good for something. (Grade - A+)