Who's Next is The Who's 1971 album release. It was released between Tommy (I know, Live At Leeds came out after Tommy, but it is a live album) and Quadrophenia. Reached #1 in the UK charts, #4 in the US. The cover shows the Who members having urinated on a "monolith".

It includes some tracks from Pete Townshend's Lifehouse project, another rock opera. It also features the popular songs Baba O'Riley, Behind Blue Eyes and Won't Get Fooled Again. It is considered to be one of the Who's best albums, because two of the arguably best Who tracks, Behind Blue Eyes and WGFA, are included.

  1. Baba O'Riley
  2. This song starts with the well known synthesizer loop out of Pete's VCS3 synthesizer, the rest of the band joins in later. One of the most popular Who songs, I believe.
  3. Bargain
  4. Keith Moon's drumming is really excellent in this song, as well as Roger Daltrey's vocals.
  5. Love Ain't For Keeping
  6. Beautiful acoustic song with great guitar playing and a very cool acoustic solo. There's also an electric version of this song, sung by Pete.
  7. My Wife
  8. Written by John Entwistle, the Who's bass player, it has funny lyrics about a woman chasing her husband.
  9. The Song Is Over
  10. Sung by Pete, starts with piano and guitar, Keith joins in later contributing great drumming to this sad song about a failed first love ("She was the first song I ever sang/But it stopped as soon as it began").
  11. Gettin' In Tune
  12. This track also starts with a piano and a great bass riff by John, Keith begins playing at the first chorus.
  13. Goin' Mobile
  14. Sung by Pete, Keith's drumming is unbelievable once again.
  15. Behind Blue Eyes
  16. A classic Who song. You just have to know it.
  17. Won't Get Fooled Again
  18. One of the very best Who songs, isn't it? This was the last song on the original 1971 version.

    The following tracks were added to the remastered version.

  19. Pure And Easy
  20. Not released until the Odds & Sods LP in 1974.
  21. Baby Don't You Do It
  22. A Marvin Gaye classic and stage favourite of The Who from 64/65. Leslie West is playing the lead guitar. Version cut down from 8'39, live version available on Join Together (1972 Single) and a 1964 studio recording is on the remastered version of Odds & Sods.
  23. Naked Eye
  24. 'Naked Eye' is a song saying, 'Wake up ... it's not really happening the way you see it.' A live favourite, recorded live at the Young Vic.
  25. Water
  26. Live version, recorded at the Young Vic too. The first studio version of this was released on 5:15.
  27. Too Much Of Anything
  28. Odds & Sods again.
  29. I Don't Even Know Myself
  30. Appearing on the WGFA single as a b-side.
  31. Behind Blue Eyes (Alternative version)
  32. A bit heavier version of the 8th track.

A newly-topical song by Tom Lehrer. It was first topical when it was recorded in 1965, as China had conducted a test of a nuclear bomb and the Cuban Missile Crisis was still a nightmarish recent memory. Nuclear proliferation has been in the news on and off ever since; and Mr. Lehrer's take on the subject is again fresh. It was announced today that North Korea have exploded a nuclear bomb.

Lehrer deploys his usual wheeze of contrasting a grim and serious subject with a jaunty tune. Each verse begins in a higher key signature than the previous one, contributing an air of escalating tension. The verse about Egypt and Israel breaks the pattern somewhat, by having sections in superficial stereotypes of their national folk music styles. The lyrics follow, with Lehrer's own words of introduction.

One of the big news items of the past year concerned the fact that China, which we called "Red China," exploded a nuclear bomb, which we called a device. Then Indonesia announced that it was going to have one soon, and 'proliferation' became the word of the day. Here's a song about that:

First we got the bomb, and that was good
'Cause we love peace and motherhood.
Then Russia got the bomb, but that's okay
'Cause the balance of power's maintained that way.
Who's next?

France got the bomb, but don't you grieve
'Cause they're on our side, I believe.
China got the bomb, but have no fears
They can't wipe us out for at least five years.
Who's next?

Then Indonesia claimed that they
Were gonna get one any day.
South Africa wants two, that's right-
One for the black and one for the white.
Who's next?

Egypt's gonna get one too
Just to use on you-know-who.
So Israel's getting tense,
Wants one in self defense.
"The Lord's our shepherd," says the psalm-
But just in case, we better get a bomb.
Who's next?

Luxembourg is next to go
And, who knows, maybe Monaco.
We'll try to stay serene and calm
When Alabama gets the bomb.
Who's next, who's next, who's next?
Who's next?

© Tom Lehrer; First appeared on That Was the Year That Was (1965). CST Approved. Lyrics appear with Lehrer's written permission.

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