Who: Who's Next (2023 Remaster) (SHM-CD)

How many weeks have The Who spent at No. 1 on the British album charts since their first appearance there in December 1965? The very surprising answer is: one. In the charts dated September 18, 1971, Pete, Roger, John, and Keith reached the top with their powerful album “Who’s Next.” The album had debuted at number two the previous week, behind Simon & Garfunkel’s long-running album *Bridge Over Troubled Water*. In its second week, *Who’s Next* took the top spot before being knocked off the top by Deep Purple’s *Fireball* a week later. Three more Who studio albums reached No. 2 in the UK (“Tommy,” “Quadrophenia,” and “Face Dances”), and they also reached second place with the 1976 compilation *The Story of the Who*. But they never returned to the No. 1 spot. “Who’s Next” was their fifth LP to make it into the UK Top Ten, a feat they would repeat ten more times, including with 2006’s “Endless Wire.” In July 2015, the “Who Hits 50” compilation came very close to extending this streak when it returned to number 11 during the band’s 50th-anniversary tour. *Who’s Next*, produced by the band together with associate producer Glyn Johns, would go on to become their most successful release in the U.S. in terms of RIAA certification. It was certified triple platinum and reached No. 4 during a 41-week run on the charts. This matched the peak achieved by the Tommy album that preceded it; while Quadrophenia reached No. 2 in 1973, it is certified only as single platinum. Who’s Next is regarded by many as the band’s finest hour and features the magnificent tracks “Baba O’Riley” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” It also includes such well-known Who classics as “Bargain,” “Behind Blue Eyes,” and the majestic “The Song Is Over.” When *Who’s Next* was released on August 14, rock writer Dave Marsh wrote in *Creem* magazine that the band’s new album “is to The Who what the White Album must have been to the Beatles.” What he meant was that in both cases, these were the studio follow-ups to brilliant concept albums—“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” for one and “Tommy” for the other. The Who’s fifth studio album, released on August 2, 1971. 2023 remaster.