THE WHO SELL OUT

Sell Out is where the tide began to turn for The Who. My Generation and Happy Jack had essentially founded hard rock, but now the band wanted more. Tuning in to the Haight-Ashbury scene left the with a desire to experiment. The result is an incredibly clever concept album full of proto prog sounds.

The concept revolvs around the idea of The Who, um, selling out to the Establishment. Fake jingles are thrown in with real songs, amny of which are Who staples. "I Can See For Miles" is the best Who song since "My Generation." Townsend decided to balance out "Pictures of Lily" with "Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand," thus making the Who the first band to pen masturbatory lyrics for both men an women. The times they are a-changin' indeed. "Sunrise" is incredibly tender and would sound out of place if not for the eclectic feel of the whole album. "Rael" is the proggiest song of the album, and it's sound is echoed in early prog.

The comparitive inaccessibility of Sell Out makes this the band's most overlooked album of the 60s. However, it is one of their finest. The off-the-wall concept is sure to please proggies, as will "Rael," but the band was on the cusp of something much bigger.

Grade: C+