The Who album poll ( Moon years)

I'd vote for Quadrophenia (just ahead of Next, with WAY third and Tommy 4th), but I can't seem to vote

No Leeds??

Makes me really wonder what Lifehouse would have been had Pete been able to put it all together.

I went with Tommy which may not necessarily be their best album on a strictly musical level, but I think it has the most emotional depth, and I have always felt very touched by the story of the deaf, dumb and blind boy.

This is what I think in general:

My Generation: The perfect debut album that really explained what The Who were about. The title track is simply mindblowing with its hypnotic rhythm section and incredibly insane drumming by Keith Moon (especially the outro). My biggest issue with the song is the "us-and-them" discourse of the lyrics, but on the other hand, it sounds like they really mean it. There are other stand out tracks such as "The Kids Are Alright" (almost Beatles'que), "La La Lies" and "It's Not True". The biggest let down is probably the R&B covers, especially as Daltrey tries too hard to sound authentic, and it comes across as somewhat annoying. The instrumental track "The Ox" is not particularly interesting either. But overall a great album. (The song "Much Too Much" has always been a bit of a mystery to me. It is credited to Pavey/Doonican on the album sleeve - at least on my copy - but it's credited to Townshend on the record label, and practically everywhere else. I wonder if Pavey/Doonican was a pseudonym, but I have not been able to find out).

A Quick One: In the early days, The Who was clearly a singles band more than an LP band, and A Quick One is a good example of that. The album is generally rather inconsistent, and there aren't really any stand-out songs. However, it also shows the band from a more experimental side, especially with the "mini opera" that ends side 2 (is it a remarkable piece in its own right?, well, not really). And then there is the fun song "Cobwebs and Strange" at the end of side 1 which I really enjoy.

The Who Sell Out: Now this is clearly one of the more overlooked treasures of the psychedelic period. An incredibly fun album which some priceless satires on consumerism ("Heinz Baked Beans", "Odorono", "Tattoo", "Medac"), pop culture and pirate radio stations (the many Radio London jingles), but besides all the humour, there's also a lot of really great music. No doubt it's The Who's poppiest album, but as such it's very tongue-in-cheek. There are psychedelic masterpieces like "Armenia City in the Sky" and especially "I Can See For Miles" which might actually be my favourite Who song. "Rael" is clearly pointing forward too in many ways with its progressive song structure (and a riff to be re-used in Tommy).

Tommy: I don't think they ever reached the emotional depth and musical fragility better than on Tommy - which is why it remains my favourite Who album. At the same time it's a very touching story, and one you can relate to on a personal level and interpret in your own way. That itself is quite an achievement. The idea of making Tommy a pinball champion is a bit silly though - it makes little sense if he can't hear or see anything, but on the other hand it is easy to interpret it as a symbol of the inarticulate trying to express himself (we also had that dimension in "I Can't Explain" and the stuttering in "My Generation"). The spiritual side: Well, I am not religious, but I can kind of relate to it still, and it is expressed perfectly in some of the best tracks, "Sparks" and the long instrumental "Underture". Other musical highlights include the "Overture", "Amazing Journey", "The Acid Queen" (one of the best anti drug songs I know), "Pinball Wizard", "Go To the Mirror", "I'm Free" and - in particular - "Christmas": the "see me, feel me" part litrerarily brings tears to my eyes. A big shame that the later film version replaced the emotional layers with pure spectacle and over-the-top shock effects.