Opening and closing on, arguably, their two best songs, gives The Who some major credit on Who’s Next. It’s an album defined by Baba O’Riley and, in later years, CSI: Miami. Don’t think of that as a shortcoming for the Roger Daltrey-fronted band, far from it. Those who would tee up Channel 5 for a marathon of CSI: Miami and Total Nonstop Action: Wrestling can now associate those memories with Who’s Next. Our experiences of this song or that artist often comes through other mediums. Baba O’Riley and Won’t Get Fooled Again being such popular songs that they’ve been thrown into film, television, and advertisements means many will hear The Who’s two best songs long before they make it to the album. What a listen Who’s Next remains, though, even without David Caruso in mind. The Who cutting off their operatic hopes and label deadlines entirely is what saved them. They were capable at making thematic albums, but they were far better as a rock and roll group.
Who’s Next proves this. Thematic structure is the best and worst part of Tommy, tying together a clunky narrative which collapses under its own weight, but is salvaged by some all-time great songs. The Who appear to have learned in the years to follow Tommy, focusing on just the hit tracks and ridding themselves of the dreck that makes it feel like a listener is waiting for the next inspired moment. Instrumentally outstanding, vocally thrilling, Baba O’Riley sets a high bar for the rest of Who’s Next to follow. Much of the album succeeds in meeting this level of quality, though none better than the opening and closing tracks. Between those are admirable efforts like Bargain and Love Ain’t for Keeping, two strong songs which hear The Who strengthen their rock stock options. Very listenable, exciting tracks which rely more on Townshend’s ever-impressive guitar work and the hammering Keith Moon gets underway on the drumkit than anything else.
Those two are responsible for keeping My Wife afloat, anyway. Not The Who at their best but the focus given to Moon is a sweet reminder of his talents. But it’s a brief stop-off before The Song is Over, another bit of that solid rock style which would define The Who not just for the decade, but the rest of their careers. Compared to the opening and close of the album, though, the likes of Getting in Tune fall well short of that quality. It’s a nice rock ballad with a few punchy thrills within, but it’s fairly passive material all the same. Great thrills to be found on Going Mobile at least, though you’re hardly thinking of that when Won’t Get Fooled Again is finished. The Who aren’t able to balance the quality on Who’s Next. They wrote two all-time great songs and tried to filter in some lesser material to back it. But that’ll never work, even if there are moments of interest on the B-side.
Behind Blue Eyes, as solid as it is, is hardly on the same level as the preceding Going Mobile. But it has become a classic of The Who’s discography because of what it’s sandwiched between. Still an exceptional album because the quality found throughout Who’s Next is admirable, though the chasm between Baba O’Riley and My Wife, for instance, is clear. That scream from Daltrey may be the greatest note he ever hit. He has yet to top it, in any case. He will rightly be defined by that moment; it’s one of the few that pierce the overwhelmed rock and roll genre. Won’t Get Fooled Again and Baba O’Riley do what The Who cannot do on the rest of Who’s Next, they cut through with a sound and style which far exceeds anything that was happening in the genre at the time. But if you can’t back those two staggering moments with stronger consistencies, then it all falls apart.
