The Who – The Who by Numbers Review

The Who decides to be brave and bold with The Who By Numbers. Not just with the work they put into this album, but in titling it as such. Roger Daltrey and the band suggest this is the stock options of The Who, and to some extent, they’re right to say as much. Following up Quadrophenia with a ten-track jab at themselves is a bold move, but it also highlights that the band were aware of what they were putting out at the time. They needed a break from those rock operas and concept albums, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. It’s the high-octane action of The Who at their best but without the necessity of turning out genre-changing work. Even the best need a break, and that’s what The Who By Numbers is. Nice work all around, though never a shot at greatness. All bands need a break, and that’s not to say there isn’t fun to be had in hearing a band kick around the studio. A personal flourish is what sets this selection of songs apart.  

Much of the material here is Pete Townshend worrying he was at the end of the line for rock and roll. That’s what turning thirty does to you. The Who By Numbers is an album that shouldn’t work. Writer’s block, hang-ups about being over the hill, and stoned days in his living room are not the best set of circumstances for Townshend to write further hits. But they muddle on through, and Daltrey is on hand to deliver some strong performances to material that is, frankly, a mix of good and grim. Opening track Slip Kid is a nice enough song, catchy but never quite memorable. That’s not the case for However Much I Booze, an outstanding piece of work that acknowledges a theme Townshend would explore further in his solo works a decade later. There’s also that paranoia, that through the looking glass feeling, noted well by the “no way out” lyric, though it’s drowned out by those imposter syndrome strokes of the guitar, as if playing loud will let free the doubts. The Who By Numbers is a fascinating deep dive into Townshend’s mind. It’s arguably his first solo album.  

Townshend scrambling for a way out may prove to be the high point of The Who By Numbers, but there’s still much to love about the rest of the album. Detachment felt through the band towards the songs here is heard that much clearer on Squeeze Box. The music’s alright, is the sentiment found here. Glyn Johns the miracle worker pulls the band together in the mix and it creates this emotionally evocative experience that The Who had often hidden away behind impressive riffs and out-there drumming. What The Who needed after their rock operas and fanciful preceding albums was a chance to connect with what they did best. Stripped back to the core of what the group could do, that’s what The Who By Numbers is, and what a listen it is. Imagine a Man and Success Story aren’t all that great but they are strong instrumental examples of the band’s strength.  

Fragments of autobiographical intent can be heard throughout. From smashed guitars to seeing himself on the screen, Townshend has poured his heart into this and, from his reflections on the time spent making The Who By Numbers, isn’t all that impressed with what he hears. How Many Friends and In a Hand or a Face is the most telling pair of songs on the album. They’re comments from Townshend on how out of touch he feels with the genre, with those friends he made in the music industry, and how he feels as though he’s lost touch with himself. It’s an eerie style of writing and with The Who blasting some instrumental thrills our way for much of the album, it’s hidden well. The Who By Numbers may be one of the most nuanced releases from the band, a cutting and often understated piece about issues still plaguing singers and songwriters today.