{{Use British English|date=May 2011}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}} {{Infobox album | name = The Who by Numbers | type = studio | artist = the Who | cover = The who by numbers cover.jpg | alt = | released = {{start date|1975|10|3|df=yes}} | recorded = April – 12 June 1975 | studio = Shepperton Studios' soundstage (Shepperton, Surrey, England) using Ronnie Lane's Mobile Studio | genre = Rock · country rock | length = {{duration|m=37|s=19}} | label = Polydor (UK)<br/>MCA (US) | producer = Glyn Johns | prev_title = Tommy (Soundtrack) | prev_year = 1975 | next_title = The Story of The Who | next_year = 1976 | misc = {{Singles | name = The Who by Numbers | type = studio | single1 = Squeeze Box | single1date = November 1975 | single2 = Slip Kid | single2date = August 1976 }} }} '''''The Who by Numbers''''' is the seventh studio album by the English rock band the Who, released on 3 October 1975 in the United Kingdom through Polydor Records, and on 6 October 1975 in the United States by MCA Records.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=The+Who&ti=The+Who+by+Numbers&format=Album&type=#search_section|title=RIAA|website=Recording Industry Association of America }}</ref> It was named the tenth-best album of the year in ''The Village Voice'' Pazz & Jop critics poll.<ref>{{cite web |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau |title=Jazz & Pop 1975: Critics Poll |url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pjres75.php |date=29 December 1975 |website=robertchristgau.com |publisher=The Village Voice |access-date=24 April 2007 |archive-date=15 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141015053013/http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pjres75.php |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Background== Pete Townshend has claimed that the band recorded practically every song he had written for ''The Who by Numbers'', partially due to the writer's block that he was experiencing at the time.<ref name=notes>{{cite web|title=The Who by Numbers liner notes|url=http://www.thewho.net/linernotes/ByNumbers.htm|website=Thewho.net|access-date=2014-03-31|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006110153/http://www.thewho.net/linernotes/ByNumbers.htm|archive-date=6 October 2014}}</ref> The songs on the album were, for the most part, more introspective and personal than many other songs that the band had released. Townshend's 30th birthday occurred in May 1975; he was troubled with thoughts of being too old to play rock and roll and that the band was losing its relevance.<ref name=numbers>{{cite book |last1=Grantley |first1=S. |last2=Parker |first2=A.G. |title=The Who by Numbers |name-list-style=amp |publisher=Helter Skelter |year=2010 |pages=138–150 |isbn=9781905139262}}</ref> He began to feel disenchanted with the music industry, a feeling that he carried into his songs. He said of the songs on the album:
{{blockquote|The songs were written with me stoned out of my brain in my living room, crying my eyes out... detached from my own work and from the whole project... I felt empty.<ref name=numbers />}}
After concluding the tour for the ''Quadrophenia'' album in June 1974, the Who took an extended hiatus and did not perform live for more than a year. John Entwistle kept himself occupied by playing solo gigs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thewholive.net/tour-list/index.php?GroupID=3&Year=1974 |title=John Entwistle Tour Archive 1974 |access-date=29 August 2021 |archive-date=29 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210829105951/http://thewholive.net/tour-list/index.php?GroupID=3&Year=1974 |url-status=live }}</ref> In addition, the band spent this time filming ''Tommy'', based on their rock opera of the same title.
This was the band's first album on Polydor. The sessions for ''The Who by Numbers'' began in April 1975 and continued through early June. The album was released in October and the band supported it with a tour, which spanned some 70 concerts before concluding in the autumn of 1976.
For the album's recording, the band recruited producer Glyn Johns. The band had worked previously with Johns on the 1971 album ''Who's Next''. Compared to previous Who albums, ''The Who by Numbers'' took an unusually long time to complete (nearly three months) and was marred by numerous breaks and interruptions due to the band members' growing boredom and lack of interest. It features some of the darkest songs ever recorded by the band. Only the songs on the first side of ''The Who by Numbers'' were performed live, and only "Squeeze Box" became a concert staple. "Imagine a Man" was performed live for the first time by the band in May 2019, nearly 44 years after its release (although Roger Daltrey had featured the song in a solo concert in February 1994).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thewholive.net/concert/index.php?id=1417 |title=Roger Daltrey live in New York, NY, Thursday, 24. February 1994 |access-date=29 August 2021 |archive-date=29 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210829110730/http://www.thewholive.net/concert/index.php?id=1417 |url-status=live }}</ref> Townshend said of the album's recording sessions:
{{blockquote|I felt partly responsible because the Who recording schedule had, as usual, dragged on and on, sweeping all individuals and their needs aside. Glyn worked harder on ''The Who by Numbers'' than I've ever seen him. He had to, not because the tracks were weak or the music poor but because the group was so useless. We played cricket between takes or went to the pub. I personally had never done that before. I felt detached from my own songs, from the whole record.
Recording the album seemed to take me nowhere. [[Roger Daltrey|Roger [Daltrey]]] was angry with the world at the time. [[Keith Moon|Keith [Moon]]] seemed as impetuous as ever, on the wagon one minute, off the next. [[John Entwistle|John [Entwistle]]] was obviously gathering strength throughout the whole period; the great thing about it was he seemed to know we were going to need him more than ever before in the coming year.<ref name=numbers />}}
==Album cover== The album cover, on which the band members' bodies are depicted as connect the dots puzzles, was drawn by John Entwistle. In 1996, when asked about the cover, he replied: "The first [piece of artwork] release[d] is ''The Who by Numbers'' cover, which I never got paid for, so now I'm going to get paid. (laughs) We were taking it in turns to do the covers. It was Pete's turn before me and we did the ''Quadrophenia'' cover, which cost about the same as a small house back then, about £16,000. My cover cost £32."<ref>{{cite web |title=Archived copy |url=http://www.thewho.net/articles/johngold.htm |url-status=dead |access-date=21 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021110423/http://www.thewho.net/articles/johngold.htm |archive-date=21 October 2013}}</ref>
==Release and reception== {{Music ratings | rev1 = AllMusic | rev1score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite web |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine |title=The Who: The Who by Numbers |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-who-by-numbers-mw0000650966 |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=28 July 2018 |archive-date=28 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180728191614/https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-who-by-numbers-mw0000650966 |url-status=live }}</ref> | rev2 = ''Christgau's Record Guide'' | rev2score = B+<ref name="CG">{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=1981|title=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|publisher=Ticknor & Fields|isbn=089919026X|chapter=Consumer Guide '70s: W|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=W&bk=70|access-date=9 March 2019|via=robertchristgau.com|archive-date=10 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200510072755/https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=W&bk=70|url-status=live}}</ref> | rev3 = ''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music'' | rev3score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|year=2007|publisher=Oxford University Press|edition=4th|isbn=978-0195313734|title-link=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music}}</ref> | rev4 = ''MusicHound Rock'' | rev4score = 4/5<ref>{{cite book|editor-last1=Graff|editor-first1=Gary|editor-last2=Durchholz|editor-first2=Daniel|title=MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide|publisher=Visible Ink Press|location=Farmington Hills, MI|year=1999|isbn=1-57859-061-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590612/page/1227 1227]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590612/page/1227}}</ref> | rev5 = ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'' | rev5score = {{rating|3|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/the-who/albumguide |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110206034417/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/the-who/albumguide |title=The Who: Album Guide |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-date=6 February 2011 |access-date=2 September 2015}}</ref> | rev6 = Tom Hull | rev6score = B<ref>{{cite web |last=Hull |first=Tom |author-link=Tom Hull (critic) |title=Rock (1960s) |url=http://www.tomhull.com/ocston/nm/rock-60s.html |website=tomhull.com |date=n.d. |access-date=13 July 2020 |archive-date=2 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702184433/http://tomhull.com/ocston/nm/rock-60s.html |url-status=live }}</ref> }}
''The Who by Numbers'' peaked at number 7 on the UK Albums Chart and number 8 on the ''Billboard'' Top LPs & Tape album chart in the US. "Squeeze Box" was also a Top 20 hit in both Britain and America, although the US follow-up, "Slip Kid", failed to chart.
The ''Rolling Stone'' review of ''The Who by Numbers'' stated: "They may have made their greatest album in the face of [their personal problems]. But only time will tell."<ref name=RS>{{cite magazine |last=Marsh |first=Dave |author-link=Dave Marsh |title=The Who By Numbers |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/the-who-by-the-numbers-19751120 |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=20 November 1975 |access-date=16 September 2017 |archive-date=20 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170620023246/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/the-who-by-the-numbers-19751120 |url-status=live }}</ref>
In an interview from ''Thirty Years of Maximum R&B'', Townshend declared "Dreaming from the Waist" and "Sister Disco" (from ''Who Are You'') as his least favourite songs to play on stage. In contrast, Entwistle declared in the same series of interviews that "Dreaming from the Waist" was one of his favourite songs to perform live. Daltrey referred to the album as his favourite in his memoir.<ref>Roger Daltrey, 2018. Thanks A Lot Mr Kibblewhite: My Story, Blink Publishing; Henry Holt & Co {{ISBN|978-1-788700-28-3}}</ref>
==Remasters and reissues== The 1996 remaster was remixed by Jon Astley.
On 24 December 2011, the album was remastered and reissued in Japan using the original mix. The live bonus tracks from the previous edition were included on the reissue. The packaging replicated the original vinyl release of the album.
==Track listing== All songs written by Pete Townshend, except where noted.
{{Track listing | headline = Side one | title1 = Slip Kid | length1 = 4:29 | title2 = However Much I Booze | length2 = 5:03 | title3 = Squeeze Box | length3 = 2:41 | title4 = Dreaming from the Waist | length4 = 4:08 | title5 = Imagine a Man | length5 = 4:00 | total_length = 20:21 }} {{Track listing | headline = Side two | title1 = Success Story | writer1 = John Entwistle | length1 = 3:20 | title2 = They Are All in Love | length2 = 3:00 | title3 = Blue Red and Grey | length3 = 2:47 | title4 = How Many Friends | length4 = 4:06 | title5 = In a Hand or a Face | length5 = 3:25 | total_length = 16:38 }} {{Track listing | headline = 1996 reissue bonus tracks | title11 = Squeeze Box |note11=Live at the Vetch Field, Swansea, Wales on 12 June 1976 | length11 = 4:13 | title12 = Behind Blue Eyes |note12=Live at the Vetch Field, Swansea, Wales on 12 June 1976 | length12 = 3:41 | title13 = Dreaming from the Waist |note13=Live at the Vetch Field, Swansea, Wales on 12 June 1976 | length13 = 4:52 | total_length = 12:46 }}
==Personnel== '''The Who''' *Roger Daltrey – lead vocals *Pete Townshend – guitar, keyboards, banjo, accordion, ukulele, backing vocals, lead vocals on "However Much I Booze" and "Blue, Red And Grey" *John Entwistle – bass, French horn, trumpet, backing vocals, 2nd lead vocal on "Success Story" *Keith Moon – drums
'''Additional musicians''' *Nicky Hopkins – piano
'''Production''' *Glyn Johns – producer, engineer, mixing *Jon Astley – remixing (1996 reissue) *Chris Charlesworth – executive producer *Bill Curbishley – executive producer *Richard Evans – design of 1996 reissue *Doug Sax – mastering *Bob Ludwig – remastering *Robert Rosenberg – executive producer *John Entwistle – album cover art *John Swenson – liner notes *Chris Walter – photography
==Charts== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |+Chart performance for ''The Who by Numbers'' ! scope="col"| Chart (1975–1976) ! scope="col"| Peak<br />position |- ! scope="row"| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6}}</ref> | align="center"| 29 |- {{album chart|Canada|9|artist=The Who|album=The Who by Numbers|chartid=4082a|rowheader=true|access-date=6 December 2022}} |- {{album chart|New Zealand|29|artist=The Who|album=The Who by Numbers|rowheader=true|access-date=6 December 2022}} |- {{album chart|UK2|7|artist=The Who|date=1975-10-26|rowheader=true|access-date=6 December 2022}} |- {{album chart|Billboard200|8|artist=The Who|access-date=6 December 2022|rowheader=true}} |}
==Certifications== {{certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for ''The Who by Numbers''}} {{certification Table Entry|region=Canada|type=album|award=Gold|title=The Who by Numbers|artist=The Who|relyear=1975|certyear=1976}} {{certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=album|award=Gold|title=The Who by Numbers|artist=The Who|relyear=1975|certyear=1976|id=7487-1463-2}} {{certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=album|award=Platinum|title=The Who by Numbers|artist=The Who|relyear=1975|certyear=1993}} {{certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{Discogs master|type=album|68458|name=The Who by Numbers}}
{{The Who by Numbers}} {{The Who}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Who By Numbers, The}} Category:1975 albums Category:Albums produced by Glyn Johns Category:MCA Records albums Category:Polydor Records albums Category:The Who albums