The Who Sell Out

An odd little album, and not especially in a good way? Apparently it was supposed to be a concept album, but I think with the cultural differences between the US and the UK and the passing of time much has been lost. 2.4/5 -> 2/5

I have the sudden urge to buy things.

maan i thought the who was supposed to be like early punk stuff. Yea this one isn’t it

Ich fands okay. Ich hab den Meta-Gag mit dem Sell out und den Markennamen nicht gecheckt :D

Wow... I REALLY don't like this. The "concept" is annoying. The songs are mostly forgettable. A lot of it sounds like it's rehashed from older songs or rehearsal for future ones. Nope.

It's interesting to learn about pirate radio and the broader media/commercial environment in which this cohort of classic UK artists came of age and rose to fame. The album is an interesting artifact in that sense, but its appeal outside that is pretty limited. Worth including in a museum of rock, less so in a best albums list. Others did the flower power psych pop stuff way better, and The Who were way better as harder hitting proto-punks and massive guitar noise rockers. There are few moments where they do their thing, but it's always interrupted by something annoying. I think this band's ambition is their downfall - they got tired of doing what they were best at, started reaching for big ideas that got stretched incredibly over the course of a full concept album.

Some enjoyable old school rock. Not a lot stood out to me. I liked Silas Stingy and I Can See For Miles. Tattoo was pretty fun as well. But for the most part it kind of faded into the background form me.

Out of the 5 who albums on the list, I think we can do without this one. The adverts just come across a bit lame now. I can see for miles is a great song but the rest of the album doesn’t match up to it.

Best concept album of 1967, not Sgt Peppers!!!! Really like the songs and the fun jingles give a bit of a look into the slop that was on the airwaves at the time.

probably a hot take, but this is more captivating and convincing than anything else from them so far. Love the radio concept

Ihan hauska konsepti ja The Whon parempia biisejä levyllä. 4/5

I was initially looking forward to this album, based on how much I've enjoyed listening to "I Can See For Miles." But as soon as I started playing the opening track "Armenia City in the Sky" with its laden overdubs, I realized how trippy of a psychedelic rock affair this might be. It probably wouldn't be too out of left field, given how experimental rock music in the late '60s were. Then towards the end of that song and into "Heinz Baked Beans" I realized the album title and artwork weren't just for show.

The Who Sell Out is an honest-to-God concept album of songs played on a made-up station called Radio London, with adverts of real products that the band recorded and spliced between songs. Even the album version of "I Can See For Miles" has a commercial tacked on at the end for a Charles Atlas exercise program. I'm not a fan of the radio station concept album format. It's not the first time I've heard this format - The Weeknd's Dawn FM comes to mind. But this kind of framing hurts the replayability factor as the listener has to deal with the literal breaks in between to remind the audience that it's a radio station. At least with Dawn FM, the framing was a station being listened to in transition to the afterlife, which at least sounded interesting and lent itself to the narrative the songs build onto. The Radio London framing done on The Who Sell Out was done to take the piss on how big the band was getting at the time. At best, it was probably some fun jest the lads were having in the studio at the listener's expense. At worst, they faced lawsuits after the album was released, as the companies behind the real-world products they were making fun of caught wind.

It sucks because outside of the framing, the rest of the album is a decent if not great psychedelic rock album for the time. I certainly enjoyed songs like "Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand" and "Sunrise" as fun one-off songs. But at the end of the day, there's no denying that The Who Sell Out may very well be near the bottom of their discography.

The songs are good but the commercial conceit is bad.

Seeing Roger Daltrey in a bath full of baked beans makes me feel ill, especially the spewing from his mouth, blurgh.

I like the idea of this concept album, but didn't enjoy listening to it, (apart from I Can See For Miles, that was good). 1.5

The Who Sell Out has a fantastic album cover. It is genuinely brilliant and probably the best thing about the whole package.

The pirate radio concept is clever and very of its time. The fake adverts woven between the songs give it personality and charm, and you have to admire the ambition. That said, I am not entirely convinced it works as well as some of their other records. I definitely prefer Who’s Next.

There are some excellent songs here. I Can See for Miles is huge and powerful, one of their very best singles. Tattoo is another favourite of mine, sharp and melodic. Beyond those highlights though, there is quite a bit that feels like filler, and the novelty of the adverts can wear thin.

Favourite song: I Can See for Miles
Least favourite: Some of the filler and ad segments drag the album down
Album artwork: 10 out of 10. One of the most iconic and memorable covers of the era

I actually enjoyed the radio jingles more than the songs themselves.

Feels a little like Mothers of Invention, not sure why this was such a hit.

I don't really know what to do with this album. On the one hand there are a few really great songs on here and you're definitely listening to the blueprint of what would become Tommy.

On the other hand do the jingles and commercials become really tedious at a third and fourth listen and you start to listen that not all songs are of the level that The Who has reached on albums before and after this one. It lacks a bit of the intensity of others.

But in the end it stays a real interesting time-piece of 1967 and by spoofing and satirizing the Pirate Radio Stations of the era, it gives us listeners in the 2020's a good idea about the era.

While I may prefer the more conceptual, heady Who of Tommy, I can't deny that this song is just bop after bop. It's still loosely conceptual while making the focus on catchy pop songs.

Very 60s sounding, not always in a good way. Almost a cliché / parody of the other songs around at the time. Even the bigger songs sound weirdly tame and muted - maybe because of the muscular live versions that have become part of the backstory of rock music.