The Who Sell Out 50 years later: song by song discussion

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by NothingBrightAboutIt, Nov 10, 2017.

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  1. NothingBrightAboutIt

    NothingBrightAboutIt Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Canada
    It's actually by the great Jon Hunt.
     
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  2. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    Glow Girl wasn't part of the Sell Out sessions. It was recorded after Sell Out had already been released.

    Not released.
     
  3. PacificOceanBlue

    PacificOceanBlue Senior Member

    Location:
    The Southwest
    If so, it is the greatest demo recording of all time.
     
  4. minerwerks

    minerwerks Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta, GA, USA
    Just finished reading through the discussion.

    I wasn't that much of a Who fan until I picked up the 2002 "Ultimate Collection" and all the early singles started to work their way into my brain. Before that, the "Rushmore" soundtrack introduced me to "A Quick One While He's Away," which after a few listens finally won me over. I'm one of the strange breed of people who don't get too excited by the records after "Sell Out" - it's nice to have the singles on a compilation, but I haven't been curious enough to listen to the full albums.

    "The Who Sell Out" started winning me over after hearing the '95 remix version. I was really enthused about the bonus tracks - "Early Morning Cold Taxi," "Someone's Coming," "Glittering Girl," and "Girl's Eyes" made as much of impression on me as the album tracks. I eagerly picked up the 2009 Deluxe Edition as one of the types who likes to hear the differences between stereo and mono mixes.

    As far as any additions to individual track discussion:

    I like the additional chorus for "Odorono" that was released on the 2009 set. I edited it on to the song and like to hear it that way. How the song plays out on the album shows more of a dry wit - only the last line gives away that the story was advertising deodorant. The way the isolated chorus was included in the bonus section made me wonder if it could have worked on its own as a reprise of sorts later in the album, but ultimately, there's lyrical context missing if they're separated.

    While "I Can't Reach You" has worked for me since the first time I heard it, I came to appreciate something about the song compositionally only after repeated listens. When singing along, I would come in too early out of the solo, the build-up section going on longer than it "felt" like it should. Then I noticed the chorus after the bridge comes in two bars later than you would expect compared to the verse. Taken together, I thought this might be suggesting the singer gets even further away from reaching the song's subject over the course of the whole track.
     
  5. Dodoz

    Dodoz Forum Resident

    Location:
    France
    It was already on the 1995 version.
     
  6. minerwerks

    minerwerks Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta, GA, USA
    Oops! Faulty memory.
     
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  7. dee

    dee Senior Member

    Location:
    ft. lauderdale, fl
    Interesting take. Couldn't agree more with your initial impression and your additional comment is very interesting and informative too. Re: the former, fwiw I did a 'single edit' for those very reasons - it's only about maybe 20-30 seconds shorter in all, I don't recall exactly now, than the album track, but it plays very nicely in that way as a 'single' as such, imo, as the momentum and melody maintain and grow in immediacy and anticipation, and as your experience suggests, it seemed as if the song could have naturally wanted to go that way. Love the song as it is of course.
     
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  8. SGR

    SGR Forum Resident

    When I first heard "Glow Girl" on Odds and Sods, I was amazed at how good it was. It definitely would have fit in well with the other songs on Sell Out. I prefer the version from the original Odds and Sods album, where the song fades out as they keep singing "It's a girl, Mrs. Walker," presumably into infinity. It just seems to be more in keeping with the reincarnation theme than the slightly longer version that came out many years later on reissues of Sell Out and Odds and Sods, which has a hard ending.
     
  9. WilliamWes

    WilliamWes Likes to sing along but he knows not what it means

    Location:
    New York
    [​IMG]

    THE WHO SELL OUT (2-LP)

    Side A
    1. Radio London Daily/ARMENIA CITY IN THE SKY/Wonderful Radio London
    2. HEINZ BAKED BEANS/More Music
    3. MARY ANNE WITH THE SHAKY HAND/Premier Drums/Wonderful Radio London
    4. JAGUAR/Wonderful Radio London
    5. John Mason Cars
    6. ODORONO/Radio London Smooth Sailing
    7. Odorono (final chorus)
    8. GLITTERING GIRL
    9. John Mason Motors Jingle/Bag O’ Nails (from Life with the Moons)

    Side B
    10. Happy Jack Jingle (from Maximum R&B for Ready Steady Go!)
    11. TATTOO/Radio London Church of Your Choice
    12. OUR LOVE WAS/You’re a Pussycat/3 P.M./Speak Easy/Rotosound Strings
    13. GIRL’S EYES/Bag O’Nails
    14. Bag O’ Nails (from Maximum R&B)
    15. Charles Atlas/I CAN’T REACH YOU
    16. SODDING ABOUT
    17. Track Records/Premier Drums (from Maximum R&B)

    Side C
    1. Coke After Coke
    2. I CAN SEE FOR MILES
    3. Things Go Better with Coke
    4. RELAX
    5. Rotosound Strings (with final note)
    6. SILAS STINGY
    7. Russell Harty Dialogue (from Maximum R&B: A funny Who interview)
    8. IN THE HALL OF THE MOUNTAIN KING
    9. MEDAC

    Side D
    10. SUMMERTIME BLUES
    11. Coke 2
    12. Top Gear
    13. Premier Drums (full version)
    14. SOMEONE’S COMING /Radio London Weather Word
    15. EARLY MORNING COLD TAXI/Radio London Special News Bulletin
    16. SUNRISE
    17. RAEL 1 & 2
    18. RAEL NAÏVE
    19. ARMENIA CITY IN THE SKY (reprise)/Great Shakes/[starts at 6:20 of Rael early version bonus track]
    20. Track Records (runoff groove) (from Life with the Moons)

    84 minutes total.

    Most of the tracks are in order of original release but with additional items mixed in. Each side is between 17 and 22 minutes.
    "Jaguar", the "Coke" jingles, "Sodding About", "In the Hall of the Mountain King", "Summertime Blues" bring more of The Who's hard rock to the album.
    Side 2 has many of the relationship songs.

    Jaguar trembling rhythm opening after “Mary Anne”
    John Mason Cars after Jaguar
    Odorono “ripped off her glittering gown” into Glittering Girl
    In the Hall of the Mountain King sounds a bit like Silas Stingy in melody
    Rotosound Strings before Silas Stingy like on reissue
    Russell Harty – funny interview with Who after Silas serious (like a radio program would have)
    Things Go Better with Coke/Relax (with Coke)
    “Aint no cure for the summertime blues”/cure- Coke 2
    Top Gear into Premier Drums -both instrument based commercials
    Early Morning Cold Taxi into Sunrise
    Rael Naive added to end of Rael 1 & 2
    Armenia City in the Sky instrumental to bring album around to first track
    Ends with original Track Records runoff groove.



    [​IMG] [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Nov 25, 2017
  10. marmalade166

    marmalade166 Sous les pavés, la plage!

    Location:
    Aberdeen, Scotland
    Thank you for this, a really nice line-up. I was wondering where Coke 2 is from as I can't locate it on the releases I have access to...
     
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  11. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    Coke 2 = Coke After Coke
     
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  12. Mr. D

    Mr. D Forum Resident

    I have mulled over the ultimate Sell Out setlist for years and quite like WilliamWes' two LP imagining noted above.

    My issue has always been whether to add some of the songs from that period (Glittering Girl, Girl's Eyes et al) or keep them for the Who For Tennis playlist. Also, I prefer the mono Who Sell Out, which also limits the additional material.
     
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  13. marmalade166

    marmalade166 Sous les pavés, la plage!

    Location:
    Aberdeen, Scotland
    Do you know if these are different takes, or simply different edits of the same take?
     
  14. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    I’m not sure what you mean. Same song, just named differently.
     
  15. marmalade166

    marmalade166 Sous les pavés, la plage!

    Location:
    Aberdeen, Scotland
    Coke 2 (from Maximum R'n'B) is 48 seconds long, whilst Coke After Coke (from Sell Out Deluxe) is 1:06 long
     
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  16. Quadboy

    Quadboy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Leeds,England
    I never liked 'Someone's coming' as part of the '95 bonus tracks.
    it feels out of place with the rest of the album.
    Was it recorded during the sessions or was it just hanging around waiting to be used as the next B-side?
     
  17. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    It's edited on 30 Years, as well as a different mix.

    It was one of the earliest recordings for the sessions, but still part of those sessions, being recorded around the same time as the backing of I Can See For Miles. And of course it was the B-side of that single in the UK.
     
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  18. marmalade166

    marmalade166 Sous les pavés, la plage!

    Location:
    Aberdeen, Scotland
    Ah, thank you for the clarification - it was the different mix that threw me
     
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  19. Quadboy

    Quadboy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Leeds,England
    Part of the sessions......ok.
    John and the band probably felt it didn't fit with the concept.
    It's a similar situation with IDEKM on the WN reissue......included because it's a B-side but so out of place/feeling.
     
  20. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    No different than any of the other various songs recorded during the sessions, other than the fact that it was officially released at the time.

    To each their own, but I think it fits along with the rest of the material recorded at that time.
     
  21. Quadboy

    Quadboy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Leeds,England
    Yes...........each to their own.
     
  22. KinkySmallFace1991

    KinkySmallFace1991 Will you come back to me, Sweet Lady Genevieve?

    This
     
  23. Benn Kempster

    Benn Kempster Who else?

    Location:
    Tring, UK
    Yep - IDEKM, Time Is Passing, Now I'm A Farmer, Going Mobile - the laid-back, easy-going side of the band. A departure from the slashing chords of WGF and Baba, but absolutely integral to the earthiness of the basis of the Lifehouse story.
     
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  24. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    Also Let's See Action.
     
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  25. qm1ceveb

    qm1ceveb Forum fanatic

    Location:
    Fort lauderdale
    This is great fun! Well assembled.

    I must admit I do not like 2-LP albums much, too long for me and prone to filler which is not the case here. However, it is clear to me that the 2-LP is very inferior to the Sell out we know which is a masterpiece.
     
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