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

It seems quite possible to me that Pete didn’t think the delicacy of Sunrise would be well served by having a jokey commercial lead in and out of it. (He may have felt the same about the grandiose Rael...)

Of course the song is still preceded by the not-entirely-serious Silas Stingy so maybe that theory doesn’t hold water.

 

Yes indeed. Been awhile since I’ve heard it but maybe one chorus too long? Needed some editing. And definitely a jingle before and after.
Oh well

 

It can indeed be synced, speaking from experience. I did it with a vocals removed backing track for I CAN SEE FOR MILES, and the combo of Petra singing with the Who playing was awesome!

 

"Coke After Coke" would've worked as well as the "Boris the Spider" jingle that someone else suggested. Even "Things Go Better With Coke", with the first line of "Stingy" starting directly after the commercial finishes.

 

I notice that US folks pronounce "Jaguar" very differently to us Brits. And I can't understand how you pronounce "Antarctica" - which Who song was that?

 

One of my great moments in parenting came when my oldest son was a toddler, and we were in a store together and he starts randomly singing "There goes Mingy Stingy!" in a loud voice. It was with great pride that I had to cover his little mouth and tell him "not here."

 

"Silas Stingy" is one of the weaker tracks on the album.

 

Yes, "Jaguar" is another one, though I hear it pronounced differently throughout the US even, depending on the region.

I pronounce "Antarctica" ant-Ark-tick-ah. I hear a lot of people here leave off the first "c" as in ant-Are-tick-ah but that's more a case of laziness. And some put emphasis on the "T" rather than the "A" as in an-Tark-tick-ah.

Any of those close to how you pronounce it?

Mark

 

The second pronunciation that you mention (leaving out the first "c") is most probably because that is the exact pronunciation and spelling in Spanish.

 

Thanks, I didn't know that. Will remember that in the future.

I should add that my "laziness" comment was based specifically on where I live, where there's just a lot of bad grammar in general.

Mark

 

Recorded: November 2 1967 at IBC

"Sunrise" was the last song recorded for the album, an acoustic solo recording of just Pete and his guitar, done so to "please his mum." Added at the last minute, it remains one of several to not be bookended by ads.

 

Despite the concept being far gone at this point, "Sunrise" is simply beautiful, with its time shifts and emotional lyrics.

 

PT recently released a demo of Sunrise on the My Generation super deluxe boxset.

 

Which really surprised me. Had no idea this song was written so early. The quality of Pete's demos is outstanding, especially for 1965.

 

I forgot to mention "Silas Stingy" - love it, this kind of wavery melody and storytelling which was so often the band's forte.

"Sunrise" is a bowl of fresh air, acoustic and bare, miles away from ads and consumerism . I always hear it as a pause between the tension of "Silas" and the grand finale.Seeds of "Pinball Wizard"somewhere in there too.
Good sequencing on this album also, even if we can have endless "what ifs" considering the quality of the extra tracks.

 

I vividly recall the first time I heard “Sunrise.” I was overwhelmed by its musical and lyrical beauty. There was an urgency to “You take away the breath I was keeping for sunrise” coming after those dark and troubling yet lovely chords at the beginning ... the feeling I got was almost indescribable.

All these years later, and I still get a lump in my throat at exactly the same moment.

 

"Sunrise" is magnificent. Nice one Pete.

 

I get that as well, especially the opening chords when they hit those minor notes. Almost like a melancholy feel of reflection.

 

Want!

 

I adore 'Sunrise'. Beautiful song and playing. Works brilliantly in setting up the last track as well.

 

Sunrise is one of the most achingly beautiful songs Pete ever wrote - I never tire of it & always look forward to it's arrival (no pun intended) when listening to the Album.
I Love it to bits

 

I love Sunrise. It puzzles me a bit why Townshend wrote just this one song that goes through 20+ different chords in 50 seconds.

 

Here ya go....

 

"Sunrise" is just STUNNINGLY beautiful. As well as being beautiful, it's incredibly haunting with the use of the echo.

I've always wondered if it was ever actually turned down by Roger (perhaps, though, simply too personal to PT to even be offered up) but was his springboard for a different approach when tackling "Tommy" some months later. Pete's comments around his surprise at Roger's approach to recording the "See Me Feel Me" vocal drag me back to "Sunrise" and just how pretty the bl00dy thing is.

 

I was comparing the stereo and mono mixes of Relax and in a reverse on an earlier track the lead guitar break is buried somewhat in the stereo whilst loud and proud in the mono - and being a fan of Freakbeat/Psych this a one of my favourite tunes on the album