It’s time now for a The Who Top 40 Countdown Thread. Here's how it will work: Anyone who wants to enter a list, send it to me via private conversation (do not post it in this thread, please). I will give it five weeks, so the cutoff date to send one is the end of the day, Saturday, March 23. Once I have received every list and entered them into a spreadsheet, I will add up the total and come up with the top 40 and then count them down from 40 to 1, likely spread out over three weeks. The ranked song countdown will begin to be posted on Monday, March 25. The rules: -Songs must be listed from 40 to 1 (or 1 to 40) in order and NUMBERED, with no ties. No having two songs tied for number 1 or anything like that. Please do not list your songs with the point total. List them in your order (I will figure out the points on my end). Any list submitted with the songs not numbered will be considered invalid and not used (I will pm you giving you a chance to correct the error). -Your list must have 40 songs. No more, no less. -The list will be tallied numerically in a simple way. On each list, whatever song is at number 1 gets 40 points, number 2 gets 39 points, number 3 gets 38 points, etc. -A song cannot be listed twice (or more), like listing a studio version of a song and then a live version as a separate song. -Please proofread your list before sending it. Any list with the same song listed twice will have one deleted (the 2nd entry). -Please do not send the list until you are 100% comfortable with it, as I will be entering these on the fly, and if you send a list and then want to change it three days later, that creates double work for me since I'd have to remove your entire original list and enter the new one. Let's try to keep it easy for all of us. -Please use the same spelling of the song as it is presented in the list below. This is important for sorting accuracy and ease. This ranking engine link below works great. You can input all of the songs, and then you pick your favorite of every 1 on 1 matchup and then it spits out your list. The songs must be listed in your top 40 as listed below. Ranking Engine When you get to the ranking engine site, click on "music" (on the left in big letters), copy and paste all the songs (or just the ones you want to rank to get to a top 40) in the text on the left where it says "Enter Items Here" and hit "add." Then click "rank" near the top and you can then begin. You do not have to sign up at the site or enter any email address or phone number to use it. It is free to use. Songs are listed below. You can always enter just the songs that you think might make your top 40 into the ranking engine, as that will shorten the process substantially. (highly recommended) Please only use the following listed songs, as I have purposefully not included rough mixes, instrumental backing tracks and alternate versions of songs (many found as bonus tracks) and songs that are only included in live medleys. I have decided to list song covers that are included on officially released albums (excepting the concert releases from the 21st century -too many to sift through for me). Some of these covers, such as Summertime Blues, are important songs in The Who legacy, so they really can’t be ignored in this ranking thread. The list: 1921 5:15 905 A Legal Matter A Little Is Enough (live) A Man in a Purple Dress A Man Is a Man A Quick One, While He's Away After the Fire (live) All This Music Must Fade Amazing Journey Another Tricky Day Anytime You Want Me Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere Armenia City in the Sky Athena Baba O'Riley Baby Don't You Do It (B-side) Bald Headed Woman Ball and Chain Barbara Ann Bargain Batman Theme Be Lucky Beads On One String Behind Blue Eyes Bell Boy Bernie's Holiday Camp Black Widow's Eyes Blue, Red and Grey Bony Moronie Boris the Spider Break the News Bucket T Cache Cache Call Me Lightning Champagne Christmas (Circles) Instant Party C'mon Everybody Cobwebs and Strange Cooks County Cousin Kevin Cousin Kevin Model Child Cry If You Want Cut My Hair Daddy Rolling Stone Daily Records Dancing in the Street Dangerous Danny and My Ponies Detour Did You Steal My Money Dig Disguises Do You Think It's Alright? Doctor Jimmy Doctor, Doctor Dogs Dogs (Part Two) Don't Let Go the Coat Don't Look Away Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde Dreaming from the Waist Drowned Early Morning Cold Taxi Eminence Front Empty Glass Endless Wire Eyesight to the Blind (The Hawker) Face the Face (live) Faith in Something Bigger Fiddle About Fire Fortune Teller Four Faces Fragments Fragments of Fragments Get Out and Stay Out Getting in Tune Girl's Eyes Glittering Girl Glow Girl Go to the Mirror! God Speaks of Marty Robbins Goin' Down Going Mobile Good Lovin' Got Nothing to Prove Greyhound Girl (live) Guitar and Pen Had Enough Happy Jack Heart to Hang Onto (live) Heat Wave Heaven and Hell Heinz Baked Beans Helpless Dancer Here For More Here 'Tis Hero Ground Zero How Can You Do It Alone How Many Friends However Much I Booze I Am the Sea I Can See for Miles I Can't Explain I Can't Reach You I Don't Even Know Myself I Don't Mind I Don't Wanna Get Wise I Like Nightmares I Need You I Was I'll Be Back I'm a Boy I'm a Man I'm Free I'm One I'm the Face Imagine a Man In a Hand or a Face In the City In the Ether In the Hall of the Mountain King Instant Party Mixture Is it in My Head? It's a Boy It's Hard It's in You It's Not Enough It's Not True It's Your Turn I've Been Away I've Had Enough I've Known No War Jaguar Join Together Joker James Just You and Me, Darling La-La-La-Lies Land of Hope and Glory Leaving Here Let's See Action Little Billy Long Live Rock Love Ain't for Keeping Love is Coming Down Love, Reign o'er Me Lubie (Come Back Home) Magic Bus Man with Money Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand Medac Melancholia Mike Post Theme Miracle Cure Mirror Door Motoring Much Too Much Music Must Change My Generation My Way My Wife Naked Eye New Song No Road Romance Now I'm a Farmer Odorono Old Red Wine One at a Time One Life's Enough Our Love Was Out in the Street Overture Pick Up the Peace Pictures of Lily Pinball Wizard Please, Please, Please Postcard Pure and Easy Put the Money Down Quadrophenia Rael 1 Rael 2 Real Good Looking Boy Relax Relay Road Runner Rockin' In Rage Rough Boys (live) Run, Run, Run Sally Simpson Sand Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting Sea and Sand See Me, Feel Me See My Way Sensation Shakin' All Over She Rocked My World Shout and Shimmy Silas Stingy Sister Disco Slip Kid Smash the Mirror So Sad About Us Sodding About Somebody Saved Me Someone's Coming Sound Round Sparks Squeeze Box Street Song Substitute Success Story Summertime Blues Sunrise Tattoo Tea and Theatre The Acid Queen The Dirty Jobs The Good's Gone The Kids Are Alright The Last Time The Ox The Punk and the Godfather The Quiet One The Real Me The Rock The Seeker The Song Is Over There's a Doctor They Are All in Love They Made My Dream Come True This Gun Will Misfire Time Is Passing Tommy Can You Hear Me? Tommy's Holiday Camp Too Much of Anything Trick of the Light Trilby's Piano Trying to Get Through Twist and Shout Two Thousand Years Under My Thumb Underture Unholy Trinity Waspman Water We Close Tonight We Got a Hit Welcome We're Not Gonna Take It When I Was a Boy Whiskey Man Who Are You Why Did I Fall for That Wire & Glass Won't Get Fooled Again You You Better You Bet You Stand by Me Young Man Blues Zoot Suit This is another in a series of friendly threads modeled on the examples of @George Co-Stanza rating threads, where friendly discussion is encouraged, but bickering and threadcraps are most certainly not. Thanks in advance for your cooperation in this matter. And please no spoilers/predictions regarding the ranked list content.
A heads-up for some of the people who participated in the recent Dire Straits and Led Zeppelin ranking threads (there are likely several unintended omissions, sorry). Of course, all forum members are welcome and encouraged to participate in this thread and to rank their top 40 The Who songs. @Andreas @Andrew Preview @aravel @ARK @BackWhereItAllBegins @bagofsoup @bare trees @Bassmiket @BeauZooka @Beepeet @Big Pasi @bkgMusic @blair207 @BluesOvertookMe @bob_32_116 @BobFan115 @Brendan Mulhaire @Brian Kelly @BSC @Bucketfoot @Candyflip Records @carlwm @cdollaz @Chadmiral @Cheevyjames @Cimrya Deal @Cornelius Plum @Daniel Plainview @Dawg In Control @Dhreview16 @DiBosco @DooDee @DPM @dross @Duckman @dude @dunkoid @Echoes71 @Ernest T @Fischman @Fritha71 @gad999 @Geee! @Geir @George Co-Stanza @Giorgio @gmeese34 @gojikranz @graystoke @GreenFuz @guerilla1977 @Haberdasher @Haggis Wampovich @Harry Hood @hoss @I Have Been Floated @JackOfAllTrades @jalexander @JD33 @jeffd7030 @JeffMo @Jimbino @Jimmy Jam @JimSpark @Joel Zerns @John Rhett Thomas @johnwesleysnipes @jon9091 @JPJs Bass Guitar @Juggsnelson @JulesRules @KngCrmsn22 @leeroy jenkins @Les Morts Dansant @mark winstanley @Matt B @maui jim @Mez @MicSmith @MisterVacant @moops @Mother @mr.steelydan @MrCJF @mrcond @MrJerry1876 @mtracy64 @Mud Newt @Murph @mx20 @mycroft @neo123 @Nipper @olegrayman @OptimisticGoat @ostrichfarm @PacificOceanBlue @paradox55 @Parakeeper @peacekeeper @penguinzzz @PercysLemonade @PH416156 @PhoenixWoman @PhR @pig bodine @planetexpress @PolarWolf @Progatron @Python @rcb30 @redmedicine @rednax @Rfreeman @RichC @ricks @Riffraff03 @Ringmaster_D @Rockhead @Rycherocker634 @Sammy Waslow @samskeyti @Scatterling of Africa @Searchin4xanadu @SeeDubs @seg763 @Silvertrain @slipkid @Smiler @Son of Dork @Sordel @spaulding @SRC @Standoffish @Steve62 @steveharris @Stormrider77 @Synthfreek @Terrapin42 @TexasBuck @The MEZ @The Trinity @ThereOnceWasANote @Vinylfindco @vinylsolution @Vox78 @WorldB3 @wrappedinsky @xtinacruz @youknow @zardozislove @Zeki
Apologies, I don’t really do The Who. I have Who’s Next and Tommy, and the Live at Leeds triple, but I couldn’t get anywhere near ranking 40 cuts. I wouldn’t really know where to go after, say, Won’t Get Fooled Again, Baba O’Reilly, and maybe Who Are You and 5.15. So I’ll sit this one out, but will follow with interest. I know they are one of the best loved bands on this Forum, and they come from just up the road from me, but (like Genesis, and unlike Dire Straits, Led Zep, and U2, who I love), I’ve never been a huge fan. Sorry.
I was trying to get a head start, but then I got lazy and didn’t want to compile a starting, comprehensive list. Thanks for the lift @Pete Puma.
I was playing The Who By Numbers earlier today, and thought to myself, "The Who would be good for a Top 40 Countdown..."
I am primed well for starting the list having just recently digested the entire contents of the Sell Out and Who's Next / Lifehouse Deluxe boxes. I have to re-listen to their last two albums. The only track I'm remembering as a real standout is Mike Post Theme, but I know there are some other cherries to pick and consider.
I just noticed this small inconsistency in the song list: "Rael 2" is listed, but on some releases what was formerly titled "Rael 2" has been changed to "Rael Naïve" and the track "Rael" is now usually titled "Rael (Parts 1 and 2). Rael Naïve is the same song as Rael 2 that was included in the 1995 expanded Sell Out. So on this list Rael 1 = Rael as it appears on the original Sell Out album and Rael 2 = Rael 2 on the expanded Sell Out and as Rael Naïve on later releases. Sorry for the miss and confusion.
I am still working on my Queen list. Once I am done with that, I will dive into my extensive Who collection. But, ranking the Who won't be a chore for me, like it was for Queen. Though, I suspect I will not do nearly as well compared to the final list as I did with Led Zeppelin and possibly U2. Led Zeppelin's catalog wasn't nearly as big as The Who's or U2's, so variations not as high for Led Zeppelin. This one is going to be fun for me because I love going through their entire discography (studio albums, live albums, singles collections, etc.) every few years. Last time I did it was probably right before the Super Deluxe Box Set of The Who Sell Out was released (I didn't do it again when the Who's Next | Life House Super Deluxe Box set was released.) The Who is an all-time top 5 Classic Rock band for me, along with The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, and CCR.
As usual, my first step was to sort out all the songs that I was sure were not near my top 40, which left me with 84 songs. Next step was to rank them with the ranking machine. I am not 100% satisfied with the result, so I will rank the top 60 again.
@Pete Puma : A question as I proceed - is the song listed above as "See Me, Feel Me" specifically the track that has that truncated title , the one off of the LP The Kids Are Alright ?
Good question. Yes, the Kids Are Alright Soundtrack is, I believe, the only official release where they presented the edited section of "See Me, Feel Me" from WNGTTI as a standalone track. That is the song represented on the list.
