Artist Spotlight
The Who
Ranking The Top 25 Songs
The Who are one of the most influential rock bands that ever existed. They have one of the most instantly recognizable classic lineups in Roger Daltrey (vocals), Pete Townshend (guitar, vocals), John Entwistle (bass) and Keith Moon (drums). The band is currently touring under the moniker “The Who Hits 50”. Although Daltrey and Townshend are the last two original members, the core of the touring musicians have been on board since 2002.
The Who are known for being the first band to incorporate such things as Townshend’s famous windmill strum and guitar smash, as well as using the Marshall Stack. The group is also credited with coming up with the rock opera. Tommy and Quadrophenia both are cited as two of the best rock operas ever.
Recently Rolling Stone Magazine did a special on the band and came up with what they perceived as the band’s top fifty songs. I was stunned when I looked at the list and learned what an injustice they did. There were several Who standards missing from the list that left me shaking my head. So in lieu of that myself and fellow RSC writer James Baase decided to come up what we feel are our top Who songs. Agree or disagree with our choices, it does make for an interesting analysis. When a band has so many songs to choose from it does tend to make the task a little more difficult. Baase had this to say, “Compiling this list made me realize two things, one is how much I really like The Who, and two Who’s Next has to be one of the best rock albums ever (as you can see by the number of tracks on my list).
For more than fifty years the Who’s music has stood the test of time. You can still see it in pop culture today as their songs are used in the CSI television shows as well as several commercials. Long after they call it a day the legacy they created will live on forever.
Studio Albums
My Generation (1965)
A Quick One (1966)
The Who Sell Out (1967)
Tommy (1969)
Who’s Next (1971)
Quadrophenia (1973)
The Who By Numbers (1975)
Who Are You (1978)
Face Dances (1981)
It’s Hard (1982)
Endless Wire (2006)
Our Top 25 Who Songs
| Joseph Suto | James Baase |
|---|---|
| 25. Boris The Spider | Join Together |
| 24. Pictures Of Lily | 1921 |
| 23. Pure And Easy | Christmas |
| 22. My Wife | 5:15 |
| 21. My Generation | Magic Bus |
| 20. Magic Bus | Substitute |
| 19. 5:15 | Athena |
| 18. Athena | Eminence Front |
| 17. The Kids Are Alright | The Real Me |
| 16. Squeeze Box | Love Ain’t For Keeping |
| 15. Substitute | Bargain |
| 14. See Me, Feel Me | Won’t Get Fooled Again |
| 13. I’m Free | Going Mobile |
| 12. Bargain | My Generation |
| 11. The Seeker | The Seeker |
| 10. You Better You Bet | Sally Simpson |
| 09. Going Mobile | You Better You Bet |
| 08. Pinball Wizard | Don’t Let Go The Coat |
| 07. Love, Reign O’er Me | Pure And Easy |
| 06. Join Together | The Song Is Over |
| 05. Won’t Get Fooled Again | Pinball Wizard |
| 04. Baba O’Riley | Behind Blue Eyes |
| 03. Behind Blue Eyes | Getting In Tune |
| 02. The Song Is Over | Love, Reign O’er Me |
| 01. Getting In Tune | Baba O’Riley |
Interactive Whiteboards by PolyVision
The Rolling Stone Top 25
25. How Many Friends
24. Sunrise
23. Magic Bus
22. The Seeker
21. My Wife
20. I’m Free
19. Tattoo
18. I’m One
17. Blue, Red and Grey
16. So Sad About Us
15. The Real Me
14. The Kids Are Alright
13. Pinball Wizard
12. Behind Blue Eyes
11. Substitute
10. Eminence Front
09. We’re Not Gonna Take It/See Me, Feel Me
08. Getting In Tune
07. I Can’t Explain
06. Baba O’ Riley
05. Love Reign O’er Me
04. A Quick One, While He’s Away
03. My Generation
02. I Can See For Miles
01. Won’t Get Fooled Again
Photo Credit: Rick Diamond
