Release Date: 1966
Label: Reaction
Genres: Rock & Roll, Hard Rock, British Invasion, Pop/Rock, Mod
Number Of Tracks: 11
The Who's second album is a mite inconsistent, not least because all four members were encouraged by a business deal to churn out songs.
A Quick One (Happy Jack)
Reviewed by:
sweaty_fox, on march 26, 2007 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Sound: The Sound varies on this album and that's what I think makes it so god damn good. From Keith's mad snare bashing, to bashing on old cardboard boxes for the track 'See My Way'. John's almost crunchy bass sound appears on this album in many tracks and most predominately on his first composition for the band, 'Boris The Spider'. With John's doubled tracked vocals it is the taste of what's to come on following albums featuring John's songs. 'Cobwebs And Strange', written by Keith, is an instrumental masterpiece with every instrument (apart from Roger's voice) being shown off to the players upmost capability. As well as their own material, the covers they do are also amazing. 'Barbara Ann', most famously recorded by the 'Beach Boys' is a real reminiscent track that only adds to the albums unique and ground breaking sound. Although it's not The Who's best sounding compilation, it still is bloody good. // 8
Lyrics and Singing: The lyrics are really reminiscent of the 'My Generation' album. With mostly inobvious love songs it shows The Who as a bands' sensitive side. 'I Need You', a story about a man who admits his need for his absent love, was actually written by Keith. This just shows how much thought went into the writting of this album. // 7
Impression: My overall impression is that this album is great. Not as good as 'Who's Next' but then again, what is. It shows diversity at it's greatest. I just love The Who's original tone and feeling that they bring to everyone of the songs on this album. The best £6 at HMV I've ever spent! // 8
A Quick One (Happy Jack)
Reviewed by:
Mr. Saboteur, on october 12, 2006 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Sound: This is The Who's first attempt in finding new creative ways of recording in the studio. The sound is familiar to their previous album "My Generation", especially with the opening track "Run, Run, Run" along with some very querky compositions such as Keith Moon's "Cobwebs and Strange" (fittingly titled) and John's "Boris The Spider". Also, Pete's first stab at the rock opera he is notorious for can be heard in the 9 minute-plus finale track "A Quick One While He's Away" which is actually multiple 2 1/2 minute tracks combined with a central theme. This song is very much underrated for it's uniqueness for being the being of a new way of writing music story/plot and creative riffs. // 9
Lyrics and Singing: This album is unique in the aspect that Pete Townshend only wrote 4 songs on the original album, due to contract agreements that each band member would write 2 songs (even though Roger Daltrey only wrote one which was "See My Way"). We get a taste of John Entwistle's dark humor in "Boris The Spider" and "Whiskey Man" and, as stated earlier, Pete's first crack at a rock opera. We also see why Keith Moon and Roger Daltrey didn't help with the songwriting process. Ha. // 8
Impression: This album is regarded as one of their weaker albums, but what is important to note about this album is that this is their first attempt at exploring the potential of the studio, which would eventually lead to their most memorable work. "So Sad About Us" is actually considered the most covered Who song in their catalog, which makes an appearance on this album. Kind of how The Beatles reinvented themselves in the studio, so did The Who and it started with this album. If you were to lose this album, it wouldn't be the end of the world, but you would be missing out on a pivotal point in their career not hearing at least once. // 8
