Who: Every Album, Every Song

by Geoffrey Feakes

Formed in 1964 and still going strong in 2020, the Who are one of the most popular and enduring bands in the history of rock. The legendary debut album My Generation and a string of hit singles paved the way for Live At Leeds, hailed as the best live rock album of all time, and the best selling Who's Next. Powered by the phenomenal rhythm section of Keith Moon and John Entwistle, they earned a reputation as a premier live act and pioneered festival and arena performances. The rock operas Tommy and Quadrophenia took popular music into uncharted territories and both inspired hit films. Despite regular infighting, breakups and the death of two key members, the band continued into the 21st century with the well received Endless Wire album and original members Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend stage spectacular live shows to this day. This book examines each one of the band's studio albums, including the latest Who released in December 2019. Non-album tracks are also included and the book traces the band's long and diverse history. Compilations, live albums and soundtracks are also discussed, making this the most comprehensive guide to the music of the Who yet published. Whether the reader is a diehard fan or someone curious to see what lies beyond Tommy, this is essential reading.

Genres: Music

160 pages, Paperback

Published November 20, 2020

Reviews

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The On Track series isn't as mammoth or informative as, say, the All The Songs series. I did wish for some additional detail, but this was still a nice guide to have with me as I've been doing a deep dive into the Who's discography over the past month.

[David Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I spent this year on the Who. They actually played at my High School in 1968 (when I was in school there0 and I ahev followed them closely since. In 2025 I:
1) listened to all of their recorded songs
2) Read a biography for two (Entwistle and Moon, both dead) and an autobiography for two (Daltrey and Townshend, both still alive)
3) Read 2 book on their discography.
I will say that doing all of this in one year was a great experience and gave me a lot of insight into the personalities of band members as well ast the various levels of humany debauchery that are possible for rock stars.

In summary, they are a great band that has stood the test of time and still can give me chills when listening to their music (particularly Tommy.)

This book is a somewhat dry review of all their album songs. The authgor supplies some good historical backgroung but little humor (see my other review on a discography book of the Who. Nonetheless, it is a complete list and I agree with much of the author's assessments of individual sonds.

[Ellie Mclernon · Rating 3 out of 5]

For anyone who likes the Who, this is a great book. Packed full of information, it goes into all the songs in detail. Although, there is a typo on one of the pages.