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The Who
Band

The Who

4.0 / 5 from 106 ratings across 10 albums
Albums
468
Members
13
Active
1964–present
Origin
United Kingdom
Biography

The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey (lead vocals, harmonica and guitar), Pete Townshend (guitar, keyboards and vocals), John Entwistle (bass guitar, brass and vocals) and Keith Moon (drums and percussion). They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction. The Who have sold about 100 million records, and have charted 27 top forty singles in the United Kingdom and United States, as well as 17 top ten albums, with 18 Gold, 12 Platinum and 5 Multi-Platinum album awards in the United States alone. The Who rose to fame in the UK with a series of top ten hit singles, boosted in part by pirate radio stations such as Radio Caroline, beginning in January 1965 with "I Can't Explain".

The albums My Generation (1965), A Quick One (1966) and The Who Sell Out (1967) followed, with the first two reaching the UK top five. They first hit the US Top 40 in 1967 with "Happy Jack" and hit the top ten later that year with "I Can See for Miles". Their fame grew with memorable performances at the Monterey Pop, Woodstock and Isle of Wight music festivals. The 1969 release of Tommy was the first in a series of top ten albums in the US, followed by Live at Leeds (1970), Who's Next (1971), Quadrophenia (1973), The Who by Numbers (1975), Who Are You (1978) and The Kids Are Alright (1979).

Moon died at the age of 32 in 1978, after which the band released two studio albums, the UK and US top five Face Dances (1981) and the US top ten It's Hard (1982), with drummer Kenney Jones, before disbanding in 1983. They re-formed at events such as Live Aid and for reunion tours such as their 25th anniversary tour (1989) and the Quadrophenia tours of 1996 and 1997. In 2000, the three surviving original members discussed recording an album of new material, but their plans temporarily stalled upon Entwistle's death at the age of 57 in 2002. Townshend and Daltrey continue to perform as The Who, and in 2006 they released the studio album Endless Wire, which reached the top ten in the UK and US.

The Groove
Groove by decade

The Groove is music.nw’s own measure of renown — not an opinion, a fact computed from the record. It weighs reach (how many people engaged) against acclaim (how highly they rated it), balanced so a handful of votes can’t outshout a lasting favourite.

Computed the NeuraWeb way, across the whole record. The same yardstick for everyone — which is why the little-known can out-Groove the famous in their own corner.

The trajectory

How The Who moved

Genre belongs to the record, not to the artist. Every album’s Groove is shared out across the genres it actually is — by how the raters tagged it — so nobody is 100% one thing. Stack that by decade and a career draws itself.

Discography

I'm The Face
The Who · 1964
Anyway Anyhow Anywhere
The Who · 1965
I Can't Explain
The Who · 1965
My Generation
The Who · 1965
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My Generation
The Who · 1965
My Generation
The Who · 1965
1966‐10‐25 Stockholm
The Who · 1966
A Legal Matter
The Who · 1966
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A Quick One
The Who · 1966
Bucket "T"
The Who · 1966
I'm A Boy
The Who · 1966
La-La-La-Lies
The Who · 1966
The Kids Are Alright
The Who · 1966
The Kids Are Alright
The Who · 1966
The Who
The Who · 1966
Happy Jack
The Who · 1967
Happy Jack / Io, Tu E Le Rose
The Who · 1967
I Can See For Miles / Mary-Anne With The Shaky Hands
The Who · 1967
Pictures
The Who · 1967
Pictures Of Lily
The Who · 1967
The Who
The Who · 1967
Album cover
The Who Sell Out
The Who · 1967
Whisky Man / Boris The Spider
The Who · 1967
Best Of The Who
The Who · 1968
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Direct Hits
The Who · 1968
Dogs
The Who · 1968
Exciting The Who
The Who · 1968
I’m a Boy
The Who · 1968
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Magic Bus: The Who on Tour
The Who · 1968
Double Star Series
The Who · 1969
Go To The Mirror!
The Who · 1969
Pinball Wizard
The Who · 1969
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Tommy
The Who · 1969
Backtrack 3
The Who · 1970
Backtrack 4
The Who · 1970
Backtrack 5
The Who · 1970
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Backtrack Fourteen: The Ox
The Who · 1970
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Live at Leeds
The Who · 1970
Pop History
The Who · 1970
Pop History Vol 4
The Who · 1970
Pop History, Vol. 4
The Who · 1970
Summertime Blues
The Who · 1970
The Who & The Jimi Hendrix Experience
The Who · 1970
Tommy
The Who · 1970
Who Did It!
The Who · 1970
Young Man Blues
The Who · 1970
賽門與格方凱二重主唱金唱片
The Who · 1970
Baba O'Riley
The Who · 1971
Behind Blue Eyes
The Who · 1971
Instant Party
The Who · 1971
Live Collector's Item
The Who · 1971
Live Collector’s Item
The Who · 1971
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Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy
The Who · 1971
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Who’s Next
The Who · 1971
Won't Get Fooled Again
The Who · 1971
Behind Blue Eyes
The Who · 1972
Closer to Queen Mary
The Who · 1972
Closer To Queen Mary
The Who · 1972
Let's See Action / Behind Blue Eyes
The Who · 1972
Live In Munich
The Who · 1972

Credits

Ranked #749 of 14,615 producers — 1,391.32 career Groove across 8 records.

Album cover
Quadrophenia: Live in London
Producer · 2014
The Who Hits 50!
Producer · 2014
Live at Hull 1970
Producer · 2012
My Generation Box
Liner Notes · 2008
Then and Now
Producer · 2004
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The Ultimate Collection
Producer · 2002
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20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of The Who
Producer · 1999
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Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me: Music from the Motion Picture
Vocal · 1999
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My Generation – The Very Best of The Who
Producer · 1996
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Thirty Years of Maximum R&B
Producer · 1994
Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin
Liner Notes · 1991
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Who’s Better, Who’s Best
Producer · 1988
Rarities, Volume 2: “1970–1973”
Producer · 1983
Who’s Greatest Hits
Producer · 1983
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Quadrophenia: Music From the Soundtrack of the Who Film
Producer · 1979
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The Kids Are Alright
Producer · 1979
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Who Are You / Had Enough
Producer · 1978
The Who
Producer · 1975
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Tommy
Performer · 1975
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Odds & Sods
Producer · 1974
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5.15
Producer · 1973
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Quadrophenia
Producer · 1973
Join Together
Producer · 1972
Relay
Producer · 1972
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Tommy
Vocal · 1972
Let’s See Action
Producer · 1971
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Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy
Producer · 1971
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Who’s Next
Producer · 1971
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Live at Leeds
Producer · 1970
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Tommy
Performer · 1969
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Direct Hits
Performer · 1968
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The Who Sell Out
Arranger · 1967
Baba O'Riley
Producer · —
Behind Blue Eyes
Producer · —
Behind Blue Eyes
Producer · —
Long Live Rock
Producer · —
Long Live Rock / Pure And Easy
Producer · —
Love Reign O'er Me
Producer · —
My Generation / Substitute
Producer · —
Phases
Producer · —
Postcard / Put The Money Down
Producer · —
Quadrophenia
Producer · —
Substitute
Producer · —
Substitute (The Songs Of The Who)
Writer · —
The Kids Are Alright
Producer · —
The Real Me
Producer · —
The Rock And Roll Circus
Performer · —
The Story Of The Who
Producer · —
The Who At Kilburn: 1977
Producer · —
Tommy: The Movie
Performer · —
Who Are You + The Kids Are Alright
Producer · —
Who's Zoo
Producer · —