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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

From Lifehouse to Leeds
The Who · 1990
I'm A Boy
The Who · 1990
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Join Together
The Who · 1990
Moon Life
The Who · 1990
Soccer Rock
The Who · 1990
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Live
The Who · 1991
Live 1967 - 1970
The Who · 1991
My Generation
The Who · 1991
The Tommy Demos
The Who · 1991
Accept No Subsitute
The Who · 1992
Alone & Together Live in Concert 1986
The Who · 1992
Live
The Who · 1992
Dangerous
The Who · 1993
Golden Age (Original Recordings Live)
The Who · 1993
Lifehouse Live
The Who · 1993
Lifehouse Live
The Who · 1993
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Magic Bus
The Who · 1993
San Francisco 1971
The Who · 1993
"See Me, Feel Me"
The Who · 1993
Shea Stadium 1982
The Who · 1993
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Tommy: Original Broadway Cast Recording
The Who · 1993
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Tommy’s Generation
The Who · 1993
Tommy's Generation (The Easy Rider Years Live)
The Who · 1993
Unauthorised Live Vol. 1
The Who · 1993
Where Are The Kids?
The Who · 1993
Last Stand With Keith Moon
The Who · 1994
Last Stand With Keith Moon
The Who · 1994
Live Quadrophenia
The Who · 1994
Maximum BBC
The Who · 1994
Sparks on the Bay
The Who · 1994
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Thirty Years of Maximum R&B
The Who · 1994
Pure Rock Theatre
The Who · 1995
Pure Rock Theatre
The Who · 1995
Alternate Rarities
The Who · 1996
Flying To New York To Go To Court
The Who · 1996
Listening To You (Live At The Isle Of Wight Festival 1970)
The Who · 1996
Live At Leeds Complete
The Who · 1996
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Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970
The Who · 1996
Live In Toronto 12•11•75
The Who · 1996
Live Tommy At The Leeds
The Who · 1996
Music Must Change: The Pete Townshend Demos for the Who Are You Album
The Who · 1996
Music Must Change: The Pete Townshend Demos For The Who Are You Album
The Who · 1996
My Generation
The Who · 1996
My Generation (Love To Infinity Mixes)
The Who · 1996
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My Generation – The Very Best of The Who
The Who · 1996
Live At Charlton 1974
The Who · 1997
On The Board - Quadrophenia Live
The Who · 1997
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The Best of the Who
The Who · 1997
The Who
The Who · 1997
Wild Collection
The Who · 1997
Danish Treat
The Who · 1998
Danish Treat
The Who · 1998
Gold
The Who · 1998
Gutter Punks at a Warehouse
The Who · 1998
Gutter Punks At A Warehouse
The Who · 1998
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20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of The Who
The Who · 1999
Bridge Benefit Reunion 1999
The Who · 1999
Eternal Mods
The Who · 1999
Greatest Hits
The Who · 1999
Remembers The High Numbers
The Who · 1999

Credits

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

Album cover
Quadrophenia: Live in London
Producer · 2014
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The Who Hits 50!
Producer · 2014
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Live at Hull 1970
Producer · 2012
My Generation Box
Liner Notes · 2008
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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 · —