Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy
Compilation album by The Who
Released	October 30, 1971
Recorded	1964 - 1970
Genre	Rock
Length	42:54
Label	Track, Polydor (UK) Decca, MCA (U.S.)
Producer(s)	The Who, Shel Talmy, and Kit Lambert
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Robert Christgau (A-) link
The Who chronology
Who's Next (1971)	Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy (1971)	Quadrophenia (1973)

Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy is a compilation album by British rock band The Who. It is one of the first in a long line of Who greatest hits albums and is usually regarded as the best of them. The album mostly consists of singles that did not appear on The Who's LPs, which is why the album sold so well at the time. Album cover of The Whos Meaty Beaty Big And Bouncy. ... A compilation album is an album (music or spoken-word) featuring tracks from one or multiple recording artists, often culled from a variety of sources (such as studio albums, live albums, singles, demos and outtakes. ... The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. ... October 30 is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 62 days remaining. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ... A music genre is a category (or genre) of pieces of music that share a certain style or basic musical language (van der Merwe 1989, p. ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Track Records is a record label founded by The Who to distribute artists and projects they wanted to support. ... 1920s vintage Polydor export label with its double-horn gramophone logo In 1954 Polydor Records introduced their distinctive orange label. ... It has been suggested that Decca Music Group be merged into this article or section. ... The Music Corporation of America, commonly known as MCA, is a United States based corporation in the music business. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. ... Shel Talmy (born August 11, 1937 in Chicago, Illinois, United States) is a notable record producer. ... Kit Lambert (May 11, 1935 – April 7, 1981) was a record producer and the manager for The Who. ... The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide. ... Image File history File links 5_stars. ... Robert Christgau (sometimes abbreviated in print to Xgau), born April 18, 1942, is an American essayist, music journalist, and rock critic. ... The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. ... Whos Next is an album by The Who. ... Quadrophenia is a double album released by The Who on October 19, 1973, one of the groups two full-scale rock operas. ... A compilation album is an album (music or spoken-word) featuring tracks from one or multiple recording artists, often culled from a variety of sources (such as studio albums, live albums, singles, demos and outtakes. ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. ... A gramophone record, (also phonograph record - often simply record) is an analog sound recording medium: a flat disc rotating at a constant angular velocity, with inscribed spiral grooves in which a stylus or needle rides. ...

Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy (Decca DL 79184) entered the U.S. charts on November 20, 1971 and peaked at number 11 on the U.S. charts. The UK release was held up because The Who and Bill Curbishley had failed to clear it with manager Kit Lambert. Lambert tried to have the track order changed but failed because too many copies had been pressed. The LP was eventually released as Track 2406 006 and first entered the UK charts on December 3, 1971, peaking at number 9. In 1987, Rolling Stone ranked it #99 on their list of the 100 best albums of the period 1967-1987. November 20 is the 324th day of the year (325th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ... Bill Curbishley is a music producer, best known for his work with English rock group The Who. ... Kit Lambert (May 11, 1935 – April 7, 1981) was a record producer and the manager for The Who. ... December 3 is the 337th (in leap years the 338th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ... This article is about the magazine. ...

The songs

The first editions of Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy included a sheet of liner notes written by Pete Townshend. (These were never replicated for later CD editions.) Townshend's notes often gave self-deprecating remarks regarding each song, most of which he wrote. ("Boris the Spider" was the lone exception, having been written by bassist John Entwistle.) Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (born May 19, 1945 in Chiswick, London) is an English rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, and composer who is best known as the guitarist and principal songwriter for the rock band The Who. ... John Alec Entwistle (October 9, 1944 – June 27, 2002) was the bass guitar player for The Who, as well as secondary songwriter, singer, and horn player. ...

I Can't Explain

"It can't be beat for straightforward Kink copying," wrote Townshend. "There is little to say about how I wrote this. It came out of the top of my head when I was 18 and a half. It seems to be about the frustrations of a young person who is so incoherent and uneducated that he can't state his case to the bourgeois intellectual blah blah blah. Or, of course, it might be about drugs. Its always about the drugs." The song was released in the UK as Brunswick 05926 on January 15, 1965, and after an initial dip eventually reaching #8. It was released in the U.S. as Decca 31725 on February 13, 1965 where it reached #97 on the Billboard charts. The Kinks were an English rock group, formed in the mid-1960s by Ray Davies and his brother Dave Davies. ... January 15 is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... February 13 is the 44th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere

"Roger (Daltrey) helped a lot with the final arrangement and got half the credit," wrote Townshend. "Something he does today for nothing, bless him. I was lying on my mattress on the floor listening to a Charlie Parker record when I thought up the title. (It's usually title first with me.) I just felt the guy was so free when he was playing. He was a soul without a body, riding, flying, on music. Listening to the compulsory Dizzy Gillespie solo after one by Bird was always a come-down, however clever Gillespie was. No one could follow Bird. Hendrix must have been his reincarnation, especially for guitar players. The freedom suggested by the title came restricted by the aggression of our tightly-defined image when I came to write the words. In fact, Roger was really a hard nut then, and he changes quite a few words himself to toughen the song up to suit his temperament. It is the most excitingly pig-headed of our songs. It's blatant, proud and, dare I say it, sassy." Released as Brunswick 05935 in the UK May 21, 1965, "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" peaked at #10. Released in the U.S. as Decca 31801 June 5, 1965, it failed to chart. Roger Harry Daltrey, CBE (born 1 March 1944) is a rock vocalist, songwriter, and actor, best known as the founder and lead singer of The Who, an English rock band. ... Charles Bird Parker, Jr. ... John Birks Dizzy Gillespie (October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was born in Cheraw, South Carolina. ... Charles Bird Parker, Jr. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... May 21 is the 141st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (142nd in leap years). ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... June 5 is the 156th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (157th in leap years), with 209 days remaining. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ...

My Generation

"The hymn. The patriotic song they sing at Who football matches," wrote Townshend. "I could say a lot about this. I suppose I should say what hasn't been said, but a lot of what has been said is so hilarious. I wrote it as a throwaway naturally. It was a talking blues thing of the 'Talking New York' ilk. I had written the lines of 'My Generation' without thinking, hurrying them, scribbling on a piece of paper in the back of a car. For years, I've had to live by them, waiting for the day someone says, 'I thought you hoped you'd die before you got old. Well, you are old. What now?' Of course most people are too polite to say that sort of thing to a dying pop star. I say it often to myself." Released as Brunswick 05944 on October 29, 1965, it reached #2 on the British charts. It charted there again in 1988 (#68) and 1996 (#31). Released in the U.S. as Decca 31877 on November 20, 1965, it reached #74 on the Billboard charts. Football is a ball game played between two teams of eleven players, each attempting to win by scoring more goals than their opponent. ... October 29 is the 302nd day of the year (303rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... November 20 is the 324th day of the year (325th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ...

The Kids Are Alright

"'The Kids Are Alright' wasn't a single in England; it was in the States," wrote Townshend. "Funnily enough, this broke really well in Detroit, an area where both Decca Records and the local community were a little more hip to The Who than they were elsewhere. Detroit, or at least Ann Arbor, was the first place in the States we played after New York." Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy features a truncated version of "The Kids Are Alright" edited by Shel Talmy for the U.S. market. Released in the U.S. on October 14, 1965, this edited version was later released as a single in the UK on August 12, 1966 to compete against "I'm A Boy," another Who release issued by the Reaction label. At the time, a lawsuit was raging between The Who and their ex-producer Shel Talmy. The UK single reached #41, but it failed to reach the Billboard charts in the U.S. despite another release in July of 1966. Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815  County Wayne County Mayor... Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. ... October 14 is the 287th day of the year (288th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... August 12 is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ...

A Legal Matter

"'Legal Matter' is about a guy on the run from a chick about to pin him down for breach of promise," wrote Townshend. "What this song was screaming from behind lines like, 'It's a legal matter baby, marrying's no fun, it's a legal matter baby, you got me on the run,' was 'I'm lonely, I'm hungry, and the bed needs making.' I wanted a maid I suppose. It's terrible feeling like an eligible bachelor but with no women seeming to agree with you." Originally released on the first Who album My Generation and subsequently in the UK on March 7, 1966 to compete against The Who's single "Substitute" (which was their contract-breaking release), it peaked at #32. In the U.S., in addition to the debut album, it appeared as the b-side of "The Kids Are Alright." Breach of promise is a former tort. ... This article is about an album by The Who. ... March 7 is the 66th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (67th in leap years). ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ...

Substitute

"'Substitute' was written as a spoof of '19th Nervous Breakdown'," wrote Townshend. "On the demo I sang with an affected Jagger-like accent which Kit obviously liked, as he suggested the song as a follow-up to 'Generation.' The stock, down-beat riff used in the verses I pinched from a record played to me in 'Blind Date,' a feature in Melody Maker (the song was 'Where Is My Girl' by Robb Storme and the Whispers). It was by a group who later wrote to thank me for saying nice things about their record in the feature. The article is set up so that pop stars hear other people's records without knowing who they are by. They say terrible things about their best mates' latest and it all makes the pop scene even snottier and more competitive. Great. The record I said nice things about wasn't a hit, despite an electrifying riff. I pinched it, we did it, you bought it." Released as Reaction 591001 on March 4, 1966, "Substitute" was soon withdrawn when producer Shel Talmy threatened an injunction; Talmy had produced the b-side "Circles" and did not want it released by The Who. The single was reissued a week later with the b-side retitled as "Instant Party" as a tribute to the same-named 1962 album by The Everly Brothers. However, Talmy's injunction still held, so this new pressing was also withdrawn. "Substitute" was eventually re-issued with the b-side "Waltz For A Pig," which was actually recorded by another artist. 19th Nervous Breakdown is a song by the English rock band The Rolling Stones. ... Sir Michael Phillip Mick Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English rock musician, actor, songwriter, record and film producer, and businessman. ... March 4 is the 63rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (64th in leap years). ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... The Everly Brothers are a pair of brothers who were top-selling country-influenced rock and roll performers, best known for their acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing, who had their greatest success in the 1950s. ...

'Substitute' eventually peaked at #5 in the UK while in the U.S. it was issued as Atco 45-6409 on April 2, 1966 in an edited version, one that replaced the line, "I look all white but my dad was black" with "I try going forward but my feet walk back." (This alternate was also issued by Polydor in South Africa.) The single did not chart in the U.S., nor did it chart when it was re-released by Atco as 45-6509 in August of 1967. Years later, it was re-released in the UK on October 7, 1976 where, a decade after its original release, it went to #7. April 2 is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 273 days remaining. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... October 7 is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ...

I'm A Boy

"This is a longer and more relaxed version of the single which was edited and had fancy voices added," wrote Townshend. "The song, of course, is about a boy whose mother dresses him up as a girl and won't let him enjoy all the normal boyish pranks like slitting lizards' tummies and throwing rocks at passing cars. Real Alice Cooper syndrome. Of course Zappa said it all when he wrote the original Rock Opera. Nobody noticed, so he had to write a satire on the one Rock Opera people did notice. 'I'm A Boy' was my first attempt at a Rock Opera. Of course the subject matter is a little thin, then what of Tommy?" The original single version was produced by Kit Lambert and engineered by Paul Clay at IBC Studios between July 31 and August 1, 1966. Released in the UK as Reaction 591004 on August 26, 1966, it peaked at #2 (#1 in Melody Maker). The U.S. release, on Decca 32058, was delayed until December 10, 1966 and ultimately failed to chart. The alternate version on Meaty Beaty Big & Bouncy was originally intended for an early version of A Quick One before being set aside. Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948), is a rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans four decades. ... Frank Vincent Zappa[1] (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American composer, guitarist, singer, film director, and satirist. ... Freak Out! is the debut album of Frank Zappa and his group, the Mothers of Invention. ... Were Only in It For the Money is a rock n roll album by Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention. ... For other uses, see Sgt. ... Tommy (1969) is one of The Whos two full-scale rock operas, and the first musical work explicitly billed as a rock opera. ... The IBC Recording Studios (IBC: International Broadcasting Company) were recording studios in 35 Portland Place, London, England. ... July 31 is the 212th day (213th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 153 days remaining. ... August 1 is the 213th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (214th in leap years), with 152 days remaining. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... August 26 is the 238th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (239th in leap years). ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, 21 days before the next year. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... A Quick One (1966) is the second album released by British rock band The Who. ...

Happy Jack

"It was meant to be based on the Isle Of Man, which is an island where I spent a good part of my childhood, between England and Ireland," wrote Townshend. "It's got its own laws and everything. And my father, as a musician, used to play there a lot. And they have this peculiar beachcomber there, has an image sort of like Moondog, you know. And I spent a lot of time mocking him, and so did most of the kids, but he always seemed to be happy and he didn't mind. I don't even know what his name was. He used to try and come up and lead the donkeys that the kids rode on the beach. He used to try and come up and lead them, and then they'd chase him off. But he used to take everything kindly. Didn't matter. Once he was sleeping on the beach and they actually physically buried him, and he would be suffocating, but he just laughed at them. It taught me something." Townshend also wrote that the last words of the song came from an attempt to restrain Keith Moon from singing on this track: "Kit had to make [Keith] promise to lay on the floor in the control room down behind the glass so nobody could see him. So he lay there on the ground all the way through the number. And just at the very last few bars, his little head comes up and goes down again. And I shouted out, 'I saw ya!'" Released in the UK as Reaction 591010 on December 3, 1966, "Happy Jack" peaked at #3. Released in the U.S. as Decca 32114 March 18, 1967, the song peaked #24 on the Billboard charts, making it The Who's first U.S. Top 40 single. Beachcomber was a nom de plume used by surrealist humorous columnists D. B. Wyndham-Lewis and John Bingham Morton as authors of a Daily Express column called By the Way. The column was written by Wyndham-Lewis between 1917 and 1924 and subsequently by Morton until 1975; it was revived... December 3 is the 337th (in leap years the 338th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... March 18 is the 77th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (78th in leap years). ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... Top 40 is a radio format based on frequent repetition of songs from a constantly-updated list of the forty best-selling singles. ...

Boris The Spider

"The only non-Townshend track on the album is also a non-single," wrote Townshend. "Politics or my own shaky vanity might be the reason, but 'Boris The Spider' was never released as a single and should have been a hit. It was the most-requested song we ever played on stage, and if this really means anything to you guitar players, it was Hendrix's favorite Who song. Which rubbed me up well the wrong way, I can tell you. John introduced us to 'Boris' in much the same way as I introduced us to our 'Generation;' through a tape recorder. We assembled in John's three by ten-foot bedroom and listened incredulously as the strange and haunting chords emerged. Laced with words about the slightly gruesome death of a spider, the song had enough charm to send me back to my pad writing hits furiously." "Boris The Spider" was released on the UK LP A Quick One on December 3, 1966, and on the U.S. LP Happy Jack in May of 1967. A Quick One (1966) is the second album released by British rock band The Who. ... December 3 is the 337th (in leap years the 338th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... Happy Jack is a song by the British rock band The Who. ...

Pictures of Lily

"Merely a ditty about masturbation and the importance of it to a young man," wrote Townshend. "I was really diggin' at my folks who, when catching me at it, would talk in loud voices in the corridor outside my room. 'Why can't he go with girls like other boys?'" The recording was released in the UK as Track 604002 on April 22, 1967, where it reached #4. Released in the U.S. as Decca 32156 on June 24, 1967, the U.S. radio stations, unlike the UK pirate stations, objected to the lyrics and it stalled at #51 in Billboard. Mulher sentada de coxas abertas, 1916 drawing by Gustav Klimt Masturbation refers to sexual stimulation, particularly of ones own genitals and often to the point of orgasm, which is performed manually, by other types of bodily contact (except for sexual intercourse), by use of objects or tools, or by... April 22 is the 112th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (113th in leap years). ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... June 24 is the 175th day of the year (176th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 190 days remaining. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ...

I Can See for Miles

"The real production masterpiece in the Who/Lambert coalition was, of course, 'I Can See for Miles,'" wrote Townshend. Despite his tongue-in-cheek tone, Townshend was echoing the sentiments expressed by many rock critics, and the single remains one of the most celebrated recordings in rock history. "The version here is not the mono [mix], which is a pity because the mono makes the stereo sound like The Carpenters," adds Townshend. "We cut the track in London at CBS Studios and brought the tapes to Gold Star studios in Hollywood to mix and master them. Gold Star has the nicest sounding echo in the world. And there is just a little of that on the mono. Plus, a touch of home-made compressor in Gold Star's cutting room. I swoon when I hear the sound. The words, which aging senators have called 'drug oriented,' are about a jealous man with exceptionally good eyesight. Honest." "I Can See for Miles" was first released in the U.S. as Decca 32206 and hit the charts on October 7, 1967 reaching #9 on the Billboard charts, the highest ranking for any Who single. In the UK, it was released as Track 604011 on October 14, 1967 where Pete was certain it would make it to #1, but it only reached #10, tying with "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" as their poorest British chart performance to date. As a result, Townshend began to lose confidence in himself as a composer of singles. It's been known that this song inspired Paul McCartney to write Helter Skelter. McCartney claimed he wanted to do the loudest and sweatiest song possible to compete with The Who. The Carpenters were a vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of siblings Karen and Richard Carpenter. ... ... October 7 is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... October 14 is the 287th day of the year (288th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... Sir James Paul McCartney MBE (born June 18, 1942) is a Grammy Award-winning English singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who first gained worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles. ... This article is about the Beatles song. ...

Magic Bus

"When I wrote 'Magic Bus,' LSD wasn't even invented as far as I knew," wrote Townshend. "Drug songs and veiled references to drugs were not part of The Who image. If you were in The Who and took drugs, you said, 'I take drugs,' and waited for the fuzz to come. We said it but they never came. We very soon got bored with drugs. No publicity value. Buses, however! Just take another look at Decca's answer to an overdue Tommy; The Who, Magic Bus, On Tour . Great title, swinging presentation. Also a swindle as far as insinuating that the record was live. Bastards. This record is what that record should have been. It's The Who at their early best. Merely nippers with big noses and small genitals trying to make the front page of The Daily News." "Magic Bus" was originally written by Townshend sometime between late 1965 and early 1966. It was considered as a possible single between "My Generation" and "Substitute," but a group called The Pudding recorded their own version and released it in April of 1967. In 1969, Townshend said The Who's version was also recorded in 1967 at IBC Studios in London. "It was recorded at a time when we had just returned from our first trip to America having been conned left, right and center and no one really wanted to make a single except Kit Lambert whose job was to see that we did," Townshend said. "We all got absolutely paralytic drunk one lunch time and by the time we arrived at the studio no one cared what we did. 'Magic Bus' was just a lot of fun - Keith bashing about and [Jess Roden] from the Alan Bown Set singing in that Stevie Winwood type voice on the record." According to engineer Damon Lyon-Shaw, this happened at the May 29, 1968 sessions and the recording was taken and never returned by Kit Lambert. Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly called LSD, LSD-25, or acid. ... Tommy (1969) is one of The Whos two full-scale rock operas, and the first musical work explicitly billed as a rock opera. ... Magic Bus: The Who on Tour is an album by British rock band The Who, released in the United States on November 30, 1968. ... Stephen Lawrence Winwood (born May 12, 1948 in Great Barr, West Midlands) is an English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who, in addition to his solo career, was a member of the bands the Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, and Blind Faith. ... May 29 is the 149th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (150th in leap years). ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ...

Released first in the U.S. as Decca 32362 on July 27, 1968, "Magic Bus" reached #25 in the Billboard charts. The UK release, on Track 604024, followed on September 18, 1968 and went to #26. The version featured on the original Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy LP is a rare, long version mixed in mono. When the album was mastered for CD by Steve Hoffman, the true stereo mix from the Magic Bus: The Who on Tour LP was used; it was longer than the original, mono single release but shorter than the long, mono version featured on the earlier LP pressings of Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy. July 27 is the 208th day (209th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 157 days remaining. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ... September 18 is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years). ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ... Magic Bus: The Who on Tour is an album by British rock band The Who, released in the United States on November 30, 1968. ...

Pinball Wizard

"'Pinball Wizard' is, quite simply, quite pimply, from Tommy," wrote Townshend. "It's my favorite song on the album and was actually written as a ploy to get Nik Cohn, who is an avid pinball player to be a little more receptive to my plans for a Rock Opera. Nik writes on and off for the New York Times. I know which side my Aronowitz is buttered, mate!" Released in the UK as Track 604027 on March 7, 1969, ahead of Tommy's release, it reached #4 on the charts. The U.S. issue, Decca 732465, came out March 22, 1969 and peaked at #19 in Billboard. "Pinball Wizard" was also The Who's first single issued in stereo. Pinball is a type of coin-operated arcade game where a player attempts to score points by manipulating one or more metal balls on a playfield inside a glass covered case called a pinball machine. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... March 7 is the 66th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (67th in leap years). ... For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ... March 22 is the 81st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (82nd in leap years). ... For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ...

The Seeker

"I suppose I like this least of all the stuff," wrote Townshend. "It suffered from being the first thing we did after Tommy, and also from being recorded a few too many times. We did it once at my home studio, then at IBC where we normally worked then with Kit Lambert producing. Then Kit had a tooth pulled, breaking his jaw, and we did it ourselves. The results are impressive. It sounded great in the mosquito-ridden swamp I made it up in, Florida at three in the morning drunk out of my brain with Tom Wright and John Wolf. But that's always where the trouble starts, in the swamp. The alligator turned into an elephant and finally stampeded itself to death on stages around England. I don't think we even got to play it in the States." Released in the UK as Track 604036 on March 21, 1970, it reached #19 in the charts. Released in the U.S. as Decca 732729, it hit the Billboard charts on April 11, 1970, eventually peaking at #44. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... March 21 is the 80th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (81st in leap years). ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... April 11 is the 101st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (102nd in leap years). ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ...

Album cover and photographs

The album's original title was The Who Looks Back and the front cover was meant to illustrate that - The Who can be seen looking at four children representing each member of the band in their childhood years. However, the children pictured are actually four kids rounded up in 1971 and dressed up to look like the young Who. One of them is Who manager Bill Curbishley's brother Paul.

The album cover makes a brief appearance as an in-joke / sight gag on the episode of The Simpsons that features The Who, "A Tale of Two Springfields". An in joke is a joke whose humour is clear only to those people who are in a group that has some prior knowledge (not known by the whole population) that makes the joke humorous. ... In comedy, a Sight Gag is anything which conveys its humour visually, often without words being used at all. ... Simpsons redirects here. ... A Tale of Two Springfields is an episode from season twelve of the animated TV series The Simpsons. ...

The panaromic photograph gracing the album's inside cover is an exterior shot of the Railway Hotel. In this photograph, a poster advertising a May 18^th performance by The Who dates from 1965, however the photograph was actually taken in 1971. May 18 is the 138th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (139th in leap years). ...

The Railway Hotel was run by Pete Townshend's friend Richard Barnes and was a popular hangout for Mods. Soon after Keith Moon joined the band, The Who became a regular attraction there beginning in June of 1964, performing on every Tuesday night. It was at the Railway Hotel that Townshend accidentally cracked his guitar neck on the low ceiling. In response to laughter from the crowd, he then smashed his guitar for the very first time.

The Railway Hotel eventually burned down in March of 2000; each of the blocks of flats that now grace the site is named after a member of the band.

Track listing

All songs written by Pete Townshend unless specified.

1. "I Can't Explain" – 2:05
2. "The Kids Are Alright" – 2:45
3. "Happy Jack" – 2:12
4. "I Can See for Miles" – 4:06
5. "Pictures of Lily" – 2:43
6. "My Generation" – 3:18
7. "The Seeker" – 3:11
8. "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" (Daltrey-Townshend) – 2:42
9. "Pinball Wizard" – 2:59
10. "A Legal Matter" – 2:48
11. "Boris the Spider" (Entwistle) – 2:28
12. "Magic Bus" – 3:21
13. "Substitute" – 3:49
14. "I'm a Boy" (alternate version) – 3:41

I Cant Explain is a song released by English rock band The Who in 1965, but primarily written by Pete Townshend and produced by Shel Talmy. ... The Kids Are Alright is a song written by Pete Townshend of The Who. ... Happy Jack is a song by the British rock band The Who. ... I Can See For Miles is a song written by Pete Townshend of The Who, which was recorded for the bands 1967 album, The Who Sell Out. ... This article is about the song. ... The Seeker is a song written by Pete Townshend and performed by English rock band The Who, and featured on their 1971 compilation album Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy. ... Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere was a single released by The Who in 1965. ... Pinball Wizard is a song written by Pete Townshend and performed by The Who for the 1969 rock opera Tommy. ... Magic Bus is one of The Whos most popular songs. ... Substitute is a song by The Who written by Pete Townshend. ...

Personnel

• Roger Daltrey - Lead vocals
• Pete Townshend - guitar, keyboards, vocals
• John Entwistle - bass guitar, brass, vocals
• Keith Moon - drums, percussion
• Nicky Hopkins - keyboards, piano

Roger Harry Daltrey, CBE (born 1 March 1944) is a rock vocalist, songwriter, and actor, best known as the founder and lead singer of The Who, an English rock band. ... In music a singer or vocalist is a type of musician who sings, i. ... Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (born May 19, 1945 in Chiswick, London) is an English rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, and composer who is best known as the guitarist and principal songwriter for the rock band The Who. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Parts of the guitar. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... John Alec Entwistle (October 9, 1944 – June 27, 2002) was the bass guitar player for The Who, as well as secondary songwriter, singer, and horn player. ... Martin EB18 Bass Guitar in flight case. ... Keith John Moon (August 23, 1946 – September 7, 1978) was the drummer of the rock group The Who. ... A drum kit (or drum set or trap set) is mostly a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments arranged for convenient playing by a single drummer. ... Nicholas Nicky Hopkins (February 24, 1944 in Ealing, West London – September 6, 1994 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA) was an English musician who featured on scores of the most important British and American popular music recordings of the 1960s and 1970s, playing piano and organ. ... Piano, a well-known instance of keyboard instruments A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. ...

Personnel - Production

• Shel Talmy - producer
• Kit Lambert - producer
• Graham Hughes - album photography
• Mike Shaw - album design
• Bill Curbishley - album design
• Steve Hoffman - CD mastering (uncredited)