Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy by The Who, album cover
Album · Compilation · 55 years old this year

Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy

LabelTrack
Popularity47.4

Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy is a compilation of singles by the English rock band the Who, issued on 30 October 1971. In the UK it came out on Track, and in the US on Decca. It arrived in the same year as Who's Next, so it works as a companion piece: where the studio albums stretched out, this one gathers the band's shorter, sharper statements in a single place.

It did well on both sides of the Atlantic, reaching number 9 in the UK and number 11 on the US Billboard 200. For anyone coming to the band through the albums, it is a handy way to hear their mod-flavoured rock and roll and pop rock in concentrated form, and a reminder that the Who were a singles band long before they were anything else.

Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy: tracklist, credits and charts

14 tracks · 42:45

Tracklist

  1. 1I Can’t ExplainPete Townshend2:05
  2. 2The Kids Are AlrightPete Townshend2:42
  3. 3Happy JackPete Townshend2:14
  4. 4I Can See for MilesPete Townshend3:55
  5. 5Pictures of LilyPete Townshend2:37
  6. 6My GenerationPete Townshend3:15
  7. 7The SeekerPete Townshend3:12
  8. 8Anyway, Anyhow, AnywhereRoger Daltrey and Pete Townshend2:35
  9. 9Pinball WizardPete Townshend3:00
  10. 10A Legal MatterPete Townshend2:47
  11. 11Boris the SpiderJohn Entwistle2:26
  12. 12Magic BusPete Townshend4:28
  13. 13SubstitutePete Townshend3:47
  14. 14I’m a BoyPete Townshend3:42
Produced by
Shel Talmy, Kit Lambert, The Who
Executive producer
Chris Stamp
Recorded at
Pye Studios, IBC Studios, Regent Sound Studios, Morgan Studios, Olympic Sound Studios
Recorded
1964–1970
Engineered by
Damon Lyon-Shaw
Labels
Track, Decca/MCA (US and Canada), Track/Polydor
Length
42:45

Line-up

  • John Entwistle · bass, vocals, electric bass guitar, background vocals, lead vocals
  • Perry Ford · piano · guest
  • Keith Moon · percussion, drums (drum set), background vocals
  • Jimmy Page · guitar · guest
  • Pete Townshend · guitar, vocals, cello, electric guitar, background vocals, lead vocals
  • Roger Daltrey · lead vocals
  • The Ivy League · background vocals · guest
  • Nicky Hopkins · piano · guest
  • The Who · guest

Peak chart positions

ChartPeak
UK Albums Chart · 19719
US Billboard Pop Albums · 197111

Certifications

RegionCertification
United StatesPlatinum

From MusicBrainz and Wikipedia. Only what the sources record is shown.

47.4
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
9
ListenBrainz listeners
63k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
4.7k
Deezer fans (all editions)

Released the same week

Also released on 30 October

Every year →

More from The Who

Full discography →

The best of 1971

All of 1971 →

Releases and pressings

How we know the release date musicbrainz + wikidata
SourceDateNote
MusicBrainz30 October 1971
Wikipedia infoboxNovember 1971
Wikidata30 October 1971
US release30 October 1971earliest US date
UK / Europe release1971earliest UK or European date
12 editions
DateCountryLabelBarcodeKind
—XWGeffen0076733700128other
—CA—other
—CAMCA Records076733700128other
1971GBTrackother
30 October 1971USDecca Recordsoriginal
1985US—other
1985USMCA Recordsother
1988USMCA Records076741700127other
30 January 1990CAMCA Records076733700128other
16 June 1998USMCA Records076733700128other
2007JPPolydor4988005478245other
27 October 2017XEPolydor602557748284other
Cover art sources

deezer · upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)

SourceSizeVerdict
deezer ✓1200×1200upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)
fanarttv1000×1000upscaled
coverartarchive600×600upscaled