Album
The Who by Numbers
The Who by Numbers is the seventh studio album by the English rock band, released on 3 October 1975 through Polydor. It followed Quadrophenia from 1973 and came before Who Are You in 1978, so it sits at the midpoint of the band's 1970s run. In the United States it came out a few days later on MCA.
Critics took to it at the time: it placed tenth in the Village Voice Pazz & Jop poll of the year's best albums. For listeners who know the band mainly through the grand concept pieces of Tommy and Quadrophenia, it makes a worthwhile contrast, a stand-alone collection of songs that sits in the rock and hard rock camp with a pop rock edge.
The Who by Numbers: tracklist, credits and charts
10 tracks · 37:30Tracklist
- 1Slip KidPete Townshend4:31
- 2However Much I BoozePete Townshend5:05
- 3Squeeze BoxPete Townshend2:43
- 4Dreaming From the WaistPete Townshend4:10
- 5Imagine a ManPete Townshend4:07
- 6Success StoryJohn Entwistle3:25
- 7They Are All in LovePete Townshend3:03
- 8Blue Red and GreyPete Townshend2:51
- 9How Many FriendsPete Townshend4:09
- 10In a Hand or a FacePete Townshend3:25
- Produced by
- Glyn Johns, Bill Curbishley
- Recorded at
- Eel Pie Studios, Ramport Studios, Shepperton Studios, Shepperton Studios' soundstage (Shepperton, Surrey, England) using Ronnie Lane's Mobile Studio
- Recorded
- April – 12 June 1975
- Mastered by
- Doug Sax
- Artwork
- John Entwistle
- Labels
- Polydor, MCA (US)
- Length
- 37:30
Line-up
- John Entwistle · electric bass guitar, background vocals · guest
- Keith Moon · drums (drum set) · guest
- Pete Townshend · accordion, acoustic guitar, banjo, electric guitar, background vocals · guest
- Roger Daltrey · lead vocals · guest
- Nicky Hopkins · piano
Singles
- “Squeeze Box” · November 1975
- “Slip Kid” · August 1976
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1975–1976 | 7 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1975–1976 | 8 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1975–1976 | 9 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1975–1976 | 29 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1975–1976 | 29 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Canada · 1976 | Gold |
| United Kingdom · 1976 | Gold |
| United States · 1993 | Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
74.2
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
3.0k
ListenBrainz listeners
96k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
5.8k
Deezer fans (all editions)
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More from The Who
Full discography →
My Generation
1965
Ready Steady Who
1966
A Quick One
1966
The Who
1967
The Who Sell Out
1967
Number Two
1968
Magic Bus: The Who on Tour
1968
Direct Hits
1968
Tommy
1969
Live at Leeds
1970
Who’s Next
1971
Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy
1971
Quadrophenia
1973
Odds & Sods
1974
Investigacion de mercado
1975
Tommy
1975
Substitute
1976
The Story of The Who
1976
Who Are You
1978
The Kids Are Alright
1979
Face Dances
1981
Hooligans
1981
It’s Hard
1982
Who’s Greatest Hits
1983
The Singles
1984
Who’s Last
1984
Who’s Missing
1985
Two’s Missing
1987
This Is My Generation
1988
Who’s Better, Who’s Best
1988
Won’t Get Fooled Again
1988
Join Together
1990
Thirty Years of Maximum R&B
1994
My Generation – The Very Best of The Who
1996
Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970
1996
20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of The Who
1999
BBC Sessions
2000
The Who Live: The Blues to the Bush 1999
2000
Live at the Royal Albert Hall
2001
The Ultimate Collection
2002
Then and Now
2004
Live From Toronto
2006
Endless Wire
2006
Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who
2008
Greatest Hits
2009
Greatest Hits Live
2010
Live at Hull 1970
2012
Quadrophenia: Live in London
2014
The Who Hits 50!
2014
Live at Shea Stadium 1982
2015
Ready Steady Who Two
2016
Ready Steady Who Three
2017
Live at the Fillmore East 1968
2018
WHO
2019
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + wikidata; also seen: 1975-10-18 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 18 October 1975 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 3 October 1975 | |
| Wikidata | 3 October 1975 | |
| UK / Europe release | 18 October 1975 | earliest UK or European date |
16 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | CA | MCA Records | 076731119724 | other |
| — | US | MCA Records | 076741700226 | other |
| — | US | BMG Direct Marketing, Inc. | other | |
| 1975 | DK | Polydor | other | |
| 18 October 1975 | GB | Polydor | original | |
| 1985 | US | — | other | |
| 1986 | US | MCA Records | 076741700226 | other |
| 1987 | US | MCA Records | 076731119724 | other |
| 1987 | DE | Polydor | 042283155220 | other |
| 28 December 1987 | US | MCA Records | 076731119724 | other |
| 1996 | CA | MCA Records Canada | 008811149321 | other |
| 19 November 1996 | US | MCA Records | 008811149321 | other |
| 3 December 1996 | DE | Polydor | 731453384422 | other |
| 2008 | US | Classic Records | 746424901294 | deluxe |
| 21 December 2011 | JP | Polydor | 4988005690791 | other |
| 4 November 2014 | US | Geffen | 602537945979 | other |
Cover art sources
deezer · upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1200×1200 | upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25) |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |
| coverartarchive | 297×300 | upscaled |