Album
The Who Sell Out
The Who Sell Out is the band's third studio album, released on 15 December 1967. It is a concept record built like a pirate radio broadcast from Radio London, with unrelated songs sandwiched between spoof adverts and public service announcements. "Heinz Baked Beans" is the second track. The joke in the title was deliberate, since the Who had been recording real commercials at the time.
Pete Townshend wrote most of the songs, with three from John Entwistle and one from Speedy Keen, and Al Kooper guests on two tracks. Kit Lambert produced. "I Can See for Miles" was the only single, reaching number 10 in the UK and number 9 in the US, where it remains their sole Top 10 hit. The album peaked at number 13 in the UK, their lowest placing there, yet critics have rated it very highly, and some consider it the group's best record.
The Who Sell Out: tracklist, credits and charts
13 tracks · 38:55Tracklist
- 1Armenia City in the SkyJohn David Keen3:38
- 2Heinz Baked BeansJohn Entwistle1:05
- 3Mary Anne With the Shaky HandPete Townshend2:26
- 4OdoronoPete Townshend2:24
- 5TattooPete Townshend3:00
- 6Our Love WasPete Townshend3:14
- 7I Can See for MilesPete Townshend4:18
- 8I Can’t Reach YouPete Townshend3:30
- 9MedacJohn Entwistle0:57
- 10RelaxPete Townshend2:39
- 11Silas StingyJohn Entwistle3:05
- 12SunrisePete Townshend3:03
- 13Rael (1 and 2)Pete Townshend5:38
- Produced by
- Kit Lambert, Chris Stamp
- Executive producer
- Chris Stamp
- Recorded at
- CBS Studios, IBC Studios (Pye, De Lane Lea Studios and CBS, London), Talent Masters Studios, Gold Star Studios (Los Angeles), De Lane Lea Studios, Mirasound Studios, Columbia Studios, Talentmasters and Mirasound, New York City, Bradley's Barn, Nashville
- Recorded
- May–November 1967
- Labels
- Track Record, Track (UK), Decca (US)
- Length
- 38:55
Line-up
- John Entwistle · bass guitar, horn, vocals, lead vocals
- Keith Moon · drums (drum set), percussion, vocals
- Pete Townshend · guitar, vocals, lead vocals
- Roger Daltrey · lead vocals, vocals
- John David Keen · vocals · guest
- Al Kooper · Hammond organ · guest
Singles
- “I Can See for Miles” · October 1967
- “Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand” · 2 February 1968 (Netherlands)
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1967–1968 | 13 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1967–1968 | 48 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1967–1968 | 8 |
| German Albums · 2021 | 19 |
| Swiss Albums · 2021 | 26 |
| Austrian Albums · 2021 | 34 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 2021 | 51 |
| Dutch Albums · 2021 | 77 |
| Spanish Albums · 2021 | 94 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 2021 | 97 |
All 11 charts
| French Albums · 2021 | 120 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom · 2013 | Silver |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
80.7
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
5.3k
ListenBrainz listeners
147k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
7.2k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 15 December
Every year →
More from The Who
Full discography →
My Generation
1965
Ready Steady Who
1966
A Quick One
1966
The Who
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
The Who by Numbers
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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A 2000 años luz de la tierra
The Rolling Stones · 1967
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
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Their Satanic Majesties Request
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Between the Buttons
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More on Track Record
The label →Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + wikidata; also seen: 1967-12-16 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 16 December 1967 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 15 December 1967 | |
| Wikidata | 15 December 1967 | |
| UK / Europe release | 16 December 1967 | earliest UK or European date |
31 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | XW | Universal UMC | other | |
| — | CA | MCA Records | 076731133225 | other |
| 16 December 1967 | GB | Track Record | original | |
| November 1970 | GB | Track Record | other | |
| 1971 | US | Decca Records | other | |
| 1988 | XE | Polydor | 042283572720 | other |
| 1 October 1988 | US | MCA Records | 076731133225 | other |
| 1 December 1988 | JP | Polydor | 4988005043221 | other |
| 1990 | CA | MCA Records | 076731133225 | other |
| 1 September 1994 | JP | Polydor | 4988005143303 | other |
| 1995 | CA | MCA Records Canada | 008811126827 | other |
| 20 June 1995 | US | MCA Records | 008811126827 | other |
| 4 July 1995 | DE | Polydor | 731452775924 | other |
| 1998 | US | MCA Records | 076743133220 | other |
| 2005 | US | Classic Records | other | |
| 25 July 2007 | JP | Universal International | 4988005478214 | remaster |
| 16 March 2009 | GB | Polydor | 600753153369 | deluxe |
| 1 April 2009 | JP | Universal International | 4988005554987 | deluxe |
| 30 May 2012 | JP | Polydor | 4988005711731 | other |
| 6 January 2015 | US | Geffen | 602537945924 | other |
| 6 January 2015 | US | Geffen | other | |
| 2020 | GB | Polydor | 602577114274 | other |
| 2021 | — | Universal | 602435471501 | deluxe |
| 1 April 2021 | XW | UMC | 602435691169 | deluxe |
| 23 April 2021 | XW | Polydor | 602577114205 | deluxe |
| 23 April 2021 | XW | Universal Music Recordings | 00602435471310 | deluxe |
| 23 April 2021 | — | Polydor | 602435471389 | deluxe |
| 23 April 2021 | XW | Polydor | 602577114205 | deluxe |
| 8 July 2022 | XW | UMC | 602435599830 | remaster |
| — | — | MCA Records | 00008811126827 | deluxe |
| — | — | — | 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 | 599×535 | rejected |