Album
Who Are You
Who Are You is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Who, released on 18 August 1978 through Polydor in the UK. It followed The Who by Numbers (1975) and came after a three-year gap between studio records. Critics were mixed on it at the time, but record buyers weren't: it climbed to number 2 on the US Billboard 200 and number 6 on the UK Albums Chart.
The record carries extra weight as the last studio album with Keith Moon on drums. He died three weeks after its release, and the words "Not to Be Taken Away" stencilled on the chair in the cover photograph struck some critics as an eerie coincidence. It is worth hearing as the closing chapter of the band's first era, and as a final studio document of Moon's work with them. It sits between the ambitions of Quadrophenia and the changed band that made Face Dances (1981).
Who Are You: tracklist, credits and charts
9 tracks · 42:21Tracklist
- 1New SongPete Townshend4:18
- 2Had EnoughJohn Entwistle4:30
- 3905John Entwistle3:56
- 4Sister DiscoPete Townshend4:24
- 5Music Must ChangePete Townshend4:41
- 6Trick of the LightJohn Entwistle4:15
- 7Guitar and PenPete Townshend5:50
- 8Love Is Coming DownPete Townshend4:03
- 9Who Are YouPete Townshend6:24
- Produced by
- Jon Astley, Glyn Johns
- Recorded at
- Eel Pie Studios, Ramport Studios (London), RAK Studios (London), Olympic, London, St John's Wood, Pete Townshend's own studio in Goring-on-Thames
- Recorded
- September 1977 – April 1978
- Mixed by
- Jon Astley
- Labels
- Polydor, MCA (US)
- Length
- 42:21
Line-up
- John Entwistle · bass guitar, synthesizer, vocals, horn, lead vocals
- Keith Moon · membranophone, percussion · guest
- Pete Townshend · guitar, piano, synthesizer, vocals · guest
- Roger Daltrey · lead vocals · guest
- Andy Fairweather‐Low · background vocals
- Billy Nicholls · background vocals · guest
- Rod Argent · synthesizer, piano
- Mike Nicholls · background vocals · guest
- Michael Nichols · background vocals · guest
Singles
- “Who Are You" / "Had Enough” · 14 July 1978
- “Trick of the Light" / "905” · December 1978
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 · 1978 | 2 |
| UK Albums Chart · 1978 | 6 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1978 | 2 |
| German Rock & Metal Albums (Offizielle Top 100) · 2025 | 4 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1978 | 9 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1978 | 13 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1978 | 21 |
| Swedish Albums · 1978 | 27 |
| Dutch Albums · 1978 | 29 |
| German Albums · 1978 | 49 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Canada | 2× Platinum |
| United Kingdom · 1978 | Gold |
| United States · 1993 | 2× Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
72.1
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
1.3k
ListenBrainz listeners
180k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
6.0k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 18 August
Every year →
More from The Who
Full discography →
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1965
Ready Steady Who
1966
A Quick One
1966
The Who
1967
The Who Sell Out
1967
Number Two
1968
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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
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 + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 18 August 1978 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 18 August 1978 | |
| Wikidata | 18 August 1978 | |
| US release | 25 August 1978 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 18 August 1978 | earliest UK or European date |
23 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | XW | Geffen | 00602567827801 | other |
| — | US | Geffen | 0602567832898 | other |
| — | CA | MCA Records Canada | 076741700325 | other |
| 18 August 1978 | GB | Polydor | original | |
| 25 August 1978 | US | MCA Records | other | |
| 1981 | US | Direct-to-Disk Labs | other | |
| 1985 | US | — | other | |
| 1987 | DE | Polydor | 042283155725 | other |
| 30 September 1987 | JP | Polydor | 4988005023834 | other |
| 26 August 1988 | US | MCA Records | 076741700325 | other |
| 15 June 1992 | US | MCA Records | 015775156128 | other |
| 1996 | US | BMG Direct | other | |
| 19 November 1996 | US | MCA Records | 008811149222 | other |
| 3 December 1996 | XE | Polydor | 731453384521 | other |
| 2009 | US | Polydor | 0040321661566 | other |
| 21 December 2011 | JP | Polydor | 4988005690807 | other |
| 20 February 2013 | JP | Polydor | 4988005749642 | other |
| 2015 | US | Geffen | other | |
| 2015 | XE | Polydor | 602537156306 | other |
| 31 October 2025 | GB | Polydor | 602448865113 | other |
| 31 October 2025 | GB | Universal Music Recordings | 602448864871 | deluxe |
| 31 October 2025 | GB | Universal Music Recordings | 602465870565 | other |
| 31 October 2025 | CA | UMC | 602465820119 | deluxe |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 3000x3000
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 3000×3000 | native: native 3000x3000 |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |