Album · 55 years old this year
Who’s Next
Who's Next is the fifth studio album by the Who, released on 2 August 1971. It grew out of Lifehouse, Pete Townshend's ambitious multi-media rock opera, planned as the follow-up to Tommy. The project collapsed under its own complexity and clashes with manager Kit Lambert, so the band rescued the songs and dropped the connecting story. Eight of the nine tracks come from Lifehouse; the exception is John Entwistle's "My Wife".
Recorded with engineer Glyn Johns, the album leans heavily on synthesisers, most notably on the singles "Baba O'Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again". The cover, shot by Ethan Russell, nods to the monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey, with the band posed beside a concrete pillar on a slag heap. It was an immediate critical and commercial success, and many critics now rate it the Who's finest work. Rolling Stone placed it at number 77 in its 2020 list of the 500 greatest albums.
Who’s Next on Riffology
riffology.co →
In the battle
The daily album battle →- Won against Aladdin Sane 100% of 2 votes · 21 October 2026
Who’s Next: tracklist, credits and charts
9 tracks · 43:14Tracklist
- 1Baba O’RileyPete Townshend4:59
- 2BargainPete Townshend5:33
- 3Love Ain’t for KeepingPete Townshend2:11
- 4My WifeJohn Entwistle3:35
- 5The Song Is OverPete Townshend6:16
- 6Getting in TunePete Townshend4:49
- 7Going MobilePete Townshend3:40
- 8Behind Blue EyesPete Townshend3:40
- 9Won’t Get Fooled AgainPete Townshend8:31
- Produced by
- Glyn Johns, Keith Moon, The Who, Kit Lambert (tracks 10, 11, 16)
- Executive producer
- Pete Kameron, Kit Lambert, Chris Stamp
- Recorded at
- Olympic Studios (London, England), Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, Stargroves, East Woodhay, England (Rolling Stones Mobile Studio)
- Recorded
- April–June 1971
- Mixed by
- Glyn Johns
- Mixed at
- Basing Street Studios
- Engineered by
- Glyn Johns, Pete Townshend
- Labels
- MCA Records, Track (UK), Decca (US)
- Length
- 43:14
Line-up
- Dave Arbus · violin · guest
- John Entwistle · bass guitar, brass, vocals, piano, lead vocals
- Keith Moon · drums (drum set), percussion
- Pete Townshend · piano, synthesizer, organ, guitar, lead vocals, vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
- Roger Daltrey · lead vocals
- Nicky Hopkins · piano · guest
Singles
- “Won't Get Fooled Again” · 25 June 1971
- “Baba O'Riley” · October 1971 (Europe)
- “Behind Blue Eyes” · October 1971 (US)
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1971 | 1 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1971 | 4 |
| Dutch Albums · 1971 | 2 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1971 | 3 |
| Danish Albums (Hitlisten) · 1971 | 3 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1971 | 5 |
| Swedish Physical Albums (Sverigetopplistan) · 2023 | 5 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1971 | 6 |
| US Billboard Top Pop Catalog · 2014 | 7 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) · 1971 | 9 |
All 19 charts
| German Albums · 2023 | 14 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 2023 | 30 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 2023 | 35 |
| Austrian Albums · 2023 | 38 |
| Swiss Albums · 2023 | 39 |
| Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan) · 2023 | 46 |
| Spanish Albums · 2023 | 77 |
| Italian Albums · 2013 | 100 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 2023 | 173 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Italy · 2024 | Platinum |
| United Kingdom · 2018 | Platinum |
| United States | 3× Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
93.6
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
15k
ListenBrainz listeners
256k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
74k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 2 August
Every year →
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
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
The best of 1971
All of 1971 →![[Led Zeppelin IV] by Led Zeppelin, album cover](/img/2e61da88-39e9-3473-81d2-c964cb394952/300)
[Led Zeppelin IV]
Led Zeppelin · 1971
Sticky Fingers
The Rolling Stones · 1971
Hunky Dory
David Bowie · 1971
Meddle
Pink Floyd · 1971
Satisfacción
The Rolling Stones · 1971
You Better Move On / Poison Ivy / By Bye Johnny / Money
The Rolling Stones · 1971
Jumpin' Jack Flash
The Rolling Stones · 1971
Street Fighting Man
The Rolling Stones · 1971
If You Need Me / Empty Heart / Confessin’ the Blues / Around and Around
The Rolling Stones · 1971
Azucar Morena
The Rolling Stones · 1971
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones · 1971
Master of Reality
Black Sabbath · 1971
More on MCA Records
The label →
Enema of the State
blink‐182 · 1999
No Doubt
No Doubt · 1992
Hooligans
The Who · 1981
Constrictor
Alice Cooper · 1986
Odds & Sods
The Who · 1974
Alanis
Alanis Morissette · 1991
Raise Your Fist and Yell
Alice Cooper · 1987
Borrowed Time
Diamond Head · 1982
The Kids Are Alright
The Who · 1979
Who’s Missing
The Who · 1985
Who’s Last
The Who · 1984
Prince of Darkness
Alice Cooper · 1989
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia 1971-08-02; musicbrainz + wikidata 1971-08-14 (12 days apart, likely another territory)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 14 August 1971 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 2 August 1971 | |
| Wikidata | 14 August 1971 | United States |
| Wikidata | 25 August 1971 | United Kingdom |
| US release | 14 August 1971 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 25 August 1971 | earliest UK or European date |
72 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | FR | Polydor | 042281365126 | other |
| — | XE | Polydor | 008811305628 | other |
| — | US | MCA Records | other | |
| — | US | BMG Direct Marketing, Inc. | other | |
| — | US | MCA Records | other | |
| 1971 | CA | MCA Records | other | |
| 14 August 1971 | US | Decca Records | original | |
| 25 August 1971 | GB | Track Record | other | |
| September 1971 | DE | Polydor | other | |
| 1973 | US | MCA Records | other | |
| 1977 | US | MCA Records | other | |
| 1980 | US | MCA Records | 076732169117 | other |
| 1980 | CA | MCA Records | other | |
| 1983 | DE | Polydor | 042281365126 | other |
| 1984 | US | Sony DADC | other | |
| 1984 | CA | MCA Records | other | |
| 1984 | US | Sony DADC | 076741721726 | other |
| 1984 | US | — | other | |
| 17 December 1984 | US | — | other | |
| 1986 | CA | MCA Records | 076741721726 | other |
| 1 June 1986 | JP | Polydor | 4988005002549 | other |
| 1988 | GB | Polydor | 042281365126 | other |
| 1988 | US | — | 076741721726 | other |
| 1988 | GB | His Master’s Voice | other | |
| 1988 | US | MCA Records | other | |
| 1989 | CA | MCA Records Canada | other | |
| 1990 | DE | Polydor | 042281365126 | other |
| 20 July 1994 | CA | MCA Records | 076741721726 | other |
| 1995 | CA | MCA Records Canada | 008811126926 | other |
| 1995 | US | MCA Records | 008811116415 | other |
| 1995 | AU | Polydor | 0731452776020 | other |
| June 1995 | US | MCA Records | 008811126926 | other |
| 29 August 1995 | US | MCA Records | 008811131227 | remaster |
| 2 November 1995 | GB | Polydor | 731452776020 | other |
| 7 November 1995 | US | MCA Records | 008811126926 | other |
| 7 November 1995 | US | BMG Direct Marketing, Inc. | other | |
| 1998 | CA | MCA Records Canada | 076741721726 | other |
| 1999 | US | Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab | 015775475427 | other |
| 25 March 2003 | US | MCA Records | 008811305628 | deluxe |
| 1 April 2003 | DE | Polydor | 008811305628 | deluxe |
| 14 April 2003 | GB | Polydor | 008811305628 | deluxe |
| 19 May 2003 | XE | Decca Records | 044007617618 | deluxe |
| 2005 | US | Classic Records | other | |
| 21 September 2005 | JP | Polydor | 4988005402257 | other |
| 2008 | US | Classic Records | other | |
| 22 August 2008 | XE | Polydor | 042281365119 | other |
| 12 November 2008 | JP | Polydor | 4988005535481 | other |
| 25 August 2010 | JP | Polydor | 4988005614346 | other |
| 29 November 2012 | XE | Music on Vinyl | 0600753411087 | other |
| 25 September 2013 | JP | Polydor | 4988005782137 | other |
| 9 December 2014 | — | Geffen | 602547143723 | other |
| 9 December 2014 | US | Geffen | 602537946006 | deluxe |
| 2015 | XW | Geffen | 00602547269683 | deluxe |
| 17 March 2015 | XW | Geffen | 00602547269669 | deluxe |
| 23 March 2015 | XE | Track Record | 602537156146 | remaster |
| 7 January 2016 | — | Polydor | 00731452776020 | deluxe |
| 20 June 2018 | JP | Polydor | 4988031277140 | other |
| October 2019 | AL | Polydor | 00008811305628 | other |
| 2023 | XE | Polydor | 602435858265 | deluxe |
| 2023 | — | Polydor | 602435858401 | other |
| 21 July 2023 | — | UMC | 00602455995650 | other |
| 15 September 2023 | XW | Polydor | 602435859040 | other |
| 15 September 2023 | — | Universal Music Recordings | 00602445062423 | other |
| 15 September 2023 | XW | Universal Music Recordings | 602435873077 | deluxe |
| 15 September 2023 | — | UMC | 00602458480429 | other |
| 15 September 2023 | DE | Polydor | 602435858395 | other |
| 17 January 2025 | XW | Polydor | 602465963335 | other |
| 17 January 2025 | — | Polydor | 602465963335 | other |
| 28 August 2026 | US | Analogue Productions | 753088029011 | other |
| — | — | Polydor | 00731452776020 | other |
| — | — | Polydor | 731452776020 | other |
| — | — | Polydor Records | 00008811305628 | deluxe |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 1500x1500
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1500×1500 | native: native 1500x1500 |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |