The Who – The Who Sell Out (Super Deluxe Edition) (1967/2021) [FLAC 24bit/96kHz]

The Who‘s 1967 album The Who Sell Out will be reissued as a seven-disc super deluxe edition box set in April. The album was originally planned by Pete Townshend and the band’s managers (Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp) as a loose concept album with jingles and commercials linking the songs. This approach was partly because the record label were demanding a new record and Townshend felt as if he didn’t have enough songs!

In the end, rather than actually going as far as to sell advertising space on the album, the band opted to write their own jingles, with a nod to pirate radio stations and an increasingly consumerist society. The iconic sleeve plays an important part of the overriding concept and was created by David King who was the art director at the Sunday Times, and Roger Law (yes, the guy who invented UK TV’s Spitting Image show, in the 1980s).

Only The Who’s third album, The Who Sell Out is regarded highly and features the transatlantic top ten hit ‘I Can See For Miles’.

It’s a bit strange to think that an album that originally contained 13 tracks could be re-released in a collector’s edition, or more precisely a Super Deluxe edition that boasts a hundred songs to get stuck into. But that is exactly what is on offer in this exceptional re-release of The Who’s Sell Out, which is rich in surprises and other rare treats. When first released in 1967, the album shocked some audiences who didn’t always understand quite what the group was trying to do. With advertising jingles interspersed between the tracks, the album feels more like a pirate radio broadcast emanating from The Boat That Rocked.

Offbeat, and adopting a somewhat sarcastic tone, The Who Sell Out was an amazing journey. Although it is not quite a concept album (as was Tommy, released in 1969), a connecting thread does run through it, and it enjoys a real sense of overall coherence. In particular, it was an opportunity for The Who to get more closely acquainted with psychedelia, a few months after the release of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Pink Floyd’s Piper at the Gates of Dawn. The band go easy on powerful riffs, and put more of an emphasis on the pop side of things, bolstered with a smattering of hallucinogenics, but they manage to not lost in endless flights of fancy and lashings of echo and reverb. The Who Sell Out is very much an album of songs, and it contains some of the four-piece’s most famous tracks, such as the magnificent I Can See for Miles, which nestles among other gems like the incredible opening number Armenia City in the Sky and Tattoo. The result is a daring, audacious and adventurous record, which has not always been given the credit it deserves. But over the years it has been rehabilitated, thanks in large part to a number of generous reissues.

This Super Deluxe edition is surely the ultimate version for any fan wishing to soak up even more of the work’s off-beam atmosphere, charged with British humour and very elegant writing. In addition to the album’s mono and stereo mixes, we get a heap of bonus material like previously-unreleased versions of Pictures of Lilly (which was released at the time as a single) and of various songs recorded in studio sessions in 1967 and 1968… Most notably, there are 47 pieces which have never made it out of the archives until the present day, including 14 demos by Pete Townshend. It all adds up to a fitting tribute to an album that broke the mould, a kind of magical interlude flavoured with just the right amount of sarcasm. This record really highlights the songwriting talent of the guitarist, Townshend, who was then preparing for a sally into rock opera, but along the way he produced this seemingly-lightweight article, which in fact turned out to be a real masterpiece. – Chief Brody

Tracklist:

CD ONE: THE WHO SELL OUT – MONO ALBUM
01. Armenia City In The Sky (Mono Version)
02. Heinz Baked Beans (Mono Version)
03. Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand (Mono Version)
04. Odorono (Mono Version)
05. Tattoo (Mono Version)
06. Our Love Was (Mono Version)
07. I Can See For Miles (Mono Version)
08. I Can’t Reach You (Mono Version)
09. Medac (Mono Version)
10. Relax (Mono Version)
11. Silas Stingy (Mono Version)
12. Sunrise (Mono Version)
13. Rael (Pt.1 & Pt.2 / Track Records Run Out Groove / Mono Version)
14. Pictures Of Lily (Single Mix / Mono Version)
15. Doctor, Doctor (Single Mix / Mono Version)
16. The Last Time (UK Single Mix / Mono Version)
17. Under My Thumb (UK Single Mix / Mono Version)
18. I Can See For Miles (US Single Mix / Mono Version)
19. Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand (US Single Mix / Mono Version)
20. Someone’s Coming (US Single Mix / Mono Version)
21. Early Morning Cold Taxi (Incl. “Radio London News Bulletin” Jingle / 1967 Mono Version)
22. Jaguar (Incl. “Radio London News Bulletin” Jingle / 1967 Mono Version)
23. Tattoo (Early Alternate Mix / Mono Version)
24. Rael (Pt.1 & Pt.2 / Early Talentmasters Mix / Mono Version)
25. Our Love Was (Take 12 Rejected Mono Mix)
26. I Can See For Miles (Early Mono Version)
27. Someone’s Coming (UK Single Mix / Mono Version)
28. Magic Bus (US / UK Mono Version)
29. Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (US Single Mix / Mono Version)

CD TWO: THE WHO SELL OUT – STEREO ALBUM
01. Armenia City In The Sky (Incl. Two Radio London Jingles)
02. Heinz Baked Beans (Incl. “More Music” Jingle)
03. Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand (Acoustic / Incl. “Premier Drums Commercial” / Radio London Jingle)
04. Odorono (Incl. Radio London “Smooth Sailing” Jingle)
05. Tattoo (Incl. “Church Of Your Choice” Jingle)
06. Our Love Was (Incl. “Pussycat, Speakeasy & Rotosound” Jingles)
07. I Can See For Miles
08. I Can’t Reach You (Incl. “Charles Atlas” Commercial)
09. Medac
10. Relax
11. Silas Stingy
12. Sunrise
13. Rael (Pt.1 & Pt.2)
14. Rael Naïve (Full Coda)
15. Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand (Mirasound Version)
16. Summertime Blues (Stereo Version / 2014 HD Version)
17. Early Morning Cold Taxi
18. Girl’s Eyes
19. Coke After Coke (Stereo Version / 2014 HD Version)
20. Things Go Better With Coke (Stereo Version / 2014 HD Version)
21. In The Hall Of The Mountain King (Stereo Version / 2014 HD Version)
22. Jaguar
23. Rael (Pt.1 & Pt. 2 / IBC Remake)

CD THREE: STUDIO SESSIONS 1967 / 68
01. Glittering Girl (Take 4 / 2018 Mix)
02. Girl’s Eyes (Take 2 / 2018 Mix)
03. The Last Time (Take 8 / 2018 Mix)
04. Under My Thumb (Take 3 / 2018 Mix)
05. Our Love Was (Take 2)
06. Relax (4-Track To 4-Track Mix / 2018 Mix)
07. Relax (Take 1 & 2 / 2018 Mix)
08. Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand (Take 1 & 9 / 2018 Mix)
09. Relax (Remake Take 4)
10. I Can See For Miles (Full Version)
11. Medac (Take 11)
12. Odorono (Take 3 / Full Version / 2018 Mix)
13. Heinz Baked Beans (Take 1 & 3 / 2018 Mix)
14. Top Gear (Take 1, 2 & 5 / 2018 Mix)
15. Premier Drums (Take 1 & 4 / 2018 Mix)
16. Charles Atlas (Take 1)
17. Rotosound Strings (Take 1 / 2018 Mix)
18. Track Records (2018 Mix)
19. John Mason Cars / Speakeasy / Rotosound Strings / Bag O’ Nails (2018 Mix)
20. It’s A Girl (aka ‘Glow Girl’) (Take 2, 3 & 4)
21. Mr. Hyde (aka ‘Dr. Jekyll And Mr Hyde’) (Take 7 / First Stage Master / 2018 Mix)
22. Little Billy (aka ‘Little Billy’s Doing Fine’) (Take 1 & 3)
23. Mrs. Walker (aka ‘Glow Girl’) (Take 7 / 4-Track To 4-Track Mix)
24. Lightning (aka ‘Call Me Lightning’) (Take 1 & 8)
25. Dogs (Take 2)
26. Melancholia (Take 1)
27. Magic Bus (Take 6)

CD FOUR: THE 1968 RECORDINGS (‘THE ROAD TO TOMMY’)
01. Glow Girl (2018 Mix)
02. Faith In Something Bigger (2018 Mix)
03. Dr.Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (2018 Mix)
04. Call Me Lightning (2018 Mix)
05. Little Billy’s Doing Fine (2018 Mix)
06. Dogs (2018 Mix)
07. Melancholia (2018 Mix)
08. Fortune Teller (2018 Mix)
09. Facts Of Life (aka Birds And Bees) (Backing Track / 2018 Mix)
10. Call Me Lightning (Single Mix / Mono Version)
11. Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde (UK Single Mix / Mono Version)
12. Dogs (Single Mix / Mono Version)
13. Magic Bus (Long Version / Mono Version)

CD FIVE: PETE TOWNSHEND ORIGINAL DEMOS
01. Kids! Do You Want Kids (Pete Townshend Demo)
02. Relax (Pete Townshend Demo)
03. Glow Girl (Pete Townshend Demo)
04. Glow Girl (Version 2 / Pete Townshend Demo)
05. Inside Outside (Pete Townshend Demo)
06. Jaguar (Pete Townshend Demo)
07. Little Billy (Pete Townshend Demo)
08. Odorono (Pete Townshend Demo)
09. Pictures Of Lily (Pete Townshend Demo / New 2018 Mix)
10. Relax (Version 2 / Pete Townshend Demo)
11. Melancholia (Pete Townshend Demo / 2018 Mix)
12. Thinking (aka ‘Sunrise’) (Version 2 / Pete Townshend Demo)
13. Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand (Pete Townshend Demo)

Download:

mqs.link_TheWh0TheWh0Sell0ut1967SuperDeluxe20212496.part1.rar
mqs.link_TheWh0TheWh0Sell0ut1967SuperDeluxe20212496.part2.rar
mqs.link_TheWh0TheWh0Sell0ut1967SuperDeluxe20212496.part3.rar
mqs.link_TheWh0TheWh0Sell0ut1967SuperDeluxe20212496.part4.rar
mqs.link_TheWh0TheWh0Sell0ut1967SuperDeluxe20212496.part5.rar
mqs.link_TheWh0TheWh0Sell0ut1967SuperDeluxe20212496.part6.rar
mqs.link_TheWh0TheWh0Sell0ut1967SuperDeluxe20212496.part7.rar