The Story of The Who
Compilation album by
Released24 September 1976
GenreRock
Length89:27
LabelPolydor
The Who chronology
The Who by Numbers
(1975)
The Story of The Who
(1976)
Who Are You
(1978)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[1]

The Story of The Who is a 2-LP compilation album from The Who. The album was released in the UK in September 1976. The album reached number two in the UK charts.[2] Another version of this collection with a different track listing was also released in Japan. This collection has not been released on CD.

The exploding pinball machine comes from film shot for a TV advertisement of the album.[3]

John Entwistle didn't think the album was truly definitive. The Who could only release the tracks that they had the rights to.[3]

Track listing

All songs written by Pete Townshend except where noted.

Side one
  1. "Magic Bus" – 4:27 (Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy extended version)
  2. "Substitute" – 3:46
  3. "Boris the Spider" (John Entwistle) – 2:28
  4. "Run Run Run" – 2:29
  5. "I'm a Boy" – 3.40
  6. "(Love is Like A) Heat Wave" (Holland–Dozier–Holland) – 1.54
  7. "My Generation" (Live at Leeds edited version) – 2.31
Side two
  1. "Pictures of Lily" – 2:44
  2. "Happy Jack" – 2:13
  3. "The Seeker" – 3:12
  4. "I Can See for Miles" – 4:17
  5. "Bargain" – 5:31
  6. "Squeeze Box" – 2:42
Side three
  1. "Amazing Journey" – 3:23
  2. "The Acid Queen" – 3:34
  3. "Do You Think It's Alright?" – 0:26
  4. "Fiddle About" (Entwistle) – 1:30
  5. "Pinball Wizard" – 2.58
  6. "I'm Free" – 2:39
  7. "Tommy's Holiday Camp" (Keith Moon) – 0:57
  8. "We're Not Gonna Take It" – 7:01
Side four
  1. "Summertime Blues" (Live at Leeds) (Eddie Cochran and Jerry Capehart) – 3:29
  2. "Baba O'Riley" – 4.59
  3. "Behind Blue Eyes" – 3:40
  4. "Slip Kid" – 4:26
  5. "Won't Get Fooled Again" – 8:31

Because The Who by Numbers was released by CBS/Sony in Japan, the Japanese release had a slightly different track listing. "Squeeze Box" and "Slip Kid" were replaced by "Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand" and "Dogs", respectively. Also, the live edit of "My Generation" is replaced by the original 1965 version.

Charts

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[7] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  2. ^ "The Who - Official Site of The Who, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey". The Who. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  3. ^ a b Neill, Andy; Kent, Matt. Anyway Anyhow Anywhere: The Complete Chronicle of the Who 1958-1978. ISBN 9780753512173.
  4. ^ "Charts.nz – The Who – The Story of". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  5. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  6. ^ "Top 50 Albums of 1976" (PDF). Music Week. 25 December 1976. p. 14. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021 – via worldradiohistory.com.
  7. ^ "British album certifications – The Who – The Story of The Who". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 30 November 2021.