WHO.
| The Who
WHO.
Who (stylised in all caps) is the twelfth studio album by the English rock band the Who, released on 6 December 2019. - Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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RiFF magazine
The Who has threatened to retire for years. Instead, the band has beaten the odds and made a record that legitimizes its decision not to call it quits. It may be the band’s last record, but Who makes the world believe it can do more.
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RollingStone
Although it’s been 13 years since their last LP and more than half a century since they formed, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey still know who they are.
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UCR
And so Who recalls bits and pieces of their classic years.
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CoS
This album may not represent one of The Who’s strongest collections of songs, but it’s the rare case study of a legacy brand as a vehicle for plumbing new ideas and moving forward. That alone — and, yes, the power chords — makes it a worthy addition to the band’s storied discography.
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VARIETY
On the Who's first album in 13 years, Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend find getting old is something to get cranky about, which, maybe ironically, has the effect of invigorating their return.
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TheGuardian
Despite their precarious relationship, Daltrey and Townshend return for their first album in 13 years, snarling at the Grenfell disaster and hoping for world peace.
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Glide Magazine
YET ANOTHER SPIRITED STATEMENT.
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NME
Whether Roger Daltrey is bellowing through anti-war flamenco or slagging off copycat bands, The Who have lost none of their vim and vigour.
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UNCUT
Who is an album brimming with experience, emotion and ideas, it’s ultimately aimed at the fans who have always stuck with them, through thick and thin.
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Chicago Tribune
Thankfully, it’s much too late for Daltrey and Townshend to die before they get old, so with “WHO” they show that even in rock ‘n’ roll, it’s possible to age both with grace and vigor and without abandoning purpose.
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SPILL MAGAZINE
an album that is a definite must-hear for all classic rock fans.
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sputnik music
This album has depth, high listenability of multiple tracks, its share of catchy songs, and a certain mature emotion that we have not seen from these guys before. While it may be upsetting that the band is only half of its former size, and that the remaining two members struggle to get along, the album contains many memorable moments that will make fans happy, like references to past work and mature old man themes.
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Medium
The Who knows well that all music, along with everything else in this bleak, cold universe, will eventually fade, and good enough is good enough for icons of the past, and the fact that the band’s influence and their work ethic allowed for the creation of more, introspective, and larger-in-scope conceptual records is still true even with some of the greatest records of this past decade.
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CLASH
A return to form, reminding us why they deserve their place in rock 'n' roll history.
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xs noise
Whilst there may be “no theme, no concept, no story”; there is much variety. There may be an absence of alchemy, but there is hunger and determination to convey a message and produce something unique and not solely rely upon using classic hits as a working template.
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exclaim
It feels like the final note in a very long career.
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INDEPENDENT
Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend may not have worked together in the studio, but their chemistry is perfectly balanced.
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Vocal Beat
Who is ambitious and sprawling, with samples, electronic loops, sweeping orchestras, and other hallmarks of Townshend's versatile sensibilities and never ending search for new sounds, and it's a shame that the songs themselves don't match up to the impressive aural landscapes they occupy; with stronger lyrics, a coherent theme and perhaps a bit more commitment from both Townshend and Daltrey in all areas, Who could have really seen the band go out on a high note (it's not confirmed that this is their last album, but let's face it, their track record when it comes to churning new releases isn't promising), however it instead continues the trend of depressingly uninspired releases, sporadic as they are, that has plagued the band since they lost Keith Moon.
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KRUI 89.7
Though this album can easily be considered a worthy effort when it comes to the subset of matured bands, there are definitely some misses.
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Duluth News Tribune
All the classic rockers will soon be reclaimed by the universe, so it's quite a treat to get to hear them making their racket one more time, and pretty well, at that.
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Weekend Notes
Well worth the listen.
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ES.
Not fading away, just talkin' to this generation.
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METRO
When The Who were great, it was their artistic ambition and channelled fury that made them so. Final go or not, they’ve tapped into it once more.
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Ultimate Guitar
The Who have crafted a fine work with "WHO", and while it isn't billed as their final album, it does give the impression of a swansong for the band, and overall, it's a triumphant one.
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The Telegraph
Fierce and uncompromising, this is their best album in 40 years.
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HOT PRESS
Of all the music that makes you want to get out of the chair and just fucking do something, The Clash might be their nearest rivals. And WHO, against all the odds, is bloody exciting.
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Daily Mail
While not offering many experiments, the album does deliver those Who-ish tunes. Their cocktail hasn’t changed: two parts ferocity, one part intelligence and one part drama.
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Musicolliegy
The Who are back at it with some good tunes and a decent amount of variety.
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The Sunday Times
they’re getting on, and they’ve still got it.
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3ten Convergence
New The Who album combines new and old music style brilliantly.
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The Goon Report
it’s just a tired-sounding old man rock record that tries and does nothing new.
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Nippertown
It’s been 13 years since their last studio release and this is only the 4th since Moon’s death in 1978. From the band that gave the world the mantra, “Hope I die before I get old” they are now reflecting on life’s many lessons they have learned over the years in “I Don’t Want to Get Wise.” Oh how times have changed.
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The Irish Times
If this album does turn out to be their swansong, it won’t be the one that fans remember them for but as a collection of serviceable rock tracks to nod along to for old time’s sake, it’s just fine.
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Music Matters
WHO is a brilliant and welcome return to form by any measure.
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