Out in the street/I Don't Mind/The Good's Gone/La La La Lies/Much Too Much/My Generation/The Kids are Alright/Please Please Please/It's Not True/I'm A Man/A Legal Matter/The Ox

Long before they became the darlings of rock opera, the Who were a raw rhythm and blues combo and their debut album was dripping with rough edged r and b. There were few hints of what was to come as Townsend and the boys polished their style to move to the forefront of British rock. Here there is a mixture of Townsend songs and covers. The band have over the years dismissed the album as a rushed job not representative of their stage act and in many ways that sums it up. Some have held it up as a classic rock album, however, which I think is going a few steps too far. There is little subtlety, the vocals are snarling and it is difficult to see just what it added to the rock year 1965 except for a two fingered salute to the establishment. Of course the title track has often been voted the Who's greatest song and an anthem of the sixties and subsequent generations. It has never been one of my favourite Who tracks, however. The other stand out track is the Kids are Alright with its classic sixties Brit pop beat. Overall it was a starting point rather than anything else. There really was much better to follow.

Run Run Run / Boris The Spider / I need You / Whiskey Man / Heatwave / Cobwebs And Strange / Don't Look Away / See My Way / So Sad About Us / A Quick One While He's Away