Dogs (The Who song)

Last updated
"Dogs"
Dogs Who German cover.jpg
German cover
Single by the Who
B-side "Call Me Lightning"
Released14 June 1968 (UK)
Recorded22 May 1968
Studio Advision Studios, London
Genre
Length3:04
Label Track 604 023
Songwriter(s) Pete Townshend
Producer(s) Kit Lambert
The Who singles chronology
"I Can See for Miles"
(1967)		"Dogs"
(1968)		"Magic Bus"
(1968)

"Dogs" is a UK single written by Pete Townshend and released by the Who in June 1968. [1] It reached number 25 on the UK singles chart, lower than any single the band had released in several years. [2] [3] The B-side of the UK single was "Call Me Lightning". Both songs were originally released mixed in mono only, as they were not intended for album release.

Contents

Background

The lyrics of "Dogs" were inspired by Townshend's friend Chris Morphet who had a fascination with greyhound racing. [4] Morphet contributes harmonica and backing vocals. The song references two dogs who raced in the 1968 English Greyhound Derby, "Camira Flash" and "Yellow Printer".

"Dogs" was recorded at London's Advision Studios in May 1968. [5] Townshend booked this studio as it was one of the first in the UK to install professional reel-to-reel eight-track equipment. Prior to this The Who had only recorded in the UK at studios with a maximum of four tracks.

Critics have suggested that the song is similar to "Lazy Sunday", which had been a recent hit. [6] [3] John Entwistle also thought it sounded like the Small Faces and that it would have been better if they had recorded it. Roger Daltrey concurred, stating that the song was Townshend's "tribute to Ronnie Lane" and that "it’d have been better if Pete had just given the song to Ronnie in the first place. As a Who record, it was all a bit frivolous for me.” [6] Townshend thought this was one of the songs recorded during a period when the group went "slightly mad."

A subsequent song "Dogs (Part Two)" was later released as the B-side of "Pinball Wizard" in 1969. [6] Despite the titles the two songs are musically unrelated. [6] "Dogs (Part Two)" is an instrumental credited to Keith Moon. Both "Dogs" songs were included on the 1987 U.S. collection Two's Missing . That album is out of print, but "Dogs" is available in a 1990s era stereo remix on the box set 30 Years of Maximum R&B ; a stereo mix of "Dogs (Part Two)" was included on the bonus disc of the Tommy deluxe edition in 2003. It was once again released in mono as it was included in the two-disc edition of The Who Hits 50!.

Reception

Uncut magazine describes the song as "mockney music-hall." [6] [3] Uncut praised its whimsy, imaginative arrangement and "tumultuous rhythm." [6] Who biographer John Atkins praises its "soaring melodies, interesting chord changes and irresistible hook lines" and particularly praises "one really tremendous descending melody" at the 2:28 mark. [3] Atkins claims that it is "probably the most underrated song ever released by The Who" and goes so far as to state that it "can be seen as a masterpiece of 1960s pop." [3] On the contrary, author Mat Snow described the song as "amusing and zany but melodically unfocused." [2]

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<i>A Quick One</i> 1966 studio album by the Who

A Quick One is the second studio album by the English rock band the Who, released on 9 December 1966. A version of the album with an altered track listing was released under the name Happy Jack on Decca Records in April 1967 in the United States, where the song "Happy Jack" was a top 40 hit.

<i>My Generation</i> (album) 1965 album by The Who

My Generation is the debut studio album by English rock band the Who, released on 3 December 1965 by Brunswick Records in the United Kingdom, and Festival Records in Australia. In the United States, it was released on 25 April 1966 by Decca Records as The Who Sings My Generation, with a different cover and a slightly altered track listing. Besides the members of the Who, being Roger Daltrey (vocals), Pete Townshend (guitar), John Entwistle (bass) and Keith Moon (drums), the album features contributions by session musician Nicky Hopkins (piano).

<i>The Who Sell Out</i> 1967 album by the Who

The Who Sell Out is the third studio album by the English rock band the Who. It was released on 15 December 1967 by Track Records in the UK and Decca Records in the US. A concept album, The Who Sell Out is structured as a collection of unrelated songs interspersed with fake commercials and public service announcements, including the second track "Heinz Baked Beans". The album purports to be a broadcast by pirate radio station Radio London. The reference to "selling out" was an intended irony, as the Who had been making real commercials during that period of their career, some of which are included as bonus tracks on the remastered CD.

<i>Magic Bus: The Who on Tour</i> 1968 compilation album by the Who

Magic Bus: The Who on Tour is a compilation album by English rock band the Who. It was released as the band's fourth album in the United States by Decca in September 1968 to capitalize on the success of their single of the same name. It is a compilation album of previously released material, and was not issued in the UK, although the album was also released at approximately the same time in Canada. It peaked at #39 on the Billboard 200.

<i>Direct Hits</i> (The Who album) 1968 compilation album by The Who

Direct Hits is the first UK compilation album and the fourth UK LP released by The Who. It collects singles, B-sides, and album tracks originally recorded for Reaction Records and Track Records between 1966 and 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reaction Records</span> British record label

Reaction Records was an independent British record label, run by music executive Robert Stigwood in 1966 and 1967. Although Reaction released only three albums, one EP and eighteen singles in its brief existence, its roster included two of the most popular British bands of the time, The Who and Cream.

<i>Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy</i> 1971 compilation album by The Who

Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy is a compilation album of singles by English rock band the Who, released in 1971 as Track 2406 006 in the UK and as Decca DL 79184 in the US. It entered the US Billboard 200 chart on 20 November 1971, peaking at number 11, and the UK chart on 3 December 1971, peaking at number 9.

<i>Odds & Sods</i> 1974 compilation album by The Who

Odds & Sods is an album of studio outtakes by British rock band the Who. It was released by Track Records in the UK and Track/MCA in the US in October 1974. Ten of the recordings on the original eleven-song album were previously unreleased. The album reached No. 10 on the UK charts and No. 15 in the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">5:15</span> Song by The Who

"5:15" is a song written by Pete Townshend of British rock band The Who. Part of the band's second rock opera, Quadrophenia (1973), the song was also released as a single and reached No. 20 on the UK Singles Chart, while the 1979 re-release reached No. 45 on the Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magic Bus (song)</span> 1968 single by the Who

"Magic Bus" is a song recorded by British rock band the Who. It was written by their guitarist Pete Townshend during the time that their debut album My Generation was being recorded in 1965. However, it was not recorded until 1968, when it was released as a single on 27 July 1968 in the United States and Canada, followed by its release in the United Kingdom on 11 October 1968. It has become one of the band's most popular songs and has been a concert staple, although when released, the record only reached number 26 in the UK and number 25 in the United States. The song was included on their 1968 album Magic Bus: The Who on Tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zoot Suit/I'm the Face</span> 1964 single by the High Numbers

"Zoot Suit" b/w "I'm the Face" was the first single of the British rock band the Who, who recorded it under the name the High Numbers in an attempt to appeal to a mod audience. "Zoot Suit" was written by Peter Meaden, the band's first manager. The song is a direct copy of "Misery" by the American R&B group the Dynamics, while the B-side, "I'm the Face", is a copy of Slim Harpo's "I Got Love If You Want It." The single was meant for a mod audience, but failed to chart. The band changed their name back to The Who, found new management, and released their own composition "I Can't Explain", which became a top ten hit in the United Kingdom.

<i>A Celebration: The Music of Pete Townshend and The Who</i> 1994 live album by Roger Daltrey

A Celebration: The Music of Pete Townshend and The Who, also known as Daltrey Sings Townshend, is a music event and a later live album by Roger Daltrey documenting a two-night concert at Carnegie Hall in February 1994.

"Drowned" is a song written by Pete Townshend, the guitarist for the Who, for their sixth album, Quadrophenia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Don't Mind (James Brown song)</span> 1961 single performed by James Brown and The Famous Flames

"I Don't Mind" is a rhythm and blues song written by James Brown and performed by Brown and the Famous Flames. Released as a single in 1961, it reached number four in the R&B Billboard charts and number 47 in the Pop Billboard charts. Brown and the Flames also performed it on their 1963 album Live at the Apollo

<i>Rarities Volume I & Volume II</i> 1983 compilation album by the Who

Rarities Volume I & Volume II is a two-album series collecting songs by The Who, released in 1983 on Polydor in the United Kingdom.

<i>Live at the Royal Albert Hall</i> (The Who album) 2003 live album by The Who

Live at the Royal Albert Hall is a three-CD live album set by The Who, released in 2003.

<i>The 1st Singles Box</i> 2004 box set by The Who

The 1st Singles Box is a box set compilation of singles recorded by the Who throughout their history. The album was released exclusively in the United Kingdom on 25 May 2004. It was considered the counterpart to the other compilation album by the Who, entitled Then and Now. The album was set with twelve compact discs containing two songs each, a la the A-side and B-side of the original single. Each individual CD was encased by a paper sleeve representing the single's original artwork from a particular country.

The Who Tour 2000 was partially in support of The Who's live album The Blues to the Bush and their first full-fledged tour as a five-piece band since The Who Tour 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trick of the Light (The Who song)</span> 1978 single by The Who

"Trick of the Light" is a song written by bassist John Entwistle for The Who's eighth studio album, Who Are You. It was released as the second single from the album, atypically with another Entwistle song, "905" on the B-side, but did not chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Let's See Action</span> 1971 single by the Who

"Let's See Action" is a song written and composed by Pete Townshend and recorded by the Who. It was released as a single in the UK in 1971 and reached #16 in the charts.

References

  1. ↑ "www.thewho.net - Discography - Singles". Archived from the original on 2007-10-24. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
  2. 1 2 Snow, M. (2015). The Who: Fifty Years of My Generation. Race Point Publishing. p. 82. ISBN   9781631061615.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Atkins, John (2000). The Who on Record: A Critical History, 1963-1998. MacFarland. pp. 106–108. ISBN   9781476606576.
  4. ↑ Neill, Andy; Kent, Matt (26 August 2011). Anyway Anyhow Anywhere: The Complete Chronicle of the Who 1958-1978. Ebury. ISBN   9780753547977.
  5. ↑ "Dogs".
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The Who's 20 best songs, chosen by Roger Daltrey". Uncut. February 24, 2015. Retrieved 2016-06-23.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.