My Generation (album)

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With its ferocious blend of grungy distortion, rumbling bass and percussion, and brutish vocals, The Who Sings My Generation became the blueprint for much of the subsequent garage rock, heavy metal, and punk. In contrast to debut albums from the Rolling Stones (whose take on Southern American rock & soul was fairly earnest) and the Beatles (who spread the word of rock & roll through sweet harmonies and easily digestible melodies), My Generation positively shoved at the boundaries of popular music. Townshend's fiercely original guitar experiments here predate the innovations of his later American rival Jimi Hendrix. [23]

The American edition of the album was included in "A Basic Record Library" of 1950s and 1960s recordings, published in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981). [24] In 2000, musician Elvis Costello named the album one of his "500 [favorite] albums that can only improve your life" and "better than everything that I've made". [25] In 2003, My Generation was ranked number 236 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, [26] then was re-ranked number 237 on the 2012 revised list, [27] and named the second greatest guitar album of all time by Mojo magazine. [28] In 2004, it was No. 18 in Q magazine's list of the 50 Best British Albums Ever. [29] In 2006, it was ranked No. 49 in NME's list of the 100 Greatest British Albums. [30] In 2004, the title track was No. 11 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. In 2006, "The Kids Are Alright" was No. 34 in Pitchfork's list of the 200 greatest songs of the 1960s. [31] In June 2009, the edited 1966 US version of the album "The Who Sings My Generation" was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "Culturally, historically and aesthetically significant". [32] Writing for the BBC, Chris Jones described the album as "one of the most vital and important reasons to love rock 'n' roll". [33]

Track listing

Original release (1965)

All tracks are written by Pete Townshend, except where noted

My Generation
My-Generation--2.jpg
Studio album by
the Who
Released3 December 1965 (1965-12-03)
Recorded12 April – 12 November 1965
Studio IBC, London
Genre
Length36:13
Label Brunswick
Producer Shel Talmy
The Who chronology
My Generation
(1965)		 Ready Steady Who
(1966)
The Who US chronology
The Who Sings My Generation
(1966)		 Happy Jack
(1967)
Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Out in the Street"2:31
2."I Don't Mind" (writer: James Brown)2:36
3."The Good's Gone"4:02
4."La-La-La-Lies"2:17
5."Much Too Much"2:47
6."My Generation"3:18
Total length:17:31
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."The Kids Are Alright"3:04
2."Please, Please, Please" (writers: Brown, Johnny Terry)2:45
3."It's Not True"2:31
4."I'm a Man" (writer: Bo Diddley)3:21
5."A Legal Matter"2:48
6."The Ox" (writers: Townshend, John Entwistle, Keith Moon, Nicky Hopkins)3:50
Total length:18:19

The Who Sings My Generation (1966)

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Out in the Street"2:31
2."I Don't Mind" (writer: Brown)2:36
3."The Good's Gone"4:02
4."La-La-La-Lies"2:17
5."Much Too Much"2:46
6."My Generation"3:18
Total length:17:31
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."The Kids Are Alright"2:46
2."Please, Please, Please" (writers: Brown, Terry)2:45
3."It's Not True"2:31
4."The Ox" (writers: Townshend, Entwistle, Moon, Hopkins)3:50
5."A Legal Matter"2:48
6."Instant Party (Circles)"3:12
Total length:17:52

Deluxe edition (2002)

Disc one
No.TitleLength
1."Out in the Street"2:32
2."I Don't Mind" (writer: Brown)2:33
3."The Good's Gone" (lacks double-tracked vocals)4:00
4."La-La-La Lies" (lacks double-tracked vocals)2:18
5."Much Too Much" (lacks double-tracked vocals)2:45
6."My Generation" (lacks lead guitar, but is available on disc two in its original mono format)3:21
7."The Kids Are Alright" (lacks double-tracked vocals)3:10
8."Please, Please, Please" (writers: Brown, Terry)2:46
9."It's Not True"2:34
10."I'm a Man" (complete with ending; writer: Diddley)3:23
11."A Legal Matter" (lacks lead guitar, but is available on disc two in its original mono format)2:54
12."The Ox" (complete with ending; writers: Townshend, Moon, Entwistle, Hopkins)3:58
13."Circles (Instant Party)" (lacks Entwistle's French horn and double tracked vocals)3:13
14."I Can't Explain" (lacks tambourine)2:04
15."Bald Headed Woman" (writer: Shel Talmy)2:32
16."Daddy Rolling Stone" (alternate version to that found on Thirty Years of Maximum R&B ; writer: Otis Blackwell)2:55
Total length:46:58
Disc two
No.TitleLength
1."Leaving Here" (alternate version to that found on Thirty Years of Maximum R&B ; writers: Holland-Dozier-Holland)2:50
2."Lubie (Come Back Home)" (writers: Paul Revere, Mark Lindsay)3:40
3."Shout and Shimmy" (writer: Brown)3:20
4."(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave" (writers: Holland-Dozier-Holland)2:41
5."Motoring" (writers: Ivy Jo Hunter, Phil Jones, William "Mickey" Stevenson)2:52
6."Anytime You Want Me" (writer: Garnet Mimms)2:38
7."Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" (alternate take; writers: Townshend, Roger Daltrey)2:43
8."Instant Party Mixture"3:24
9."I Don't Mind" (full length version; writer: Brown)3:44
10."The Good's Gone" (full length version)4:29
11."My Generation" (instrumental version)3:27
12."Anytime You Want Me" ( a cappella version; writer: Mimms)2:29
13."A Legal Matter" (mono version with guitar overdub)2:49
14."My Generation" (mono version with guitar overdub)3:18
Total length:44:24

Digital releases (2014)

Mono digital release
No.TitleLength
1."Out in the Street"2:31
2."I Don't Mind" (writer: Brown)2:36
3."The Good's Gone"4:04
4."La-La-La Lies"2:16
5."Much Too Much"2:44
6."My Generation"3:20
7."The Kids Are Alright"3:07
8."Please, Please, Please" (writers: Brown, Terry)2:46
9."It's Not True"2:32
10."I'm a Man" (writer: Diddley)3:21
11."A Legal Matter"2:50
12."The Ox" (writers: Townshend, Moon, Entwistle, Hopkins)3:53
13."I Can't Explain"2:05
14."Bald Headed Woman" (writer: Talmy)2:10
15."Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" (writers: Townshend, Daltrey)2:41
16."Daddy Rolling Stone" (writer: Otis Blackwell)2:48
17."Anytime You Want Me" (writer: Mimms)2:36
18."Shout and Shimmy" (writer: Brown)3:18
19."Circles (Revised)"3:13
20."Leaving Here" (erroneously credited to the High Numbers; writers: Holland, Dozier, Holland)2:49
21."Lubie (Come Back Home)" (writers: Revere, Lindsay)3:37
22."(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave" (writers: Holland, Dozier, Holland)2:41
23."Motoring" (writers: Hunter, Jones, Stevenson)2:49
24."Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" (French EP Mono Version; writers: Townshend, Daltrey)2:44
25."Instant Party Mixture"3:26
Total length:72:57
Stereo digital release
No.TitleLength
1."Out in the Street"2:30
2."I Don't Mind" (writer: Brown)2:36
3."The Good's Gone"4:05
4."La-La-La Lies"2:15
5."Much Too Much"2:43
6."My Generation"3:18
7."The Kids Are Alright"3:05
8."Please, Please, Please" (writers: Brown, Terry)2:43
9."It's Not True"2:30
10."I'm a Man" (writer: Diddley)3:20
11."A Legal Matter"2:49
12."The Ox" (writers: Townshend, Moon, Entwistle, Hopkins)3:56
13."I Can't Explain"2:05
14."Bald Headed Woman" (writer: Talmy)2:34
15."Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" (writers: Townshend, Daltrey)2:43
16."Daddy Rolling Stone" (writer: Otis Blackwell)2:59
17."Anytime You Want Me" (writer: Mimms)2:37
18."Shout and Shimmy" (writer: Brown)3:19
19."Circles"3:13
20."Instant Party Mixture"3:29
21."Leaving Here" (writers: Holland, Dozier, Holland)2:49
22."Lubie (Come Back Home)" (writers: Revere, Lindsay)3:42
23."(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave" (writers: Holland, Dozier, Holland)2:41
24."Motoring" (writer: Hunter, Jones, Stevenson)2:47
25."Daddy Rolling Stone" (Alternate stereo version; writer: Otis Blackwell)3:06
26."The Kids Are Alright" (Alternate stereo version)3:07
27."My Generation" (Instrumental stereo version)3:38
28."Out in the Street" (Alternate stereo version)2:33
29."I Don't Mind" (Full length stereo version; writer: Brown)3:45
30."The Good's Gone" (Full length stereo version)4:27
Total length:91:24

B-sides

SongSingleWriter
"Shout and Shimmy""My Generation"James Brown

Personnel

The Who

Additional musicians

Charts

Chart performance for My Generation
Chart (1965–1966)Peak
position
Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) [34] 4
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [35] 14
UK Albums (OCC) [36] 5

Certifications

Certifications for My Generation
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [37]
release of 1980 		Gold100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [37]
release of 2012 		Silver60,000‡

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Top 100 '60s Rock Albums". Ultimate Classic Rock. 19 March 2015. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  2. ↑ "Classic Albums - My Generation". Art Gallery. 4 November 2019.
  3. ↑ "100 Best Debut Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone . 13 October 2013. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 Unterberger, Richie. "Allmusic review". AllMusic . All Media Guide . Retrieved 30 November 2011.
  5. ↑ "The Who Official Band Website – Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle, and Keith Moon, My Generation". Thewho.com. 1 December 1965. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  6. 1 2 "The Who – My Generation (album review 4)". Sputnikmusic.com. 29 April 2006. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  7. ↑ The Who’s Pete Townshend on Raiding Vaults for ‘My Generation’ Box Set Rolling Stone.
  8. ↑ "The Who Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard . Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  9. ↑ Andy Neill Deluxe Edition liner notes, p.23
  10. ↑ "The Who My Generation". Steve Hoffman Music Forums. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  11. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0195313734.
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  13. ↑ Michael Hann (15 December 2016). "The Who: My Generation super deluxe box set review – contains buried treasure". The Guardian . Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  14. ↑ Robert Hughes. "The Who - My Generation reissue album review". Louder Sound . Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  15. ↑ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p.  1227. ISBN   1-57859-061-2.
  16. ↑ Wisnicki, Nathan (8 January 2013). "The Who: My Generation (mono remaster)". PopMatters . Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  17. ↑ Fricke, David (4 September 2002). "My Generation: Deluxe Edition". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  18. ↑ Kemp 2004, p. 871.
  19. ↑ Brendan Schroer (19 July 2015). "My Generation". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  20. ↑ Hull, Tom (n.d.). "Grade List: The Who". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  21. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1967). "Secular Music (2)". Esquire . No. October. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  22. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1981). "The Fifties and Sixties". Rock Albums of the '70s: A Critical Guide. Da Capo Press. pp. 453, 456. ISBN   0306804093.
  23. ↑ Kemp 2004, pp. 871–2.
  24. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1981). "A Basic Record Library: The Fifties and Sixties". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies . Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   0899190251 . Retrieved 16 March 2019– via robertchristgau.com.
  25. ↑ Costello, Elvis (26 August 2013) [November 2000]. "Costello's 500". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  26. ↑ "My Generation ranked 236 on 2003 Rolling Stone list". Rolling Stone . 2003. Archived from the original on 2 September 2011. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  27. ↑ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time". Rolling Stone. 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  28. ↑ Barnes, Anthony (21 July 2003). "Hendrix heads list of 100 guitar greats with 'Are You Experienced'". The Independent. Retrieved 20 February 2010.[ dead link ]
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  30. ↑ "NME". Rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  31. ↑ "The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s – Page 3". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  32. ↑ Metzler, Natasha (9 June 2009). "New National Recording Registry entries announced". Associated Press , San Francisco Chronicle.
  33. ↑ Jones, Chris. "BBC – Music – Review of The Who – My Generation". BBC. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
  34. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN   978-951-1-21053-5.
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  36. ↑ "The Who | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  37. 1 2 "British album certifications – Who – My Generation". British Phonographic Industry.

Bibliography

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