Postcard (The Who song)

Last updated
"Postcard"
The Who Postcard.jpg
Single by The Who
from the album Odds & Sods
B-side "Put the Money Down" (1974)
Released23 November 1974
RecordedAt Eel Pie Studios (also known as Pete Townshend's garage in Twickenham) late May 1970 with additional horns produced and played by John Entwistle and recorded at Ramport Studios, London 1974.
Genre Rock
Length3:31
Label Track/Polydor
Songwriter(s) John Entwistle
Producer(s) The Who
The Who singles chronology
"The Real Me"
(1974)		"Postcard"
(1974)		"Squeeze Box"
(1975)

"Postcard" is a song by the Who, that was written, and sung by the band's bassist John Entwistle. It appears on the Who's album Odds & Sods .

Released as a single, in the United States, it reached the Cash Box charts on 23 November 1974, peaking at No. 64.[ citation needed ] It was the first song written by Entwistle that was released as the A-side of a Who single. [1] [2]

John Entwistle said about the album:

"We thought we'd just have a go at some of these bootlegs. They release really bad bootlegs of these songs all the time. I've heard three of them which were made in the States and they're really bad quality. They obviously will last only about three plays before the acetate disintegrates. We thought it was about time we released a bootleg of our own. I tried to arrange it like a parallel sort of Who career -- what singles we might have released and what album tracks we might have released."[ citation needed ]

Pete Townshend said about the song:

"'Postcard is a John Entwistle song about touring on the road. He describes in luscious detail the joys and delights of such romantic venues as Australia (pause to fight off temporary attack of nausea), America (pause to count the money) and, of course, that country of the mysterious and doubting customs official, Germany (pause, whether they like it or not, for 'God Save The Queen'). Listen out for the field sound effects ACTUALLY RECORDED IN THE COUNTRIES WE TOURED. 'Postcard' was originally recorded in my house for a maxi single. They were EPs that only cost as much as a single. Ours unfortunately never got released.

I engineered this one with one hand on the controls and the other on the guitar. That's why I only play one chord throughout the whole song." [3]

The Who FAQ author Mike Segretto describes it as "a fun travelogue of the Who's roadwork, penned with the droll wit we've come to expect from John Entwistle." [1] The lyrics tell the various countries the band had visited on tour. [4] Chris Charlesworth describes the song as having an "up tempo rock rhythm." [4] Billboard described it as a "commercially oriented cut" with a "good, fun storyline." [5] Cash Box said that "the disk goes back to 1971 but the Kings of English rock are as relevant on this disk as if it were cut last week." [2] Record World said that this "melodic rocker is now stamped for '75 glory." [6]

"Postcard" was originally recorded for potential release on a maxi single in 1970, but that version only ended up being released in Japan. [1] [4] For the version released on Odds & Sods, Entwistle remixed the song and recorded a new bass guitar part. [1]

Related Research Articles

<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">The Real Me (The Who song)</span> Original song written and composed by Peter Townshend

"The Real Me" is a song written by Pete Townshend on The Who's second full-scale rock opera, Quadrophenia in 1973. This is the second track on the album, although it is the first with lyrics. It concerns a boy named Jimmy, a young English Mod with four distinct personalities. The song describes how he angrily deals with several individuals to identify "the real me". The song was released as a single in the United States and Canada in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Substitute (The Who song)</span> Original song written and composed by Pete Townshend

"Substitute" is a song by the English rock band the Who, written by Pete Townshend. Released in March 1966, the single reached number five in the UK and was later included on the compilation album Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy in 1971. In 2006, Pitchfork ranked "Substitute" at number 91 on the "200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s".

"The Song Is Over" is a song by the English rock band the Who, appearing on Who's Next. It was originally to be the ending song on Lifehouse. It takes place after the police invade the Lifehouse Theatre and the concert goers disappear.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slip Kid</span> Song by The Who

"Slip Kid" is a song from the Who's seventh album, The Who by Numbers. Written originally for Pete Townshend's shelved Lifehouse rock opera, "Slip Kid" was revived in 1975. The song was originally written as a warning about the music business, though Townshend has pointed out the song's relevance in different contexts. The song was released as a single in the US, backed by "Dreaming from the Waist", but failed to chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Legal Matter</span> Song by The Who

"A Legal Matter" is a song written by Pete Townshend and recorded by the British rock band the Who for their debut album My Generation. It was recorded on 12 October 1965 at IBC Studios, and released both as the B-side to "The Kids Are Alright" in the U.S., and as the A-side of a single that reached number 32 in the UK. Both singles were released by Shel Talmy without the permission of the Who and were a result of a legal dispute between Talmy and the band at the time and an attempt to sabotage the release of the band's chosen single "Substitute".

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

Rock Is Dead—Long Live Rock was the title of an unreleased 1972 autobiographical album by the British rock band The Who. In the liner notes for the Who's 1974 rarities collection Odds & Sods, guitarist and lead songwriter Pete Townshend said, "I had an idea once for a new album about the history of The Who called Rock Is Dead—Long Live Rock. That idea later blossomed into Quadrophenia." The sessions for the album spanned from 19 May to 6 June at Olympic Studios in London. Rock Is Dead—Long Live Rock was to be produced by The Who and Glyn Johns and scheduled for release in October 1972, but although the album was nearly completed the band felt as though it sounded too much like their 1971 LP Who's Next. Townshend later stated that Rock Is Dead—Long Live Rock was also going to be a TV special about The Who.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Circles (The Who song)</span> Song by the Who

"Circles" (also released as "Circles (Instant Party)", "Instant Party (Circles)" and "Instant Party") is a song by the Who. The song, initially planned to be a Who single, saw a complicated release history. There are versions produced by the Who and by Shel Talmy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand</span> Song by The Who

"Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand" is a song by the English rock band The Who. It was written by Pete Townshend and released on their 1967 album The Who Sell Out. The best known version of the song has an arrangement using acoustic guitar and Latin percussion instruments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La-La-La-Lies</span> Song by The Who

"La-La-La-Lies" is the fourth track on the Who's debut album My Generation. It was written by lead guitarist Pete Townshend.

<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

"Had Enough" is a song written by the Who bassist John Entwistle, and featured on their eighth studio album, Who Are You. It was also released as a double A-sided single with "Who Are You", making it Entwistle's second single A-side, after "Postcard" from Odds & Sods in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Happy Jack (song)</span> 1966 single by the Who

"Happy Jack" is a song by the British rock band the Who. It was released as a single in December 1966 in the United Kingdom, peaking at No. 3 in the charts. It peaked at No. 1 in Canada. It was also their first top 40 hit in the United States, where it was released in March 1967 and peaked at No. 24. It was included on the American version of their second album, Happy Jack, originally titled A Quick One in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heaven and Hell (The Who song)</span> 1970 single by the Who

"Heaven and Hell" is a song by English rock band the Who written by group bassist John Entwistle. The studio version, which appeared on the B-side of the live "Summertime Blues" single, is currently available on the Thirty Years of Maximum R&B boxed set, Who's Missing, and Odds & Sods, although several live versions of the song exist on official releases. The song was one of many Entwistle B-side singles and one of his live staples.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (song)</span> 1968 single by the Who

"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" is a song by English rock band, the Who. It was written by the band's bassist, John Entwistle.

<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">It's Hard (song)</span> 1982 single by The Who

"It's Hard" is a song written by Pete Townshend that featured on British rock band The Who's tenth album, It's Hard, of which it was the title track. It was released as the third and final vinyl single from the album in 1983, backed with the John Entwistle written song "Dangerous", but failed to chart, although it reached number 39 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks. This would become the last Who single of new material until "Real Good Looking Boy" in 2004, and the last album single by them until "Black Widow's Eyes", two years later.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Segretto, M. (2014). The Who FAQ. Backbeat Books. pp. 68, 81–82, 145, 163. ISBN   9781480361034.
  2. 1 2 "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. November 9, 1974. p. 20. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  3. ↑ Archived 2007-07-01 at the Wayback Machine
  4. 1 2 3 Charlesworth, C. (1995). The Complete Guide to the Music of the Who. Omnibus Press. p. 60. ISBN   0711943060.
  5. ↑ "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. November 9, 1974. p. 58. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  6. ↑ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. November 9, 1974. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
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.