The Story of The Who

The Story of The Who
Compilation album by the Who
Released	24 September 1976
Genre	Rock
Length	89:27
Label	Polydor
The Who chronology
The Who by Numbers (1975) The Story of The Who (1976) Who Are You (1978)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[1]

The Story of The Who is a 2-LP compilation album from the Who. The album was released in the UK in September 1976. The album reached number two in the UK charts. ^[2] Another version of this collection with a different track listing was also released in Japan. This collection has not been released on CD. However, it was reissued on April 20, 2024 for Record Store Day. ^[3]

The exploding pinball machine comes from film shot for a TV advertisement of the album. ^[4]

John Entwistle didn't think the album was truly definitive. The Who could only release the tracks that they had the rights to. ^[4]

Track listing

All songs written by Pete Townshend except where noted.

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original release	Length
1.	"Magic Bus" (Extended Mix)		Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy (1971)	4:27
2.	"Substitute"		Non album single (1966)	3:46
3.	"Boris the Spider"	John Entwistle	A Quick One (1966)	2:28
4.	"Run Run Run"		A Quick One	2:29
5.	"I'm a Boy" (Longer Version)		Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy	3:40
6.	"Heat Wave"	Holland–Dozier–Holland	A Quick One	1:54
7.	"My Generation" (Live: Edited Version)		Live at Leeds (1970)	2:31

Side two

No.	Title	Original release	Length
1.	"Pictures of Lily"	Non album single (1967)	2:44
2.	"Happy Jack"	Non album single (1966)	2:13
3.	"The Seeker"	Non album single (1970)	3:12
4.	"I Can See for Miles"	The Who Sell Out (1967)	4:17
5.	"Bargain"	Who's Next (1971)	5:31
6.	"Squeeze Box"	The Who By Numbers (1975)	2:42

Side three

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original release	Length
1.	"Amazing Journey"		Tommy (1969)	3:23
2.	"The Acid Queen"		Tommy	3:34
3.	"Do You Think it's Alright?"		Tommy	0:26
4.	"Fiddle About"	Entwistle	Tommy	1:30
5.	"Pinball Wizard"		Tommy	2:58
6.	"I'm Free"		Tommy	2:39
7.	"Tommy's Holiday Camp"	Keith Moon	Tommy	0:57
8.	"We're Not Gonna Take It"		Tommy	7:01

Side four

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original release	Length
1.	"Summertime Blues" (Live)	Eddie Cochran, Jerry Capehart	Live at Leeds	3:29
2.	"Baba O'Riley"		Who's Next	4.59
3.	"Behind Blue Eyes"		Who's Next	3:40
4.	"Slip Kid"		The Who By Numbers	4:26
5.	"Won't Get Fooled Again"		Who's Next	8:31

Because The Who by Numbers was released by CBS/Sony in Japan, the Japanese release had a slightly different track listing. "Squeeze Box" and "Slip Kid" were replaced by "Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand" and "Dogs", respectively. Also, the live edit of "My Generation" is replaced by the original 1965 version.

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1976) Peak position New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [5] 19 UK Albums (OCC) [6] 2

Year-end charts Chart (1976) Position UK Albums (OCC) [7] 39

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [8]	Gold	100,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0195313734.
2. "The Who – Official Site of The Who, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey". The Who. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
3. "The Who – Official Site of The Who, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey". The Who. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
4. Neill, Andy; Kent, Matt. Anyway Anyhow Anywhere: The Complete Chronicle of the Who 1958–1978. ISBN   9780753512173.
5. "Charts.nz – The Who – The Story of". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
6. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
7. "Top 50 Albums of 1976" (PDF). Music Week . 25 December 1976. p. 14. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021– via worldradiohistory.com.
8. "British album certifications – The Who – The Story of The Who". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 30 November 2021.