“The Who Sell Out” Gets Super Deluxe Edition

"The Who Sell Out" Super Deluxe EditionThe Who have released a new deluxe edition of The Who Sell Out, featuring a staggering 112 tracks with 47 of them previously unreleased. It also includes an 80-page hardback book with rare photos, memorabilia, track-by-track annotation, and sleeve notes by guitarist Pete Townsend.

Of course, bass icon John Entwistle’s bass lines anchor the entire affair, but his compositions also get a new light. The package has demos, b-sides, and outtakes from the productive sessions. Entwistle’s eccentric writing is shown again in the previously unheard “Mr. Hyde (aka Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) (Take 7).”

“This track was another in a line of eccentric Entwistle compositions, ‘Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde’ was based on the title characters of the classic Robert Louis Stevenson novel, but directly inspired by the unpredictable character traits of a certain Mr. Moon,” the band explains. “The backing track, featuring Pete playing guitar through a Leslie speaker, was captured in seven takes. This first stage master mix of Take 7 features John’s vocal before backing harmonies, vocal improvisations, and French horn overdubs were added. The Who being four very different personalities, the rhythm section of John Entwistle and Keith Moon formed the closest thing to a friendship within the group, the pair often roomed together on tour when the need arose. So Entwistle was fully qualified to document the mood swings his mercurial friend regularly underwent, particularly when drink was involved.”

The new version of The Who Sell Out is available now in a super deluxe version and digitally (iTunes and Amazon MP3).

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