Much as
the Who transitioned from their mod rock beginnings in the mid-'60s into becoming the archetypes of concept album creation and muscular arena rock in the late '60 and early '70s, the band's eighth studio album
Who Are You found them in another state of transition. As punk rock and disco were being born,
Pete Townshend grew nervous about how relevant bands like his own, the future progenitors of classic rock, were in that musical landscape. This uncertainty lingers throughout
Who Are You, an album produced to appeal to the shifting tastes of mainstream audiences in the late '70s, but one that still clings to the band's patented songwriting style and hard-rocking personality.
Townshend's insecurity about
the Who becoming a dinosaur band is addressed directly in songs like the synthesizer-heavy "The Music Must Change," "New Song," and the orchestrated zippiness of "Sister Disco," a tune that's not quite disco, not exactly radio rock, partially concept album fodder, and entirely emblematic of the messy personality crisis the band was going through on
Who Are You. The band hit the sweet spot where their identity confusion turns to excitement when they crank up the volume and lean in on the guitars. "Trick of the Light" is a romping, stomping rocker, one where synthesizers and guitar riffs bleed together into the kind of meaty power
the Who wielded like no one else. The title track, one of the band's bigger hits and easily the most memorable tune from this set, accomplishes the same excitement, thanks to its falsetto vocal hook and larger-than-life verses, sure, but also thanks in no small part to drummer
Keith Moon's amplified presence on the track.
Moon would die weeks after the release of
Who Are You, making this the last studio album from
the Who with its most revered lineup, and the final phase in their transition into an increasingly turbulent '80s and beyond. The commercially minded production, dated synthesizers, and iffy overall quality of the songs make
Who Are You a less-than-perfect document of one of rock's biggest bands, but its flaws and unevenness make it a strikingly accurate document of where the band were at as they rolled with the changes. ~ Fred Thomas
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