Though they experienced significant tensions from time to time, it was these frustrations that pushed the music to new levels of excellence, pushing them to create some of the most legendary tracks in the history of rock music.
Daltrey respected Townshend’s brilliance and drive, but their different approaches and personalities often clashed, leading to animosity, arguments, and even fistfights. (Farout)
A lot of these issues actually arose from Townshend’s shut-off ways of working, which would see him writing independently from the rest of the band without much leeway for taking on new ideas.
Even when he wrote ‘My Generation’, Townshend infused the song with his own personal experiences.
For Tommy, he became intensely focused on the central narrative of a boy who learns to connect with his family through music.
While working on Quadrophenia, Townshend and Daltrey frequently clashed over the album’s mix and the direction of the band, leading to explosive disagreements and conflicts.
During the writing for The Who by Numbers, a time when Daltrey had yet to learn the recipe for encouraging Townshend to open up so that the record could feel like a collective and collaborative effort again.
As a result, Townshend powered through, writing in solitary while pushing away anyone who attempted to get through to him. In Daltrey’s mind, this was a major problem because it left the rest of them out of the process. However, it also resulted in a brilliant record, even if the rest of their audience doesn’t appreciate it as much as he feels they should.
In an interview with Uncut, Daltrey discussed the album he regards as the most underrated in their discography. He chose The Who by Numbers because it has an overtly “dark” edge due to the “terrible agonies” Townshend was going through, like alcohol abuse and marriage issues. This injected the album with a “brooding, deep, introspective” feel that Daltrey loved, but it materialised out of a situation he thoroughly loathed.
“He was also starting to write himself into a very cosy situation where nothing was shared, which put the rest of us in a very difficult position because you don’t want to upset a working apple cart,” Daltrey reflected. After the fact, he learned the hard way that to get through to Townshend, he should have checked in more because he may hold up a “stone wall”, but he “really wants you to knock down the fucking wall and come through it.”
The Who By Numbers was released in the UK on 3 October 1975 (Polydor 2490 129), as a CD in the 1980s (Polydor 831 522-2), and as a remixed and remastered CD (Polydor 533 844-2) in November 1996. It was re-issued on heavyweight vinyl in 2012 (Polydor 3715627). In the US it was released on 25 October 1975 (MCA 2161), then as a CD (MCA MCAD-37002) and as a remixed and remastered CD (MCAD-11493) in November 1996. The Who By Numbers reached #7 in UK and #8 in the US.
SIDE ONE
Slip Kid
However Much I Booze
Squeeze Box
Dreaming From the Waist
Imagine A Man
SIDE TWO
Success Story
They Are All in Love
Blue Red and Grey
How Many Friends
In A Hand or A Face
The Who By Numbers went on to spend two weeks at No.8 on the American chart, compared to a UK peak of No.7. It was in the Top 10 at the same time as a number of other British heavyweights. Elton John’s Rock Of The Westies was at No.1, while Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here and George Harrison’s Extra Texture were also riding the Top 10, as was Englishman Graham Nash in partnership with David Crosby on Wind On The Water.
Townshend himself was pleasantly surprised at the critical reaction to the album. “A consummately-crafted record of fascinating depth and immediate surface appeal,” said Phonograph Record, while Sounds said it “reeks of group unity and love. Don’t be fooled by deceptive first listenings. This really is a great album.”
