Jonathan Cornell on the new Steven Wilson Dolby Atmos mix of Who’s Next By Paul Sinclair/ Excerpt from Super Deluxe Edition.
Though Who’s Next isn’t as layered as other albums from this era that Steven Wilson has remixed in 5.1 surround or Dolby Atmos, I think he’s made the most of the original multitrack recordings to craft an exciting new immersive experience. The Atmos mix is chock full of newfound detail, yet also respectful to the iconic original Glyn Johns production.
Baba O’Riley’ could be in surround sound given the limited source, but the Atmos mix of this song works remarkably well. The iconic opening organ line swirls all around and above just as I’d hoped, while Roger Daltrey’s lead vocal is almost completely isolated in the center speaker. ‘Bargain’ is unfortunately presented as an up-mix from the stereo master due to the loss of the original multitrack, but it does sound appropriately ‘big’ and fills out the room nicely.
“Love Ain’t For Keeping” again features Daltrey in the centre channel, with the acoustic guitars almost entirely isolated in the side speakers and background vocals placed primarily in the rear heights. Despite being recorded to a single mono track for this song, Moon’s drums sound absolutely thunderous coming from the front stage.
In ‘My Wife’ the horns come screaming from the rear surround speakers, while Townshend’s guitar swells swirl all around the height channels. Another one of the most exciting passages in the album would have to be the ending of ‘The Song Is Over’, with the big drum rolls crashing all around the room.
Moving into what originally constituted side two, ‘Getting In Tune’ kicks off with the piano in the side right speaker and then electric guitar appearing directly behind the listener’s head. The backing vocals wildly swing between the rear height speakers. ‘Going Mobile’ again makes heavy use of the side speakers for acoustic guitars, with the ARP synthesizer filling up the rear surrounds and crazy wah-wah guitar isolated in the rear left height speaker.
The Who recorded Who's Next with assistance from recording engineer Glyn Johns. After producing the song "Won't Get Fooled Again" in the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, they relocated to Olympic Studios to record and mix most of the album's remaining songs. They made prominent use of the synthesizer on the album, particularly on "Won't Get Fooled Again" and "Baba O'Riley", which were both released as singles.
Who's Next was an immediate success when it was released on 14 August 1971. It has since been viewed by critics as the Who's best record and one of the greatest albums of all time. It was reissued on CD several times with additional songs originally intended for Lifehouse.
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Pete Townshend introduces 'Who's Next/Life House' song by song + video "The making of"
