The Who: Albums Ranked | Worst to Best 

Your analysis is excellent in every way. In less than a half hour you said more than most people would in two hours. It's good to see By Numbers get some love. It IS a really good record. Quadrophenia would be my number one. However, Who's Next is their definitive album. It's the right choice for the top spot. Thank you, I really enjoyed this clip.

If the rock gods told me I could go back in time and be a member of a band I would pick The Who. To me they were/are the ultimate rock band.

“Who Are You” should be higher if only for the iconic, legendary title track. One of their greatest achievements.

Who's Next is a rock masterpiece that still influences generations! 🤘

Glad to see some love for By Numbers. It's raw, breezy, less controlled and claustrophobic than most Who.

My then boyfriend got us to skip lectures at Portsmouth Poly to be in the Pinball Wizard scene of Tommy. .We got fed, got to sing/ shout ‘How do you think he does it?’ And got tickets to a special Who concert at the Guildhall. Did you know that the person who gives Ann-Margaret the news at the start is a woman

_Who's Next,_ a deserved winner. It sounds like it was made last week. The production was off the scale. Can't believe it's 50 years old! Another great list, dude.

The first LP I ever bought, as a teenager in 1971, was Who's Next. I still have it. Has there ever been a more dramatic and powerful finish to a song, than the conclusion of Won't Get Fooled Again? The slow build up of tension from the simple synth chords, Moon's rolling and thunderous drums, Daltrey's scream and Townshend's crashing guitar chords. Then the manic race to the finish with the energy and despair in the vocals, the power of the bass and drums underlying the final chords from Townshend. I have been fortunate to see it live twice, when they have played in Sydney in 2003 and 2009 and it is unforgettable. Having said that, I still regard Quadrophenia as their masterpiece. I agree it is a much more coherent and relatable story than Tommy and definitely in my top five, if not top three albums. I also have the original LP with the photo booklet and I'll never let it go. The growth and maturity displayed in the few short years from Tommy to Who's Next and then Quadrophenia is astonishing. There isn't a dud song on the the double album, but the fourth side is unsurpassed. It is a truly magnificent collection of songs with the rage of Dr Jimmy, the beauty and atmosphere in The Rock and as you say, the sublime Love Reign O'er Me. There has rarely been a better side of an LP than side four of Quadrophenia. A great review of the career of one of my favourite bands. Thank you.

Have three Who albums and they are these 'top three'. Currently having a Who re-appreciation phase. Fantastic lowdowns & analyses. So timely! Thank you.

"The Who Sell Out" ... cannot get enough of this record..

Odds & Sods in its original form [no extra tracks] is freakin’ awesome 🤩

Great run down. Thanks. I like the first Who’s Next expanded edition that included some more Lifehouse tunes including my favourite all time Who tune: Naked Eye. The greatest live band in the world!! Cheers😊

I'm a Who fanatic that's new to your channel. I was expecting to dismiss your analysis and get all defensive over your ridiculous opinions. Nup. Didn't happen. All very fair, informative, beautifully said in fact. I found myself nodding along to almost all of it - I'd place Quadrophenia higher than Tommy, though the battle for first place between Quad and Who's Next....I simply don't feel strongly either way. They both play on repeat inside my head and I'm just happy that they both exist.

I've long argued that "Tommy", "Who's Next", and "Quadrophenia": are one of the truly great three-album runs in rock history, right up there with "Beggars Banquet", "Let it Bleed", and Sticky Fingers". I might quibble with the relative placement of some of the middling albums, but big picture I have no problems with this listing. I do have a soft spot in my heart for "Who Are You", because it was released just as I was finishing school and embarking on a career, because it expressed where I was at the time and the title cut was all over the radio at the time.

Totally agree with the top 3. Who’s Next is a masterpiece. I also think Bargain is a fantastic song.

For me the period from Live at Leeds,..Tommy,....Who's Next,.......Quadrophenia,........, and Who By Numbers was an amazing 6-year run. One can debate this,..or that, but(to me) these 5 albums define The Who.

Loved this! Totally agree. Who's Next is not just my top Who album but also easily in my top 5 albums of all time. Bargain is the absolute best. I agree with the ranking for the most part although I do have a soft spot for Who Are You. Thanks for this 🙂

Awesome review, only decision I don’t agree with is putting Face Dances in last place. Though I do kinda get it. I’d personally put Endless Wire or It’s Hard in last place. Quadrophenia would be my pick for best album but I totally can agree with Who’s Next as well! Wonderful review man, keep it up!

While the medley of "My Generation" & "Land of Hope and Glory" was recorded in 1966, it was released for the first time on a 1990's expanded CD edition of "A Quick One"

Personally, I would rank Who Are You much higher, and even slide Who By Numbers up a notch. No problem with your 1 and 2 selection. Always a good discussion involving The Who. Maximum R&B, and no flim-flam.

I just can’t imagine The Who without Keith Moon. He was the (literal) beating heart of The Who.

The only who album I’ve ever really loved is ‘Sell Out’ which I consider to be a masterpiece.

Hadn't been a fan of By Numbers and The Who, but your assessment makes me want to hear them again.

I agree w/your analysis for the most part. Your work reminded me of how great The Who is and how creative they were....going to listen to Quadrophenia (sublime bass on this album) and enjoy it as always. Thanks brother, you're appreciated.

Who’s Next like Floyd’s DSOTM, and Zep’s IV, are all albums if your a certain age that you can recite in your sleep!

Great episode….I had Who By Numbers in high school and never really got it until recently….great album! There latest is also a solid collection of tunes …..thanks for all your great posts! The Who , one of many great British bands!

I sort of half-agree on Face Dances. The songwriting on FD is stronger than it is on It's Hard or Who Are You, both of which have good/great songs on them. "Another Tricky Day" and "You Better You Bet" are more sophisticated and composed better, More mature. I think it was a good start off to the 80's for The Who. I think Kenney Jones gets unfair treatment, he was filling in a huge void left by Keith Moon. I think maybe they should have gotten a "harder" drummer - NOT a Keith Moon clone, but someone who has his own style but someone who is more aggressive drumming - wise (Ginger Baker Perhaps?). In any event: Respect to Kenney Jones. I would have rated Face Dances Higher IMHO.

Thanks for all the work you put into that Barry and you judged it perfectly. Wouldn't argue with any of that. Lovely picture of Keith again too - what an expressive look on his face. Wonder what he was thinking ?

Excellent, thoughtfully considered ranking. Who's Next is easily one of my 10 favorite albums of all time.

Thanks for this, particulary the background on Substitute.

It's Hard and especially Who Are You are fantastic albums in my opinion. Entwistle's compositions especially shine on these two.

Your Top 5 is the same as my Top 5. I haven't thought about the other 7 albums nearly as much so I'll take your word for it with regard to the ranking. 🙂 "Quadrophenia" always amazes me, especially Keith's "lead drums" (read like "lead guitar"). Good video. Well done. A+

Great job Baz, I don't reckon I'd change any placings from yours, cheers.

Great video, always loved the Who without quite digging too deep; that's being rectified these past few years though, I'm getting all the albums on vinyl, only a few to go. Probably Quad just about tops my list, and I love Face Dances' RSD release from 2021. Cheers!

The biggest Who fan I know always tells me Quadrophenia is the best. Who’s Next will always be #1 with me. A magic moment, a near perfect album. There are maybe 10 or so albums that I hold in this same regard. Who’s Next, Ziggy Stardust, Blonde On Blonde, Boston, Exile on Main St, and a few others. The Who’s masterpiece imo. ✨

Fantastic video mate i agree with every word.

Pretty fair review - thank you! In the Who's Next section I think you describe Moon as being 'unleashed' and 'manic' I think the genius of Moon was that he could seem wild in his playing, yet remain controlled and sensitive at the same time, particularly on Quadrophenia. Thanks again.

Glad I got to see The Who in concert, this year. Actually heard a few songs I didn't know! Surround/immersive versions of Tommy and Quadrophenia are worth tracking down. And Who's Next, mixed in Atmos by Steven Wilson is scheduled for release next year! Thanks for this ranking. I'm unfamiliar with at least 1/2 The Who albums.

I think you nailed it. Well done.

Excellent video, for once, I'd probably totally agree. Who's Next is just a sublime album, easily in my top ten favourite albums, every time I listen to it, I fall in love with it a little more.

As a long time Who freak, your order of the albums is almost exactly the same as mine, except perhaps the top 4, which are all so exceptional my #1 can be any one of them on a given day, usually the one I'm listening to or have most recently heard. But *Sell Out,* arguably the #1 "deep cuts" album by anyone, tends to usually occupy my top spot, for the songs, so many absolute gems, and being the most *fun* of any Who album, though it's great to see them bringing that fun back as they carry on.

There's a few albums here I haven't got around to buying yet, but you've inspired me to have a listen. I agree with the Top Three. All of them are magnificent. And I also agree with you that I Can See For Miles is the best single they ever put out. In my all time top 10 of records ever without a doubt. Good work.

Very nice Ranking of the albums of The Who !!!

I loved the "Amazing Journey" pun. Your channel is top.

I totally agree with your top 3 (I prefer a bit more Tommy to Quadrophenia but both albums are great and milestones). What surprises me was your "worst" album choice - Face Dances. I see it as Who's new wave album with some really strong songs. It's easily in my top 5-6 albums. But - we all hear things different 😎

Regarding that '81 Who release, I've always thought Pete's solo album from the year before was a much better record.

You're ranking is similar to mine. I saw The Who in Toronto '82. They've always been one of my favorite rock 'n roll bands. Thanks to my older brother for turning me on to their music. Cheers!

The only band ever where the rhythm section of drums and bass dominate

Im glad i subbed

Superb video; excellent justification of your choices. While my favorite Who album is Sell Out, I wouldn't change its ranking. And it's deluxe release is one of the few times that the bonus tracks actually enhance the original release. I understand your ranking videos apply only to studio albums, but with the Who I might argue that Live at Leeds and Odds and Sodds should be included. Live at Leeds, unlike most other live albums, is an essential album in the Who's history. And Odds & Sodds has so many outstanding "fugitive" tracks available nowhere else (at the time). I've always been intrigued by how unprolific the Who were. I think only Simon & Garfunkel, among major Sixties acts, were less prolific. But, damn, their quality is superb, at least for the albums released by the original line up.

Always enjoyed The Who but mostly just the hits and “Who’s Next”. I guess I should dig deeper into the catalog. Thanks for the breakdown.

Really nice analysis! You just got a new subscriber.

Great review, and spot on for me with the top 3. I still listen to Quadrophenia and Who’s Next. For me, the high point of both is The Rock into Love Reign o’er Me - utter perfection 🎉🎉

great video! For me, Quadrophenia is their greatest work. Tried listening to "The Who Sell Out" album the other day, and just couldnt get into it. Will have to give it another try

thank you for this - another band that passed me by for some reason. I - like everyone - know their 'hits' but thank you for this info.

An excellent presentation and argument for the finest of the Who. I have little dispute with your top 3 and find that Who's Next is still an unparalleled achievement esp. for that time (but honestly, any time) where all cylinders were hitting flawlessly. By Numbers has earned much personal respect, where I love all the songs and it may be the album I listen too most often. I may have been tempted to elevate it but will not argue the point. Quadrophenia is still amazing and exhausting to hear and I reference it (or parts thereof) often. It is a simply stellar journey taken in its entirety. For me, that is not so with Tommy and that has always been the case. I just never bought into the theme or offerings contained therein and would be hard-pressed to hum more than two or three tracks from Tommy beyond the obvious. Admittedly and perhaps with some guilt, I lost interest in their works after Keith's passing and found little inspiration there although each effort featured a highlight or two for me (the title track, Athena and Eminence Front still stand out). Thank you for quoting from Roger's autobiography regarding these works, as I would agree with Roger's assessment of them although I do understand how they may have been necessarily cathartic for the entire band. Well done.

Somehow I totally missed this rankings video!

Who Sell Out (the 1995 cd version or the more recent deluxe version) is my personal fave. The pirate radio theme works very well -some of the jingles are highlights and a reprise of 'Mary Anne with the Shaky Hands' mimics radio playlist procedure. Also, with the possible exception of Who's Next, I don't think the songwriting was ever better. Great gems on this one like: Glow Girl, Glittering Girl, Jaguar, Early Morning Cold Taxi, Melancholia, Sunrise, Our Love Was, and Rael.

A good ranking. I know you only rank studio albums, but I think that Live at Leeds, being one of the greatest live rock albums of all time, deserves an honorable mention.

Long before the wall there was Tommy, pure genius. I actually have to make space to listen to Tommy, has to be the entire album and undistracted or it doesn't work, who's next is tied for my #1, depends on mood and what I'm doing at the time. Doesn't seem like the who gets the props they should, seems like they get stuck in the 2nd tier when obviously they are top shelf all the way. They got stuck between stones/Beatles and zep/sabbath, maybe its best they stood on their own. Great vid as always, thanks

Don't know about the worst but I think Who's Next is their best album! IMO... First heard it on it's release in 1971 and loved it ever since.

Great video. Who's Next would probably be my favourite Who album as well. Tommy and Quadrophenia would be number 2 and 3 I guess...although I also really like The Who Sell Out and The Who By Numbers...anyway, between 1965 and 1978 they could almost do no wrong. Live At Leeds is a fantastic live album if there ever was one.

Oh man this is gonna be a good one!

I think one the interesting aspects of their recording career is that every album is different, in style, theme, and musicianship. For example, Pete's guitar playing and sound changes from album to album (compare Quad and By Numbers on this point). So, I actually don't think there is a single "Who sound" on record, compared to say the Stones, all of whose albums sound like "The Stones." This was a great video--thanks!

Saw Roger in concert doing his solo stuff last year in Southend. His voice was remarkably good.

1. Who by numbers 2. Who’s next 3. Who are you 4. Tommy 5. Quadrophenia 6. My generation 7. Who sell out 8. A quick one 9. Face dances 10. Who 11. It’s hard 12. Endless wire

Always will be Who’s Next for me.Can’t argue with 2 & 3 also.Nice to see some love for the latest album,still gets airplay in my car.

Extremely accurate and on key!! The top 4 Los for me could change at any time..its the one I'm loving at the time!! The OO!!!

A couple comments: Jeff Beck smashing 'his' guitar (it was a cheap import used for the filming) in Blowup was part of the script, not anger at his amp, as the movie suggests. Film maker Antonioni originally wanted the Who for the purpose of a smash-up. When Who manager Chris Stamp asked the Yardbirds' manager Simon Napier-Bell how much he should ask for a fee, the response was £10,000, a ridiculously high sum, which Napier-Bell knew would be rejected, thus creating the opportunity for him to offer the Yardbirds at a substantially lesser fee. Your mention about Moon's playing being unhinged on 'Who's Next' is a reminder that the reality was artful deception. Moon was in fact under strict orders from producer Glyn Johns to ply better time and groove versus go crazy. As a result Moon, who apparently struggled with the directive, was able to establish a greater contrast within his reange of playing, simply because when he did go crazy it was now more notably explosive than when he was constatly riffing throughout the song. 'Won't Get Fooled Again' is a fine example. Along with the Yardbirds, the Who were key progenitors of progressing pop beyond its mid 60s clichés, with the bombast of 'Anyway Anyhow Anywhere' serving notice well before the Yardbirds shook matters up with 'Shapes of Things' and 'Over Under Sideways Down', the Byrds gave us 'Eight Miles High', the Beatles released 'Strawberry Fields Forever' and Hendrix hit us with 'Purple Haze'. Indeed, the Who - who were also responsible for the creation of the Marshall Stack and high-wattage Marshall amps - were arguably the ones who transformed pop into power pop and then very quickly into rock. If you've not already done one, a ranking of albums by the Move - or possibly just an overview as there were only four plus the killer EP 'Something Else' - would be interesting. ELO fans unaware of the connection would likely find it to be a great reveal.

Nice breakdown ! Let's face it, The Who were never quite the same without legendary Moon. And then when Entwhistle died, the TWO should have called it a day. My top 6 6. Who Are You. 5. Who By Numbers. 4. Who Sell Out. 3. Tommy 2. Quadrophenia. ! WHO'S NEXT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Arguably the greatest rock album in history.. I was luicky to attend the show at the Cow Palace when Keith pased out and kid from Iowa was chosen to play in his place. I llstened to Endless Wire. once.

IMO, Tommy is the best by far. I should know I listened to the whole album about 100 times in the first 3 months after it came out in '69.

After the death of Keith Moon the band was never the same and they never surpassed the period when he was behind the drums. But my favourite song of that later period is It's Hard. It is marred only by Kenny Jones' lacklustre drumming, but the lyrics are among Pete's best, as well as Roger's vocals. Quadrophenia remains my all-time favourite of their albums. It is among those albums that there is not a bad track. In comparison to Tommy it has a stronger narrative structure. Everyone, in my opinion, were at their creative best. I envy anyone who had the opportunity to see this live when Moonie was still alive. It must have been amazing.

I was not aware of the Lighthouse project. It sounds great. Arthur C.Clark explored the concept of the perfect sound, in his Tales From The White Heart. Maybe not a note, but a mantra of sound. Why does, Tomorrow Never Knows come to mind? I happen to like some of the later albums, I totally liked Face Dances, great humable upbeat tunes. You Better You Bet is a classic. I would also rank Who Are You higher. My list might look something like this 1 Quadrophenia 2 Who's Next 3 Tommy 4 Who Sell Out 5 Face Dancers 6 Who Are You 7 My Generation 8 By Numbers Not that familiar with the rest, like Live at Leads. Like Townshend's solo work, All the Best Cowboys is brilliant. ..White City. His hidden gem "Now and Then". ,

Trouble is "Live at Leeds" is in the top 5 of all albums of all time. I haven't heard the recording of the Hull gig which apparently exceeds. "Young Man Blues" on "Live at Leeds" is arguably the best rock track ever perhaps with "I can see for miles" as a close second. No Moon? No Who. No Entwistle? No Who.

"...out of my brain on the 5:15..."

Love ..”by Numbers” , lots of depth to the songwriting.

My number 1 album is Tommy as it was the first album of The Who that I listened to and started a life long appreciation of the band. 2nd would be Quadrophenia it is such a rich, lush musical journey that engages you from the first drop of the needle. Then Who’s Next, Who are you, Sell Out, My Gen and numbers, and the rest in no particular order.

Awesome...you are Awesome

Who's Next - still love it to this day as a 65 year old!

Thanks for a great video. I always find it interesting how other people would rank the discography of one of my favorite bands. But there are so many videos would people just saying: "I like that. It's great. I don't like that, it's crap". It is really an enjoyment, that you are taking things sp serious, sharing your thoughts about the albums more in depth. And further more, you have some really good arguments for your choice of ranking. But of course ... I disagree. My list is different. Just as could be expected. I guess among Who-fans there would be lists in every possible order. So as expected: you got yours, I got mine. On my list I must have one more album: "Live At Leeds". I know it's the common convention to not count live albums in the discography for such list. But "Live At Leeds" is so much af a unique output, a statement of it's own, not just a greatest hits before an audience, so for me it can't be left out. With that said, my list would be: 1. Tommy 2. My Generation 3. Who’s Next 4. Live At Leeds 5. It’s Hard 6. Sell Out 7. A Quick One 8. Quardrophenia 9. Who Are You 10. Face Dances 11. Who 12. By Numbers 13. Glass & Wire

I'm surprised you didn't mention the bonus tracks on Who's Next. Like A Passion Play/Chateau D'Isaster, the material from the aborted Lifehouse project is absolutely stunning and works surprisingly well. Songs like Naked Eye, Pure and Easy, and Water eclipse even some of their later released material.

Who's Next and Live at Leeds are the pinnacles of Who awesomeness.

I love The Who and could not agree more with the final two, your description of the Lifehouse project and Petes prophesying pretty much describes what our government, using covid, did to us in NZ for quite some time. Many thanks for your fantastic work on this channel

Definitely, Who's Next. After that, it changes a lot. Right now I'd put Who By Numbers at 2, and Quadrophenia 3. I would put Face Dances a few places higher than you did.

Enjoy your albums ranking. Im from Sri Lanka. Can you do a Neil Diamond album ranking. I love his voice and style of singing. Got almost 30 albums vinyl records of his

The only time i saw them around ‘94, they did quadrophenia in entirety, took a break, and then did a bunch of their hits. Awesome

The great thing about the Who is they were able to imbue comedy elements into many of their albums without them becoming trite or throwaway - this is best highlighted by Sell Out which is my go to Who album these days despite being musically inferior to Quad, Tommy, Who’s Next and even the original 6 tack version of live at Leeds

I think I agree and have very little to add except that It's Hard may rock harder but, Faces Dances is the better of the two. My two cents. It's hard to explain ("Can't Explain") but Tommy is the story of my life. Parents had big issues and I was told not to speak of any of it to pastor or at school. A teacher took me aside in Junior Year spring 1969 (Tommy's release date) and asked what was causing my caustic and disruptive behavior. I spilled my guts and watched his face go limp. Long story short, school psychologist was called in and my father, a leading surgeon in town, stated quite clearly: "No one is going to tell me what to do." A WWII Veteran and physician and guess what: in 1969 no one could tell him what to do. He wasn't really breaking any laws. I met a woman who, when I say, "saved my life", that is not an exaggeration, and I dove head long into concerts at Fillmore East and psychedelics. Those three things saved me. And Tommy. And The Who performing it live a day after its release.

All reasonable choices, eloquently explained as always. I think Sell Out should make the top three, however. It actually sounds more contemporary, and was likely more influential (along with their debut), than their more commercially successful 70s output.

Dear Classic Album Review Guy: Your assessment of Who's Next is a masterpiece.....

An excellent synopsis of an excellent band my list would be slightly different to yours but there all good. Can you rank Rory gallagher's albums next please.

I'd agree with your top three..

Single song wise, I vote for Can't Explain! And I was even going to college in England in '67-'68 and I loved I Can See for Miles that year. (That's also the year I discovered The Move, one of my all-time favorite bands).

Great list. Mirrors my own top 3. I will defend Who Are You though. There is a lot of good work on that album. The title track is brilliant, but Sister Disco is an underrated gem - almost a little operetta. Entwhistle had a couple of strong songs too in 905 and Trick of the Light. The album isn't up there with the "big 3", but it's pretty good, imo. Cheers.

1 Quadrophenia 2 Who's Next 3 The Who Sell Out 4 Face Dances 5 Tommy 6 The Who By Numbers 7 My Generation 8 Who 9 A Quick One 10 Who Are You 11 It's Hard 12 Endless Wire

I'm with Roger on Kenney Jones. But I don't know who could have sat on the drum stool after Moon died. I do wish, though, that Kenney had joined the Stones after Charlie died. His style would have fitted in very well, in my view. Steve Jordan is a thumper, which suited Chuck Berry's live band style, but Charlie was never that, and I miss his finesse.

How so much of The Who's music can have passed me by over the years will have to remain a mystery. Where to proceed from Who's Next is now much less mysterious. Cheers!

Almost forgot we got the movie cant think of name in college not Tommy but their history one and it caused us to get wild lol

The hands. The hands speak !

Hi Barry your review and description is impeccable. My ranking would be very similar. The same ones would be at the top for me. God bless your channel and the wonderful Who.