Tuesday's List: My Top 50 Favorite Songs from The Who

Back in 1965 one day I was listening to Miami's WQAM, the popular local rock music radio station.  They were playing a new song, which I automatically thought was the Beatles.  I instantly liked I Can't Explain...but it wasn't the Fab Four, it was a new band called The Who.  This very talented group for some reason wasn't able to make as big an impression as other British acts in the U.S. during the sixties other than a few hit singles, but after their rock opera Tommy came out in 1969 they became more known as an album rock band.  During the early 1990s I stepped into Hyde and Zeke Records, a used record store across from the University of Florida on West University Avenue, and found The Who's first four studio albums released in the United States... I bought them all at a steal.  It soon became very clear that this group, with Roger Daltrey as lead singer, Peter Townshend as lead guitarist/singer/songwriter, John Entwistle on bass guitar, and Keith Moon on drums, was much more talented than I had earlier known...these early songs were great!  Over the course of the years I listened to all of their studio albums...with the exception of their last one which was released some 25 years after the previous.  Moon and Entwistle have passed on, but Townshend and Daltrey still perform together from time to time.  The following is the list of my top favorite 50 songs of theirs.  Each song is listed in capitals with the album and year of release following...

1 THE GOOD'S GONE.......My Generation (1965)
2 MAGIC BUS....................Magic Bus: The Who on Tour (1968)
3 DOCTOR JIMMY...........Quadrophenia (1973)
4 I CAN'T EXPLAIN.........Single (1965)
5 RAEL..............................The Who Sell Out (1967)
6 HAPPY JACK.................A Quick One (1966)
7 MY WIFE.......................Who's Next (1971)
8 I CAN'T REACH YOU.........The Who Sell Out (1967)
9 BABA O'RILEY............Who's Next (1971)
10 INSTANT PARTY.............My Generation (1965)
11 5:15..............................Quadrophenia (1973)
12 RUN RUN RUN..........A Quick One (1966)
13 TOMMY CAN YOU HEAR ME........Tommy (1969)
14 BELL BOY..................Quadrophenia (1973)
15 SQUEEZE BOX..........The Who By Numbers (1975)
16 SUNRISE.....................The Who Sell Out (1967)
17 CALL ME LIGHTNING......Magic Bus: The Who on Tour (1968)
18 UNDERTURE.............Tommy (1969)
19 BLUE, RED, AND GREY.........The Who By Numbers (1975)
20 GUITAR AND PEN..........Who Are You (1978)
21 A LEGAL MATTER.........My Generation (1965)
22 RELAX.....................The Who Sell Out (1967)
23 I'M FREE..................Tommy (1969)
24 YOU BETTER YOU BET.......Face Dances (1981)
25 QUADROPHENIA........Quadrophenia (1973)
26 THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT.....My Generation (1965)
27 EMINENCE FRONT.......It's Hard (1982)
28 SEE MY WAY...........A Quick One (1966)
29 GOING MOBILE........Who's Next (1971)
30 WHISKEY MAN........A Quick One (1966)
31 DISGUISES................Magic Bus: The Who on Tour (1968)
32 OVERTURE..............Tommy (1969)
33 ATHENA...................It's Hard (1982)
34 MY GENERATION.........My Generation (1965)
35 PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE........My Generation (1965)
36 WE'RE NOT GONNA TAKE IT........Tommy (1969)
37 THE REAL ME.........Quadrophenia (1973)
38 ANYWAY ANYHOW ANYWHERE......Single (1965)
39 ARMENIA CITY IN THE SKY........The Who Sell Out (1967)
40 SEE ME FEEL ME........Tommy (1969)
41 THEY ARE ALL IN LOVE......The Who By Numbers (1975)
42 LOVE REIGN O'ER ME.......Quadrophenia (1973)
43 GETTING IN TUNE........Who's Next (1971)
44 I CAN SEE FOR MILES......The Who Sell Out (1967)
45 BARGAIN.................Who's Next (1971)
46 THE OX....................My Generation (1965)
47 THE ROCK...............Quadrophenia (1973)
48 WHO ARE YOU............Who Are You (1978)
49 WON'T GET FOOLED AGAIN......Who's Next (1971)
50 OUR LOVE WAS, IS......The Who Sell Out (1967)