The Who have released a Super Deluxe Edition box set of their 1975 album The Who By Numbers, which hit the stores Friday, October 30.
The box set contains 5 CDs that include the original album newly remastered, 11 of Pete’s original demos for the album, tracking sessions and out-takes from Ramport and Shepperton Studios, early mixes, guide vocals, radio adverts, live tracks, an unreleased interview, and the concert Who Put The Boot In - live at Swansea's Vetch Field in 1976. There is also a Blu-Ray with Dolby Atmos and 5.1 mixes by Pete Townshend, a 2026 stereo mix of the album, and an unreleased concert video of The Who live at Metropolitan Stadium, Pontiac, Michigan, 06 December 1975. The history of the album is told in a detailed 100-page hard back book that features rare photos, memorabilia and exclusive notes from Pete Townshend and Who expert Andy Neill.
According to the press release, The Who By Numbers, released in early October 1975, is the seventh studio album by The Who and marked a watershed moment for the band, as its songs were, for the most part, more introspective and personal than those they had released previously. The record was a commercial success, peaking at #8 on the US Billboard chart and #7 in the UK, partly due to the success of one of the album’s lighter moments, ‘Squeeze Box’, which became an international hit, reaching the top ten in the UK, top 20 in the US and #1 in Canada.
In a recent podcast with Classic Album Review, Pete discussed how the songs for the album were selected by Roger. "I don't write a huge amount of songs. For that project I did deliver 35 songs to Roger on a cassette. He was performing the role of Franz Liszt by Ken Russell in Lisztomania, and he was based in a riverside hotel in Shepperton. I took him the cassette and he listened to a couple of things and said he would come back to me the following day. He did and I was quite surprised by his choice of stuff. He seemed to like a lot of the songs which were rather personal I suppose. I think I have always written for The Who as a band, including myself. I've written for Rogers voice, probably more for Roger than anybody else. I certainly didn't try to demo Keith Moon's drums. I think sometime on my demo's I did bass guidelines to John, and John was amazing, he did actually listen to my bass guidelines, but elaborated them on hugely. But with Roger I think it was really just finding songs that he felt he could internalize. Because I think he's my interpreter, my best interpreter. He sings my songs probably better that I sing them myself. He certainly has a way of working with my material, so it was quite interesting that he was ready to go to bat for some songs which were a little bit different."
Roger said in a press statement for the album, “In some ways, The Who By Numbers is my favourite [Who] album. For me, songs like ‘Imagine A Man’, ‘How Many Friends’ and ‘However Much I Booze’ expose our vulnerabilities, and the album is wonderful for that.”
The Who By Numbers is also available as a 3 LP set, 2 CD Set and limited coloured vinyl.
DISC ONE: THE ORIGINAL 1975 ALBUM REMASTERED
1. Slip Kid
2. However Much I Booze
3. Squeeze Box
4. Dreaming From The Waist
5. Imagine A Man
6. Success Story
7. They Are All In Love
8. Blue, Red And Grey
9. How Many Friends
10.In A Hand Or A Face
DISC TWO: PETE TOWNSHEND DEMOS
1. Keep Me Turning (Version 1)
2. Slip Kid (Version 1)
3. Squeeze Box
4. Blue, Red and Grey
5. Dreaming From The Waist
6. How Many Friends
7. Keep Me Turning (Version 2)
8. Imagine A Man
9. Slip Kid (Version 2)
10.Round And Round (working title for In a Hand or a Face)
11. There Ain’t No Way Out (working title for However Much I Booze)
DISC THREE: TRACKING SESSIONS: RAMPORT & SHEPPERTON STUDIOS
1. Ramport Jam (Excerpt)
2. She Loves Everyone (Tracking Session)
3. Control Myself (Dreaming From The Waist Tracking Session)
4. There Ain’t No Way Out (However Much I Booze Tracking Session)
5. Goin' To Frisco - Round And Round (In a Hand Or A Face Tracking Session)
6. Hi-Heel Sneakers Jam with Nicky Hopkins (Studio Outtake)
7. Pete And Keith “The Artiste" (Studio Dialogue)
8. Success Story (Tracking Session)
9. How Many Friends (Tracking Session)
10.Imagine A Man (Tracking Session)
11.They Are All in Love (Tracking Session)
12.She Loves Everyone (Retake With Nicky Hopkins)
13.Squeeze Box (Tracking Session)
14.Instrumental 1 (Tracking Session)
15.I'm Dreaming (Dreaming From The Waist Retake)
16.Every Minute (Blue Red and Grey Tracking Session)
17.Instrumental 2 (Rough Mix Tracking Session)
18.The Who By Numbers US Radio Spot #1 (Radio Commercial)
DISC FOUR: EARLY MIXES & GUIDE VOCALS
1. Slip Kid - Alternate Roger Vocal (Early Mix Without Overdubs)
2. However Much I Booze - Alternate Pete Vocal (Early Mix)
3. Squeeze Box - Alternate Roger Vocal
4. Dreaming From The Waist - Pete Vocal (Early Mix)
5. Imagine A Man - Pete Vocal (Early Mix)
6. Success Story - John Vocal (Early Mix)
7. They Are All in Love - Alternate Pete Vocal (Early Mix)
8. Blue, Red and Grey (Unedited Version)
9. How Many Friends - Pete Vocal (Early Mix)
10.In A Hand Or A Face (Early Mix)
11.They Are All In Love Alternate Roger Vocal (Early Mix)
12.Squeeze Box (Acoustic Stripped Mix, 2026)
13.Imagine A Man (Acoustic Stripped Mix, 2026)
14.They Are All In Love (Acoustic Stripped Mix, 2026)
15.How Many Friends (Acoustic Stripped Mix, 2026)
16.The Who By Numbers US Radio Spot #2 (Radio Commercial)
17.Keith Moon And John Entwistle Preview (The Who by Numbers With John Peel, BBC 1975)
18.However Much I Booze (Live At The Summit, Houston, USA, 20 November 1975)
19.Slip Kid (Live At Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA, 11 March 1976)
DISC FIVE: LIVE AT VETCH FIELD, SWANSEA, WALES, 12 JUNE 1976
1. My Wife
2. Baba O’Riley
3. Squeeze Box
4. Behind Blue Eyes
5. Dreaming From The Waist
6. Amazing Journey
7. Sparks
8. The Acid Queen
9. Fiddle About
10.Pinball Wizard
11.I’m Free
12.Tommy's Holiday Camp
13.We’re Not Gonna Take It / See Me, Feel Me
14.Summertime Blues
15.My Generation/Join Together/My Generation Blues
16.Won’t Get Fooled Again
DISC SIX: BLU RAY
The Who By Numbers
• Pete Townshend Atmos Mix
• Pete Townshend 5.1 Mix
• 2026 Stereo Mix
1. Slip Kid
2. However Much I Booze
3. Squeeze Box
4. Dreaming From the Waist
5. Imagine A Man
6. Success Story
7. They Are All in Love
8. Blue, Red and Grey
9. How Many Friends
10. In A Hand or a Face
LIVE AT METROPOLITAN STADIUM, PONTIAC, MICHIGAN, 6 DECEMBER 1975
(Previously unreleased video shot on NTSC 2” videotape)
1. I Can’t Explain
2. Substitute
3. My Wife
4. Baba O’Riley
5. Squeeze Box
6. Behind Blue Eyes
7. Dreaming From The Waist
8. Boris The Spider
9. Magic Bus
10.Amazing Journey / Sparks
11.The Acid Queen
12.Fiddle About
13.Pinball Wizard
14.I’m Free
15.Tommy’s Holiday Camp
16.We’re Not Gonna Take It / See Me, Feel Me
17.Summertime Blues
18.My Generation/Join Together/Road Runner/My Generation Blues
19.Won’t Get Fooled Again
To promote the release, Pete sat down for an interview with the Classic Album Review podcast. Here's part one of that discussion.
Here's a great discussion of the box set with Andy Neil on the Talking About The Who podcast.
