The Who
Who Are You

One of the saddest albums in the history of rock ever released. The Who, one of the greatest bands of all time, capable, in the course of a few years, of expanding the stylistic boundaries of music, all together for the last time in a recording studio. A few weeks after the release of this album, the great drummer Keith Moon would meet a premature death, widely announced. With his passing, the Who, in addition to losing an incredible musician, would forever give up the mad soul of the group and an exuberant, extravagant, and extreme personality.

The nine tracks that make up "Who Are You" represent a sort of testament, a last arduous collective effort. Life was not easy for the Who in that distant 1978. Management changes, serious personal problems among the members, delicate marital issues, solo ambitions, Pete Townshend creatively exhausted and in full alcohol dependency, Keith Moon destroyed mentally and a victim of his own excesses. The four characters depicted on the cover have tired, disappointed, and demotivated faces. They seem like survivors of a tough battle and realize that the triumphs of Monterey, Woodstock, and the Isle of Wight are now far away. They are no longer the four young amphetamine-driven musicians who in 1965, wrapped in the Union Jack, announced the musical revolution with the decisive statement of "My Generation", nor the dream-like musicians who in 1971 gifted us a legendary album like "Who's Next". Those grim faces on the cover of "Who Are You" know they are at the end of their artistic journey, made of masterpieces, intelligent concept albums, and fabulous concerts. As a music critic rightly wrote, "Who Are You" is "the last album where the Who are still the Who". For those who loved this band, subsequent albums like the depressing "Face Dances", the tragic "It's Hard" both recorded purely for contractual obligations with drummer Kenney Jones replacing the irreplaceable Moon or the recent and mediocre "Endless Wire", represent embarrassing episodes meant to keep alive the sacred fire of the myth.

Their musical story ends with the nine songs present in this work. A work that will be remembered for the use of embarrassing modern, electronic sounds and for the awkward flat rock proposed by the group. A controversial, contradictory, and unsuccessful work, born with the aim of creating new sounds but which, in the end, will merely re-propose, with little conviction, the usual sonic recipe. The title track remains, however, the last great classic of the group. A successful and energetic song remembered for being inspired by a frustrated and drunken Townshend after a chance encounter with some members of the Sex Pistols. "New Song" and "Sister Disco" start with all good intentions but then sink into customary rock covered by uncomfortable synthesizers. "Love Is Coming Down" is a dramatic and boring ballad without infamy and without praise and the experimental "Guitar And Pen" is easily forgotten because it's too elaborate. The prophetic and jazzy "Music Must Change" is remembered because during the recording Keith Moon was replaced by a drum machine because, due to his precarious physical condition, he couldn't keep up the tempo. The compositional contribution of John Entwistle ultimately consists of three fillers lacking in ideas and not at all striking.

The release of the album, received lukewarmly by fans and critics, was accompanied by the tragedy that struck Keith Moon. After his death, the Who decided to continue but completely lost the healthy madness and devastating strength that had always distinguished them. For this reason, the true Who continue to live in the mocking grin of their inimitable drummer.