Random Fascinating Facts You Didn't Know About Who's 'Who Are You' (12 items)

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  (#4) The Zombies' Rod Argent Filled In On Keys

  Rod Argent, the keyboard legend and member of The Zombies, was scheduled to replace Bundrick. Although initially hired to work on the entirety of Who Are You, Argent left the sessions after only performing on a few songs. As Argent explained:

  The Who were going through a lot of political changes at the time with their management. I mean, we weren’t party to what was going on, obviously, but day after day they’d be ensconced upstairs in meetings, and an awful lot of recording didn’t get done. After three tracks I said ‘Look, I’ve got to start the Andrew Lloyd Webber album now.’

  Townshend forced Argent to choose between their project and the Webber one, and the keyboardist picked the latter as he didn't want to back out of a commitment. 
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  (#9) Reviews Of 'Who Are You' Were Mixed

  Despite eventually becoming a beloved album - mostly for being Moon's last work with the band - Who Are You received mixed, often lukewarm reviews from critics. Rolling Stone originally said it was "by no means a great album," and criticized it for lacking "a natural, kinetic groove."

  The review read:

  The drive we expect from The Who is replaced by chunky, sometimes clunky orchestration: strings, horns, synthesizer music. This gives one the feeling that the Who aren’t moving, that they aren’t gearing up for a great rock and roll shoot-out with the competition, heading off for better times, claiming the future - rather, they’re face to face with limbo, and trying to think their way out of it.
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  (#2) It Was The Last Album To Feature Keith Moon

  Pete Townshend wasn't the only one in rough shape. Drummer Keith Moon's struggles with drugs and alcohol were on full display by the time of Who Are You. Moon's legendary appetite for partying left him overweight and struggling to play. As co-producer Jon Astley recalls:

  I do know at the beginning he really wasn’t playing well, and he was all over the place, and they had to sit him down and tell him to get his shit together. I don’t think he was drinking at the time, he was on slimming aid and things like that. In fairness to him, he did get it together on the album, and he really plays really well on parts.

  On September 7, 1978, just a few weeks after the album's release, Moon was found dead of an overdose on pills he took to help his alcohol abuse. He was 32.

  "It was a silly mistake," Townshend later said. "He just always took pills in handfuls; it was just a habit that he had." 

  Though the last album to feature Moon, the band moved forward with replacement drummers. 
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  (#3) The Band's Keyboardist Broke His Arm After Partying With Keith Moon

  John "Rabbit" Bundrick, the band's longtime touring and recording keyboardist, was slated to play on Who Are You. But a night out drinking with Keith Moon following his audition for the group caused him to fall out of a taxi and break his arm - rendering him useless for the sessions. 

  Bundrick feared he'd lose his job, but his boss let it slide when he discovered the identity of his drinking partner.

  "Everybody is entitled to one mistake, and you just made yours hanging out with Keith. Now you know better. Just let us know when your hand is healed, and you're still in the band," Bundrick recalled manager Bill Curbishley saying in response to his injury.  
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  (#7) The Title Track Was Written After A Night Of Drinking With The Sex Pistols

  As the story goes, "Who Are You" was written about a drunken night Pete Townshend had in the SoHo area of New York City. Townsend reportedly felt upset about the idea that his band had possibly sold out, and met two members of the Sex Pistols. 

  He got extremely drunk, passed out in a random doorway, and was awoken by a police officer. Hence the lyrics:

  I woke up in a SoHo doorway

  
  A policeman knew my name

  
  He said you can go sleep at home tonight

  
  If you can get up and walk away

  Townshend later said he didn't clearly remember the process of writing the song, but claimed it was "an outlet" for the anger he felt towards his manager at the time. 
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  (#6) 'Sister Disco' Is Pete Townshend's Least Favorite Song To Play

  "Sister Disco" became a staple in the band's set following the release of Who Are You, but Townshend once claimed it was his least favorite song to play.

  "Every time we’ve done it, there’s a point when Roger (Daltrey) comes up to me and makes some kind of soppy smile that’s supposed to communicate some kind of Everly Brothers-type relationship to the audience which isn’t actually there," Townsend explained in an interview.

  The song, written about the band's allegiance to rock music in the age of disco, was described by Townsend as being "a perfect example of the progression" the band was making "towards theatrical music writing." 

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