Unlike The Who’s three previous albums, ‘Tommy’, ‘Who’s Next’ and ‘Quadrophenia’, ‘Who By Numbers’ is stripped down, back-to-the-basics rock and roll. There are no themes, no operettas, no stories running through multiple songs. Instrumentally, it’s comparatively bare-bones; most of the songs are just guitar, bass and drums, played to perfection. Lyrically, the album as a whole is as good as anything Pete Townshend has written, though much more understated, thematically. Even the album cover, John Entwhistle’s connect-the-dots drawing, is almost child-like in its simplicity.

It has been mastered by long time Who engineer Jon Astley from the original tapes and is packaged in original sleeve with obi and certificate of authenticity. This black vinyl version is engineered by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios using a half-speed mastering technique which produces a superior vinyl cut.