Before Tommy, and even before he worked with singer-songwriter John “Speedy” Keen on the famous Thunderclap Newman album, Pete Townshend and The Who broke down the walls between psychedelia, punk and power pop with the December 1967 release of The Who Sell Out. Now 40+ years after the original release, Polydor—through the auspices of Universal Music Group—have overhauled the famous album with a 2009 double CD version of The Who Sell Out. Kicking off with the mighty “Armenia City In The Sky,” written by the late great John Keen, Sell Out remains one of the most vital, definitive musical statements from 1967. Recorded in NYC and London, among various other places, Sell Out was simply one of the wildest, most creative statements ever released by The Who. And considering that Tommy was right around the bend, The Who Sell Out was also one of the band’s rawest, most spontaneous studio albums ever. Without a famous single—such as the Sell Out classic “I Can See For Miles”—Tommy would yield a new maturity to the Who sound and in doing so would not only change the Who but also the face of rock music. In addition to featuring the entire mono and stereo versions of The Who Sell Out, Polydor’s 2009, 53 track, double Deluxe Edition CD set adds in a wide variety of bonus cuts including various mono and stereo mixes, unused mixes, single mixes, full versions of the hysterical radio commercials that were scattered throughout the original 13 track album as well as impeccable liner notes by Dave Marsh and Andy Neill. With the definite highlight being a great gut-level mono mix of the entire album, Who fans will be in a tizzy with this essential Deluxe Edition of The Who Sell Out. The only drawback here is that the late great Keith Moon and John Entwistle aren’t here to witness this essential reissue concerning a most vital slice of art rock history. www.TheWho.com / www.LostTunes.com

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