Record Release

“Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand” backed with “I Can’t Reach You” is released in the Netherlands. It fails to chart.

“I Can See For Miles” backed with “Someone’s Coming” is released in Britain. Pete had held the song back for over a year until The Who would need a surefire #1 hit single. Incredibly, this masterful recording ends up tying with “Anyway Anyhow Anywhere” as the poorest charting to date of The Who’s official U.K.… Read More »1967-10-14

“Pictures Of Lily” backed with “Doctor Doctor” is released in the U.S. The lyrics cause most radio stations to balk at playing it, so it peaks at #51 in Billboard and #60 in Cash Box. In the more liberal Netherlands, “Pictures of Lily” reaches #2 on this date. Billboard carries a full page ad for the new single

“Pictures of Lily” is released

“Happy Jack” backed with “Whiskey Man” is finally released in the U.S. It becomes The Who’s first stateside hit, reaching #24 in the Billboard charts and #13 in Cash Box. Billboard magazine runs a full page ad for the single

“Bucket T” is also released as a single backed with “Run Run Run” in Norway and Denmark

The single “Happy Jack” backed with “I’ve Been Away” is released in the U.K. For promotional ads, The Who hire illustrator Ralph Steadman who draws The Who as intertwined snakes. In Disc & Music Echo, Penny Valentine says “Happy Jack” proves Pete is “definitely one of Britain’s finest writers, with so much charm in his… Read More »1966-12-09

The Who’s second album A Quick One has its British release. Chris Welch reviews it for Melody Maker and declares that, although he found the first album a “disappointment,” the second disc “captures The Who’s essence, humour, cynicism, nervous drive, violence and delicacy.” Most reviews comment on the novelty of the multi-song mini-opera. “It’s all… Read More »1966-12-09

Shel Talmy releases the last of his “spoiler” singles, “La La La Lies” backed with “The Good’s Gone.”