Who's Next  by The Who

In 1971, the English band Who released the fifth studio album of their career titled Who's Next. Having experienced success a few years earlier with the rock opera Tommy, they wanted to repeat something similar in 1971. However, their manager, Kit Lambert, was completely opposed to such a thing. So, the Who gathered eight of the ready-made songs they had for Lifehouse - the new rock opera would be called that - recorded one more, My Wife, and Who's Next was ready.

Who's Next immediately became a major commercial success, and the reviews elevated it. In the USA, it reached No. 4 and sold 3,000,000 copies there alone. In their homeland, it reached No. 1, while it also had great impact in many other countries. For most of the band's fans, Who's Next is - probably - the pinnacle of all their albums.

Apart from the legendary songs found here, there is also the cover that has entered the realm of legend. The four members of the band have just urinated - obviously, since they are buttoning up their pants - on a monolith. The photograph was taken by photographer Ethan Russell at a mine in South Yorkshire and was a clear reference and jab at Stanley Kubrick's film "2001: A Space Odyssey," which had been released three years earlier.