John Dougan

Unlike my first experience with the 33 1/3 series ("Ode to Billie Joe"), this installment can only be described as academic - somewhat dryly so. Although Dougan opens with a discussion of his personal relationship to rock music, and latterly the album, much of the book is taken up with the cultural timeline that led to the album's gestation. Some of this is quite direct, such as the creative growth of "The Who"'s Pete Townshend, but much of the content revolves around the BBC's attempt to blockade popular music and clamp down on pirate radio stations. It's an eminently sensible approach for Dougan to deconstruct why "The Who Sell Out" even exists, but it's not overly fascinating reading, and by the time he begins examining individual tracks it feels more like an academic exercise than an engaging analysis. Probably not one for a reader who isn't very familiar with "The Who" - but then, if they were, I'd imagine they might have better, weightier books to recommend.… (mais)