Other worthy entries are the pained, powerful “Love, Reign O’er Me” and the soul-realigning “5:15.” 5. Agitation turned into art, this epic “concept LP” has many high points including “The Real Me,” in which guitarist Pete Townshend takes his usual maestro qualities to the next level by pulling together all the other instruments while still running the musical show. One of The Who’s two double-album rock operas, Quadrophenia tells the musical tale of a young “mod” – think a British lad who embraces spiffy suits, speed, dancing and posing – searching for meaning in the working-class world.

No surprise that The Who was still breaking the rules thirteen years after their first LP. The lyrics abound with profanity which surprisingly made it uncensored onto radio airwaves at the time. Listen to “Sister Disco” and “Who Are You” and you’ll be swept away in a world of critical self-analysis, cultural analysis, self-reflection and self-disgust. But there’s nothing wrong with rock that’s out to tell the harder truths. The album is peppered with faux commercials between tracks which include the minor classic “Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand” – with its none-too-subtle masturbation references – and the captivatingly trippy “I Can See For Miles” and miles and miles and miles and miles. Remember when rock was against the establishment? When making money got the middle finger? Well, The Who satirized anti-establishment in true anti-conformist fashion. Anyone introduced to The Who during college in the early ‘80s eagerly welcomed the fresh release of enduring tracks like “Athena” (an up-tempo ode to Townshend’s failed romance with actress Theresa Russell) and the earworm “Eminence Front” (a mockery of people who hide their humanity behind drugs). The band’s penultimate album is sadly the last to feature brilliant bassist John Entwistle, who died in 2002. It’s a fairly uneven album but when it hits the mark, it’s pretty spectacular, especially with the infectious pop love song “You Better You Bet” and the profoundly humane anthem “Another Tricky Day.” 9. This early entry into 1980s-era The Who features drummer Kenney Jones on percussion due to the tragic death of brilliant madman-percussionist Keith Moon in 1978. The track “Man in a Purple Dress” is a blistering mockery of spiritual hypocrisy while the second half of the album is the mini-opera “Wire and Glass,” recalling the band’s signature double-albums Quadrophenia and Tommy.

Nevertheless, even here, the band’s output is artistically fierce and intriguing. Because of that, the songs therein have inevitably impacted the musical world much less than their previous releases. This fine album was released 24 years after their previous one It’s Hard. There’s not a bad release in their discography, although naturally we have our favorites. Well, it’s been ten years since the band released an album but given their recent performance at Desert Trip in this past October, we’re eager for another. Because of that, their music has been the playlist of many an adolescence – including mine and my college-age son who found deep pleasure in attending their concert last year. Legendary rock band The Who has been twisting our brain cells, getting our political dander up and delivering bad-ass musical transcendence for over a half century. Let’s disagree without being disagreeable.

Lists like these always generate discussion and debate. This article has generated more comments than many of our posts - and most are thoughtful and articulate. Editor’s Note: Fans of The Who are obviously passionate.

Props from section 80 album cover