#160 ‘I Can See For Miles’ by the Who (10 Nov)

Album: The Who Sell Out, 1967

Justification: It’s the fucking Who. There’s your justification.

Oh, alright. This, it turns out, was the Who’s biggest US hit (#10) and neatly signposts the heavier future of the band’s music. Just listen to Roger Daltrey’s voice: he’s still the buttoned-down Mod with bluesman aspiration, as opposed to the shirtless Dionysus he was to become post-Tommy. It also marks the point where Pete Townshend’s musical aspirations were to start to really challenge the band: the complex harmonies were damn near impossible to pull of live, let alone the layered guitar overdubs. The band didn’t often play it until after Keith Moon’s death, and even then they simplified it significantly.

It’s also significant in that a review of its parent album supposedly inspired Paul McCartney (who’d not heard it at the time) to try and write a song that would beat ‘I Can See For Miles’ in sheer heaviness, which led to ‘Helter Skelter’. Take note, kids: musical pissing contests lead to great art.