The Who teases upcoming new album with single ‘Ball and Chain’
Pete Townshend (L) and Roger Daltrey perform with their band The Who during the third day of the Desert Trip music festival at Indio, California on October 9, 2016. Image: Mark RALSTON / AFP
The Who’s self-titled album marks the British band’s first record in 13 years, following their 2006 “Endless Wire.”
The announcement arrived with the LP’s cover art designed by English pop artist Sir Peter Blake, who is best known for co-creating the sleeve for the Beatles’ 1967 album, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”
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The rock band has also unveiled the tracklist for “WHO,” which features 11 songs that were primarily recorded between London and Los Angeles during the spring and summer of 2019.
The upcoming album, which marks the Who’s 12th studio effort, was co-produced by guitarist Pete Townshend and D. Sardy with vocal production by Dave Eringa.
“I think we’ve made our best album since ‘Quadrophenia’ in 1973… Pete hasn’t lost it. He’s still a fabulous songwriter, and he’s still got that cutting edge,” frontman Roger Daltrey teased in a statement.
Ahead of the album release on November 22, The Who has shared a highlight from the project, entitled “Ball & Chain.”
The politically-charged single sees the band referencing U.S. military prison Guantanamo, which former president Barack Obama promised to close during his two mandates.
“Down in Guantanamo/We still got the ball and chain/Down in Guantanamo/We still got the ball and chain,” Daltrey sings in the opening verse of the song.
In a statement, The Who revealed that their upcoming album will allude to a wide array of themes, such as musical theft, spirituality, reincarnation, the power of memory, and “an old rock star that has lost his marbles.”
“This album is almost all new songs written last year, with just two exceptions. There is no theme, no concept, no story, just a set of songs that I [and my brother Simon] wrote to give Roger Daltrey some inspiration, challenges and scope for his newly revived singing voice,” Townshend added.
This fall, The Who are touring across the US with several dates at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
Next year, they will embark on a world tour in support of “WHO,” with tickets going on sale September 20. NVG
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