We know who you are

I had a few minutes to kill today while getting some copies made at Kinko's, so I went into the adjacent store, a merchant specializing in the dwindling business of compact discs, both new and used. It was my first visit to such a store in some time, as I buy music online or simply watch the video of a desired song or performance on YouTube. Twenty years ago, such a store visit was a weekly occurrence; now it seems novel.

The store had a strange atmosphere of obsolescence, made evident by the disorganized bins of "bargain" CDs. A Christmas album inspired by Rachel Ray, a Faith Hill CD and "Achtung Baby" by U2 were available for $1.99 each. Everything must go!

The rest of the shop was more orderly. I browsed through the bins of regularly priced items, noticing discs such as the oxymoronically titled "The Essential Stabbing Westward." But one thing did catch my eye as still desirable: a used copy of "Who Are You" by the Who, an album I bought on vinyl 25 years ago but never owned on CD. I was in luck: This copy was the remastered version with a handful of extra tracks and extensive liner notes. I wasn't sure how the album, released in 1978, would hold up in 2007 but figured it was worth $8.99 to find out.

"Who Are You" manages to avoid the trappings of its late 1970s heritage — mostly of the time. In certain moments, the album has a dated feel, especially its instrumentation. Like other keyboard-infused music of the day, the synths on "Sister Disco" sound like an unfortunate product of the time, though not as obviously so as Led Zeppelin's "In Through the Out Door" album of the same era. Another tech-heavy track, a wry sci-fi riff written by bassist John Entwistle called "905," fares better and maintains a contemporary feel.

"Who Are You" also includes a prominent use of strings. These arrangements work better on the wistful "Love Is Coming Down" than they do on Entwistle's "Had Enough," where the flowery feel is an odd fit over the angry lyrics. The combined effect of the keyboards and strings is to mask the diminished power of Keith Moon's drumming. Roger Daltrey's vocals are in good form; he would adopt a more annoying style with the later "Face Dances" and "It's Hard."

The timeless theme of "Who Are You" is artistic identity. Who are writers, and how do they create? And how do they keep their creativity alive and relevant? These are the concerns of guitarist and band leader Pete Townshend, a remarkably candid songwriter who is willing to share his vulnerabilities and foibles almost to a fault.

Townshend's lyrics seem especially weary and cynical on the album's leadoff track, "New Song" — a sort of "meet the new boss, same as the old boss" take on songwriting. Later, he argues that the "Music Must Change," perhaps in recognition of the "rough boys" of punk who were critical of the old guard. The rousing "Guitar and Pen," on the other hand, is an inspirational call to action.

The title track, of course, is a classic of the search for self, and it's gratifying to hear "who the fuck are you" in this day of FCC-forced edits of songs. As a finale, "Who Are You" works better in the context of the entire album rather than as a tired warhorse of classic rock radio. Entwistle, as always the unsung force behind the band's most successful moments, propels the song with bass work that heightens the sense of urgency — and at last, Moon sounds like his fierce self.

The extra tracks are typical: unpolished curiosities of interest to the core fan. "Guitar and Pen" doesn't sound much different from the regular version, for example. Perhaps the most interesting fragment here is an early version of "Empty Glass," which later became a title track for Townshend's best solo album.

DULLARD RATING: Surprisingly, it still rocks.