'The Who By Numbers' gets the deluxe box set treatment

Fifty years on from its original release, The Who By Numbers album is to be reissued October 30 as a 5CD/1Blu-Ray super deluxe edition boxset through UME.

There is a 100-page hard back book with photos, memorabilia and exclusive notes from Pete Townshend and Who expert Andy Neill, 92 unreleased tracks and mixes, brand new Atmos, 5.1 & Stereo mixes by Pete Townshend, 11 of Pete’s original demos for the album, tracking sessions from Ramport & Shepperton Studios, early mixes, guide vocals, the fullest version of Live At Vetch Field, Swansea, Wales 1976 released to date and on the Blu-Ray audio and video from a previously unreleased Who concert shot on 2” videotape from Metropolitan Stadium, Pontiac, Michigan.

The Who’s show at Pontiac, Michigan, on December 6, 1975 set the record at the time for the largest-ever indoor rock concert attendance, with 76,896 people. The entire show has been exhumed from The Who’s archives and professionally cleaned up, with remastered audio. It now stands as one of the few existing visual records of this Who tour, their last with Keith Moon.

“The Who By Numbers is a tricky album to talk about. It’s the only one where I allowed songs that were so personal to be used by The Who.” - Pete Townshend

“In some ways, The Who By Numbers is my favourite [Who] album. For me, songs like ‘Imagine A Man’, ‘How Many Friends’ and ‘However Much I Booze’ expose our vulnerabilities, and the album is wonderful for that.” - Roger Daltrey

The Who By Numbers, released in early October 1975, is the seventh studio album by The Who. A commercial success, it peaked at #8 on the U.S. Billboard chart and #7 in the U.K., partly due to the success of Squeeze Box, which became an international hit, reaching the top ten in the U.K., top 20 in the U.S. and #1 in Canada.

Produced by Glyn Johns, who had previously worked with the band on their 1971 album Who's Next, The Who By Numbers, despite its John Entwistle-drawn sleeve and hit single, features some of the darkest songs ever recorded by the band. 

As Pete Townshend puts it in the 100-page making-of-the-album book that accompanies the box set, “I could feel a new wave or reaction and rebellion coming in the music business, the big bands were becoming careless and self-indulgent. I wanted my songs to continue to have a cathartic function for our audience. When punk hit a few years later, I was not surprised.”

LIMITED EDITION 5CD/1BLU-RAY SUPER DELUXE EDITION
3LP SET, 2CD SET & LIMITED COLORED VINYL
PRE-ORDER NOW
https://thewho.lnk.to/TheWhoByNumbers

HEAR THE PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
IMAGINE A MAN - PETE VOCAL (EARLY MIX)
https://thewho.lnk.to/ImagineAMan-EarlyMix

THE WHO – THE WHO BY NUMBERS
SUPER DELUXE EDITION
100-PAGE BOOK IN A 12” x 12” HARD BACK SLIPCASE

THE WHO – THE WHO BY NUMBERS
SUPER DELUXE EDITION

DISC ONE: THE ORIGINAL 1975 ALBUM REMASTERED

1. Slip Kid
2. However Much I Booze
3. Squeeze Box
4. Dreaming From The Waist
5. Imagine A Man
6. Success Story
7. They Are All In Love
8. Blue Red And Grey
9. How Many Friends
10. In A Hand Or A Face

DISC TWO: PETE TOWNSHEND DEMOS

1. Keep Me Turning (Version 1) (Previously Unreleased)
2. Slip Kid (Version 1)
3. Squeeze Box
4. Blue Red And Grey (Previously Unreleased)
5. Dreaming From The Waist (Previously Unreleased)
6. How Many Friends (Previously Unreleased)
7. Keep Me Turning (Version 2) (Previously Unreleased)
8. Imagine A Man (Previously Unreleased)
9. Slip Kid (Version 2) (Previously Unreleased)
10. Round And Round (working title for In A Hand Or A Face) (Previously Unreleased)
11. There Ain’t No Way Out (working title for However Much I Booze)

DISC THREE: TRACKING SESSIONS: RAMPORT & SHEPPERTON STUDIOS

1. Ramport Jam (Excerpt) (Previously Unreleased)
2. She Loves Everyone (Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
3. Control Myself (Dreaming From The Waist Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
4. There Ain’t No Way Out (However Much I Booze Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
5. Goin' To Frisco/Round And Round (In A Hand Or A Face Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
6. Hi-Heel Sneakers Jam with Nicky Hopkins (Studio Outtake) (Previously Unreleased)
7. Pete And Keith “The Artiste" (Studio Dialogue) (Previously Unreleased)
8. Success Story (Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
9. How Many Friends (Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
10. Imagine A Man (Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
11. They Are All In Love (Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
12. She Loves Everyone (Retake With Nicky Hopkins) (Previously Unreleased)
13. Squeeze Box (Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
14. Instrumental 1 (Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
15. I'm Dreaming (Dreaming From The Waist Retake) (Previously Unreleased)
16. Every Minute (Blue Red And Grey Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
17. Instrumental 2 (Rough Mix) (Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
18. The Who By Numbers US Radio Spot #1 (Radio Commercial) (Previously Unreleased)

DISC FOUR: EARLY MIXES & GUIDE VOCALS

1. Slip Kid - Alternate Roger Vocal (Early Mix Without Overdubs) (Previously Unreleased)
2. However Much I Booze - Alternate Pete Vocal (Early Mix) (Previously Unreleased)
3. Squeeze Box - Alternate Roger Vocal (Previously Unreleased)
4. Dreaming From The Waist - Pete Vocal (Early Mix) (Previously Unreleased)
5. Imagine A Man - Pete Vocal (Early Mix) (Previously Unreleased)
6. Success Story - John Vocal (Early Mix) (Previously Unreleased)
7. They Are All In Love - Alternate Pete Vocal (Early Mix) (Previously Unreleased)
8. Blue Red And Grey (Unedited Version) (Previously Unreleased)
9. How Many Friends - Pete Vocal (Early Mix) (Previously Unreleased)
10. In A Hand Or A Face (Early Mix) (Previously Unreleased)
11. They Are All In Love Alternate Roger Vocal (Early Mix) (Previously Unreleased)
12. Squeeze Box (Acoustic Stripped Mix, 2026) (Previously Unreleased)
13. Imagine A Man (Acoustic Stripped Mix, 2026) (Previously Unreleased)
14. They Are All In Love (Acoustic Stripped Mix, 2026) (Previously Unreleased)
15. How Many Friends (Acoustic Stripped Mix, 2026) (Previously Unreleased)
16. The Who By Numbers US Radio Spot #2 (Radio Commercial) (Previously Unreleased)
17. Keith Moon And John Entwistle Preview (The Who by Numbers With John Peel, BBC 1975) (Previously Unreleased)
18. However Much I Booze (Live At The Summit, Houston, U.S.A., November 20, 1975) (Previously Unreleased on disc)
19. Slip Kid (Live At Madison Square Garden, New York City, U.S.A., March 11, 1976) (Previously Unreleased)

DISC FIVE: LIVE AT VETCH FIELD, SWANSEA, WALES, JUNE 12, 1976

1. My Wife
2. Baba O’Riley (Previously Unreleased)
3. Squeeze Box
4. Behind Blue Eyes
5. Dreaming From The Waist
6. Amazing Journey (Previously Unreleased)
7. Sparks (Previously Unreleased)
8. The Acid Queen (Previously Unreleased)
9. Fiddle About
10. Pinball Wizard
11. I’m Free
12. Tommy's Holiday Camp
13. We’re Not Gonna Take It / See Me, Feel Me
14. Summertime Blues (Previously Unreleased)
15. My Generation/Join Together/My Generation Blues (Previously Unreleased)
16. Won’t Get Fooled Again (Previously Unreleased)

BLU RAY

The Who By Numbers
Pete Townshend Atmos Mix (Previously Unreleased)
Pete Townshend 5.1 Mix (Previously Unreleased)
2026 Stereo Mix (Previously Unreleased)

1. Slip Kid (Previously Unreleased)
2. However Much I Booze (Previously Unreleased)
3. Squeeze Box (Previously Unreleased)
4. Dreaming From The Waist (Previously Unreleased)
5. Imagine A Man (Previously Unreleased)
6. Success Story (Previously Unreleased)
7. They Are All In Love (Previously Unreleased)
8. Blue Red Grey (Previously Unreleased)
9. How Many Friends (Previously Unreleased)
10. In A Hand Or A Face (Previously Unreleased)

LIVE AT METROPOLITAN STADIUM, PONTIAC, MICHIGAN, DECEMBER 6, 1975 (VIDEO)*

Unreleased Concert shot on NTSC 2” videotape)

1. I Can’t Explain (Previously Unreleased)
2. Substitute (Previously Unreleased)
3. My Wife (Previously Unreleased)
4. Baba O’Riley (Previously Unreleased)
5. Squeeze Box (Previously Unreleased)
6. Behind Blue Eyes (Previously Unreleased)
7. Dreaming From The Waist (Previously Unreleased)
8. Boris The Spider (Previously Unreleased)
9. Magic Bus (Previously Unreleased)
10. Amazing Journey / Sparks (Previously Unreleased)
11. The Acid Queen (Previously Unreleased)
12. Fiddle About (Previously Unreleased)
13. Pinball Wizard (Previously Unreleased)
14. I’m Free (Previously Unreleased)
15. Tommy’s Holiday Camp (Previously Unreleased)
16. We’re Not Gonna Take It / See Me, Feel Me (Previously Unreleased)
17. Summertime Blues (Previously Unreleased)
18. My Generation/Join Together/Road Runner/My Generation Blues
19. Won’t Get Fooled Again (Previously Unreleased)
*Mono

For more details, go to thewho.com.