John Entwistle (The Who) - Smash Your Head Against the Wall (1971)

Year: May 1971 (CD 2005)
Label: Sanctuary Records (U.S.), 06076-86385-2
Style: Rock, Hard Rock, Classic Rock
Country: Chiswick, England (9 October 1944 - 27 June 2002)
Time: 68:26
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 434 Mb

Жуткая обложка была придумана Энтвистлом и фотографом Грэмом Хьюзом, кузеном певца Who's Роджера Долтри. На нем изображено лицо Энтвистла в посмертной маске, наложенное на рентгеновский снимок легких пациента с неизлечимым сердцем, полученный в то время у врача Энтвистла. Его сравнивают с обложкой альбома 1970 года Vintage Violence валлийского музыканта Джона Кейла. На разворотной обложке изображен рентгеновский снимок теста на беременность, сохраняя тему "жизнь против смерти". А на задней обложке изображен один из ирландских волкодавов Энтвистла, лежащий с человеческим черепом.
Отсутствие в группе (The Who) соло-гитары побудило Джона использовать в этом качестве бас. Именно таким образом он и создал уникальный саунд "The Who". Мощная техника игры позволила Джону стать одним из самых лучших басистов в мире. В отличие от своих "буйных" коллег Entwistle вел себя на сцене очень сдержанно. Из-за своего роста музыкант получил прозвище "Ox" ("Бык"), другими его кличками были "Thunderfingers" и "Big Johnny Twinkle". Помимо того, что он отлично играл на своем инструменте, Джон всегда оставался талантливым вокалистом и сочинителем песен. Широкий диапазон голоса позволял ему перескакивать с детского фальцета на низкий бас, а его песни "Boris The Spider" и "Heaven And Hell" можно причислить к классике "The Who". Entwistle был первым из группы, выпустившим сольный альбом.

Band History eng:

Smash Your Head Against the Wall was the first solo album by any member of rock band the Who, born out of Entwistle's frustrations within the band, namely not having as many of his songs featured on their albums as he would've liked, and it features a guest appearance by the Who's drummer Keith Moon on one track ("No. 29 (External Youth)"), as well as strong musical influences from the band's work.
Entwistle self-produced the album and it was recorded at Trident Studios in Soho, London over 2 weeks, with a young Roy Thomas Baker engineering the album (his first work). Baker would later become known for his work as a producer for the rock band Queen, and the same studio piano that was used by Entwistle during the sessions for this album was later used by Freddie Mercury on "Bohemian Rhapsody". The album peaked at No. 126 on the US Billboard 200 but it failed to chart in his home country.
The album was later remastered and re-issued again in 2005 by Sanctuary Records but this time featuring more extensive rare bonus content; the bonus content this time consists of three unreleased demos of songs that didn't make it onto the album (amongst them is "It's Hard to Write a Love Song" which would later be reworked into the song "Drowning" for his 1975 Mad Dog album) as well as four demos of songs featured on the album, an early take of "My Size", and "Cinnamon Girl" from the previous re-issue. However, all versions of the album remain out of print, and CD copies of this album are especially hard to come by.
The macabre cover artwork was concocted by Entwistle and photographer Graham Hughes, cousin of the Who's lead vocalist Roger Daltrey. It depicts Entwistle's face whilst wearing a death mask, transposed against an X-ray picture of the lungs of a terminal heart patient, obtained from Entwistle's doctor at the time. It has been compared to the cover of the studio album Vintage Violence (1970) by Welsh rock musician John Cale. The gatefold cover features the X-ray of a pregnancy test, maintaining the "life vs. death" theme. And the back cover features one of Entwistle's Irish Wolfhounds lying down with a human skull.
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smash_Your_Head_Against_the_Wall)

01. My Size (03:46)
02. Pick Me Up (Big Chicken) (03:44)
03. What Are We Doing Here? (03:50)
04. What Kind Of People Are They? (02:44)
05. Heaven And Hell (04:55)
06. Ted End (02:37)
07. You're Mine (04:38)
08. No. 29 (Eternal Youth) (05:37)
09. I Believe In Everything (03:11)
Bonus Tracks:
10. Cinnamon Girl (03:05) (Neil Young)
11. It's Hard To Write A Love Song (Demo) (04:54)
12. The Haunted Can Be Free (Demo) (03:54)
13. World Behind My Face (Demo) (04:56)
14. My Size (Early Take) (03:50)
15. What Kind Of People Are They? (Demo) (02:55)
16. Pick Me Up (Big Chicken) (Demo) (03:08)
17. No. 29 (Eternal Youth) (Demo) (04:38)
18. Ted End (Demo) (01:56)