The Who – The Who Sell Out [Stereo] (Abbey Road Studios Half-Speed Mastering Series Edition)

Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time - Rated 316/500!

Released in 1967, The Who Sell Out was the third album released by The Who. It is remembered for the use of fake adverts and jingles between songs.

The album contains songs such as "I Can See for Miles," "Armenia City in the Sky," and "Tattoo." It has been mastered by longtime Who engineer Jon Astley from the original tapes and is packaged in an original sleeve with OBI and certificate of authenticity.

This black vinyl version is engineered by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios using a half-speed mastering technique that produces a superior vinyl cut.

The first thing that struck me with this reissue was how rich, warm, and surprisingly round the album sounded - many a half-speed master I've heard seem to enable additional brightness (which can be great, in some instances). This one does offer brightness for sure - but it is in the right places, striking an appealing balance to showcase deep instrument and heady amplifier tones, yet not losing the sense this was a record made in 1967. At times, a sort of three-dimensional presence of the studio where the recordings were made is apparent... For me, the instruments, vocals, and amplifier tones - and the woodiness of certain guitars - coming through my speakers make this edition of The Who Sell Out worth the price of admission alone. It is near-revelatory to more clearly hear the intricate multitrack overdubs and edits, super detail work that makes this version all the more essential in my mind (speaking here as pretty much a lifelong Who fanatic)... If you are a Who fan who likes listening on black discs spinning at 33 & 1/3 rpm in the best possible fidelity, this half-speed master should be on your shopping list.