![]() The plan drove Moon to attempt to kick his alcohol habit and work more enthusiastically. After one long and frustrating day, Townshend planned to fire Moon from the band unless he cleaned up his act. The argument was fueled by Ted Astley adding a string arrangement to " Had Enough", which Daltrey derided as "slushy". In one incident, Daltrey punched Johns in the face due to an argument over a rough mix, rendering him unconscious. Astley stated that the RAK equipment made the existing material sound different when played back, necessitating further delays as he attempted to fix the audio problems. When the sessions resumed in March, they were moved to RAK Studios, which caused further delays due to the equipment malfunctioning, including the wiping of a backing track. Former Zombies and Argent member Rod Argent was also called in to replace session keyboardist John "Rabbit" Bundrick after Bundrick suffered a broken arm falling out of a taxi at the studio door. The recording was further delayed when lead singer Roger Daltrey underwent throat surgery, and when during a lengthy Christmas break, Townshend sliced his hand in a window during an argument with his parents. He said, 'Can you give me a cue when you get to the middle part?' He hadn't done his homework." Entwistle similarly described Moon as "really out of condition", and "disgusted with himself" as a result. Bassist John Entwistle remarked that Moon "couldn't think of anything to play." On another occasion, Astley recalled, "I was doing a drum track, and he hadn't learned the song. He was unable to play in 6/8 time on the track "Music Must Change", so the drums were removed completely from the track, and replaced with the sound of footsteps and a few cymbal crashes. Moon's health was especially an object of concern, as his drumming skills had noticeably deteriorated and his performances for most of the sessions were substandard. Astley felt that he and Johns pushed Moon too hard to play a simpler style, while Johns believed that Moon had "lost confidence in his ability" and would deliberately go out of his way to resist his suggestions. The initial sessions at Ramport Studios, produced by Glyn Johns and Jon Astley, were lackadaisical Jon Astley recalled that "no one wanted to work", and the members looked forward more to drinking and reminiscing at six in the evening. The band was drifting apart during this period, as band members were working on various solo projects, and Moon was driving deeper into drug and alcohol abuse. There was a three-year hiatus between Who Are You and the Who's previous album, The Who by Numbers. Several of the song's lyrics also reflect Townshend's uncertainty about the Who's continued relevance in the wake of punk rock, and his dissatisfaction with the music industry. The latter two, along with "Who Are You", ultimately appeared on Lifehouse Chronicles, Townshend's later actualization of the project. Many of the songs also revisited themes from Townshend's long-contemplated Lifehouse project, featuring lyrics about songwriting and music as a metaphor for life, as indicated by titles like "Guitar and Pen", " New Song", "Music Must Change", and " Sister Disco". The album showcased some of Townshend's most complicated arrangements, with multiple layers of synthesizer and strings. This is not reflected in the album's music, which incorporates elements of progressive rock and, according to biographer Tony Fletcher, it was produced in such a way as to appeal to commercial rock radio at the time. Who Are You was recorded when punk rock was popular. The ironic nature of the text "Not to Be Taken Away" that was stencilled on Moon's chair on the album cover was noted by some critics. Who Are You was the Who's last album to feature Keith Moon as their drummer, who died three weeks after it was released. Although the album received mixed reviews from critics, it was a commercial success, peaking at number 2 on the US charts and number 6 on the UK charts. Who Are You is the eighth studio album by English rock band the Who, released on 18 August 1978 by Polydor Records in the United Kingdom and MCA Records in the United States.
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