[review 2005: the best of the year]

This is almost as much a vote for the original album as it is for Petra Haden’s fantastic remake; The Who Sells Out is a great album, and if not for Haden I’d probably have never heard it at all. So for its historical value alone, Sings The Who Sell Out is a great album. The songs themselves are memorable, especially the swirling concoctions of “Our Love Was” and “I Can See For Miles,” and “Silas Stingy” is an almost Dickensian character study whose chorus is delightfully childish. Then there are the faux commercial jingles, which are just as good a showcase as the songs are for the lavishly orchestrated ensemble the Who must’ve put together to record the album.

But many better people before me have written volumes of material on the Who, so I’ll just stop there. What does Petra Haden, member of the musically inclined Haden family as well as That Dog, the Rentals and now the Decemberists, bring to the party? If you’ve heard her previous album, Imaginaryland, you’ll have an idea: while Haden is an accomplished violinist, her secret weapon is her crystal-clear voice. That 1999 album consists mostly of her wordless vocalizations, with only occasional help from other musical instruments. It was an interesting concept album that you could put on and enjoy, but I doubt very many people would call it a favourite. But on this record, Haden has outdone herself; not only has she tossed the instruments altogether, but she’s managed to recreate the spirit of the backing tracks while singing the lyrics over top. It’s by no means a flawless attempt. “Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand” begins with Haden singing, in blissful harmony with herself, “I can’t remember”—as in, I can’t remember what the opening line was. Haden herself said she wasn’t really concentrating on the vocals so much because they simply weren’t as important to her.

That’s perfectly fine, especially for someone like me, whose first listen to the original album came about fifty minutes before the first listen to the Haden remake. Because while Haden’s rendition isn’t all that similar to the original Who recordings, they are, as Pete Townsend put it, “like listening to the songs again for the first time.” Whether intentional or not, Haden brings a sweet choirgirl aesthetic to the proceedings. “Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand” is probably the most obvious example, since the vocal harmonies are so different compared to the other tracks. The Who make it sound sweet and innocent, but Haden takes it to a completely different level; it’s as though Mary Anne had met all those fawning boys after stepping out of church in her Sunday best. “Odorono” and “Tattoo” are equally angelic, with Haden able to luxuriously stretch her voice. It’s amazing that we haven’t heard Haden sing more often, because she’s got an amazing voice, even disregarding her amazing ability to mimic all manner of the Who’s psychedelic touches.

But perhaps the biggest treat—and the parts where Haden had the most fun in the studio, aka her bedroom—are the jingles the Who put on the album. Haden practically gushes with enthusiasm on “Heinz Baked Beans,” and why not? It puts a smile on your face just imagining the vocal acrobatics she must’ve done to put the one-minute track together. And speaking of churches, the bumper at the end of “Tattoo”—”Radio London reminds you, go to the church of your choice”—actually sounds like it was sung by a heavenly choir. Maybe Haden really is an angel.