Baba O'Riley

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Written by: Pete Townshend
Produced by: Glyn Johns, the Who
Released: Aug. '71 on MCA
Charts: Non-single

"Baba O'Riley" (a.k.a. "Teenage Wasteland") expanded the Who's power-trio sound with synthesizer -- a futuristic move in 1971. The song takes its name both from Townshend's spiritual guru, Meher Baba, and minimalist composer Terry Riley, whose work inspired the track's repetitive electronic textures. The Irish fiddle solo at the end, though, was all Keith Moon's idea.

Appears on: Who's Next (MCA)

Next: The Harder They Come

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