This came out in 2005 — or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
That title? It’s for real. Literally.
Prompted by a request (though really, it sounds more like a challenge) from veteran bassist Mike Watt, dulcet-voiced Petra Haden — former member of that.dog and The Rentals, session player for everyone from Beck to Green Day, and daughter of jazz legend Charlie Haden — does indeed sing The Who Sell Out in its entirety here. The operative word being sing; working sporadically at home over three years, Haden replicated virtually the entire album a cappella — vocals and harmonies, natch, but also the clanging guitar chords, swooping bass licks, and pretty much everything else right down to the brass band on the Heinz Baked Beans advert. (OK, she didn’t duplicate Keith Moon’s thundering drums, but hey, who could?) In the process, she created a jaw-dropping work that stands on its own, reshaping classics like I Can See For Miles and I Can’t Reach You into plush sonic sculptures midway between The Beach Boys, Rahzel and chorale. Weird, wacky and wonderful. For real.
