Smash Your Head Against the Wall

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Smash Your Head Against The Wall
Studio album by John Entwistle
Released	May, 1971
Genre	Rock
Producer	John Entwistle
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link
John Entwistle chronology
Smash Your Head Against the Wall (1971) Whistle Rymes (1972)

Smash Your Head Against the Wall is the debut solo album by John Entwistle of The Who, released on Track Records. Its bizarre cover strangely resembles an Egyptian sarcophagus - but it is in fact Entwistle wearing a death mask while looking through the chest X-ray of a lung cancer patient.

The album itself offers a more downbeat and aggressive view of life than even the Who had to offer at their most pessimistic, as witnessed in the title track (aka "My Size"), the hazy rocker "Heaven And Hell" (which features some sterling acid guitar riffing by Cyrano Langston) and the closing track, "I Believe In Everything", which ends with a seemingly impromptu chorus of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", to end a sometimes uncompromising album on an unexpectedly happy note. Who bandmate Pete Townshend once said about the album, "We learned more about John from him making an album than we did in all the years he'd ever played bass with us", a reference to both his quiet demeanor and his then-mostly unknown capabilities as a songwriter.

Keith Moon, Vivian Stanshall and Neil Innes all make guest appearances.

[edit] Track listing

1. "My Size"
2. "Pick Me Up (Big Chicken)"
3. "What Are We Doing Here?"
4. "What Kind of People Are They?"
5. "Heaven and Hell"
6. "Ted End"
7. "You're Mine"
8. "No. 29 (Eternal Youth)"
9. "I Believe in Everything"

[edit] Bonus tracks

10. "Cinnamon Girl" (Previously released out-take)
11. "It's Hard to Write a Love Song" (demo)
12. "The Haunted Can Be Free" (demo)
13. "World Behind My Face" (demo)
14. "My Size" (early take)
15. "What Kind of People Are They?" (demo)
16. "Pick Me Up (Big Chicken)" (demo)
17. "No. 29 (Eternal Youth)" (demo)
18. "Ted End" (demo)

[edit] Personnel

• John Entwistle - Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Bass, Brass, Percussion, Piano, Keyboards
• Dave "Cyrano" Langston - Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion, Backing Vocals
• Jerry Shirley - Drums, Percussion
• Keith Moon - Percussion, Backing Vocals
• Neil Innes - Percussion, Backing Vocals

v • d • e John Entwistle Studio albums Smash Your Head Against the Wall • Whistle Rymes • Rigor Mortis Sets In • Mad Dog • Too Late the Hero • The Rock • Music from Van Pires • Edge of the World Compilations So Who's the Bass Player? The Ox Anthology Songs "Bogey Man" Related articles The Who