Cited as "the most brutally honest recording they made," The Who's double platinum LP from 1975 contains the smash hits "Squeeze Box" and "Slip Kid," along with many tracks rarely heard live. Noted for its dark subject matter ("However Much I Booze," "How Many Friends," "In a Hand or a Face"), this cathartic album preceded some of the best live shows of the band's career. This reissue contains 3 bonus tracks from the historic 1976 Swansea Football Ground Live Performance. This 1975 collection excels in large part due to its modest goal. It's the Who's singer-songwriter record. Without the ostensible shield his "rock operas" provided, Pete Townshend's personal demons strut about nakedly. Not a pretty sight, but an involving spectacle nevertheless. "They Are All in Love" and "How Many Friends" are forgotten Who songs, but they've aged beautifully. John Entwistle's "Success Story" sequences nicely with the rest of the album. And "However Much I Booze," "Dreaming from the Waist," and "In a Hand or a Face" are great decade-early exercises in mid-life self-pity. There are only three bonus tracks here--live versions of "Squeeze Box," "Dreaming from the Waist," and the earlier "Behind Blue Eyes"--but By Numbers is such a cohesive collection that they're less welcome extras than annoying distractions. Still, By Numbers now stands as one of the linchpins in a great band's catalog. --Steven Stolder