Smash Your Head Against The Wall

As The Who navigated their incendiary path through the sixties, John Entwistle (nick-named The Ox) showed that he was a talented songwriter as well as being a formidable musician. Whilst no doubt thrilled to be the bass guitarist of such a successful band, Entwistle had voiced his discontent to others within the greater Who family about the lack of outlets for his songs, and this perhaps informed the decision for their label, Track Records, to sanction a recording budget for a solo album. Entwistle had been writing songs and making demos of them at home, and by the end of 1970, he had enough material for an album.

Entwistle’s debut solo album, released in May 1971, was the first solo album by any member of The Who. It features John’s own version of his song “Heaven And Hell”, a highlight of The Who’s live shows. The album was engineered by Roy Thomas Baker, who went on to produce Queen.