Petra Haden Sings: The Who Sell Out is an album by Petra Haden

Petra Haden

Petra Haden is an American violinist and singer. She is or has been a member of several bands, including That Dog, Tito & Tarantula, and The Decemberists; has contributed to recordings by The Twilight Singers, Beck, Mike Watt, Luscious Jackson, Foo Fighters, Green Day, Queens of the Stone Age,...

, an entirely a cappella

A cappella

A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...

 interpretation of The Who

The Who

The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...

's classic album The Who Sell Out

The Who Sell Out

-Track listing:All songs written by Pete Townshend except where noted. The between song jingles apparently have no official titles and are not listed anywhere on the original album packaging, though they are listed in the inner booklet of the 1995 remaster.Side one...

. Haden supplies all of the vocals. 'Petra Haden Sings: The Who Sell Out was released in 2005 on Bar None Records. The recording was inspired by former Minutemen

Minutemen (band)

Minutemen were an American hardcore punk band formed in San Pedro, California in 1980. Composed of guitarist D. Boon, bassist Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley, Minutemen recorded four albums and eight EPs before Boon's death in an automobile accident in December 1985...

 bassist Mike Watt

Mike Watt

Michael David Watt is an American bassist, singer and songwriter.He is best known for co-founding the rock bands Minutemen, dos, and Firehose; , he is also the bassist for the reunited Stooges and a member of the art rock/jazz/punk/improv group Banyan as well as many other post-Minutemen...

, who gave Haden the 8-track recorder with the original Who album on it.

In the Boston Globe on 13 March 2005, The Who's guitarist and principal songwriter, Pete Townshend

Pete Townshend

Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...

, had this to say about Haden's version of the album:

Track listing

1. "Armenia City in the Sky
   Armenia City in the Sky
   "Armenia City in The Sky" is a song by The Who released on their album The Who Sell Out. It was recorded and mixed at IBC Studios, London on 20 October 1967. Oddly enough, it was not written by a member of The Who, but rather by Pete Townshend's former roommate and chauffeur John Keen. Apparently,...
   
   "
2. "Heinz Baked Beans"
3. "Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand
   Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand
   "Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand" is a song written by Pete Townshend and first released on The Who's 1967 album The Who Sell Out, and subsequently on several Who compilation albums. The song has a Latin-influenced melody and ambiguous lyrics that have been subject to a variety of interpretations...
   
   "
4. "Odorono"
5. "Tattoo"
6. "Our Love Was"
7. "I Can See for Miles
   I Can See For Miles
   "I Can See for Miles" is a song written by Pete Townshend of The Who, recorded for the band's 1967 album, The Who Sell Out. It was the only song from the album to be released as a single, on 14 October 1967...
   
   "
8. "I Can't Reach You"
9. "Medac"
10. "Relax"
11. "Silas Stingy"
12. "Sunrise"
13. "Rael"

Listening

• Petra Haden and The Sell Outs performing "I Can See for Miles"