The Who Discography Tube Map Art Print

A gift for Who fans who could not say who was drumming by the later records, because this runs 22 albums with every credited musician as their own line. They own the records already. This is the succession, drawn out.

Giclée on 230gsm premium fine art paper, textured matte, archival and acid-free. Available in A2 or A1, with US sizing at 24x18in and 36x24in, unframed or framed. Deeply researched and designed by me in East Sussex.

I plot these in CAD software. Every credited musician becomes a transit line, every album becomes a station, and anyone who appears only once gets a branch line of their own.

The stations run chronologically from My Generation in 1965 to Who in 2019, and take in the studio albums, the live records and the film soundtracks.

Why this Who discography tube map art makes a gift fans keep

Two lines run the whole way and the rest is loss and replacement. Drawn chronologically, that produces one moment no tracklist could ever show you.

Keith Moon's line stops at the end of the 1970s. Then, eighteen years later, it starts again for one station. It rewards every closer look.

Contributing musicians on the map

Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend are credited on all 22 albums. John Entwistle runs beside them from 1965 until the Live at the Royal Albert Hall record, after which his line ends.

Keith Moon's line is the strangest shape on the print. It runs to the end of the 1970s, stops, and then reappears in 1996 on Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970, because the recording predates his death by eight years even though the release does not.

Kenney Jones takes the drum chair from Face Dances through It's Hard. Zak Starkey, Ringo Starr's son, holds it across the last five albums, with Pino Palladino picking up bass on Endless Wire.

John “Rabbit” Bundrick has one of the longest sideman lines, running from Face Dances into the 2000s, and Simon Townshend, Pete's brother, appears on the final three records.

The 1975 Tommy soundtrack is a station in its own right, bringing in Eric Clapton, Ronnie Wood, Arthur Brown and Nicky Hopkins.

The busiest guest station is Live at the Royal Albert Hall. Eddie Vedder, Bryan Adams, Noel Gallagher, Paul Weller, Kelly Jones and Nigel Kennedy all take a turn, each on a named track, and none of them appears anywhere else on the map.

Two earlier one-offs are worth finding: Dave Arbus plays the violin on Baba O'Riley, and Al Kooper turns up on both The Who Sell Out and Who's Next.

How I make each print

Each one is a Giclée on 230gsm premium fine art paper with a textured matte finish, archival and acid-free, so the colours hold for years. Choose A2 or A1, unframed or framed, ready to hang in a hallway, living room or studio.

FAQ

How many albums are on the map?
22, running from My Generation in 1965 to Who in 2019, including the studio albums, the live records and the film soundtracks.

How are the maps drawn?
In CAD software, plotted line by line. Every credited musician is a transit line, every album a station, and one-off contributors branch off the main routes.

Why does Keith Moon appear again in 1996?
Because Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 was recorded in 1970 and released decades later. On a chronological map his line breaks and then returns for that one station.

Who replaced Keith Moon?
Kenney Jones, from Face Dances onward, with Zak Starkey taking the chair across the later records.

Which album has the most guest musicians?
Live at the Royal Albert Hall, with Eddie Vedder, Bryan Adams, Noel Gallagher, Paul Weller, Kelly Jones and Nigel Kennedy each appearing on a named track.

Who plays the violin on Baba O'Riley?
Dave Arbus, on Who's Next, and nowhere else in the catalogue.

What are the framing options?
Unframed, or supplied framed and ready to hang.

Related Music Maps

Browse the full range of gifts for music fans at the Gifts for Music Fans collection and the Music Icons collection at mikebellmaps.com.

Because Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller both appear here, the Noel Gallagher Discography Map Art Print and the Paul Weller Discography Map Art Print are natural companion pieces, alongside the Kinks Discography Map Art Print.