''Wire & Glass'' (subtitled "Six songs from a mini-opera") is the only EP released from

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

's 2006 album, '' Endless Wire''. The EP was released exclusively to the iTunes Music Store on 17 July 2006 but a

Maxi-CD A maxi single or maxi-single (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song. The first maxi singles Mungo Jerry's first single, "In the Summertime" was the ...

/12" was released a week later in Australia and the United Kingdom. The EP was released as a "mini-opera" in six songs. No North American distribution was secured prior to the release of ''Endless Wire'', but promo copies were pressed in France, Germany, Ireland, and Ukraine. The EP reached the top three on the Canadian Singles Chart. The songs from this album were used in the rock musical adaptation of ''

The Boy Who Heard Music ''The Boy Who Heard Music'' is a rock opus that began life as an Internet novella written by musician and songwriter Pete Townshend. Townshend wrote in the foreword to the novella that he typically sketches out his opera in this way to lay out ...

'' which debuted in July 2007 as part of

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely foll ...

's Powerhouse Summer Theater workshop series.

Track listing

All songs written by

Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. Townsh ...

Upon release as a CD/12", all six songs were presented as a single track.

The songs

"Sound Round" was reportedly written for the 1971 album ''

Who's Next ''Who's Next'' is the fifth studio album by English rock band the Who. It developed from the aborted '' Lifehouse'' project, a multi-media rock opera conceived by the group's guitarist Pete Townshend as a follow-up to the band's 1969 album '' ...

'' but not recorded. "Mirror Door" was released ahead of the

rock opera A rock opera is a collection of rock music songs with lyrics that relate to a common story. Rock operas are typically released as concept albums and are not scripted for acting, which distinguishes them from operas, although several have been ad ...

for

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...

play in June 2006, but initial reaction was lukewarm due to a questionable mix. Between dates on the 2006 UK and European tour, Townshend remixed the track, adding echo to Daltrey's vocals and giving it a punchier sound.

Personnel

The Who *

Roger Daltrey Roger Harry Daltrey (born 1 March 1944) is an English singer, musician and actor. He is a co-founder and the lead singer of the rock band The Who. Daltrey's hit songs with The Who include " My Generation", " Pinball Wizard", " Won't Get Fooled ...

– vocals *

– guitars, vocals, mandolin, ukulele, banjo Additional musicians *

John "Rabbit" Bundrick John Douglas "Rabbit" Bundrick (born November 21, 1948 in Houston, Texas) is an American–English rock keyboardist. He is best known for his work with The Who and associations with others including Eric Burdon, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Rog ...

– keyboards, organ *

Peter Huntington Peter Huntington (born 1973) is a British drummer for Rachel Fuller, and occasional drummer for her partner, Pete Townshend. Due to Zak Starkey's touring commitments with the band, Oasis, Huntington was the main drummer for The Who's first al ...

– drums>Peter Huntington, the drummer for

's girlfriend, Rachel Fuller, plays drums on the EP due to the absence of regular Who drummer

Zak Starkey Zak Richard Starkey (born 13 September 1965) is an English rock drummer who has performed and recorded with English rock band the Who since 1996. He is also the third drummer to have appeared with English rock band Oasis. In 2020, Starkey toure ...

as he was touring with Oasis. * Billy Nicholls – backing vocals *

Pino Palladino Giuseppe Henry "Pino" Palladino (born 17 October 1957) is a Welsh musician, songwriter, and record producer. A prolific session bassist, he has played bass for acts such as The Who, the John Mayer Trio, Nine Inch Nails, Gary Numan, Jeff Beck ...

– bass guitar *

Simon Townshend Simon Townshend (; born 10 October 1960) is a British guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is the younger brother of the Who's guitarist Pete Townshend, and is most associated with The Who and the various side projects of its original members ...

– backing vocals Production *Myles Clarke –

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

*Bob Pridden – engineering Design * Richard Evans – Design & Art Direction *

Ross Halfin Ross William Halfin (born 11 August 1957) is a British rock and roll photographer. Since the late 1970s he has worked for some of the biggest acts in rock and heavy metal, including Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, The Who, Kiss, Metallica, ...

- Cover photograph

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wire and Glass Songs written by Pete Townshend Albums produced by Pete Townshend 2006 EPs The Who EPs Polydor Records EPs