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Whistle Rymes is the second solo album by John Entwistle, bassist for British rock band The Who.

John Entwistle's second solo effort Whistle Rymes is generally considered by many Ox aficionados as his most accomplished album; the title being a sly dig at the then common misspelling of that of his distinctive surname. Like most of the Songs on the album, Ten Little Friends was written on piano at John Entwistle's Earling home studio and sprang from a bout of writer's block. While he sat at the piano, waiting for inspiration, starring back at him were ten miniature troll figurines and a skull name "Mr Bones" - a characteristic gift from fellow Who bandmate Keith Moon. The extended solo on "Ten Little Friends" came courtesy of ex-Herd/Humble Pie guitarist Peter Frampton captured just before his fame went supernova in the United States during the mid-Seventies. Several tracks on Whistle Rymes including "Apron Strings" and "I Wonder" grew out of John Entwistle's domestic duties as a new father (His only son "Christopher Entwistle", was born that January in 1972). "Apron Strings" was further inspired by the British comedy series "The Two Ronnies" while "I Wonder", was often cited as an example of John Entwistle's warped perspective, accurately reflected all those insane questions young children pose to their parents. "Thinkin' It Over" was written from the prospective of a potential suicide who, after weighing up the pros and cons, who chooses life instead. "Who Cares?" spelt out John Entwistle's Laissez Faire "I'm alright, Jack" attitude to life with a hypnotic fade out featuring an intoxicating mix of Brass, Peter Frampton's (or possibly Jimmy McCulloch's) lead guitar and John Entwistle's swooping bass lines. One almost winces when hearing the desperate anti-hero of "I Was Just Being Friendly" - an all-too realistic portrayal a pickup gone wrong - plead his case

The album was the one of the first albums to feature the bass synthesizer if not the first.

The album was rated by Allmusic as having a catchy, straightforward, pop-tinged rock with dark, often bitingly sarcastic lyrics.

Personnel

John Entwistle is joined by then lesser known guitarist Peter Frampton who is an English musician, singer, songwriter, producer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. He was previously associated with the bands Humble Pie and The Herd. Peter Frampton's international breakthrough album was his live release, Frampton Comes Alive!. The album sold more than six million copies in the United States alone and spawned several hits. Since then he has released several major albums. He has also worked with David Bowie and both Matt Cameron and Mike McCready from Pearl Jam, among others. Peter Frampton is best known for such hits as "Breaking All The Rules", "Show Me the Way", "Baby, I Love Your Way", "Do You Feel Like We Do", and "I'm in You", which remain staples on classic-rock radio. He has also appeared as himself in television shows such as The Simpsons and Family Guy. Peter Frampton is also known for his work as a guitar player and particularly with a Talkbox and his tenor voice.

And John Entwistle is also joined by another Guitarist Jimmy McCulloch who was a Scottish musician and songwriter best known for playing lead guitar in Paul McCartney's Wings from 1974 to 1977. Jimmy McCulloch was a member of the Glasgow psychedelic band One in a Million (formerly known as The Jaygars), Thunderclap Newman, and Stone the Crows. He also made appearances on many albums, including John Entwistle's Whistle Rymes in 1972, as lead guitarist playing alongside Peter Frampton on "Apron Strings" and "I Feel Better"; and on Roy Harper's album, Bullinamingvase, and Ricci Martin's album, Bleached, both in 1977.

Jimmy McCulloch also played guitar on Roger Daltrey's album "One of the Boys" which was released in 1977. Jimmy McCulloch was a friend of The Who and a member of the band Thunderclap Newman, which was created and produced by his mentor Pete Townshend. At age 11, he was also a protégé of The Shadows' Hank Marvin. His brother is drummer Jack McCulloch.

Release

The original 1972 UK release of this album was on Track Records and distributed by Polydor Records. The first US issue of this album was on the silver Track/Decca label. A year later it was re-issued in the US on MCA Records.

Reception

AllMusic Critics said "Thinkin' It Over," is a witty, waltz-styled tune about a potential suicide having second thoughts while preparing to jump off a building, and "Who Cares?," a punchy, piano-driven rocker about a man who deals with the problems of life by refusing to take it seriously. However, Entwistle's finest achievement in this respect is "I Feel Better," a devastatingly sarcastic tune that features the singer putting down an ex-lover by listing all the things all the things he does to get back at her. Viciously witty yet full of emotion, this poison-pen gem ranks up there with Harry Nilsson's "You're Breaking My Heart".

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link

Track listing

All songs written and composed by John Entwistle.

Bonus tracks

Personnel

• John Entwistle - bass, keyboards, vocals, synthesizer, bass synthesizer, trumpet, piano, French horn
• Peter Frampton - guitar
• John Weider - backing vocals, violin (on 'Nightmare')
• Keith Moon - percussion
• Rod Coombes - drums
• Jimmy McCulloch - guitar
• Neil Sheppard - keyboards
• Bryan Williams - trombone, keyboards
• Alan Ross - acoustic guitar
• Graham Deakin - drums

References

1. John Entwistle - So Who's The Bass Player? The Ox Anthology Liner Notes
2. SarcRefhttp://www.allmusic.com/album/whistle-rymes-mw0000019808
3. RIAA Gold and Platinum Search for albums by Peter Frampton. Retrieved on 2008-12-15.
4. ""Jimmy McCulloch" by Miguel Terol". The Musicians' Olympus. 1997-11-11. Archived from the original on 2007-12-18. Retrieved 2008-04-29.
5. Allmusicsaidthishttp://www.allmusic.com/album/whistle-rymes-mw0000019808

• Pages with empty short description
• 1972 albums
• John Entwistle albums
• Track Records albums