Royal Mail today revealed images of a set of 12 Special Stamps being issued to celebrate one of the UK’s most innovative and influential bands of the rock and roll era, The Who.
Eight stamps feature images of some of their most popular and iconic album covers: My Generation, 1965; Tommy, 1969; Who’s Next, 1971; Quadrophenia, 1973; Who Are You, 1978; Face Dances, 1981; Endless Wire, 2006; and WHO, 2019.
Completing the set is a miniature-sheet featuring two publicity group shots and two images of the band’s dynamic live performances at the Marquee Club, London, in 1967 and the Kings Hall, Belle Vue, Manchester, in 1973.
The Who become the seventh music group to feature in a dedicated Royal Mail stamp issue – following on from: The Beatles, 2007; Pink Floyd, 2016; Queen, 2020; The Rolling Stones, 2022; Iron Maiden, 2023; and The Spice Girls, 2024.
Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle and Keith Moon formed The Who in 1964. Within five years, they went from performing club shows to headlining the Woodstock festival and becoming the biggest box-office draw in the world. The group changed the way rock music was presented live and produced records that were often intelligent and challenging in content while pushing technological boundaries – both on the stage and in the studio.
The band embraced different genres of music, from proto-punk to soft rock, mock opera to rock opera, and heavy rock to orchestrated rock. They produced songs that spoke for the disaffected youth and, as The Who themselves grew older, the middle-aged. Pete Townshend, as chief songwriter, became the voice of his generation. Along their 60-year journey, The Who lost Keith Moon (in 1978) and John Entwistle (in 2002), but Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend continue to thrill audiences with some of the best rock music ever written. They also support a host of charities, for which they have raised millions of pounds in funding over the years.
Roger Daltrey said: “The artwork on the album sleeves was almost as important to the success of the record as the music. It’s great to be reminded of them.”
Pete Townshend said: “Stamp! Stamp! Stamp! It’s what I’ve done on stage all my life, sometimes in the air. At last, my stamping, and that of my buddy Roger, has been honoured properly, and will help letters, parcels and birthday cards travel through time and space, just as we have.
The stamps, and a range of collectible products, are available to pre-order from today (3 October) at www.royalmail.com/thewho and by telephone on 03457 641 641. A Presentation Pack including all 12 stamps is priced at £22.80. The stamps go on general sale on 17 October.
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