The songs Pete Townshend wrote for The Who By Numbers are strikingly personal and bleak; "However Much I Booze" and "How Many Friends" deal with drink, doubt and distrust. The Who's seventh studio album was recorded in spring 1975 on a soundstage at Shepperton Studios, using Ronnie Lane's mobile studio, and produced by Glyn Johns. Nicky Hopkins plays piano. Against the heavy material stands "Squeeze Box", a light-hearted song that reached the top 20 in both Britain and the United States. On release, the album peaked at number 7 on the UK Albums Chart and number 8 on the US Billboard chart.

This edition is a deluxe 2-CD, with a second disc of demos, outtakes and live recordings.