Whistle Rymes is the second solo studio album by English musician John Entwistle, released on 3 November 1972 by Track Records in the UK and on 4 November 1972 by Decca Records in the US. Entwistle co-produced the album with John Alcock, his first work with a producer after self-producing his debut album, Smash Your Head Against the Wall, and it was recorded at Island Studios in Notting Hill, a district of west London. The album features guitar contributions from both Peter Frampton and Jimmy McCulloch. The album sold around 175,000 copies, and peaked at No. 138 on the US Billboard 200 but like his debut album it failed to chart in his home country. The album was initially remastered and re-issued in 1996 by Repertoire Records, featuring no bonus content. The album was later remastered and re-issued again in 2005 by Sanctuary Records but this time featuring rare bonus content; the bonus content consists of two unreleased demos of songs that didn't make it onto the album. This version of the album also has two demos of songs featured on the original album. However, all versions of the album remain out of print, and CD copies of this album are especially hard to come by.
Background
The album's title pokes fun at a common misspelling of Entwistle's surname. Several of the tracks give a humorous look on domestic life, following the birth of Entwistle's son, Christopher, earlier that year. "Ten Little Friends" was written on piano at Entwistle's Ealinghome studio at the time and sprang from a bout of writer's block. The title comes from a set of troll figures given to him by the Who's drummer Keith Moon. The track features a guitar solo from Peter Frampton, who also played on other songs on the album. As well as his usual bass guitar, Entwistle also plays bass synthesizer.
Packaging
Then Surrey-based artist Graham Lethbridge designed the album's gatefold cover artwork. A watercolor painting, it depicts little scenes that were taken from themes expressed within the songs on the album. With a day and night theme, the front cover depicts nightime scenes, and the back is of daylight scenes. The time that it took to paint the artwork delayed the album's release.
Release
The original 1972 UK release of this album was on Track Records and distributed by Polydor. The first US issue of this album was by the silver Track/Decca label. A year later it was reissued in the US by MCA.
Critical reception
In a retrospective review for AllMusic, critic Donald A. Guarisco wrote that the album combines "catchy, straightforward, pop-tinged rock with dark, often bitingly sarcastic lyrics."
Track listing
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the Whistle Rymes liner notes.
