The Who's First Studio Album in 25 Years 'ENDLESS WIRE' in-Stores on October 31, 2006

NEW YORK (By Serena Gallagher/ Universal Republic Records) - Legendary rock band, The Who, will release their first studio album in nearly 25 years, ENDLESS WIRE, scheduled to hit stores on October 31. The first run of the historic 21 track offering, released by Universal Republic Records, will include a special double disc commemorative package including ENDLESS WIRE and an exclusive, limited edition DVD, LIVE AT LYON, filmed on tour July, 2006, including such Who classics as 'Baba O'Riley,' 'Won't Get Fooled Again,' 'Behind Blue Eyes,' and others. The entire package will be made available for the cost of one regularly priced CD, and also features a Golden Ticket campaign, with 24 Golden tickets to be placed in specially selected albums, entitling one lucky Grand Prize Winner to fly with the band on a private jet and attend a U.S. Tour date.

ENDLESS WIRE, the first new Who studio album since 1982's It's Hard, contains all new songs from the band, including the 29 minute operatic work 'Wire & Glass,' penned by The Who's co-founder Pete Townshend and released to critical acclaim in an abbreviated EP format internationally in July. Described by the legendary guitarist as 'A Mini-Opera inspired by his Novella The Boy Who Heard Music,' Townshend has made the book available online at www.petetownshend.co.uk/projects/tbwhim/. Among the 21 songs on the new album are 'Fragments,' 'Man In A Purple Dress,' 'Mike Post Theme,' 'You Stand By Me,' and 'Mirror Door.' The new disc also marks the first time Pete Townshend has solely produced a Who album.

The band, who have recently kicked off their much anticipated live tour of the U.S. in Philadelphia on September 12, are showcasing a hearty helping of the new material in their current live show, receiving rave reviews as a result, with USA Today noting the new songs are: 'catchy, muscular Who-style rock, very driving, much in the band's tradition,' and The New York Times affirming that the band has reclaimed 'both their hard-rock muscle and introspection.' The band's touring lineup includes Zak Starkey, Ringo Starr's son on drums, and Simon Townshend, Pete Townshend's younger brother on guitar, among others.

Fans of the band are also heralding the launch of the group's own Who channel on Sirius Satellite Radio, which debuted September 21. The new channel will feature nightly broadcasts of concerts from the tour and material from the band's vast archives.

Few bands have had a more lasting impact on the rock era than The Who. Inducted into the Rock n' roll Hall of Fame in 1990, their incendiary style garnered them one of rock's most loyal fan bases, with the brash foursome bursting onto the scene in the mid-1960's armed with a searing new template for rock, punk and everything after. The Who have sold more than 100 million albums worldwide, including ferocious and diverse classics such as the 1969 groundbreaking rock opera Tommy (which won 5 Tony awards for its Broadway adaptation in 1993), 1971's pummeling Live At Leeds, 1973's Quadrophenia, 1978's Who Are You, and their final studio album 1982's It's Hard.

Most recently, surviving members Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey reunited for the 2005 Live 8 Concert in London's Hyde Park, (drummer Keith Moon died in 1978 and bassist John Entwistle died in 2002) as well as the 9/11 Benefit concert at Madison Square Garden. This past summer, The Who offered a glimpse of their upcoming U.S. live show with a string of well received, sold-out concerts in Europe, including their July 16 Lyon concert from which their commemorative DVD was culled.