This silkscreen print features artwork for an album by The Who that is now rare and valuable in itself. In 1985, with The Who virtually retired (for the next four years at least), MCA Records brought out an album in the US of unreleased and rare Who recordings under the title Who’s Missing.

Richard Evans decided he would like to design a sleeve that had the look and feel of a record cover from the first days of The Who – a cover with a late 50s/early 60s feel. That became Who’s Missing, and it was so successful that MCA Records decided to do a follow up album called Two’s Missing. Well, actually they wanted to call it Who’s Missing – Volume 2 but what a boring title that would have been. This time going in to bat with a great set of track-by-track sleeve notes was the wonderfully droll John Entwistle, and the album cover art fell, of course, to Richard Evans.

The cover painting of The Who in 1965 has Pete, Keith, Roger and John adorned, a la mod, in badges and buttons with Keith sporting his Elvis for everyone and real badges, tie pins and brooches from Richard Evans’ collection montaged on to the artwork. These real badges are echoed in the painted ones on Pete’s lapel – including the blue and yellow military ribbon that he also wears on the cover of White City. The bathing beauty girls, common to both artworks, were originally sitting atop 1960s cocktail sticks and the scantily-clad temptress reclining over the band name was from a collection of 1950s truck decals. Sadly both the Who’s Missing and Two’s Missing albums have long been out of print, therefore it’s a real treat to see these two artworks side by side again.

With The Who’s back catalogue now restored, remastered and virtually complete, perhaps it’s time to take a fresh look at what’s still missing and re-release the definitive Who’s/Two’s Missing. Both prints are available in a limited quantity countersigned by Pete Townshend.

Signed by: Richard Evans and Pete Townshend

Image size: 19 x 19 inches / Paper size: 27 x 28 inches

Edition size: 250

Print type:  Silkscreen

Customers purchasing the pair (Who’s Missing and Two’s Missing) will receive an automatic discount of 10% at checkout)

ABOUT RICHARD EVANS