Whistle Rymes

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 Ealing home 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 (at the suggestion of producer John Alcock). 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 nighttime 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 ==

Credits are adapted from the Whistle Rymes liner notes. Musicians • John Entwistle — lead vocals; bass guitar; keyboards; synthesizers; bass synthesizer; trumpet; piano; French horn • Peter Frampton — electric guitar • John Weider — backing vocals; violin (10) • Rod Coombes — drums • Gordon Barton — drums • Jimmy McCulloch — electric guitar • Neil Sheppard — electric piano; organ • Bryan Williams — trombone; keyboards • Alan Ross — acoustic guitar Production and artwork • John Entwistle — producer • John Alcock — producer • Brian Humphries — engineer • Mike Weighell — engineer • Graham Lethbridge — cover design; drawing == Charts ==