Boris the Spider

The first time John Entwistle dared to compose for The Who, something quite peculiar emerged. It's "Boris the Spider", a piece that was born in just six minutes after a night of drinks with Bill Wyman from the Rolling Stones, where they were playing a game of inventing animal names. Entwistle described it as a horror song, and indeed it is, with that deep-voiced chorus, almost a deep growl, which he himself performed, contrasting with a central passage in falsetto that says "creepy crawly". That mix of black comedy and dissonant atmospheres made it a highly anticipated number in their live performances, and it was one he most enjoyed playing live, along with "My Wife" and "Heaven and Hell". Despite its popularity on stage, it was not released as a single in the United States or the United Kingdom, although in Japan it appeared as the B-side of "Whiskey Man" in 1967.

This song is part of A Quick One, the band's second studio album, recorded in London at Pye studio in October 1966. What's interesting about this album is that, unlike other works where Pete Townshend was the main composer, here all members contributed material. Entwistle, in addition to "Boris the Spider", added another piece, while Roger Daltrey and Keith Moon also had their contributions. They even included a cover of Holland–Dozier–Holland's "Heat Wave". "Boris the Spider" became so significant that Entwistle wrote a kind of sequel, "My Size", for his 1971 solo album, Smash Your Head Against the Wall, using the same final riff as a nod. It is even said to have been Jimi Hendrix's favorite song from The Who's catalog.