A Couple From The Who

Top: Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, Keith Moon and John Entwistle.

They practically set the bar for what was needed on the checklist for a rock and roll band in the 60s: Hunky singer with a set of pipes, check; skinny guitarist who is part mad genius, check; quiet but good bassist to anchor the crew, check; crazy-ass drummer who could wail on his drums, check. With all that, you have yourself a rock and roll band, my friends. And with Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle and Keith Moon, you had it in spades. Well, this prototypical band released it's first album 46 years ago, in 1965. They put out a lot of great music, and I thought I would find a few of my favorites. I was only going to do one or two, but couldn't decide, so here we go. The first song we have is off the 1971 album, Who's Next. Like much of their music, it has an inherent layering of musical textures that was just brilliant to me. Here is Behind Blue Eyes.



I don't think there is a soul alive who hasn't heard of The Who's Tommy. In many ways, it was the first real "Rock Opera" written, although there are a few pretenders to the throne who would beg to differ. Released in 1969, Tommy was a brilliant record that was made to be performed, and was just as amazing when they played it was when the all-star cast in the movie did. Still, I love it when they do. So, here is The Pinball Wizard from Live At The Isle Of Wight Festival in 1970.



Of course, like every rock band at the end of the 60s, The Who played at one the penultimate concerts, Woodstock. One of the songs they decided to perform was the title track off their first album, released in 1965. This is My Generation.



In September of 1978, Keith Moon was found dead, the victim of an overdose. In 1982, Townshend was struggling with his own demons, and the band embarked on a Farewell Tour. It wasn't that long before they reunited for a very special event. In 1985, 20 years after they released their first hit single, the band came back together to play at Bob Geldof's Live Aid. Among the songs they played that day was the brilliant Won't Get Fooled Again, also from Who's Next.

Superbowl Halftime 2010 - The Who

It is being widely discussed that British supergroup The Who will be playing the halftime of the 2010 Superbowl XLIV. Since both drummer Keith Moon and bassist John Entwistle have passed, that leaves guitarist Pete Townshend and singer Roger Daltrey to put on the show. With a catalog chock full of great songs, from My Generation to the soundtrack to Tommy, this should prove to be a show worth watching. And any time I get to see Roger Daltrey, let alone hear him, is a great thing. Here is a clip of The Who's 1978 song, Who Are You?.



And here are the boys with one of their first hits, 1965's I Can't Explain.



To find out what the who have been up to for the past 4 decades, check out their official website here.

Worth Another Listen - The Who

I love The Who, a band on the front end of the British Invasion. In the early 60s, Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend and John Entwistle were in a band, the Detours, that was playing the pub & club circuit in the UK, making a living. After a few changes in the lineup, and the addition of drummer Keith Moon, they changed their name to The Who, and the rest is history.



I have to admit I am not a huge fan of The Beatles, nor a huge fan of the Rolling Stones. Sure, they both did some great things, and I don't 'hate' them by any means, I just had a thing for other bands. There was Led Zeppelin, still my all-time favorite band, and The Who that captured my heart. From their first release, My Generation, to Who's Next, to Quadrophenia, to Who Are You, their particular sound of rock was just the thing I loved. Well, that, and Roger Daltrey.



I mean, how beautiful was he? And he had that body and absolutely no problem with showing it off. He was the stuff of many a teenaged fantasy, I can tell you. But that was just a bonus, it was really about the music. They lost Keith Moon in 1978, and broke up in 1983, only to reform a couple of times. John Entwistle passed in 2002, but Roger and Pete still are around, and released Endless Wire in 2006. They are still touring from time to time.

The Who managed to play both Woodstock and Live Aid, two of the biggest concerts of Rock & Roll history. Here is a cliip from Woodstock, the encore presentation of My Generation.



The Who are on American TVs weekly, with their seminal song Baba O'Riley used by the CSI franchise as the theme song. The song has been bastardized for decades as I remember both fans and haterz alike calling it Teenaged Wasteband...



Not too surprising, but The Who have a website. You can visit it by clicking here.