The Who part 4 (final part)

Sorry for the pacing of the Who story, we've already spent three days on them and we still have a handful of albums to present, which exist in many people's all-time lists (including mine). I'll try to present them all today... I said I'll try. Let's begin.

For The Who, the 70s began with a non-album single, The Seeker:

On 16 May 1970 the Who released Live at Leeds, recorded on 14 February 1970 at the Leeds University in Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK. It's the best live Rock recording of all time. Having got that out of the way, let's listen to the songs. Here's Mose Allison's Young Man Blues:

Here's Eddie Cochran's Summertime Blues, which was also a single for the band (Canada: #8, Germany: #19, the Netherlands: #25, the US: #27, and the UK: #38).

Here's Johnny Kidd's Shakin' All Over:

And here's one of the Who's own hits, Magic Bus:

Live At Leeds went double platinum in the US and gold in the UK. It showcased every member of the Who at their best, but to me, he who stood out was Keith Moon. That would be even more apparent on the closing track of their next studio album.

The Who were superstars in the UK, but they never had a #1 single. Up until then, they hadn't had a #1 album either. This was about to change: Who's Next, released on 14 August 1971, was at the top of the UK charts on 18 September of the same year.

Who's Next developed from the aborted Lifehouse project, a multi-media Rock Opera written by Pete Townshend as a follow-up to the band's 1969 album Tommy. The project was cancelled due to its complexity and conflicts with Kit Lambert, the band's manager, but Townshend was persuaded to record the songs as a straightforward studio album. It has since been viewed by critics as the Who's best record and one of the greatest albums of all time.

The album opens with a dynamite track, Baba O'Riley. The title is derived from the combination of the song's philosophical and musical influences, Meher Baba and Terry Riley, and describes the scenes Pete Townshend witnessed during the Who's legendary performance at the Woodstock Festival. Everyone that has ever watched CSI: New York will surely be familiar with the song, which, as our friend AFHI suggested, should really had been named Teenage Wasteland.

Bargain is that rare beast: a Who love song. Although the spirituality of the lyrics keep us guessing if this love is directed to a person or to a higher power.

The Song Is Over is a happy-sad epic song, about endings and new beginnings:

Getting in Tune is another song dedicated to Townshend's spiritual journey. Along with the previous song, The Song Is Over, Getting in Tune also incorporates a theme of the power of music, both socially and spiritually.

Behind Blue Eyes is one of the best songs in the album. The song is one of The Who's most well known recordings and has been covered by many artists. The Limp Bizkit cover in 2003 was especially successful. But the original version is unbeatable.

The masterpiece of the album, however, is its closing track: Won't Get Fooled Again was a hit single (#9 in the UK and Canada, #15 in the US). As well as a hit, the song has achieved critical praise, appearing as one of Rolling Stone's The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Townshend described the song as one "that screams defiance at those who feel any cause is better than no cause". Musically, it was one of the first times that a synthesizer had managed to be integrated so successfully within a Rock song. Moon's drumming is out of this world and Daltrey's scream by the end of the song never fails to send chills down anybody's spine. The closing line fully reflects Townshend's pessimism: "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss."

As much as Sell Out, Tommy, Live At Leeds, and Who's Next are among my favorite albums of all time, it's their next album, 1973's Quadrophenia, that is my absolute favorite by The Who, and among my Top 5 favorite albums of all-time overall. The narrative centres around a young working-class Mod named Jimmy and his search for self-worth and importance, set in London and Brighton in 1965.

The title comes from the idea that the main character is split in four different personalities, each one representing a different member of The Who. This is from the original liner notes:

"So that's why I'm here, the bleeding boat drifted off and I'm stuck here in the pissing rain with my life flashing before me. Only it isn't flashing, it's crawling. Slowly. Now it's just the bare bones of what I am.

A tough guy, a helpless dancer.

A romantic, is it me for a moment?

A bloody lunatic, I'll even carry your bags.

A beggar, a hypocrite, love reign over me.

Schizophrenic? I'm Bleeding Quadrophenic."

The album's intro is I Am The Sea, which segues into the explosive The Real Me:

In Cut My Hair, we find Jimmy, trying to fit in with the Mod lifestyle and realizing the futility in the effort.

The Punk and the Godfather is a song dealing with fan disillusionment. As Pete Townshend said of the song's lyrics:

"The hero goes to a Rock concert. He queues up, pays his money and he decides he is going to see the stars backstage as they come out the stage door. And one of them comes up and says 'fuck off!' And he suddenly realizes that there's nothing really happening in Rock & Roll. It's just another cross on his list."

It's among my favorites in the album. Here it is:

I'm One is one of the main moments of introspection spread throughout the narrative and also a sign that Jimmy may not be as Mod as he appears, given the way he asks a fellow Mod where he got his clothes. (Mods would lose face asking another Mod where he got his clothes.)

Helpless Dancer (another favorite of mine), is Roger's theme. It's about a tough working class guy, who's is overwhelmed and eventually totally defeated by the system. It contains the line "if you complain, you disappear, just like the lesbians and queers" and the vocals are moving from one loud speaker to another, creating the effect of our hero's inner dialogue.

Another great song is I've Had Enough. The band is on top form in this, such a dynamic song about defeat, which should be a contradiction in terms, but isn't for The Who. Moon's drumming is, once again, epic, and so are Daltrey's vocals.

The best song in an album full of best songs is 5:15. The lyrics of 5:15 describe Quadrophenia's protagonist, Jimmy, travelling to Brighton on a train. The song's writer, Pete Townshend, said of the song's lyrics:

"His train journey down to Brighton, sandwiched between two city gents is notable for the rather absurd number of purple hearts (Dexamyl, a combination drug composed of a barbiturate and an amphetamine) he consumes in order to wile away the time. He goes through a not entirely pleasant series of ups and downs as he thinks about the gaudier side of life as a teenager that we see in newspapers like the News Of The World." The song contains the line: "Pretty girls digging prettier women."

Sea and Sand portrays protagonist Jimmy's affinity for the beach as an escape from the unpleasant realities of home and life, as well as his memories from past Mod gatherings at Brighton. With singing by both Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend, slow dreamy parts and fast angry parts, and a coda that reprises the early Who single I'm the Face, Sea and Sand is almost a mini-opera unto itself, and is one of the album's most characteristic tracks. It is one of four songs on the album to reference the Mod movement.

Music critic Chris Charlesworth describes Drowned as a "tough blues-based rocker." He states that the band loved to play it live since it was less complex than other songs from Quadrophenia. Rolling Stone Magazine critic Dave Marsh describes the song as among the most interesting on the album. Who biographer John Atkins views the song as having "such purity of essence" that it may be the "quintessential Quadrophenia performance." He describes it as being "simple and direct" without needed "cleverness," dramatic musical effects or complex arrangements."

We skip Keith's theme, Bell Boy, and John's theme, Doctor Jimmy (containing "Is It Me?"), as well as the lengthy instrumental The Rock. Not because they aren't great, (they are), but in order to move on to the other albums as well. So, we complete the presentation of Quadrophenia with another favorite of mine, the closing track, Love, Reign o'er Me (Pete's theme). It concerns our hero, Jimmy, having a personal crisis. With nothing left to live for, he finds a spiritual redemption in pouring rain.

Their next album, Odds & Sods (1974) is an album that consists of studio outtakes and rarities. That doesn't stop it from being an interesting and entertaining album. Here's the opening tack, an Entwistle penned number called Postcard:

Here's Pure and Easy. It was part of the aborted Lifehouse project:

Naked Eye is probably the album's best song:

The songs on their next studio album, Who by Numbers (1975), were for the most part, more introspective and personal than many other songs that the band had released. Townshend had his 30th birthday in May 1975 and was struggling with the idea of being too old to play Rock'n'Roll and that the band were losing their relevance.

However Much I Booze addresses themes including loneliness, Pete's struggle with alcoholism, the illusion of reality within the entertainment world and Townshend's own feuding with Who lead singer Roger Daltrey. The song's cheerful melody contrasts with the grim subject matter. The melody is complemented with energetic playing from drummer Keith Moon and bassist John Entwistle, further contrasting the mood of the lyrics.

Squeeze Box is lighter stuff, the lyrics couched in sexual double entendres. Unlike many of the band's other hits, the song features country-like elements, seen in Townshend's guitar finger picking. It was a commercial success, peaking at #1 in Canada, #2 in Ireland, #10 in the UK and #16 in the US.

Blue, Red and Grey is a beautiful, life-affirming song.

How Many Friends is a question most of us have asked in our lives. I guess it's tougher for famous people to really recognize their true friends.

Who Are You (1978) was The Who's last album to feature Keith Moon as their drummer; Moon died three weeks following the album's release. The paradoxical nature of the text "Not To Be Taken Away" that was written on Moon's chair on the album cover was noted by some critics. Moon's death brought concerns that the band would have to fold; he was ultimately replaced by Kenney Jones, formerly of the Small Faces and the Faces.

A few words on Moon's death: In mid-1978 Moon moved into Flat 12, 9 Curzon Place (later Curzon Square), Shepherd Market, Mayfair, London, renting from Harry Nilsson. Cass Elliot had died there four years earlier, at the age of 32; Nilsson was concerned about letting the flat to Moon, believing it was cursed. Townshend disagreed, assuring him that "lightning wouldn't strike the same place twice".

After moving in, Moon began a prescribed course of Heminevrin (clomethiazole, a sedative) to alleviate his alcohol withdrawal symptoms. He wanted to get sober, but due to his fear of psychiatric hospitals he wanted to do it at home. Clomethiazole is discouraged for unsupervised detoxification because of its addictive potential, its tendency to induce tolerance, and its risk of death when mixed with alcohol. The pills were prescribed by a physician who was unaware of Moon's lifestyle. He prescribed a bottle of 100 pills, instructing him to take one pill when he felt a craving for alcohol but not more than three pills per day.

On 6 September Moon and his girlfriend, model Annette Walter-Lax were guests of Paul and Linda McCartney at a preview of the film, The Buddy Holly Story. After dining with the McCartneys, Moon and Walter-Lax returned to their flat. He watched a film and asked Walter-Lax to cook him steak and eggs. When she objected, Moon replied, "If you don't like it, you can f*ck off!" These were his last words. Moon then took 32 clomethiazole tablets. When Walter-Lax checked on him the following afternoon, she discovered he was dead.

The album's most famous track is the closing one, also called Who Are You. It was a hit single at the time (#7 in Canada, #14 in the US, and #18 in the UK). Since 2000 it's been the theme song of CSI: Las Vegas and has been repeatedly heard by many millions:

Pete Townshend has claimed that Sister Disco was written as a statement that The Who would never use Disco elements in their music.

Music Must Change is my favorite song on this album, along with Who Are You; great lyrics, and all four of them are giving their best:

Their next studio album, with Jones in Moon's place, came out in 1981. Called Face Dances, it contained hit single You Better You Bet, peaking at #4 in Canada, #9 in the UK and at #18 in the US:

It's Hard (1982) came next. The lead single, called Athena, was a moderate success reaching the Top 40 in both Britain and America.

Eminence Front was less of a hit but a better song:

It's Hard proved to be the last album to feature bass guitarist John Entwistle, who died in 2002. Entwistle was found dead in his hotel room in Las Vegas by the stripper he had spent the night with. The medical examiner determined that his death was due to a heart attack induced by a cocaine overdose. It's Hard was also the final Who album with drummer Kenney Jones.

After It's Hard, the Who practically broke up; the survivors focused on solo projects. Daltrey would make a number of movies, among them the very good gay themed movie Like It Is (1998), in which he played an aging queen.

The Who would occasionally reunite for stand-alone concerts. In 1996, Townshend, Entwistle and Daltrey performed Quadrophenia with guests and Zak Starkey (Ringo Starr's son) on drums at Hyde Park. With the addition of John "Rabbit" Bundrick, an American Rock keyboardist, pianist and organist, who had previously worked with Eric Burdon, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Roger Waters, Free and Crawler and was the principal musician for The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the Who began touring regularly again.

The loss of John Entwistle in 2002 caused Townshend to re-evaluate his relationship with Daltrey, which had been strained over the band's career. He decided their friendship was important, and this ultimately led to writing and recording new material.

Their last studio album, so far, was released in 2006 and is called Endless Wire. It debuted at #7 on the Billboard album chart and #9 in the UK, receiving generally positive reviews. Man in a Purple Dress is a song condemning intolerance and hypocrisy in organized religion:

I'd like to end the Who story with a solo album by Pete Townshend, Empty Glass (1980). The album, a favorite of our dear friend AFHI, was rated #57 on Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Albums of the 1980s. Lead single Let My Love Open the Door peaked at #9 in the US:

The album's opening track, Rough Boys, a gay-themed song that was considered as Townshend's coming out as bisexual, was the song with which we started the story of the Who, 3 days ago. To celebrate the notion, shared by the Who, that everything is a cycle, let Rough Boys also be the closing track of our story.