For about 36 hours there, my heart was hooked up to Twitter by a Pavlovian on/off switch. I'd see "The WHO" (click!) then realize, sadly, that whoeveritwas just meant the World Health Organization (cluck) and not the band. So annoying.
Being a writer means I'm normally the annoyer rather than the annoyed, although predicting precisely what will provoke readers defies algorithmic domestication. Having written hundreds of thousands of words insulting every race and religion, my most "controversial" piece, judging by the resulting "Great Wave Off Kanagawa" blowback, was called "The Who Is Better Than That Stupid Band You Like."
I'm not (quite) saying the Who are better than the Beatles — Tim Sommer makes that seemingly perverse case with daunting erudition — but I was born in 1964 so I've heard all the Beatles I'll ever want or need to, ever ever ever again, thanks bye. It's not their fault I'm sick of them, any more than it's penicillin's fault that I'm allergic.
And anyhow, why compare Apple Records to oranges? As Pete Townshend said snottily (but I repeat myself) about the Fab Four, "They were more a pop group." Revealingly, Townshend warmed to his musical rivals only after they released "Day Tripper" and "Paperback Writer" two years into Beatlemania:
"I just thought, 'Wow, these two songs are really, really great.' They weren't about falling in love, they weren't about, 'Girl. Girl. Girlgirlgirlgirlgirl.' They were about jobs, creativity."
Freud called "love and work" "the cornerstones of our humanness," yet too many artists have chiseled endlessly away (and often cynically) at the former at the expense of the latter, leaving the rest of us living in crooked cultural domicile.
(Perhaps Jung would have added "stuff about fairies and elves" to this foundational list, in which case I'd have to reluctantly credit Led Zeppelin, but he didn't, so I can continue to be bored silly by them as well.)
The Who rarely recorded "love songs" as we generally understand them, with Townshend declaring — and do bear in mind that Pete declares an awful lot of things — that every one of his "love songs" is really about God. (His solo hit, "Let My Love Open the Door," for instance, is meant to evoke "listening in while Jesus sings.")
No wonder we punks deemed the Who the only acceptable "dinosaur" band. Love and sex were yucky, hippie things. "Jobs, creativity" though? That's the punk DIY ethos right there.
Now add a reflexive suspicion of mainstream politics, an anarchic sense of humor — the Stones aren't funny, they're smirky; The Doors? Pink Floyd? Zep again? They're Easter Island moai with guitars — then fold in the ever-present suspicion that apocalypse loomed even closer after the damned hippies had spread their "peace and love" guff (along with venereal disease) around the globe while we were just kids.
Only the Who proffered us an older brother's wisdom: Trust no one.
There's nothing in the streets
Looks any different to me
And the slogans are replaced, by-the-bye
And the parting on the left
Is now parting on the right
And the beards have all grown longer overnightMeet the new boss
Same as the old boss
That's the last scene in The Kids Are Alright (1979.)
"If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry," Emily Dickinson said. That was the effect watching that rather roughshod documentary about the Who had on me when I saw it at the Broadway in Grade Nine.
The first scene, in particular, was a felicitous choice:
It was 1967, and the show was The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, whose titular twits were your typical self-important 1960s show biz liberal, "anti-establishment" blowhards. The guy on stage with the Who, Tommy Smothers, is a particularly vicious human toothache of long standing.
The Who had considerable, nasty fun at Smothers' expense, treating this "radical" hipster with far more naked contempt than they did any straight-laced mainstream hosts they've ever appeared with.
Brocade and buckskin and Botticelli curls be damned. I was in love.
The Kids Are Alright was "written and directed by Jeff Stein," except it has no narration, no linear (or even non-linear) narrative, and zero historical context of the "'This Is The End'-played-over-Vietnam-War-footage" variety typical of Boomer music docs.
Instead, interspersed with historical and newly-shot full-length musical performances are multiple (of course) declarations by Pete, who, being asked far too often why he smashes his guitars, blurts out bratty wind-ups about things he claims to hate: The Beatles; his own songs, musicianship and stage craft; the record business; Woodstock and all its pomps and works; the "geezers" who comprise their own punters; and — as some might have guessed — the other members of the Who.
Plus lots of random bits like this, strung together, some only a few seconds long.
It's not just not a hagiography — it's barely a "-graphy," period. So basically, The Kids Are Alright is the second most "punk" documentary ever, next down from D.O.A.
The film was remastered in 2003 and, while they went for widescreen format rather than letterbox for some (horrible) reason, the resulting double DVD is considered one of the best of its kind, with almost too many extras. The feature explaining the movie's restoration is interesting even if you don't care much about the band.
If you'd prefer a more informative, traditional documentary about the Who, 2007's Amazing Journey, has the obvious advantage that there's now more sheer story to tell: the Cincinnati tragedy, and of course, the deaths of Keith Moon and John Entwistle. Pete and Roger have matured in the interim, and their hearts-on-their-sleeves interviews are candid and self-deprecating.
Amazing Journey is worth it for the Sex Pistols' Steve Jones (barely) summoning his always-limited energy to offer an opinion of the Tommy movie ("A bit pants, innit?"), and the sequence about the Who's instant-classic performance at the post-9/11 Concert for New York City. If the expressions of naked joy and anguish on the faces of those first responders in the audience don't quicken your pulse, please seek help immediately.
The ultimate Who documentary likely won't be made until both surviving members (the Two) die. Ideally it will combine the best of both docs, and touch on the Two's Kennedy Center Honors and Teen Cancer work; interviews with lifelong fans like Irish Jack, instrument techs, and especially articulate and chatty tour mates, like the Hermits' Peter Noone, and Mick Jones of the Clash; and point out the rather big deal that Townshend invented the "unplugged" subgenre in 1979, ten years before the idea occurred to MTV.
I look forward to watching it. I've only seen the world's greatest live band on a screen, having chickened out on a half-a-chance to see them in Buffalo on their first farewell tour.
And I've never had much desire to attend their concerts, however close to home, whatever the lineup. The Who already live inside my head, hermetically sealed, where they will always be alive, always perfect.
Mark Steyn Club members can let Kathy know what they think in the comments. If you want to join in on the fun, make sure to sign up for a membership for you or a loved one. To meet many of your fellow club members in person, join Mark along with Conrad Black, Michele Bachmann and several others aboard our upcoming Mark Steyn Cruise down the Mediterranean.
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Actually the idea for MTVs unplugged came from Elvis 68 Comeback Special when it was re leased in a different format on HBO in 1985.
Interesting in post 9/11 concert " I pray we don't get fooled again."
The only thing I remember from watching the live concert to honor the first responders of 9/11, both living in the audience, and deceased, was the booing from that audience when Hillary Clinton walked out on the stage to say her piece, trying to bask in the glory of real heroes by association. Fox News noted that in the video that was sold later, the producers had removed the booing and put in a canned soundtrack of cheering, lest the reality be played over and over during her inevitable campaign for the presidency. The opinion of heroes about Hillary was sent down the memory hole, and history was rewritten to please the News Controllers.
Wow, I was going to say "that's amazing" but of course it isn't.
In a scene deleted from the final cut of "Pulp Fiction," Mia Wallace tells Vinny Vega that she believes the world to be divided between Beatles People and Elvis People. Looking at his haircut, snakeskin boots and string tie, she sizes up Vinny as an Elvis Man, and refers to him as such when they arrive at Jackrabbit Slim's.
It could just as easily been Beatles Fans and Who Fans, even though there were, of course, actual brawls in the UK between Mods and Rockers.
Hi Kathy. Haven't spoken to you in some time. Predictable modern governmental world. Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.
I can't count, over the years, as The Who blasted over the car stereo, (8-Track/Cassette/CD/USB/Bluetooth) and the last chords died down, I would ask who ever happened to be Wayne's Worlding in the car with me, "you know what the last two lyrics of that song are?" Inevitably the answer was no.
How much of my life The Who are responsible for I can't begin to imagine. They were the mainstay of my existence, from the moment I was 16 and the younger son of the Mennonite Minister took me to his room in the family's house (Fraser Valley) and giggling like a schoolgirl, showed me the cover of the album Who's Next.
My Best Man and I would have played Who Are You as the bridal chorus if we could have gotten away with it.
Over the years I analysed my reaction to their music. Why did I like them so much? What in particular excited a euphoric reaction in my brain. Why did I identify so strongly with most of their songs? Well, Behind Blue Eyes, DUH.
Going Mobile. That was me for at least ten years. Magic Bus. I want one (Vancouver Hippie Era). Pinball Wizard. I wish.Too many songs to reiterate
And that vocalist. That's just like I wish I could sing it. The inflection, cadence, confidence.
But that's the lyrics, what about the music. The DRUMS. Wow their just so, so perfect. The guy can't beat eight bars of straight rhythm. No, riff off the toms here, cymbals crescendoing there, snare fills,full rolls over and over. turned the drums into a lead instrument. But that lead guitar is ever-reaching, ever-striving for more emphasis while the chords lay down like percussion. And then they have a bass player who thinks HE's got the lead instrument.
The combination has so many hooks you can listen to a song over and over focusing on individual instruments and have any one of them repeating in your head.
Anybody who is alive supposedly knows exactly where they were when they heard JFK died. I do I was 10. I also vividly remember hearing of Keith Moon's death (Parksville V.I).. Sadness was probably the predominant motion. I realized an era had come to an end.
I've always had my best sound system in my vehicle as that is the one place I can listen to it at any volume. I've been driving for a living for at least 25 years and it is funny how happiness and recollection thereof are filed in a convenient part of the brain. A few years back driving down Hwy 22 south of Chain Lks where the highway switches to the west side of the valley,, beautiful sunny day most gorgeous scenery listening to Live At Leeds and happier than if I'd won the lottery.
Maybe I did win the lottery with the advent of The Who.
So well said, Rick! They really do have three "lead" instrumentalists.
I believe there are a few videos out there that single out the various instrumental tracks. The Entwistle ones are particularly great.
There is actually a relatively recent one of Roger Daltrey at the mixing board demonstrating how Keith Moon's drums follow the vocals, not the rhythm. https://youtu.be/gWU9dmmOzT0?t=58
I have often lamented the fact these great bands didn't have the benefit of modern recording equipment. Bass in particular was cut off at about 100 Hz while the pluck of a bass guitar is around 120 Hz. Listening to old recordings in the house and I am constantly checking to see if the sub is even turned on. Adjust crossover to 240 hz and increase sub output and you get a little. Switch input to a modern action movie and the windows just about pop out. The isolation of individual instruments is a great way to really appreciate the musician. John Entwistle was a master and I love his aloofness from the other antics on stage. His expression often implied "Are you nuts?"
Best description of him was, "He always goes on stage like some guy looking for his dog."
Entwistle was the Dean Martin of rock musicians.
I didn't follow rock much after college so I really have to get in the Way-Back Machine to reflect on the subject. I got tired of lust, nihilism, vulgarity, and angst and settled into the imagery of my favorite kind of instrumental music. Nevertheless, I was a pretty big Who fan for a while. I thought Pete Townshend was interesting in a more cerebral and seriously spiritual way than most rock artists. The first thing that came to mind as I was reading this was a comparison of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" album and "Who's Next". The latter I thought was far more powerful; the Who at the top of their game. I enjoyed "Tommy" a lot as well. The album seems quite prescient with hindsight, a combination of Helen Keller and the pajama boys of today substituting an I-Pad for a Bally machine, the pajama boys being blind, deaf, and dumb in their own pathetic way. Uncle Ernie was a symbol of all that is wrong with the immoral, hedonistic, and merciless aspects of our culture. The kids were obviously not alright. I think that was the point, and The Who expressed those things with more power and rock band synergy than anyone else.
Todd, if you want "prescient," give The Who's "I'm A Boy" a spin. Written in 1967, incredibly:
One girl was called Jean Marie
Another little girl was called Felicity
Another little girl was Sally Joy
The other was me, and I'm a boy
My name is Bill and I'm a headcase
They practice making up on my face
Yeah, I feel lucky if I get trousers to wear
Spend evenings taking hairpins from my hair
[Chorus]
I'm a boy, I'm a boy
But my ma won't admit it
I'm a boy, I'm a boy
But if I say I am I get it
Put your frock on, Jean Marie
Plait your hair, Felicity
Paint your nails, little Sally Joy
Put this wig on, little Boy
I wanna play cricket on the green
Ride my bike across the street
Cut myself and see my blood
I wanna come home all covered in mud
Thanks Kathy. "Who" would have thought that would become a thing 53 years ago.
Born in 1960 it seemed as though the key musical divide when I was growing up as Beatles or Stones. I was and remain solidly on the Stones side of that line. But the Who is unquestionably a great band with more depth in their work than the Big Two. Saw them in '83 or so at Candlestick Park, not good sound but very loud and Daltrey could still blast the high notes. Blankets on the field ground, it was great.
PS: the worst thing Led Zeppelin did IMO, besides generally being more popular than their talent deserved, was somehow imposing Stairway to Heaven as the big Last Song for high school dances in the latter half of the 70s. Worst dance song ever.
My complaint about Zep, which they'd laugh at as they circled above on their private jet/strolled around their giant castles, was that they were arguably the four best rock musicians ever assembled in a single group -- yet applied their considerable talents to, well, fairies and elves (when they weren't stealing from old/dead African Americans.)
I'm with you there, Kathy, except I have decided to finally see a live show. I had tickets on the floor for last October; it was cancelled. It was rescheduled for April 27, and cancelled. Maybe next year ...
This is somewhat painful to write. Born in the year of the American bicentennial (1976), I fall squarely in the middle of that cohort known as "Generation X". So my musical coming-of-age was formed by a succession of bands in the 80's and 90's: From the B-52's, The Cars, and The Ramones, through Guns N' Roses, Metallica, and Van Halen, and culminating with Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Alice In Chains, and Soundgarden (just to name a few).
Along the way I found room to fall in love with bands like Aerosmith, AC/DC, Led Zepplin (more of a blues act with a rock n' roll edge), the Stones, and many of the other great rock acts of 60's and 70's.
But The Who? They, along with the Beatles, have always been an also-ran in the wide swath of musical acts that make up my rather extensive computerized playlist. It isn't that I dislike them. It's just that I don't like them as much as other bands, and not nearly as much as the older members of the Gen-X cohort seem to.
The Who were style forward musically. The one time I got to see them live at the old Winterland ballroom (SF) the sound mix was wildly different from what we were hearing on FM radio and LPs. John Entwhistle's bass was loud, right out front, and playing the *shit* out of those songs. The intricacies between KMoon and John were spectacular. The remasters didn't start getting th dry is right for quite a while, and really, not even now.
We didn't hear anyone playing electric bass like this until Jaco Pastorious in the '80's.
Thanks as always for Saturday Movie Night, Kathy! I loved this film when it came out and have played my favorites clips quite a few times since.
Their live performance of "A Quick One While He's Away" is just astonishing, and had never before been seen by the public. It was a part of a Rolling Stones TV show where the Who were special guests, and the rumor is the whole project was shelved by Jagger/Richards because the Who just blew away the more tepid Stones performances. The energy, range, and power they get out of just three instruments defy physics, and watching Keith Moon hamming it up throughout is such a joy.
Yes the rumours are true re: the Stone's special.
If you want some fun, do look up Townshend's speech inducting the Stones into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Such a rare pleasure to hear someone with an IQ over 120 speaking at such an event.
I'm six years older than you, Kathy, but I rely on you for cultural edification. My earliest exposure to The Who, and their effect on their fans, was as a freshman in college, when a fellow down the dorm hallway started banging on doors, desperately--I mean, frantically--begging for a copy of "Tommy" to listen to. As I was a freshman, he was used to the look of complete ignorance on my face that met his plea, and he turned away in disgust. But I don't think anyone else had it, either. I'm not sure how he got his fix, if he ever did. Not to worry, however: I just looked him up, and he has a very successful dental practice in midtown Manhattan. Hit me up, Clubbers, if you need some work done on the old choppers. He graduated Columbia summa cum laude, and you can bet the music over his office system ain't Mantovani.
The thing about "Tommy" is that while it is probably their most famous work, I can take or leave most of it. "Quadrophenia" is my "jam."
Fascinatingly, while Pete Townshend was struggling to come to terms with the sexual abuse he experienced as a child, it was Entwistle who wrote the "molestation" themed songs for "Tommy." I don't even think he was asked to do so, outright. It's more like, the band (for all their internal rancour) were so synched up that John knew Pete couldn't write them himself.
Even in his memoir, Pete walks right up to the point of describing exactly what happened to him, then draws the curtain. I understand that all too well. It just shows you how scarring such an experience is.
For all this rotating, official "reasons" for smashing his guitar, I don't doubt that it was in part just another expression of his repressed anger about something "you don't talk about."
Great post Kathy. Although I like a lot of The Who material, including Tommy, I can't say I'm a real fan, certainly not as much as Mrs MCF. I grant you that they are much better than the over-rated Stones.
Since you are such a young whipper snapper, you didn't get to experience the amazing energy when the Beatles hit North America. In Canada, we were smug as we were getting the records in 1963, almost a year before the Americans were smitten. At the time, we didn't care about messages, it was the sound and the energy that was so electric. Add blues to Buddy Holly and mix in some country and crank it up to eleven. Heady days. Then they went druggy and self-important and it got boring.
I've got to admit that The Who remained creative for a lot longer, but by then I was too old to care. I think you have to be a certain age for a sound to really hit you between the eyes.
That's a good point about "energy." The Beatles seemed to tone down the energy after a few years, while the Who maintained it to a larger extent.
There aren't a lot of "trippy" Who songs; I know Pink Floyd weren't into drugs, but you'd never know it from their music (which I admit I probably haven't given a fair shake. I just didn't like the people who liked Pink Floyd! (And I feel like "The Wall" is their attempt to mimic the Who, and if so, they failed.)
I guess you need more patience than I posses to get "into" Floyd.
I'm with you: Buddy Holly really holds up. I wonder if he would have evolved musically if he had lived. I think so, he seemed like a genuinely gifted and smart guy.
I agree about The Wall and Pink Floyd generally. A song that starts out with "we don't need no education" - from the first time I heard it - always makes me reply (in my head, if not aloud) "oh yes you do." But certainly by the time I hit my 20's, my hypocrisy meter was quick to detect the irony of self-consciously anti-establishment recording artists making huge amounts of money railing against capitalism or lamenting about the burdens of fame. As for the Beatles, I initially dismissed them as cutesy boys doing bad covers of American R&B songs. But I thought Rubber Soul, Revolver and Sgt. Pepper were truly brilliant - but then they got pretentious with the subsequent albums. Since everybody I knew had Tommy and Quadrophenia, I never needed to purchase them. Nowadays, as I slip into what seems to be my second childhood, I most enjoy the music of my first childhood - R&B, rock-and-roll and Motown.
Thanks Kathy. I agree about Buddy Holly. He had a lot of raw talent.
When thinking about rock bands of the 60s and 70s, I'm reminded of the scene early on in the movie Amadeus, when Salieri is playing bits of his own music to the priest. No recognition. Then he plays a snippet that the priest does recognize, but that one is from Mozart. Most of the famous bands from our youth have 1, 2, 3 maybe up to 5 songs that EVERYONE recognizes. The Beatles have dozens. Does that make them "good"? Who knows? But it does make them known. So for Townsend to dump on the Beatles is a bit like people who complain about Shakespeare because his works are full of cliches.
"But certainly by the time I hit my 20's, my hypocrisy meter was quick to detect the irony of self-consciously anti-establishment recording artists making huge amounts of money railing against capitalism or lamenting about the burdens of fame."
And that, boys and girls, is how punk was born!
I'm afraid that like you, I have little time for new music, i.e. anything after 1995. It all really does sound like noise -- and I seem to recall reading a scientific study explaining the reason for this seemingly multigenerational affliction; something to do with brain chemistry?
The house next door to ours is a duplex. One half was occupied by a two or three young women who are students at the local college, who decamped about three weeks ago when classes were cancelled for the rest of the semester. But the other half is rented by a couple of local young men, who had a party last night - with a small bonfire in the backyard - with maybe about ten people, women as well as men, and I had the feeling that social distancing was not being observed. They took the party inside around 11 - the decibel level of the music was just low enough not to trigger the grumpy old man in me. But for some reason it was most audible in our bathroom and seemed to consist of about six notes endlessly repeated. I guess its appeal lies in the fact that it's mind-numbingly hypnotic and requires no talent.
Ugh what a nightmare. And I bet those 6 notes are still stuck in your head, right?
Kathy, thanks so much for this post. 1964 was a great year, the best cars came out that year- the Porche 911, Ford Mustang, Pontiac GTO, Chevy Chevelle, the Olds Cutlass 442, and NASCAR changed their engine rules over the Mopar 426 HEMI. Great music burst onto the American scene that year, and you and I were born!
I was always pleased that I came out when those great cars did.
I loved The Who. My parents were sort of Beatniks. My dad listened to the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and his second wife like Crosby Stills and Nash, his third wife liked Joni Mitchell and Jazz. I got sick of a lot of the music my dad and his wives listened to, but I never got sick of The Who
I've never seen the movie The Kids Are Alright. I saw Pete Townsend in concert years ago at Great Woods when it was still Great Woods. I saw the musical Tommy a very long time ago.
You've brought back the irreverent in me and reminded me of why we were rebelling against the baby boomers when we were teens.
You're a gem! Thanks again.
Thanks Kitty. You can stream The Kids are Alright via the Apple TV app, among other platforms. It zips right along and is over before you know it; the tone of the film is very much in sync with the band itself.
That's the point that critic Tom Sommer makes in the link I added to my column: He never "gets sick of" the Who.
Caught them live in 1970 at Dallas Memorial Auditorium. Was definitely a highlight of my concert-going days.
My nervousness about being around that many people, and countless other fears -- leaving the house, getting lost on the way, looking "stupid" somehow, etc etc. -- meant I was never much of a concert goer. It's ironic that I'm a fan of "the greatest live band ever" and never shifted myself to see them, but there you go.
Can't say much about those other concerns, but you needn't have worried about looking stupid. We all did that. We just didn't know it at the time.
I worked as an usher for concerts after school at Memorial Auditorium in the late 70s and so got to see a lot of name bands for free ...Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Blue Oyster Cult ...but missed the ones I would have really liked to see like the Who or the Stones. I did catch the Stones a little later at Will Rogers Auditorium in Ft. Worth. On that tour they were playing some smaller venues along with stadiums. Seeing them in a 2000 seat or so (maybe smaller) auditorium -- with a young great ZZ Top as the warm up act! -- was a once in a lifetime experience.
Am envious of that Stones/ZZ Top concert, although I managed to see them both separately a few times each. A lot of great bands came through Dallas/Ft. Worth back then (Memorial, Moody, State Fair Coliseum, and even sometimes up in Denton). Of the ones you mentioned, the one I never saw, but would have loved to, was Deep Purple. Dang!.
I've been to two concerts in in the last 30 years, Eric Clapton (Surprise w/Mark Knopfler!) and this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kndq2BQ1q6w.
BTW Tommy also must have had an effect as I know every single word in it. Movie was ok but the album listened to repeatedly.
I don't know about that! I knew I looked stupid and gave up caring. I reveled in looking stupid. I still do.
There's no tonic for the C-virus quarantine blues quite like this piece on The Who. Thanks, Kathy Shaidle
Wow thank you Fran!
Kathy,
I had completely forgotten that post 9/11 concert. Thank you for reminding us. Like George Bush bringing heat down the middle in that first pitch (game 3 2001 world series in Yankee stadium) I still g55et emotional when I am reminded. I pray our leaders in both politics and entertainment provide the next generation similar moments in this time of crisis.
Isn't that an amazing show? They were so honored to be there. I think they were prouder of that moment than they were about being at Woodstock. (Another reason to love them.)
Kathy,
I'll say it. The Who are better than the Beatles. Better than the Stones. Better than any rock band in history.
I have said before in the comment section here, your piece "Why the Who are better than the crappy band you like" (If i remember the title correctly) is the single greatest non-political blog entry in history.
I saw the Who at Shea Stadium in 1982 and it remains today the single greatest concert I have ever seen. Probably one oof the best in history. The How and The Clash opening, a hard combo to beat.
I hope you are feeling well and I hope to make a Steyn cruise so we can chat about the Who someday.
Mark Ferrigno
I have to say that I'd never compare the three bands or identify one as better than the other. They were all so unique; it's truly like comparing apples to oranges to grapefruits.
I remember as a kid people asking me "Are you Beatles or Stones?" I'd always answer "Neither and don't forget about The Who." The music was so different and each band did their 'thang' magnificently.
It's akin to comparing three of my favorite individual singers: Dylan, Hendrix, Morrison. Who was better? Dylan was the better poet, Hendrix the better guitarist and Morrison ... well... he was inexplicable and looked great in leather pants. :)
You are very kind! I'm looking forward to the cruise very much -- we will chat for sure.
The Shea Stadium show is on DVD btw.
I have to get the DVD and see if the recording matches my memories.
Read Kathy's blog post I mentioned and she may change your mind.
Taking this to a classical level, I was once engaged in a discussion regarding the merits of Sibelius vs. Mahler. "There is no real discussion to be had" was my response; one likes what one likes and I would happily put on either CD on my lanai with a cool glass of chardonnay and enjoy listening to Sibelius' Symphony No.1 in E minor that I had heard in Prague or Mahler's Symphony No.1 in D I heard in Vienna.
Pure happiness either way.
I suppose the point is that, after "Kullervo," Sibelius developed a much sparer style, which he consciously thought of as the antithesis of Mahler, so that juxtaposing Mahler and Sibelius isn't completely bonkers. As you say, however, it is perfectly possible to like both (Mahler 2, 4, 5, 6, 9 and the songs and Sibelius Kullervo, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and the tone poems, for me).
Morrison certainly had a lot of charisma, and their organist is a genius, but if you listen to them in a certain way, The Doors sound so much like a lounge act at the airport Holiday Inn that it's scary. It's all too easy to imagine Tom Jones (who I adore) singing their songs in his style, and doing a better job!
True confession- I adore the drama of Mahler but I am the only fan who enjoys No.1 the best. It usually isn't even on the top ten list!
I've always been one who gets annoyed when I see this at concerts, but Mahler conducted by Georges Pretre brought tears to my eyes that were already big as saucers!
I never thought about the Doors that way but I suppose you could identify them as the next generation of Tom Jones (who I always enjoyed as well). I always considered Jones a more attractive mutation of Elvis however.
The Doors were too cool; and I must admit I can't picture them as a 'lounge act' in the least. They were banished from the Ed Sullivan show for heaven's sake! Part of their appeal, of course was visual.
If you listen to "Love Her Madly" "Touch Me" "Love Me Two Times" and even "Light My Fire" with a certain mindset, it's impossible not to imagine them all in powder blue tuxedos, with an oversize brandy glass on the organ for tips.
Actually, I thought of a raving lunatic (!) but of course that was part of the attraction. :)
In any case, thanks again for this post. I'm a "wannabe groupie" and music has always played a big part in my life. I feel sorry for Millennials who have missed growing up with the best and so much incredible diversity.
That's why I watch "reaction" videos on youtube. It's a whole genre in which Millennials react to classic rock and pop for the first time.
The ones by African American reactors are particularly compelling: Most admit to have never heard anything in their lives but rap, or been told Elvis was racist or whathaveyou.
Watching them get blown away by the Who, or the Righteous Brothers and esp. Elvis (they all LOVE "In the Ghetto" and "If I Could Dream" is a genuine treat.
I first discovered this little "world" watching them react to "Bohemian Rhapsody," so searching for those in YT is a good place to start.
The reactions of a channel run by "Jamel_AKA_Jamal" are particularly fun. YouTube's "UP NEXT" column on the right will take you to other folks.
Well, that was surreal. I missed Kathy's byline at the top of the post, and read the whole thing thinking it was Mark writing the article! Born in 1964, allergic to penicillin, a closet punk devotee who loves The Who but hates The Beatles? I thought I knew Mark? And what about his love of show-tunes, how does he reconcile that with his hitherto hidden love of punk?!
And then the penny dropped. Phew, reality restored!
Great post Kathy, I'm a big fan of The Who too, but maybe rate The Floyd a little higher than you do, but that's fine. Keep the posts coming.
Regards, GJC.
Ha! You aren't the first person to do that :-)
Thanks, GJC.
GJC: I used to rate PF and Genesis ahead by a nose, before Mr. Steyn burst my bubble re: prog rock. Darn him! I was imperfectly happy thinking myself SO superior when I knew prog rock was the best. I did notice that Roger and Pete got older and wiser, while Roger Waters and Phil Collins got older.
Loved to hear Kathy S agree with me on Quadrophenia. I retain some sense of superiority!
P.S.: I bet the twit leading the World Health Org thinks the top of the mark for rock music is the Monkees.
Hi Paul,
Nah, no one's going to burst my Pink Floyd bubble, not even the great man Steyn. Roger Waters did his best to kill the band off, but thankfully Dave Gilmour (the true "talent" in the band) saw them through. Man, I just love how he plays!
Regards, GJC.
PS. Thanks Kathy, glad I'm not the only dill in this club!
Now I wouldn't be so quick slagging the Monkees. They were manufactured it is true, and didn't write their own material; they were the last vestige of the Brill Building "rock" era (see that Tom Sommer link in my column) which was swept aside with the Beatles -- after they landed, bands were expected to write their own songs.
However, the Monkees' material was written by the best in the business -- and played by the best too, that is, the Wrecking Crew. Significantly all were welcome guests at the Laurel Canyon parties held by real musicians, which surely counts for something.
You covered The Who first. What are going to cover second?
I must say Kathy, you had me at "Who." I've not seen the movie, but I owned the album on vinyl as a teenager in the early eighties. The thing about the Who, and Pete Townsend as a song writer in particular is that they cross over so many genres within the rock and roll concept.
I've always favored their rendition of "Young Man Blues" on The Kids Are Alright over the one available on Live at Leeds. It has more feedback, which is a sound the Who were doing long before Neil Young came up with it on the Live Rust version of Hey, Hey, My, My. I got the chance to see them in 1989, when they were past their prime, but still energetic. They put on an incredible live show, which has more of a power blues feel.
At the same time, the Who and Townsend were capable of an artistic flair, with song writing, lyrics and production that could rival and even best any progressive band of the early 70's. Quadrophenia is their masterpiece as far as I am concerned, although Tommy was ahead of its time as well, the Moody Blues' "Days of Future Passed" notwithstanding. There was a lot of teen angst in Townsends lyrics, even into his forties when he released White City, but the things he was writing would still resonate with today's youth. One that still seems apropos in these times;
"My karma tells me
You've been screwed again.
If you let them do it to ya.
You've got yourself to blame.
It's you who feels the pain.
It's you who feels ashamed."
The Who were also capable of a rockabilly sound, as the achieved with Squeezebox, which is widely covered by country bands. Who knew that Pete Townsend could play banjo like that? And accordion.
I agree that the Who did most everything that Led Zeppelin did, and did it better. The one thing that Led Zeppelin seemed capable of that Townsend never did was more of a funk sound, like on "The Crunge." But then, it seems eschewed that particular genre, which he openly declares on "Sister Disco."
Thanks much for inspiring me to get a copy of The Kids Are Alright. So, did you have to wrestle Mark to get him to let you write about a rock and roll movie?
I agree about their renditions of "Young Man Blues"-- they're great. And about Quadrophenia, the dumbest idea for a concept album ever (and that's really saying something) and yet it is indeed a masterpiece.
It's true that adolescence was Pete's "Mount Fiji" in the sense that he never really stopped writing about it, but the theme developed over time, and became more subtle and thoughtful. There is a clear evolution from "My Generation," written in the spring of his life, to the Quadrophenia songs, and then to something like "Real Good Looking Boy," with its winter-of-life feel.
I hope you enjoy the movie, and I wasn't kidding when I said it was packed with too many bonuses -- I've honestly not gotten through them all.
Have you seen "Lambert and Stamp"? Another Who documentary about how Kit Lambert ended up managing the band after initially wanting only to make a documentary about it. Lambert's command of French and German is particularly impressive.
I have, and learned a lot. They were really a Mutt & Jeff duo weren't they? But that is perfect for The Who, who, only next to The Damned, are the band that looks least likely to be in the same group, but more like four guys from four different bands who happen to be standing next to each other by accident.
The footage of that aborted doc is on YouTube and elsewhere. Look for The Who, Railway Hotel, 1964.
Good documentary. In the same vein, I highly recommend Andrew Motion's triple-biography "The Lamberts, George, Constant and Kit" George was a famous artist (and Oz's WW! official war artist), his sone Constant was the famous conductor and impresario and his son, of course, was Kit Lambert. Both Constant and Kit diet at 45 (1st drink, 2nd drugs) Kit's portion is fascinating for a Who fan, Kit managed the band's presentation (and the money, sort of..) Interesting that, the Beatles and the Who were both managed by self-destructive gay men.
The Who were style forward musically. The one time I got to see them live at the old Winterland ballroom (SF) the sound mix was wildly different from what we were hearing on FM radio and LPs. John Entwhistle's bass was loud, right out front, and playing the *shit* out of those songs. The intricacies between KMoon and John were spectacular. The remasters didn't start getting this right for quite a while, and really, not even now.
We didn't hear anyone playing electric bass like this until Jaco Pastorious in the '80's.
Entwhistle was really their lead guitarist, just on a bass!
Not intending this comment to diminish his overall artistic talent at all but Townsend is not a great guitar player ....the band was very lucky to have Entwhistle.
He'd be the first one to admit that, although again I feel he is underrated on the acoustic. Entwistle really was their "lead guitarist."
I loved this post because my three favorite rock groups of all time were:
1.The Beatles
2.The Who
3.The Stones
Was fortunate to watch one of the most talented singer-songwriter pair in history evolve their music every year until they disbanded.Their music was always fresh and on the cutting edge.Their talent was prolific.
They drove Brian Wilson insane!
There has never been a better rock song written than Baba O'Riley and that infamous riff will stay with me always.
The last time I saw the Stones tour at a sold-out Meadowlands concert in New Jersey, they were well into their sixties.
Greatness.
Well, Wilson's sanity aside (poor guy)...
"Baba O'Riley" really has stood the test of time.
I was fairly shocked that you wanted to revisit 2010s paean to same-sex family life. No, I never saw it, either.
My favorite has always been, for some reason, Boris the Spider.
Mike, I've come to a greater appreciation of pop music later in life, having formerly dismissed it as obvious attention seeking by permanent adolescents. However, I've always been fond of the Beatles and regarded all the other bands, unfairly, and probably atrociously so, as Beatle wannabes, although I will always regard the Rolling Stones that way. I had no idea which band wrote Boris the Spider until you mentioned it, and only know of the song because I have a friend who introduced me to that cute novelty item when we were teenagers.
Emerson, Lake and Palmer were introduced by another friend and I did appreciate the keyboard talent displayed. Then I went back to playing Bach fugues on the piano and organ which gave me much more satisfaction but left me feeling on the pop music fringes. So every so often I take a look at what's been going on. Recently I explored Nirvana and found it wasn't just noise, though I felt very badly for Kurt Cobain in his search for some kind of message for an empty, aimless generation.
Nicholas, if you haven't already, see what you think of Nirvana's "Unplugged" concert. The video is on YouTube. I recommend it to everyone.
I watched the first clip highlighting, you won't get fooled again, and in this time of a pandemic destroying lives I find the nihilism, smugness and ingratitude surging off the stage off putting. The mishandling of their instruments at the end of the concert told me they were hounds escaping from hell and not the saviors they claimed to be.
The daily deaths of great artists Mark highlights from the Chicom virus has sensitized me to preserving our civilization. The Who have lost my respect now and forever. I shudder to think what Pete Townsend would do to a Stradivarius violin.