When flipping through the radio dial nowadays you will undoubtedly come across a few of what they call “classic rock” stations. The normal run of artists have the typical “Beatles”, “Pink Floyd”, “Led Zeppelin” and what I consider the most misunderstood of all, “The Who”.
Whenever most people think about “The Who” they think of this hard rock band that played real loud and had numerous songs that became fm radio staples. Many remember the tragedy in Cincinnati in the late 70’s when 11 kids were crushed to death due to poor crowd management and oh yeah, they did that “Tommy” thing too but few if any think much more of them than that.
I think most fans know that Pete Townshend wrote pretty much all the songs the band ever recorded but I am more and more under the impression that outside of Paul McCartney, he is the greatest songwriter of the era.
“Why don’t you all fade away?
Don’t try to dig what we all say”
The first song that comes to mind is the song, “My Generation”. The song was released in 1965 and said just what the youth of the day was trying so hard to get across to the older generation: Leave us alone, you don’t get us. You never will. Even today when listening to the song you can feel the energy just smashing it’s way out of the speakers.
In 1969, when Townshend was 24 years old, the band released the rock opera “Tommy”. It was, as we all know, the story of a deaf, dumb and blind kid who could “sure play a mean pinball”. That’s the basic explanation, listen to the album and you’ll see it’s so much more. Child abuse plays an amazingly central role in the story. It’s no wonder the album was banned in England and there were a few radio stations in the states that also refused to play any songs from it. Truly the first of it’s kind. The album was made into a movie in 1973 with Ann Margret and Oliver Reed in starring roles as the parents of Tommy and you can still catch it on cable stations on a regular basis.
In 1973, another rock opera, “Quadrophenia” was released. Though not nearly as popular as “Tommy” the album did have some songs of note. “515” “Sea and Sand” and “Love Reign O’re Me” are all wonderfully written songs that tackle issues such as teenage sex, the generation gap and the power of love.
“When I walked in through the door
Thought it was me I was looking for
she was the first song I ever sang
but it stopped as soon as it began”
Between the two albums previously mentioned “The Who” released the album “Who’s Next”? Considered by many to be their greatest collection, it can easily pass as a greatest hits set. The album contains what is probably my favorite song by the band, “The Song Is Over”.
It’s just my personal opinion but I think Townshend’s voice is one of the better ones in rock. Though he wasn’t the lead singer of the band my favorites have always been the ones where his voice was a prominent feature. To me, he just seems to sing with so much more feeling than Roger Daltrey, the official “lead singer” of the band. Maybe it’s because he writes the songs and he feels what they are truly about. The songs obviously have more meaning to the one that writes them than to one that’s asked to interpret them.
“I don't know why I thought I should have some kind of
divine right to the blues,
It's sympathy not tears people need when they're the
front page sad news.”
Throughout the years Townshend has released a number of solo albums and collaborated with other artists. He’s had a few hits outside of “The Who” and still continues to tour and record. There are a number of “Greatest Hits” type records that have been released over the years featuring Townshend on his own and if you are so inclined to look into them I think his album “Gold” will give you a true sampling of the different types of songs he’s recorded over the years.
I think that if one listens to Townshend sing some of the hard rock songs from “The Who” in an acoustical manner you’d get a completely different feeling for the songs many of you banged your heads to in your youth.
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