the Who thread
 

Maybe there is one already?

In any way I have to say I have appreciated that band long, long time. I think it´s one of the first punk bands although there was Sonics before(Somebody has said to me that Trasmen`s Surfin´ Bird was the first punk song, but I think it was Eddie Cochran´s something else). Who´s first albums are so energetic that very rare band in that time couldn´t do the same. In middle seventies their records start to getting a little bit bad direction, but I haven´t heard any totally bad record (I haven´t heard Face Dances and It´s hard). They are one of the rare bands, who has made fine comeback album (endless wire, it´s at least as good as Who by Numbers). Their concert in few years ago was also very good (Daltrey´s voice was not in a total good condition and they were a little bit tired because it was their last concert on that tour). But in encores they play many songs from Tommy and I was in heaven!

Haven't listened to the Who in ages - I find their lyrics quite tiresome now, but live in Leeds is one of the better live albums out there. Fucking loud as well.

Something I quite like about Townshend is that he's got an absurdly heavy attack. Even with the amps at full whack, he'll still cunt the fuck out of his guitar. Him and Jeff Beck are the only interesting guitarist out of that era, for me - and they're both happy doing one-note solos, rather than widdling about like a cunt (Clapton).

who you listening to?
who
no, who you listening to
who
no, i asked you who you listening to
who

they were one of my favorite bands as a teenager, but my interest has waned pretty heavily. i just can't be arsed outside of their first three albums and live at leeds these days.

I´m not big Jeff Beck-fan, although I have had interest to his early solo works. My brother have Blow by Blow, Wired and Live with Jan Hammer and used to listen them a lot, but now I haven´t got interest about them. Only "Beck-album" I have is Yardbird´s Roger the engineer. In that album his solos are at least in some songs very near Townshend solos. Maybe Beck didn´t use feedback as radically as Townshend. But I think there´s lots more interesting guitarists in 60-70ies for example Jimi Hendrix, also Clapton (his works before his solo career, sometimes he plays great solos some other artist´s albums also nowdays), Robert Fripp, Frank Zappa, the most of the Beefheart guitarists, Dave Gilmour, Ulrich Roth and Robin Trower.

I agree about that the three first albums are just great, I think the Who sell out is their best album. But I think also Tommy, Live At Leeds, Who´s next and Quadrophenia is just great!!! And I like also Odds and Sodds and Meaty,Beaty... -compilations a lot.

I'm going to have to repeat this, because it's very important to me that I continue to emphasise that Zappa is the shittest thing imaginable. No offence to your good self [etc].

Fripp is a good call though, he's got a really interesting approach to the guitar at the time. Not really an 'orthodox' player though, more in the lieage of Keith Rowe.

One of my favourite bands.

Got a complete vinyl collection, a huge pile of dvds + the luck to see them live in 2007.

I heard theyre planning to tour with quadrophenia in 2011, or a new concept, they hadn't decided yet. I totally look forward, one of the bands I've been dedicating my life to.

i've been hearing them on the radio almost everyday, and i don't like it because i don't like them

It´s very easy to me understand why people don´t like Zappa. I think he´s one of them people love or hate, very rare feel that he is indifferent. Well I had only "Does Humor belong into music"-tv document at first and it was me hard to understand, why some of my friends keep the man genius, I thought then that he is ok, but not great. Then I bought Bongo Fury (Beefheart was the reason) and began to understand how great he was.

About great guitarists of 60-70ies, I forgot to mention Johnny Winter, Rory Gallagher, Alan Wilson, Duane Allman, Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin. Johnny Winter And, Johnny Winter And: Live, Living the Blues, At Fillmore East, Santana First, Abraxas, Santana Third, Against the grain and Birds of Fire are all just great albums! By the way what´s the substance of music is the most important to me, I can´t listen the music, if the musics boring whatever good guitarists it have.

This band changed everything for me from a young age. Being a passive/agressive finally meant I could exist.

I rarely play Who's Next or Sell Out or Live At Leeds these days, but My Generation is a fucking revelation - such great songs, such amazing guitar tones, such fantastic energy. The deluxe reissue was amazing for extra tracks, b-sides, soul covers, etc plus I am reasonably positive Jimmy Page plays on a few of the tracks..... great record all around.........

''I Can't Explain'' is one of the best songs ever written. It's totally MALE in its point of view, luckily avoiding macho postures, gay leaninings or anything that'd decimate its potential. A fucking gem.

I Love The Who. I'm A Mod At Heart.

Fuck yeah man, that song is insanely good! I'm always amazed Circles wasn't a hit either, totally killer song......

The start of the concert here in Finland couldn´t be better: First song was I can´t explain. In the back of the band they showed old black and white film from the begin of the their career.

The who are fantastic. Got the LIve at Reed Vinyl and it's perrrrrfect. Not to mention their performance of A Quick One While She's away from the Rolling STones Circus is amazing.

I love those first few singles but apart from the odd song, never really got into anything they did after. I pretty much agree with everything already said about 'I Can't Explain'; a fantastic record. Then Townshend started wearing boiler suits and writing songs about engine drivers, at which point it all went a bit tits up for me.

In ELP-thread The Watcher claimed that ELP is the greatest band of all time. Well, to me personally Sonic Youth is still the most important at the moment, but If I have to say what is the most remarkable band in the pop/rock music history, I say it is the WHO! Why I haven´t said this before is that I have always thought Face Dances and It´s Hard is quite miserable albums. I have just heard all the Who studio albums in passing (with working) and maybe Face Dances is not still very strong album. But I bought It´s Hard and listened it properly and it´s just great! Well it´s not the Who Sell Out or Tommy or Who´s next, but much greater than Who are You!

I think Who is almost the only sixties-seventies band who sound so fresh also in the eighties. I have thought the greatest band would have also been King Crimson, because I have also listened recently their albums Construkction Of Light and Power to Believe, but even they´re also great albums, they are so depressive when the Who It´s Hard and also Endless Wire is so full of hope! I also think Who have done almost all kinds of style music, they have succeed even put the symphonic elements in Tommy and Quadrophenia. And I think they also succeed to reform without making it constrained like many other bands. It´s Hard and Endless wire sounds so different that first album My generation, but still it´s easy to recognise them all who albums. Maybe there is echoes from Quadrophenia in It´s Hard and Endless Wire, but Quadrophenia is quite depressive album when those two are so optimistic. The Who made also one of the rock/pop history greatest singles!

Maybe the Beatles is still the most important band in the sixties, but I think the Who is the most important of all time!

The Who have had many official recognitions, but I think there´s lots of younger people who don´t know how important band the Who is.

I know many of you will disagree with me, but please, but the arguments also, not just a lame "you´re wrong"-opinion.

I wish they would release their set from Woodstock. It is incredible and my GEN20 copy doesn't even sound very good. The short piece they releaed on The Kids Are Alright is just a tasty teaser of this band at their heaviest. The Who took the Jeff Beck Group slot (but only after the Jefferson Airplane signed on, as they were the biggest band around at the time and The WHo didn't want to be left behind, I think the Jeff Beck Group was having internal problems.).

Check out the 2 Jeff Beck Group albums for some excellent 60's UK blues. Rod Stewart sounds great and the musicianship is killer.

Its hard for us to understand how bands like Jeff Beck and the Who changed everything when they started showing up at gigs with guitar stacks and PAs, up to that time bands played on little amps. of course that later allowed promoters to put bands in enormous stadiums with huge stacks of amps that sounded like shit. But lots of money was to be made...

Those first Jeff Beck Group albums have always interested me a lot, but there has always been many other albums...but I think in the near future I will listen them! I think you also like the Faces, I have only Ooh La Laa, but also have a great interest of other bands albums.

Small Faces or Faces? ;-) I don't think have anything by either band actually...

Why?

I mean Faces. Stewart was singing into it (I think there was maybe some other same members as in the first Jeff Beck Group). Someone has said Faces was "punkier" version of the Rolling Stones and I agree that even I read Ooh La Laa is the softest album of them.

I have heard also just a few songs from Small Faces, it is also on my "list" of the bands need to check-in.

Your love for the who is surprising! Certain posters, at least.

A band I loved when I was younger, and then stopped listening to for whatever reason.

I've been re-discovering bands from my teens lately (early misfits, ramones, doors, etc. SY even) so I'll have to dive back into the Who.

Well, I have been suprised that Who thread didn´t get more attention here. I think if there hadn´t been the Who, there wouldn´t have also been SY.

Or Nirvana for that matter.

or punk.

for sure

But at the same time....


the horrendous pirotechnics of the 80s probably wouldnt have existed either.

I really enjoy some early Who stuff, and I like The Who Sell Out quite a bit. They were pretty badass in the beginning, but most of what they did really doesn't appeal to me at all. First few records I can dig, though.

I just have been wondering, how many here have properly listened Tommy, Who´s Next or Quadrophenia? I have doubts many haven´t listened It´s Hard or Endless Wire at all. I think those 80-2000 albums have much more positive aggressive energy than any album of "so-called punk bands" like Bad Religion, Therapy?, Green Day or Offspring (Here´s great example from It´s Hard):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSP_Zs7Nr7o

Of course if someone don´t honestly like the later Who-production, it´s ok, but I think it´s very stupid if someone don´t like it for that reason because most of the sixties band made not so good material later.