Regular TAH readers know that I’m a music fan. And they also know that Jonn tolerates my occasional ]off-topic ramble on the subject.
Well, brace yourselves – here comes another such ramble. You’ve been warned. (smile)
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It’s no secret that popular music went through a massive change in the 1960s. The impetus for much of that change came from Britain – the famed “British Invasion”.
Many bands and individuals were part of that change. Most lost popularity or broke up shortly thereafter. Few had real “staying power” into the 1970s and 1980s; I’ve written here previously about one band that continued to grow and change with the times.
Yet there was a second band from Britain from this era that did the same. And for a while, they rivaled the Stones and others as a draw.
The Who.
The Who’s early work can best be described (with one exception) as catchy, formula pop tunes – though some of them did explore serious subjects. I mean, really: give a listen to “I Can’t Explain”, “Happy Jack” and “Pictures of Lilly”. Pure pop pablum, though the latter did address a somewhat more controversial than most. The exception in their early work was “My Generation”; it captured the mood of British early-1960s youth perhaps better than most tunes of the era.
Like the Stones, the Who also grew up musically . But unlike the Stones – whose growing-up was over a period of about a year, and appears to have been due to personal difficulties and the possibility of jail – IMO you can pinpoint when the Who changed from being yet another group playing “cute pop” into a bona fide musical force. That happened in October, at the end of 1967’s “Summer of Love”:
From that point forward, the Who weren’t merely purveyors of catchy, formula pop. They were rockers – serious ones, and truly innovative. Their work contains much that is legendary: multiple excellent albums and two released “rock operas” (Tommy and Quadrophenia). A third such rock opera was planned – Lifehouse – but never made. In a way, that’s a pity; music written for Lifehouse led to two albums and some additional music released as singles. It’s possible it would have been the best of the three.
(If you doubt that assertion about Lifehouse, consider: one of the two albums made from music initially destined for Lifehouse was Who’s Next. I’d argue that it’s perhaps the finest rock album made in the 1970s – and one of the best ever.
The second album derived from the Lifehouse? Who Are You. Plus “Pure and Easy” and “Join Together”, which were initially released as non-album singles, were also intended for Lifehouse.)
The Who continued making exceptional music for a full 15 years after coming of age – from 1967’s The Who Sell Out through 1982’s It’s Hard. They are also considered one of the great live acts as well; their Live at Leeds albums is considered one of the best live albums ever recorded.
Oh, and they were one of the headliners at Woodstock, too – early morning hours of 17 August 1969. As you might guess from the timing, they performed Tommy. (smile)
Today, The Who is considered one of the most influential rock and roll bands of all time. Pink Floyd considered them a formative influence. Jimi Hendrix adopted Townsend’s “Marshall stack” amp setup in the mid 1960s, as well as adopting and expanding Townsend’s pioneering use of sound effects. Even the Beatles were reputed to have been influenced by the Who in at least two of their later tunes. Tommy is considered the first rock opera.
Here’s a sample of The Who’s music between 1967 and 1982. Enjoy.
Yeah, I guess you could say the kids really were all right.
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If you’re still reading this – thanks. Hope you didn’t find it boring.
