The Who biography
Formed in Shepherd's Bush,
The restructured quartet was adopted by manager/publicist Peter Meadon, who
changed their name to the High Numbers, dressed them in stylish clothes and
determinedly courted a mod audience. Their sole single, "I'm The
Face", proclaimed this allegiance although Meadon shamelessly purloined
its melody from Slim Harpo's "Got Love If You Want It". Two budding
film directors, Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp, then assumed management
responsibilities and having reverted to their Who sobriquet, the band
assiduously began courting controversial publicity. Townshend's guitar
pyrotechnics were especially noteworthy; the instrument was used as an object
of rage as he smashed it against floors and amplifiers in simulation of painter
Gustav Metzger's auto-destructive art, although the origins of the act derived
from when Townshend accidentally broke the neck of his guitar in a
low-ceilinged club to the perverse delight of the crowd.
The Who's in-person violence matched an anti-social attitude and despite a
highly successful residency at the famed Marquee club, the Who were shunned by
major labels. They eventually secured a deal through Shel Talmy, an independent
producer who placed the band with American Decca Records. Their recordings were
then sub-contracted through UK subsidiary, Brunswick Records, a perilous
arrangement bearing later repercussions.
The Who's first single "I Can't Explain", released in January 1965,
rose to the UK Top 10 on the strength of appearances on television's Ready,
Steady, Go! and Top Of The Pops, the latter transpiring when another act
dropped out. Written by Townshend, already the band's established composer, but
modelled on the Kinks, the song's formal nature surprised those expecting a
more explosive performance. Such hopes were answered later in the year by the
innovative "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" and the UK number 2 hit
"My Generation", the latter of which encapsulated the frustrations of
an amphetamine-charged adolescent, both in its stuttered intonation and
smash-and-grab instrumental section. This pivotal release, one of the
benchmarks of British 60s pop served as the title track to the Who's debut
album, the release of which was delayed to accommodate new Townshend originals
at the expense of now passé cover versions.
"The Kids Are Alright" and "Out In The Street" articulated
a sense of cultural affinity and if the songwriter's attachment to the mod
phenomenon was undoubtedly expedient, the cult held a lasting fascination for
him.
Despite artistic and commercial success, the Who wished to sever their punitive
contract with Talmy. When he refused to renegotiate their terms of contract,
the band simply refused to honour it, completing a fourth single,
"Substitute", for a new label and production company. The ensuing
wrangle was settled out of court, but although the unit achieved their freedom,
Talmy retained five percent royalty rights on all recordings made until the end
of the decade. The Who continued to enjoy chart success, adeptly switching
subject matter from a parochial clique to eccentric characterizations involving
transvestism (the UK number 2 hit "I'm A Boy") and masturbation
("Pictures Of Lily"). Townshend's decidedly English perceptions
initially precluded a sustained international success. A Quick One (1966) and
The Who Sell Out (1967), the latter of which was, in part, programmed as a
homage to pirate radio, thus proved more acceptable to the UK audience.
The Who's popularity in the USA flourished only in the wake of their strong set
at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival.
They returned to the UK Top 10 in the winter of 1967 with the powerful "I
Can See For Miles", the track also providing the band with their only US
Top hit. Despite their strength as a singles act, however, the band failed to
achieve a number 1 hit on either side of the Atlantic. Their burgeoning status
in the USA was confirmed in August 1969 with a spellbinding performance on the
second day of the Woodstock Festival. They embraced the album market fully the
same year with Tommy, an extravagant, semi-autobiographical rock opera which became
a staple part of their increasingly in-demand live appearances. The set spawned
a major hit in "Pinball Wizard" but, more crucially, established the
band as a serious act courting critical respectability. Tommy was later the
subject of a film, directed in 1975 by the suitably eccentric Ken Russell, as
well as an orchestrated interpretation, recorded in 1972 under the aegis of
impresario Lou Reizner. This over-exposure undermined the power of the
original, and fixed a musical albatross around its creator's neck.
The propulsive Live At Leeds, released in 1970, was a sturdy concert souvenir
(regarded by many as one the best live albums ever recorded), while Townshend
created his next project, Lighthouse, but this ambitious work was later
aborted, with several of its songs incorporated into the magnificent classic
Who's Next.
Here the Who asserted their position as one of rock's leading attractions by
producing an album that contained "Baba O'Riley" and "Won't Get
Fooled Again", two epic anthems destined to form an integral part of the
band's 70s lexicon. The latter reached the UK Top 10 and was the prelude to a
series of specifically created singles - "Let's See Action" (1971),
"Join Together" (1972), "Relay" (1973) - which marked time
as Townshend completed work on Quadrophenia. This complex concept album was a
homage to the mod sub-culture which provided the artist with his first
inspiration. Although compared unfavourably with Tommy, the set's plot and
musical content, while stylistically the antithesis of the band's early
outburst, has shown a greater longevity and was the subject of a commercially
successful film, featuring future stars Toyah and Sting.
Commitments to solo careers undermined the parent unit's progress during the
mid-70s, and 1975's The Who By Numbers, although a relevant study of the ageing
rock star, was deemed low-key in comparison with earlier efforts. Another
hiatus ensued, during which the ever self-critical Townshend reassessed his
progress in the light of punk. The quartet re-emerged with the confident Who
Are You, but its release was sadly overshadowed when, on 7 September 1978,
Keith Moon died following an overdose of his Heminevrin medication taken to
alleviate alcohol addiction.
His madcap behaviour and idiosyncratic, exciting drumming had been an integral
part of the Who fabric and rumours of a permanent split abounded. A
retrospective film, The Kids Are Alright, enhanced a sense of finality, but the
band resumed recording in 1979 having added former Small Faces/Faces drummer
Kenney Jones (b. 16 September 1948, Stepney, London, England) to the line-up. However,
any new-found optimism was undermined that year when 11 fans were killed prior
to a concert at the Cincinnati Riverfront Colosseum in Ohio during a rush to
secure prime vantage points, and neither Face Dances (1981) nor It's Hard
(1982) recaptured previous artistic heights, although the former contained the
fiery "You Better You Bet", which restored them to the UK Top 10.
A farewell tour was undertaken in 1982-83, with the band announcing their
official split on 16 December 1983. Although they did reunite two years later
for an appearance at Live Aid, the band members remained estranged until the
end of the decade. Townshend's reluctance to tour - he now suffered from tinnitus
- and his much-publicized period of heroin addiction, were major stumbling
blocks, but in 1989 he agreed to undertake a series of US dates to celebrate
the Who's 25th anniversary (with Simon Phillips on drums).
Townshend, Daltrey and Entwistle were augmented by a large ensemble of
supporting musicians for a set indebted to nostalgia, which culminated in
Hollywood with an all-star gala rendition of Tommy. As such, the tour confirmed
the guitarist's fears - a request to include material from his concurrent solo
album The Iron Man was vetoed.
Townshend's desire to progress and challenge preconceptions has marked the very
best of the Who's extensive and timeless catalogue. In 1993, over 25 years
after its original release as an album, a production of Tommy, retitled The
Who's Tommy, was staged on Broadway, and won five Tony Awards. The Who's star
continued to rise in 1994 with the sympathetically packaged Thirty Years Of
Maximum R&B CD box set, and was maintained with the reissued Live At Leeds
with many extra tracks added from that memorable gig. The recording recalled a
period that showed Townshend's playing at its most fluid and Daltrey's vocals
strong and effortless. Further reissues in the mid-90s included The Who Sell
Out, Who's Next and A Quick One, all of which were remastered and contained
many extra tracks, including the legendary Ready Steady Who EP. From these
albums it is clear from where 90s Britpop bands such as Dodgy, Blur, and
Swervedriver derived their "Cockney' rock style.
Released three decades too late for most Who fans, 1996"s Live At The Isle
Of Wight Festival set demonstrated (as does Live At Leeds) what an astonishing
live band the Who were (and are). The quality of the Isle Of Wight concert
recording was viewed as a welcome windfall to the band's (still) considerable
following.
In June 1996 the Who appeared at London's Hyde Park, performing Quadrophenia in
front of 200,000 people. Further performances were given in the USA and the UK
later that year. The drummer for this latest re-formation was Zak Starkey (b.
13 September 1965, London, England), son of Ringo Starr. The Who's major tour
in 2000 (with Starkey and John "Rabbit" Bundrick) was remarkable. Keith
Moon would have been proud of the younger Starkey's uncanny ability to
"play in the style of". Townshend appeared to enjoy playing onstage
and relations on and off stage with Daltrey were highly amiable. The music at
most concerts was stunning, and belied the ages of the three senior members.
Entwistle's death in June 2002 came as a shock, but Townshend and Daltrey
soldiered on and completed a number of subsequent live dates with Pino Paladino
filling in on bass. Remarkably, the death of their former partner brought
Townshend and Daltrey closer together, and in 2004 they announced they had
begun work on a new Who studio album.
The Who are unquestionably one of the finest acts of the rock generation. Alongside
the Rolling Stones they continue to be spoken of as the greatest rock 'n' roll
band in the world.