How good were The Who

nimrod said:
No, smashing up musical instruments has never appealed to me.
Turned me right off them.

Like most young wannabes out there I couldn't afford a half decent guitar and to see these guys just smashing them up was sickening to me.

I tried to like them once, a mate of mine was crazy about them and he tried to sell them to me, but I just couldn't get into them, I've never owned one of their records.

I'm not saying they weren't s good band and in my opinion better musicians than Pink Floyd.
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I get your point on the smashing of instruments now that I am mid-thirties with kids - I'm not sure I would have been arsed when I was younger or dare I say if I had been in the band (plus where'd you think Hendrix got his inspiration from for setting alight to his guitar ;-) ).

Musically and creatively though I personally I love their contribution to music.

For the original line up to create such a sound for a 4 piece band was ground breaking and effectively having four lead instruments as a band is a completely different dynamic to most bands.

I like that the creative tension between them was always kept them on edge (Townshend would lock himself away for months creating his 'masterpiece' to bring it into the studio only for all the other members to tear it up within about 3 seconds to play the elements in their own completely different and unique way - completely changing the dynamic of the music and feel of the album's must have been very infuriating to him but also elevates the musical output).

Prime Who, there's no-one else I would rather go and see (I'm too young to have only seen their more recent line-ups)...........
 
Onholiday(somemightsay) said:
Going off Townshend's book (from memory) they were going for someone completely different as they didn't want a Moon impersonation and they favoured someone more like Phil Collins (who knows how my life opinions would have changed I I f#cking hate Phil Collins), but Pete or Roger (can't remember which?) wanted someone who was more committed to the band (or just available to tour / record as and when they wanted them I imagine for less royalties).

They themselves must have noticed the enormous drop off in sound when Keith wasn't behind them.

As has been said, technically far from the 'best' (which was shown up when having to play to a backing track for Quadraphenia / Who's Next etc where he had to actually stay in time) but as he was so unique in filling space and playing 'forward' instead of 'side to side' he's by far my favourite drummer.

Literally a force of nature...........
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Interestingly, they did use Simon Phillips later - a much better choice for the 25th anniversary tour - I saw them at Wembley - Pete and Roger had a to do and Roger walked off late in the show - so Pete decided to smash a few guitars which was sheer rock pantomime. . As an aside I used to work in the car industry and used to frequently stay in the Flint Holiday Inn in Michigan - home to Moon's most famous birthday party !!!
 
Onholiday(somemightsay) said:
Could be my memory playing tricks on me but the slight variable came from the reaction that he got by accidentally sticking his guitar through the sealing (crowd went crazy), so took their cue from their.

This then furthered their own I individual competition of showing off on stage (Entwistle excluded)..........
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That sounds very familiar, mate, and gives me and excuse to read "Before I Get Old" for the umpteenth time!
 
Blue_eyes said:
Dont get me wrong as they were all great( my fav band dont forget) and suited each other perfectly in a music sense,and collectively there is no one I would rather watch play. Entwhistle was an innovator with his early bass solos and maybe I did him most injustice with my statement. Moon was a force of nature and filled in where there were no gaps,but I have seen many "experts" say he didnt have the discipline of the likes of Ginger Baker. Townshend was rhythm based and although I love his live work and use of power chords I would say that the likes of Hendrix/Richards and Clapton(his most obvious contempories) found the instrument easier to play. Daltrey was a superb rock vocalist and has even managed to deliver slower ballads effectively, but there really are better singers. I dont argue with people about a band being "the best" as its all about personal opinions, I never got into Floyd,Zep and the smiths for example but theres plenty who prefer them to the Who(see the album chart on here). I see it like the most beautiful woman isnt necessarily the sexiest, a slight flaw can sometimes raise the appeal of something, and for me, the Who offer something no other band has equalled, and Im probably too old now for that to change.
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I spotted that they were your favourite band; just interested to see Who you were comparing them to.

Moon didn't play with the kind of precision someone like Neil Peart did (although I think the Professor was a big Moon fan): that just wasn't his personality but he was gifted, IMO, in ways most drummers can only dream of.

Pete ain't Eddie Van Halen but he can solo.

FWIW, I don't rate them as highly as Zep but I've been a very big fan of them since 1974. The only rock poster I have on display is a framed Who one in my study - the missus had to approve that as The Who are her favourite band.
 
MillisleBlue said:
Think I read somewhere that smashing the kit came about due to an accident at a gig involving Townshend's guitar and a very low ceiling. Having damaged the guitar, he couldn't stand there like a complete tube with all these young impressionable faces in the crowd looking up at him so he decided the best thing to do was continue smashing up the guitar in order to save face. Wasn't too long before word got round about a band who finished their gigs by smashing up their kit and it became the main reason to go see Townshend and Moon do just that. Daltrey was always the hard-nut and there are no words to adequately describe Entwistle's bass-playing...
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That happened when I saw them at the Oasis club in the 60s, Townshend threw his guitar in the air and it stuck in the low ceiling.
 
OB1 said:
I spotted that they were your favourite band; just interested to see Who you were comparing them to.

Moon didn't play with the kind of precision someone like Neil Peart did (although I think the Professor was a big Moon fan): that just wasn't his personality but he was gifted, IMO, in ways most drummers can only dream of.

Pete ain't Eddie Van Halen but he can solo.

FWIW, I don't rate them as highly as Zep but I've been a very big fan of them since 1974. The only rock poster I have on display is a framed Who one in my study - the missus had to approve that as The Who are her favourite band.
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Youre lucky, the only picture my missus would "approve" is bon fckin jovi!!!!!!
 
Handful of good songs and that’s it.

If they weren’t a 60s band nobody would talk about them.
 
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