Can we talk about this album?
For starters, what the fuck was that ending. I just listened to this for the first time (after probably my 20th attempt to get from start to finish), and that was the most underwhelming finish to an album. Just fading away? The film ended with a fucking epic reprisal. It didn't fucking fade away.
Also, why do normies praise this album? There are literally four interesting songs in this entire album (Pinball Wizard and the three songs where Tommy gets raped) and the rest of the 24 songs are mediocre at best. Also, a 10-minute instrumental? What the fuck, Townshend. What the fuck.
I can see why you guys hate Tommy.
So, any recommendations for a Who newfag? Of their albums, I've only listened to Who's Next and Tommy. Where should I go next?
PS: movie was kino, would recommend
>>66151015
The Who are the one critically lauded band that I have just never ever understood. Tried so many times and a lot of it is just laughably bad.
>>66151015
I actually enjoyed Tommy.
>>66151165
I enjoyed the story that it told, for sure, but the songs themselves aren't particularly noteworthy, and there really doesn't seem to be an ending.
Listen to Quadrophenia.
Seriously, listen to fucking Quadrophenia.
I had similar feelings about Tommy when I first heard it (though I since have come around to thinking it's fantastic), but Quadrophenia pretty much improves on everything Tommy puts forth, at least from a music perspective. Tommy's story might be a bit more interesting, but any discrepancy there is fully made up with the songwriting and arrangements on Quad. Seriously, listen to that album. I have no idea why it isn't viewed as The Who's defining work by more.
>>66151015
live at leeds
quadrophenia
I Can See For Miles And Miles is my favorite song of my life
>>66151215
Anything else I should listen to before Quad? Should I watch the film before or after? How about Live at Leeds?
"I originally enjoyed Who's Next and gave it an A, but years later in my 'Consumer Guide to Albums of the '70s', I downgraded it slightly. Part of it was seeing how the band's later career unfolded and especially after It's Hard emerged as one of the worst examples of English art rock excess. I almost came to despise The Who back then. Recently I sat down and listened to Who's Next for the first time in a decade and it wasn't so obvious in 1971, but all the worst aspects of their later career were apparent on there including long-winded song structures, synth noodling, and Roger Daltrey's histrionic vocals. I still maintain that The Who Sell Out was their only truly great album."
The Who Sell Out and Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy (compilation of singles) are essential.
Also, Quadrophenia is really great, too. The Real Me is maybe my favorite song by them.
>>66151325
Hello me, meet the real me.
>>66151290
Literally /mu/ the person
>>66151290
Who's Next has three good songs on it: Baba O'Riley, Bargain, and WGFA but the rest is just filler.
>>66151339
I've seen this opinion expressed before on /mu/. I mostly agree, but I'd add Behind Blue Eyes and Getting in Tune to the list of good songs.
Still, that leaves four songs of pure filler.
>>66151284
The film really isn't that related to the album and vice versa. Still pretty good though, you should check it out eventually.
Live At Leeds is pretty good. Just a nice look at the force that they were as a live band. The performance of Tommy in its entirety is great too, I actually prefer the Leeds version to the studio but that's just me.
>>66151336
Christgau and Scaruffi are literally just /mu/ trolls with their own websites.
>>66151015
One of the problems with early Who studio albums are they suffer from what I like to call, "The Grateful Dead Syndrome" meaning that The Who were a band to experience live. For some reason their studio albums in the 1960s didn't give one the same feel or vibe that seeing them live did. I think the only thing closest to a live concert experience back then would be, in my opinion, the song "The Ox" from the first album My Generation. The Who at The Isle of Wight contains the whole Tommy album performed in concert, and it is much better than the studio album. What are the songs about rape you refer to? I know Uncle Ernie is about a kiddie fiddler but what are the other two? Personally, Who albums are a matter of taste, so I couldn't tell you what to listen to next, but I wouldn't listen to any post 1978 albums. Keith Moon cannot be replaced, and the quality of their music went down hill after he died, IMO.
>>66151407
In Acid Queen, it's quite strongly implied that the Gypsy is a prostitute and raped Tommy as well as administering tons of LSD. Cousin Kevin is the third, purely because of how sadistic Kevin is in the song. Of course, fiddling about is never explicitly mentioned, but come on, it's the logical next step from nearly-drowning a helpless kid and leaving him to die of pneumonia.
>>66151015
I would say that Tommy is one of the greatest albums in existence with two notable issues: A, Quadrophenia is better and more accomplished in almost every regard, and B, the live versions (Live At Leeds being the best) blew it out of the water. There's a reason that The Who are regarded as the best live band of all time.
Also I didn't find the ending underwhelming at all, it's one of the highlights of the album for me.
>>66151339
>implying My Wife isn't GOAT
>>66151073
You're entitled to your opinion, but other than the scenes with Tina Turner, Eric Clapton, and Elton John, I thought the movie was terrible IMHO.
>>66151215
Quadrophenia is a great album, and you don't even have to be British to enjoy it. (And it is, for all intents and purposes, a quintessentially British album. What do yanks know about sea side battles between Mods and Rockers at Brighton on a bank holiday weekend?)
>>66151331
You're quoting Megadeth, NOT The Who.
>>66151339
People are entitled to their opinion, but I disagree. Who's Next is one of those albums I can listen to from start to finish w/o skipping a song. If you listen closely, you can tell that this, too, was supposed to be a rock opera. In fact, it is the skeletal remains of the aborted "Life House" project, in much the same way that Smiley Smile by The Beach Boys was the skeletal remains of Smile. Just my opinion, though.
>>66151383
Yeah, the film version of Quadrophenia doesn't quite follow the original narrative of the original album. It's more like somebody in the late 1970s made a film about Mods and Rockers, and decided to use most of the songs from Quadrophenia as an afterthought. Both the film and original album are good, but not as related/connected as one might think.
Live at Leeds certainly proves that, back in the day, The Who were a band that one had to see live in concert.
>tfw Pete still doing the powerslide at 71
Impressive considering him and Roger shouldn't even be able to get on stage at all anymore with the sheer amount of shows they've done and the intensity of their performances at their peak.
>>66151519
>You're quoting Megadeth, NOT The Who.
>>66151523
Pete's actually said multiple times he finds live shows boring nowadays, he just goes through the motions because they haven't got the energy to do the kinds of 20-minute suites they did back in the day.
>>66151519
>Live at Leeds certainly proves that, back in the day, The Who were a band that one had to see live in concert.
What are you talking about? It's often regarded as the greatest live record ever, and their performances have been the benchmark for live shows ever since.
>>66151554
I think he meant that Live at Leeds, being one of the Who's greatest albums and also often regarded as the greatest live record, shows how good the Who was live.
LLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
REEEEEEEEEEEIGGGGGGNNNN OOOOEEEEERRRRR MMMMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
>>66151554
>Pete's actually said multiple times he finds live shows boring nowadays
But he's been bored of them since the 80s. He pretty much mentally checked out once Keith died.
>>66151462
I guess it's really up to one's individual imagination and interpretation, that, and actually seeing the film version of Tommy. I guess technically taking advantage of somebody in Tommy's condition the way The Acid Queen did is a form of rape, but, as visually depicted in the film, Tommy's step father is buying Tommy the services of a prostitute to help Tommy become a man, in spite of and despite his physical set backs. And there is no hint of rape or sexual hi jinx in the song Cousin Kevin, either on the original album, or in the film. Cousin Kevin just has an over active, twisted, sick, sadistic imagination, but these actions are never acted upon. If you watch the film closely, despite what you think you see, you are only seeing a visual depiction of Cousin Kevin's imagination. At the end of the scene, you can see that Tommy is perfectly fine, and Cousin Kevin is just playing the piano.
>>66151554
>not mentioning the fact that he's almost deaf and can't really hear what he's playing
Roger though still seems to love getting up on stage.
>"girls of 15"
>"sexually knowing"
what did he mean by this?
>>66151599
He tried really hard to make a great record with Endless Wire. And to an extent, he succeeded. There's enough killer material on there to make a great 40-minute album but there are some real stinkers in there as well.
>>66151603
Making a film version of Tommy doesn't make any sense. The whole point was that we experience Tommy's world like he does, though music and vibrations alone. The fact that it was a shit movie doesn't help.
>>66151629
I think that's the reason Townshend still does it, they actually seem to not hate each other nowadays which is nice I suppose. On the other hand, Pete wants to keep making music but Roger doesn't because muh piracy.
>>66151554
see >>66151407 for my explanation.
I think you misunderstood what I was saying, or at least trying to say.
To reiterate....... I was trying to explain that prior to Who's Next, The Who could not convey in the studio what they could do live on stage, and that The Who were a band to be experienced live. I was in no way trying to compare Live at Leeds to any concert albums by any band, just that this album was proof documentation that one had to experience The Who in concert back then, because their studio albums didn't to them justice.
>>66151383
>>66151489
These two post reiterate the point I was trying to make, and quite accurately, I might add. Sorry if there was any misunderstanding, or you misinterpreted my comments about Live at Leeds as some sort of criticism.
>Keith Moon asks to join The Beatles in the early 60's
>they reject him because they have Ringo
>joins The Who
>dies
>now Ringo's son is The Who's drummer
has anybody in music history ever been cucked harder?
>>66151668
I would hope by the age of 70, you'd work out your differences. As opposed to CSNY who still can't get along and they stopped performing together a few years ago.
>>66151668
As for Endless Wire, Tea & Theatre did become a regular part of their setlist. There was probably too much filler but that's not their fault, all artists since the CD era are guilty of it. There's almost an obligation to put 20 tracks on an album even though about 4-5 of them are actually good songs.
>>66151290
Endless Wire [Universal/Republic, 2006]
The album is unlistenable for a simple reason: Roger Daltrey. Now 62, he's incapable in body as well as mind of negotiating the first new Who material since 1982's dreadful It's Hard. Gesturing futilely toward high notes as he tries to remember his acting lessons, he croaks, growls, shouts, emotes and otherwise bollockses songs he's sure are profound. When the leader spells him seven tracks in, the sharp uptick in modesty and lyricism comes as a relief until the "Wake up and hear the music" jag at the end. But it's the leader who decided prog was a peachy idea, the leader who designates yet another song cycle a "mini-opera," the leader who gives the orders around here. So the album is also unlistenable for a complicated reason: Pete Townshend. C
>>66151727
It works the other way round
>ringo joins the beatles
>awful drummer, teased for years
>'not even the best drummer in the beatles'
>best friend is drummer for a rival band
>lauded as greatest drummer in the world
>dies a hero's death with horse tranquiliser
>son becomes much better drummer than ringo
>joins rival band
>>66151739
The real shame about Endless Wire is that it had the 20-minute Wire and Glass suite which is one of Townshend's greatest compositions, but it'll be forgotten forever because nobody cares anymore.
>>66151644 (Nice dubs)
>The ushers are sniffing Eau-de-Cologne
What did he mean by THAT?
>>66151668
As I said in another thread, the scenes with Eric Clapton, Tina Turner, and Elton John were the only redeeming scenes in the film. Other than that, I have to agree with you. The film was a stinkeroo. Why The Who agreed to this monstrosity is beyond me. (Must've needed more money for drugs and booze, I guess)
>>66151727
>they reject the greatest drummer on the planet because they have the man who is "not even the best drummer in the Beatles"
Bravo Lennon.
>>66151795
>the leader
>>66151813
For real though, imagine Keith playing with the Beatles. It just wouldn't work, they'd have to tie his arms to weights to stop him taking centre stage during every song.
>>66151489
>implying My Wife isn't GOAT
goat fucker pls go
>>66151799
It's like how Black Ice had some genuinely good songs on it but will never be as loved as Highway To Hell.
>>66151865
Where do you think you are?
>>66151849
Keith would have died once the Beatles became a studio-only band.
>>66151943
He'd have died before he got old.
>>66151926
Reddit, duh
What kind of stupid fucking question is that? Choke on a dick you waste of bandwidth
>>66151795
It's Hard [Warner Bros., 1982]
This isn't quite as revolting as All The Blind Chinamen Have Western Eyes, but in between the synths, book club poetry, and winding song structures, it's the nearest thing to classic awful English art rock since Genesis discovered funk. Best track--Eminence Front, on which Pete Townshend discovers funk. Just in time. Bye. C
>>66151990
>choke on a dick
Just like your mother?
>>66151991
>>66151325
Well, it's quite a contrast comparing the angsty teenager songs on TWSO with It's Hard which sounds like a bunch of middle aged guys writing music for a dinner party (which it kind of is).
>>66152161
Eminence Front is P good
>>66152263
Yeah...Christgau said it was the only listenable song on a shitpile album.
Frankly I think he was a little too hard on The Who when he complained about why didn't all their albums sound like TWSO. I mean, did he really expect a bunch of 40 year olds (It's Hard) or 60 year olds (Endless Wire) to still make the same kinds of songs they did at 22?
>>66151739
>>66151599
>>66151554
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/roger-daltrey-i-want-us-to-stop-at-the-top-of-our-game-20150326?page=2
Roger is talking retirement here, although this is still faintly amusing to me.
>I want us to stop at the top of our game
Wait, shouldn't you have retired in 1978?
>>66152016
>[current year]
>having a post ENDING in [current year]
>resorting to "your mother" jokes
wow.
Pete Townshend wrote Tommy when he was 24.
What have you done with your life so far?
>>66152430
I'm 21 so I've still got a while.
>>66152410
The only joke here is your mother.
>>66151015
>hey im a cunt give me ur fave ep´s
u dont get shit
>>66152430
tfw 31
>>66151865
>>66151990
>>66152016
>>66152464
very rude
this is nice board, please stop acting rude, it's f*cking (excuse the language) silly
>>66152450
So you've... got a feeling 21 is gonna be a good year?
>>66152514
>>66152315
I think his issue was more that they did all that pretentious rock opera/prog instead of sticking to short, simple 4/4 guitars-and-drums stuff.
>>66152483
>anyone who disagrees with my musical preferences is a cunt
Only cunt here is your face, I'm afraid.
"If you want to torture me, lock me in a room with Roger Daltrey singing."
>>66152580
If you want to torture me, lock me in a room with Keith Richards playing.
>>66152592
Yeah I know his playing skills have been a joke since the early 2000s.
"Pete's a nice fellow, but he overthinks everything way too much."
>>66152617
At least Daltrey's vocal abilities are somewhat intact.
>>66152646
Since when is Keith his band's lead vocalist? He only sings lead vocals on like 2 songs per album and some he doesn't do any.
>>66152646
Roger actually peaked as a singer in the late 80s-early 90s which is too bad being well after The Who's commercial heyday. He hasn't been doing bad in recent years either after getting laser surgery on his vocal cords in the late 2000s.
>>66152671
The point I'm making is that Daltrey is roughly as good now as he was in his prime, at least compared to Keith.
>>66152689
Ok you meant in reference to his playing skills. Yeah, Keith's hands are a mess but he's never publicly acknowledged it.
A lot of Who songs relied on studio confections that couldn't be replicated easily live, especially Quadrophenia. Though Roger has talked about how today's technology makes it much easier to play backing tracks at their shows than it was in the 70s.
>>66152727
This was only ever the case with Quadrophenia and it was the first time the band were really out of their depth. Tommy was absolutely at home live.
>>66152749
I think IIRC he was actually talking about Quadrophenia. "We can perform the songs live a lot easier than we could in the 70s thanks to today's technology."
DAILY REMINDER THAT PETE TOWNSHEND WAS CAUGHT LOOKING AT CP AND CLAIMED HE NEEDED IT FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES
>>66152430
I mean like, yeah. All these dadrockers who wrote groundbreaking albums and changed the world before they were 30, and I'm 27 and have never even driven a car.
>>66152808
"We can look at child porn a lot easier than we could in the 70s thanks to today's technology."
>>66152930
Yeah in those days you had to buy child erotica books and magazines from underground stores in Denmark or something.
>>66152808
desu he might've been telling the truth.
I mean we're on 4chan. Unless you're relatively new we've probably all seen CP at some point.
It's pretty overrated. The Who produced some great work, but Tommy is a bit too far up its on arse in the whole concept album shtick and it suffers for it.
>>66151215
I first listened to quadrophenia in 1980 during the mod revival, loved it ever since.
Saw what was left of the the who performing it in 2013, loved it.
I think The Who by numbers is a very good and pretty unknown (by them) album.
>>66153165
I'm legitimately curious as to why someone as old as you browses this board.
Don't you realize half the people here are teenagers? And half of those teenagers are underage teenagers? What value can you possibly find here?
>>66153252
Other music forums are generally old guys like me complaining about pickup tones.
Also, don't be so quick to be ageist old boy, the old can learn from the young and vice versa.
>>66151799
>>66151813
>>66151849
Ringo isn't even a bad drummer. Fuck that myth that he was.
>>66153364
It's just a meme. Most people nowadays seem to recognize that he was pretty brilliant in his own way.
>>66152749
They played Who's Next songs with a backing track, too. Confirmed in a Classic Albums interview.
>>66153364
>myth
Just listen to the music, you can tell for yourself.
>>66153287
>Other music forums are generally old guys like me complaining about pickup tones
Or old guys complaining how music stopped being good after 1985.
>>66152580
Man, at least Roger and Pete still care about the quality of their performances hence the former's comments about how they want to retire while they're still able to play decently. Also they're always changing things up and finding new ways to play the old classics while the Strolling Bones just play everything note-for-note like the records since the reunion in 1988.
"Yeahyeahyeah here you good. Brown Sugar, SFTD, Jumping Jack Flash, Miss You. Now where's our paychecks?"
>>66153842
>Or old guys complaining how music stopped being good after 1985.
They are right, but I'd say 1986.
My Generation is the only good Who album
>>66154634
What happened in 86?
>>66154634
Rock music stopped being innovative around 1991 or so. Nothing shocking or new has happened since
>>66154677
86 was really a pretty shitty year for music. Van Halen, Judas Priest, Maiden, all of them started going down the shitter. That and Poison/Bon Jovi appeared.
>>66154723
Was it ever though?
"Rock-and-roll is a couple of guitars banging over a 4/4 beat. You can't improve on that. We're not doing anything different than Chuck Berry did in the '50s."
-- Charlie Watts
>>66154768
I'd say rock was relevant and exciting in the punk/post punk era, like 77-82.
>>66154810
All that really amounted to was dropping the prog bloat and 22 minute solos and attempting to regain that stripped 4/4 guitar and drums sound.
>>66154723
This was cool in 86, mixed sampling with punk and reggae. not much since then has been memorable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHTDkJ-bQqM
>>66154677
Nothing happened. I told you I'm an old ass man and I stopped caring about music that year. You underage shitbabbies gonna tell me Kanye or Memegrips has any talent? No, suck my dick.
>>66154888
There's nothing special about that song.
Go away dad
>>66155081
Maybe not now if you hear it, but at the time it was quite a novel thing.
>>66155146
I meant in the context that it's silly to think no band since 1986 could have possibly done anything like >>66154888
>>66155167
They could have indeed, but sampling was a new thing back then.
I still have a casio sk-5 sampling keyboard from '87 you could sample upto 2 seconds of sound WOW!
hot take: townshend's version of this album that was on some recent deluxe edition is better than the actual album
THE CAMP WITH A DIFFERENCE
NEVER MIND THE WEATHER
>>66152808
Also he probably got off the hook because of some sympathetic twat of a judge that used to listen to Tommy when he was 16 and "Oh goodness, I couldn't sentence my childhood hero to the clink. Rubbish."
>>66151073
Quadrophenia is kino, Tommy is a mess
>>66151215
I find myself less and less attached to Quadrophenia the older I get. It's really an album for teenagers.
So was Gary Glitter, except Townshend is a respected member of a seminal rock group while GG looks like a fat, sweaty potato and nobody but 50 year old women like him.
>>66155848
And really, British teenagers. The album wasn't that popular in the US compared with Tommy and WN.
>>66155872
Dudedudedude. You forget that Townshend merely clicked on an ad banner for a CP site. Gary Glitter literally went on a sexcapade tour to SE Asia to fuck as many child prostitutes as he could.
I love Bargain. My favorite Who tune easily.
>>66151015
I think its objectively a fantastic album, and an important one in rock music history. Quadrophenia its better though.
Pete's skills are more as a songwriter and composer than a guitarist. His playing is a little too...basic for my taste. I've never subscribed to Christgau's idea that rock should have nothing but power chords and maybe a 5 second solo.
