The WHO: '64 -'78

The WHO: 1964- 1978

“BUZZ” Newspaper Article; Jan 2013 (#21- U)

(By: Mr. ZERo aka: RLSchwinden)

Recently I was able to see The WHO at the Xcel Center in St. Paul on Tues 27
Nov 2012. Now I hear lots of back lash about the band, specifically referred to
as “The TWO” now I find this really wrong and somewhat offensive as Axl’s “Guns
N Roses” (who I personally feel is the most over rated band of all time)
contains solely Axl, and co-founding member Tracii Guns has not be in the band
since May 1985. So why isn’t Axl’s Guns N Roses called “Only Axl” ??? I digress
…

> Now for our story <

Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend: (19 May 1945: Chiswick, London) & John
Alec Entwhistle: (9 Oct 1944: Chiswick, London- 27 June 2002 Cocaine induced
heart attack in Las Vegas) were friends from Acton County Grammar School &
were in a Dixieland band called “The Confederates” sometime in 1962, when Roger
Harry Daltrey: (1 Mar 1944: Hammersmith- Acton, London) met Entwhistle walking
down the street. Daltery was a Guitarist in a band called “The Detours” since
1961 Entwhistle joined Daltrey and shortly after Townshend joined The Detours
with Doug Sandom (1936 UK) on Drums & Colin Dawson on Vocals.

Soon Dawson left, and the bands management & Townshend felt the band
needed a better drummer & so Sandom was let go. While using a temporary
drummer, one Keith John Moon: (23 Aug 1946: Middlesex- Wembley – 7 Sep 1978)
approached the band about being their drummer, Moon is soon accepted.
Entwhistle informed the band there was already a band called The Detours, so
the band changed their name to "The WHO" on 14 Feb 1964. However in
an effort to be more "Mod" the band went under the name "The
High Numbers" summer of 1964 and released a 45 Single "Zoot Suit/ I'm
The Face". Heavily influenced by American R&B- Soul music, the band
coined the phrase "Maximum R&B".

> A Legal Matter <

Amazingly The WHO only released 8 Studio Albums from 1965- 1978 with the
original line up, they are listed as follows although it is worth pointing out
that the same thing went for The WHO as did most other major British bands
(like The Beatles, Rolling Stones & The Kinks), that the UK Versions of
their albums were usually released earlier, with different track listings &
sometimes even under a different title than the US versions, making both
versions worth collecting, however on the UK versions far less were pressed
& even fewer made it overseas.

> Instant Party <

Starting in 1965 the band releases 3 Singles with 4 Non-LP B-Sides. Their 1st
LP "My Generation" is released in the USA in Apr 1966 on Decca
Records, also in 1966 the band release 6 Singles with 9 Non- LP B- Sides. Note
already the band has 13 songs not on an album, so at this point enough to make
a 2nd LP. However, "A Quick One" or "Happy Jack" in USA is
in fact the band's 2nd LP released in May 1967 on Decca, also in released in
1967 are 3 Singles with 5 Non- LP B- Sides. The band's 1st "Top 40"
hit "Happy Jack" a #24 hit on the Billboard Chart on 3 Jun 1967 &
then their 2nd hit "I Can See For Miles" a #9 hit on 25 Nov 1967. Later
this same year the band's 3rd album "Sell Out" is released on 15 Dec
1967 also on Decca. In 1968 the band release 3 Singles with 4 Non- LP B- Sides.
The 45 "Call Me Lightning" hits #40 on 4 May 1968. Again note, the
band now have an additional 9 songs not on an album, making a total of 22 songs
not on any LP by 1968. And then ... on 23 May 1969 the band make their biggest
impact on the music world their 4th album, a concept 2 LP album “Tommy" is
released on Decca. Also in 1969 the band release 2 Singles with 1 Non- LP
B-Side. "Pinball Wizard" hits #24 on 24 May 1969 & "I'm
Free" reaches #37 on 23 Aug 1969.

> Naked Eye <

The WHO is well known as a "Touring Band" (usually performing up to 2
hour concerts) & reputably heavily "Bootlegged" so the band
decided to release their own "Live Album" considered to be 1 of the
best "Live" LPs of all time "Live At Leeds" is released May
1970 recorded live at University of Leeds in Yorkshire, UK on 14 Feb 1970, here
is the 'complete' Set-list:

Heaven And Hell

I Can’t Explain

Fortune Teller

Tattoo

Young Man Blues

Substitute

Happy Jack

I'm A Boy

A Quick One, While He’s Away

Summertime Blues

Shaking All Over

My Generation

Magic Bus

Overture

It's A Boy

1921

Amazing Journey

Sparks

Eyesight To The Blind

Christmas

Acid Queen

Pinball Wizard

Do You Think It's Alight

Fiddle About

Tommy Can You Hear Me

There's A Dr.

Go To The Mirror

Smash The Mirror

Miracle Cure

Sally Simpson

I'm Free

Tommy's Holiday Camp

We're Not Gonna Take It

Entwhistle once said "The Beatles ... they make better records than we do,
but we blow them away on stage"

Also in 1970 the band release 3 Singles with 3 Non- LP B- Sides.
"Summertime Blues" hits #27 on 15 Aug 1970 & "See Me, Feel
Me" reaches #12 on 28 Nov 1970. The band then release their 5th album
"Who's Next" 25 Aug 1971 on Decca. Also in 1971 the band release 3
Singles with 3 Non- LP B- Sides. With "Won't Get Fooled Again" a #15
hit on 18 Sep 1971 & "Behind Blue Eyes" reaching #34 on 18 Dec
1971. In Oct 1971 the band's 1st compilation LP is released "Meaty, Beaty,
Big & Bouncy" a "Greatest Hits" really, as all but 1 song
was released on a 45. On to 1972 the band release 3 Singles with 4 Non- LP B-
Sides, with "Join Together" hitting #17 on the charts on 9 Sep 1972.

> Too Much Of Anything <

In 1973 the bands 6th LP, and the 2nd 'Rock Opera' (also a 2 LP)
"Quadrophenia" is released on 19 Oct on Track & MCA Records,
along with 2 Singles in 1973 with 1 Non- LP B- Side, with "The Relay"
reaching #39 on the charts on 13 Jan 1973. In Oct 1974 "Odds &
Sods" is released. This is the 2nd compilation album released by the band,
except this one contains singles & unreleased songs. The title, well... the
3rd word, in the UK, is an equivalent to the "F" word in the US. Then
in 1974 the band release 3 Singles with 4 Non- LP B- Sides. At this the band
has 11 songs out that again are not on any LP.

In 1975 "By Numbers" is released on 25 Oct, on MCA. The band’s 7th
album & release the Single "Squeeze Box" which hits #16 on 14 Feb
1976 & then release 2 Singles in 1976.

The band's 8th and final LP with the original line-up "Who Are
You" is released on 18 Aug 1978 on MCA. Keith Moon dies of an overdose of
32 pills of Clomethiazole on 7 Sep 1978 at Shepherd Market, Mayfair, on the
same property where Mama Cass Elliot died. The band release 2 Single 45s 1
being "Who Are You" with the "F word" taken out by cutting
the time down to 3:27 min. the song hits #14 on 4 Nov 1978.

> Another Tricky Day <

The WHO hire former "Faces" Drummer: Kenneth Thomas Jones: (16 Sep
1948: Whitechapel, London) in early 1979. On 26 Dec 1979 in London @
Hammersmith Odeon the band record their show for the charity LP "Concerts
for the People of Kampuchea" that came out Mar 1981 on Atlantic, 4 songs
were used from that set. With Jones on board the band release 2 studio albums
"Face Dances" Mar 1981 & "It's Hard" Sep 1982. The last
WHO concert was on 17 Dec 1982 in Toronto & a video was released from it:
"Who Rocks America" & a 2nd "Live" album recorded on 14
Dec 1982 in Richfield, OH @ the Coliseum, which was the last US date of the
tour. "Who's Last" was released in Dec 1984.

> One Life’s Enough <

As The WHO’s “Farewell Tour” came to a close “Rarities Vol 1 & 2″ were
released in Aug 1983 in the UK only, I feel these 2 LPs are worth mentioning as
almost all of the 25 tracks contained here are not on The WHO’s official studio
LPs. Later in 1985 with the introduction of the CD “Who’s Missing” came out in
Nov 1985 & “Twos Missing” in Apr 1987, totaling 24 tracks between the 2
CDs, these are the US versions of the UK “Rarities: 1 & 2″ however as usual
there are several tracks between the 2 ‘Releases’ that do not cross over &
are unique to the UK or US releases. A final note while The WHO only released
11 studio LPs all 4 original band members did release Solo albums: Daltry: 8
Solo LPs from 1973- 1992 & Entwhistle: 7 Solo LPs from 1971- 2000 &
Moon: “Two Sides” in Mar 1975 & Townshend: 7 Solo LPs from 1972- 1993. I
have always found it fascinating how music history evolves as time goes by, for
example 4 of The WHO’s most famous songs “I Can’t Explain” “My Generation”
“Baba O’Riley” (consistently misidentified as ‘Teenage Wasteland’) & “Love
Reign O’er Me” none of these songs were “Top 40″ Hits.

So until the next time: “Nerd Is The Word ... We Go to Eleven”
(Re-Run Sun 9 Oct 2016)

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1744 Lexington Ave. N.

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