Who - Endless Wire (W/Dvd)
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Free Music Notes for Endless Wire (W/Dvd)
Free Music Review: These two grew old first, thankfully
Hit: 5 Stars
These guys were playing their hits when I was crushing on the girl who was later to become my first love and now I've been staring ambivalently at my AARP bulletins with guarded suspicion for a few years. The time has passed and we've feasted on its abundance. And just as there's something special about a young band playing for its young fans, there's something else special - maybe more so in a way - about a band with 40+ years of professional experience sharing its artistic harvest with those who have moved on along with them. It spills out continuity and just plain makes you feel good.
The Who is, in my opinion, the most "dangerous" and "unstable" of the British Big 4 - the Beatles, the Stones and the Kinks being the other 3 (my opinion again). First, half the band is dead from hard living. And then there's Pete Townshend, whose out-of-control side has been well publicized since the beginning, from guitar smashing to gutter-lying drunken binges, (chronicled in Who Are You?) to allegations of involvement with child porn. Clearly a man with serious demons. The other side, of course, is the incredibly creative and spiritual man whose quest for understanding and drive for self-expression have made him one of the most consistently durable, thought-provoking and inspiring musicians of the rock era. Roger Daltrey, last seen (by me) humbly extolling the virtues of Brian Wilson while being interviewed for the Smile documentary, is a true heavyweight himself, although not a writer, his voice being among the most iconic of his generation. (The scream at the end of Don't Get Fooled Again would have gotten him there just by itself!)
This album is not wild, nor does it sneer with youthful derision and swagger. The arrogant energy of those young men has been forged into something wiser, deeper and more fragile. Roger's voice sounds older and craggier, not as capable of the old tricks, but up for something just as precious, albeit more subtle. There's a gratitude that shines through this material in Pete's writing and in the more tentative, less forceful vocals of both men. Unlike their rhythm section, they have accomplished the unlikely - even the ironic - they've survived to assume their well-deserved places as elders in the fly-by-night business of pop music. The songs are plainly intelligent, naked and alive. It is as if Townshend's Rough Boy and Seeker personas have finally merged, through pain, trial, tribulation and error into a vulnerable yet dignified and surprisingly sophisticated third entity. And he can still toss out a classic Who hook, e..g We've Got a Hit (again, nice irony, Pete).
These men have not lived conventional lives, nor have they had an easy time of it. But the integrity evident in their autumnal work is profound and gratifying. This is very uncommon music, weaknesses (mostly quite evident) notwithstanding. We are indeed fortunate to be mining the creativity of rockers whose art has taken them into the beginnings of old age. And for those of us who have made the journey with them, there is much with which to connect. BUY IT!
Free Music Review: Pick it up
Hit: 5 Stars
I saw a few people comment that Endless Wire isn't as good as Who Are You; given that I think WAY is one of the Who's weaker records, I feel REAL comfortable saying EW surpasses it handily, not least of all because, while the feel of EW is often reminiscent of WAY, EW benefits greatly from a wealth of memorable melodies.
Someone else wrote that this is Pete's best work since '85's (excellent)White City; I agree wholeheartedly. This is a FANTASTIC record, but that's not to say it's flawless (I'd probably give EW four stars instead of 5, but given that four = "like," I had to upgrade).
Disappointments: Why oh WHY didn't they get someone to play drums on the future classic Mike Post Theme? A ripping tune can't be completely undone by subpar drumming (look at the Stones' entire career), but DAMN this song would've been untouchable had Starkey or Peter Huntington (the drummer on the majorirty of these tunes) taken a crack at it. Check out the live DVD (bonus disc) for a hint of what might've been. A close listen suggests part of the problem is a bad mix, but I'm thinking Pete doesn't have the chops to make the toms ring.
Black Widow's Eyes and, to a slightly lesser extent, It's Not Enough, while rocking, stick out as egregious throwaways sacrificed at the altar of MOR (does it still exist?). Having said that, both have redeeming qualities, notably INE's tuff groove (like some of the better material off the sometimes hard-to-take psychoderelict) and BWE's tense outro.
I should complain that the fantastic Sound Round doesn't have an extended version but, given that the bridge on the extended version of the also-fantastic We Got a Hit just bogs the tune down, maybe I should be thankful. Indeed, it seems that Pete's big stumbling block these days isn't writing great songs, but avoiding burdening them with crap bridges (see: Real Good Looking Boy).
Finally, one of the characters in Wire and Glass is named Hymie (ugh).
Okay, on to the good news: Everything else is great. Fabulous songs abound; there are gorgeous melodies (Fragments, Two Thousand Years, In the Ether, God Speaks of Marty Robbins, Tea and Theatre, Unholy Trinity, Trilby's Piano), (often) thoughtful lyrics, and some passionate vocal performances. Plus, I think the (excellent) rockers Fragments (well, it's sort of a rocker; it's certainly got gravitas and the ol' Who grandeur), Mike Post Theme, Sound Round, and We Got a Hit can survive alongside the giants in a full set.
And there's the crux of it: If you demand the Who recreate their brilliant cacophony of yore, and do it repeatedly, you're gonna be somewhat disappointed (me, I LOVE Who by Numbers, and ask yourself: How many upbeat rockers are there really on Who's Next?). However, if you want a great collection of songs written by rock's greatest songwriter and performed by sympathetic collaborators, notably his best interpreter, you're gonna love this record. And--hey!--the rock is in here, but it's just a piece of a bigger picture.
Free Music Review: The Who Return Triumphantly !
Hit: 5 Stars
Regardless of whatever rubbish or review you read from whatever rag as they will range from the absurd to the asinine there remains a fact about this album that most with any music taste can agree with.There are several very good songs on this album.A couple I consider brilliant.
Whether the whole album works with the included mini-opera or if is uneven as many reviewers like to point out is a moot point.There are enough quality songs to make this album a must buy.Man in a Purple dress is really a song Pete would normally release solo and it's biting lyrics railing against organised religion makes it an unfriendly radio song which is unfortunate because it's outstanding.
Mike Post Theme may in fact be about a rather insipid idea that of how hearing TV themes makes one feel during the events of the day but it's rocks like a classic Who song and doesn't get tiresome on repeated listening.Black Widow Eyes about the Stockholm Syndrome,falling in love with a suicide bomber is another very Who-ish song and hits the mark as well.It's Not Enough,one of the firse radio singles oddly enough would not be a single if I had to choose a first single it's catchy much like You Better You Bet but not interesting enough to warrant it's release as a single.Fragments has been panned by critics but it's actually quite good especially melodically it grows on you even if it's a bit of a re-hash.God Speaks of Marty Robbins is a beautifully sung song by Pete.
From the mini-opera it's hard to gauge these songs as they are mostly short 1.5-2 minutes songs but Endless Wire is reminiscent of a Ronnie Lane/Townshend song.Mirror Door sound like a song from Roger's Rocks in the Head album but it would be the best one on that album.Tea and Theatre is simply fantastic a heartfelt song about growing older and a reflection on the bands history.Most reviewers are very fond of Sound Round,Pick up the Peace and We got a Hit which are both very catchy but I need longer versions of these to get a real feel for them.
So yes this album is uneven as it includes songs taken from Pete's catalog over the years and it seems like while it was 24 years in the making that Pete actually put it together in a few months.Pete is still such a talented writer and Roger sill hits enough of the notes to make it all worth while.The bottom line is there are a lot of songs that I am not even mentioning that are still very enjoyable in their own right.
The very best songs on the album if included with Old Red Wine and Real Good Looking Boy on a 10-12 song album would have been a real classic.Regardless,if you are any Who fan at all this album should not disappoint in the least.Townshend and Daltrey seem to have struck a new balance with Entwistle's death.Songs like Tea and Theatre and Man in a Purple Dress make me wish that Roger and Pete would record a whole album of similar songs much like Pete did with Ronnie Lane.The next question is will they do another album and which new Who song does Eddie Vedder cover first?
Free Music Review: Life Goes On
Hit: 5 Stars
You weren't really expecting the second coming of WHO'S NEXT, were you? That would be a bit unrealistic. With more than thirty-five years and two bandmates having passed, it would be a miracle if Townsend and Daltry had another set in them that was THAT good. Does that mean ENDLESS WIRE is disappointing? No way! After all these years, it's great to hear them still sound so good and so vital.
This incarnation of The Who is at once more mature, more vulnerable, and more thoughtful, but they can still rock. While Daltry's voice often sounds a little frayed (especially in live performances), he gets by adequately in the studio, and renders Townsend's songs with poignancy, power, and even a touch of sadness for things lost. Pete can still play a great guitar and his vocals are as good as ever. For me, as someone who is aging right along with them, it's heartening to find these guys still performing at such a high level.
Besides still being able to play and sing, Townsend also still writes great songs. My favorite is "We Got A Hit", an exuberant rocker that harks back to the band's top-twenty days. Other favorites include "Two Thousand Years", "God Speaks Of Marty Robbins", "Endless Wire" and "Tea And Theatre". Along the way, Pete rails against organized religion, waxes philosophical about music and the human condition, and mourns fallen comrades and the passage of time. He always has something meaningful to say and, here or there, he may even touch you personally. As someone with a few years behind me, I can't help but be moved by "Tea & Theatre". The Who hasn't been called "the thinking man's rock band" for no reason.
As one of the professional reviewers here wrote, ENDLESS WIRE isn't one of The Who's greatest albums. I agree, it isn't WHO'S NEXT, TOMMY, or LIVE AT LEEDS. It's pretty darn good, though, and well worth having. If you've enjoyed any of the music this band has recorded in the past, you gotta have this. For now, it is The Who's next. Let's hope there are more. It sounds like they still have some music left in them.
Maybe, had ENDLESS WIRE been released in the late '60's/early '70's, when there was a plethora of great groups putting out a steady stream of excellent new music (from the Beatles, Stones, Who, Kinks, CCR, Jefferson Airplane, Led Zeppelin, CSN and sometimes Y, and Fleetwood Mac to the Byrds, Jethro Tull, Steppenwolf, Deep Purple, Allman Bros, Bad Company, Three Dog Night, the Mamas and the Papas, et al), it would be a four-star effort. Rock music was the coin of the realm in those days, and we were all rich. Such is no longer the case, however. Life goes on and times change. Based on the current rock landscape, ENDLESS WIRE is a rare blessing. It's worth six stars today. Unfortunately, five is all I have to give.
Free Music Review: "Endless Wire" Stands Mightily On Its Own
Hit: 5 Stars
I'm sure all of you went and got your copy. If you have not you are missing out on an absolutely amazing piece of work.
You hear just about every style and then some that the Who ever created. And most of all it's Pete's relentless and brilliant creativity that continues to amaze. This is interpreted as always with passion and power by Roger Daltry's vocals.
I cannot say enough good things about this brilliant album. This is clearly the BEST piece of work since Quadrophenia, and that is no joke. You have to go back that far, 30 years for work this passionate, well written and powerfully performed.
Right from the start, I heard a familiar strain, but yet a different music track that harkens Baba O'Reilly and all of a sudden chills just ran through me.
The album is cut into two parts. The first half is, I feel, the strongest. The songs are powerful, from the opening "Fragments" to a totally breathtaking "A Man In A Purple Dress" that again, left me with chills at the end. Pete's gorgeous acoustic guitar will truely move you. It did me. This is probably my favorite song on the album.
The rest of the songs are just as good, and the song, "In The Ether" will surprise you with Pete's chosen vocal style. Other standouts are "Mike Post Theme", "Two Thousand Years" and "God Speaks Of Marty Robbins", "It's Not Enough" and "You Stand By Me". These first nine songs stand tall as being as good as anything that The Who have ever recorded.
As the album leads into part two, we are given a mini-opera of Pete's novella, "The Boy Who Heard Music" truely brought to hard rocking life as only The Who can do. The opera ends with a gorgeous song called, "Tea & Theatre".
After 19 fantastic songs you would think that that would be more than enough yet the album continues and ends with two more expanded songs. The expanded songs weren't really necessary but are a cool addition none the less. 21 songs in all.
Included are a 17 page booklet with great liner notes and a dvd of 5 songs recorded from a show The Who did in September.
Apparantly there is also a version that includes a 2nd cd of some live tunes. I do not have that version.
All in all a great collection and a phenominal way for these men to come back with something brand new after 24 years. There is so much more that I can say but you should find out for yourself. A truely, truely remarkable album. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
In my view this is clearly one of the best 5 albums of the year.
Thank you so much Roger and Pete.