Who - Who's Next
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Free Music Notes for Who's Next
Free Music Review: "Naked, Stoned and Stabbed..."
Hit: 5 Stars
There are a few problems with this album. Firstly, the three best songs, `Baba O'Riley', `Behind Blue Eyes', and most of all, `Won't Get Fooled Again', have been rather overplayed (though not, fortunately, to `Stairway to Heaven' levels). Secondly, this reissue was an obvious opportunity to assemble the other songs from the aborted Lifehouse project, such as `Relay', `Let's See Action', `Join Together', `Time is Passing,' `Long Live Rock', et al in one at least vaguely coherent package. Was this opportunity taken? Was it ****. Heaven alone knows why. Wilful neglect, sheer sloppiness, or a calculated move to get the punters to buy this, plus Odds and Sods, plus the box set? I wonder, although not very much. Another problem is that at times `Song is Over' can drag a bit, and `Pure and Easy' is a tad over-rated, and...Sod it. I can't really grizzle for too long. Much as I hate to gush, this is a masterpiece. The new tracks do add to the album, as they should, although the original was already superb. In particular, the alternate take of `Love Ain't for Keeping' included here ROCKS, with Townshend (pissed out of his mind, according to the recent Keith Moon biog) taking an impassioned lead vocal. The three aforementioned classics are here in all their glory - `Baba O'Riley' mixed a three chord wonder approach with synthesisers and a lyric where Townshend's spiritual concerns met youth culture; `Behind Blue Eyes' starts as a ballad and then when the rock bursts through in the middle an unleashed Keith Moon turns the drums into a lead instrument; and `Won't Get Fooled Again', which set the template for a decade of hard rock - guitars and drums bouncing off each other. Other highlights include `Bargain' - while some of the song's metaphysical musings leave me cold ("I'm looking for that free ride to me" sounds like a slogan for the whole spoilt, self-centred baby-boomer generation) the playing was never bettered by the Who. The entire band outdoes itself on this track. And that's saying something. `Pure and Easy' is another great number, to be sure, although I've never been able to understand why some critics rate as a great lost Who track. To me, it's always trembled on the brink of pretentiousness, without actually falling over. And that line about " a child flew past me riding in a star" has always sounded so DISNEY! Having said that, every time I have it on the stereo I always find myself humming it a few hours later. But overall, while the best opportunity to re-assemble the component bits of Lifehouse has been shamefully neglected, the basic music still stands. And that music is some of the best of the rock era.
Free Music Review: One of the greatest albums ever made
Hit: 5 Stars
Seeing that a couple of the bonus tracks are dumb, I'm basing this review on the nine pieces included on the original LP (Baba O'Riley, Bargain, Love Ain't For Keeping, My Wife, The Song Is Over, Gettin' in Tune, Going Mobile, Behind Blue Eyes and Won't Get Fooled Again).
Baba O'Riley is a masterful work, part of the abandoned Lifehouse project. Building from a synth riff into an explosion of hard rock, O'Riley would stand as the second-best track on the album. Bargain friggin' rocks, one of my favorite Who tunes with great synthesizer and Keith going nuts on the drums. It takes a bit of growing into, but once you've grown into it, it's great. My Wife is really funny in spite of John Entwhistle's flat voice, and Song is Over is a great, maturely-written piece of work. There's a lot going on in this song, with pseudo-symphonic synthesizer, Pete taking an all-too-rare vocal (not to mention a guitar solo you wish would never end, though it sadly does after about a half-minute). An underlooked masterpiece right there, in my mind it's the album's second-best behind Baba o'Riley.
Side two would have to stand as one of the best sides of rock and roll. Gettin' in Tune, Going Mobile, Behind Blue Eyes and Won't Get Fooled Again...somebody must've told them this was a winning combination. First, Gettin' in Tune, another song that builds from quiet to hard. Next, Going Mobile, which is another funny song about a guy in a trailer park. Third, Behind Blue Eyes, another amazing song from the perspective of the villian of Lifehouse. It's truly mind-blowing.
But that's nothin' compared to the closer, Won't Get Fooled Again, which stands as my favorite Who song. Similar to Baba O'Riley, it builds from a simple synth riff to a loud, rebellious rocker about a man's opinions of a revolution ("I'll tip my hat to the new constitution/take a bow to the new revolution/pick up my guitar and play/just like yesterday/then I'll get on my knees and pray/we won't get fooled again!") 7:44 into the song, Roger Dartley lets out an ear-piercing scream and howls, "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss!", one of the best lines in the history of rock.
How can you not own this classic? Seriously, how? No self-respecting rock fan can do without it.
My last words are to 85 Delorean, who is obviously very young (so am I, for anyone about to slam me with ageism). Why? Who's Next was released a good 26 years before anything Limp Bizkit ever made, so if anything Limp Bizkit ripped the Who's version of Behind Blue Eyes (BTW, Limp Bizkit is crap) and this album peaked at #4 in its day. I wouldn't call that a bombing, would you?
Free Music Review: The Art of a Live show
Hit: 5 Stars
The Art of a Live Show A beat pulsating through your veins, emotion to overwhelm you, and the experience of being near a god; live shows were once rocks main attraction and an event that could alter your perception of the world. Before there were cds, mp3s or music videos, there were concerts, records, and at most a television appearance or two. Claims that looks weren't such a value at one time in comparison to current times is a misguided judgment, of course rock stars still needed a "look", but at a certain point in the crowd you tend not to be able to see too much of a performer. Rock and roll used to be an industry of good music, now it is an industry of moment.
Live shows are not just occurrences they are life. When you attend a concert there is an aura that surrounds you. Based on the band that you see an aura can change, it is not just a "feeling", it is a state of being. A rock concert of the highest quality is enlightenment. Effects of body, mind and soul occur at once as you let the music absorb you. Body's crash together in a frenzy of good feeling, your mind is phased by experiences past and present and true meaning. Your soul is clarified and set free, for a moment you are immortal, coexisting with your soul as an object, almost tangible.
Cds and mp3s are all about convenience and efficiency. Cheap, readily available and mass produced music is not hard to acquire. Digital technology allows there to be "improved" sound quality and added features and sounds. Records were a pure and poor replacement for concerts when one was in need of some tunes. Records were exactly what were played, by the exact artists who claimed the music as theirs. Every sound was picked up, every imperfection that creates the perfection of sound records have achieved.
From a distance in the crowd you see the outline of a rock god, you can not make out every last feature, but he omits this aura of good looks. From your couch only feet away from your television screen you see the blemish on the face of a "wannabe" vocalist, you are turned off. The closer we are to seeing rock gods the more prone to judging them and characterizing any flaws that they have. Between one and a screen there is no transfer on energy, there is no aura, a sense of being barely exists as technology advances on our looks.
Rock, music, and life were once all about "it", now we are left for, "what can we have now, that is the bet of everything". In all imperfection is perfection and in all people judgment occurs based on different standards. Rock and roll used to be an industry of good music, now it is an industry of moment.
Free Music Review: It never gets old
Hit: 5 Stars
This was the second Who album I ever got, on Halloween of 2000. Though at that point I was still only becoming a more serious fan, this was one album I loved and got into right away. It helped that I was familiar with a number of the songs already, and because so many songs from this album are classic rock staples, it really seems like the ideal introductory album for a new fan. Really, what more could be said about this album that hasn't already been said? I know some people feel it's overrated, which could be a valid point given all of the attention given to this album over other of the band's masterpieces, but even though it seems to get more popular attention and acclaim than equally great albums like 'Quadrophenia' and 'Sell Out,' it's still an awesome perfect album. Some people also might feel it's overrated because it seems to be their most commercially successful, but just because an album is a big commercial success and really overplayed on the radio doesn't mean it's less worthwhile than an album that critics often ignore.
Back when I first got this album and was in the process of getting acquainted with it, I was so impressed with it that after listening to it, I would sometimes push play and listen to it all over again. The measure of a truly great album is if one wants to listen to it all over again immediately, if there are no bad tracks (or at least the lesser tracks aren't the types one wants to skip), and if it never gets old, if one still loves it long after first experiencing it. I personally no longer rate it quite as highly on my list of favorite Who records, perhaps because so many of the songs are so overplayed on the radio, but it still sounds so fresh, moving, and wonderful so many years later. Now I tend to only play the original first nine tracks (what song worth its salt is worthy of following "WGFA"?), but the bonus tracks are just as great as the original ones. While later on the remastering team did kind of seem to get lazy and not put as much care and effort into choosing enough bonus tracks, this is one they did get right, with the album's original running length about doubled. Good bonus tracks don't detract from the original album material but only make it even better. This album also works so well for so many purposes--listening to while working out, while getting ready in the morning, to wake up to, while driving down the road, in hot weather, and, perhaps most importantly of all, as a springboard for the new fan to want to explore more Who albums.
Free Music Review: Who are The Who?
Hit: 5 Stars
I'll tell you who they are. The best thing to come out of London after the Rolling Stones. Along with the Stones they basically invented hard rock. From the day they released, "My Generation", nobody could listen to the radio for more than an hour without hearing one of their numbers. Their early albums all built up to this masterpiece.
The Who have the best composition of any band. Roger Daltery's soaring vocals and Pete Townsend's excellent guitar playing work perfectly well with Keith Moon's lightening fast drumming. Even John Entwistle's thunderous bass keep the band moving forward. Pete Townsend is also a great keyboardist. Just listen to the wonderful piano playing on, "The Song Is Over", or, "Getting In Tune", or the unforgettable organ riff on, "Won't Get Fooled Again".
The album opens with the typical Who teenage anthem, "Baba O'Riley", The keyboard riff is one of the most recognizable in rock history and its teenage wasteland lyrics would be accepted by generations for years to come. The violin solo at the end of that song is also unforgettable. You may have heard part of the the song, "Bargin", on a T.V. commercial but you need to here the whole thing to appreciate it. "Love Ain't For Keeping", is a classic folk-rock song and one of the most underrated songs on the album. "My Wife", is just Daltery having silly fun with its distorted vocals and horn sections. Things really start to get serious with the song, "The Song Is Over", a beatiful song with an almost classical quality to it. With its beautiful piano riffs this is another underrated gem. "Getting In Tune', sorta continues, "The Song Is Over", with more classic piano playing and its beautiful melody. "Going Mobile", is another fun tune about avoiding taxmen and police and always being on the run. "Behind Blue Eyes", is another classic folk ballad about how even the most innocent looking people can be evil underneath. It all builds up to one of the biggest climaxes in rock history. "Won't Get Fooled Again", is the ultimate rock anthem form the ultimate rock anthem group. Beginning with another unforgettable keyboard riff and soon turning into a locomotive of pounding drums and fast paced guitar playing, the song would not be forgotten even into the new millennium.
This ranks right up there with Led Zeppelin's forth album and Black Sabbath's, "Paranoid" as one of the greatest hard rock albums of all time. This album is not hard to find so buy it as soon as possible.