They just don't make 'em like this anymore......

[Beedster]

I'm learning a Who set at the moment. This, not one of their greatest or most recognised, takes my breath away every time I watch it. Mad, odd, loud, visceral (in places), and strangely beautiful, although not in a conventional sense  

 

 

[Beedster]

Worth watching to the end BTW 👍

[Dankology]

The version on Live At Leeds is spectacular, even if it benefits from some overdubs.

 

Dunno about it not being one of their greatest - I reckon it could be in their top 3...

[Beedster]

30 minutes ago, Dankology said:

The version on Live At Leeds is spectacular, even if it benefits from some overdubs.

 

Dunno about it not being one of their greatest - I reckon it could be in their top 3...

 

Agreed, perhaps I should have said one of their less well known 👍

[Beedster]

So much going on underneath it all (warning: NOT hifi)

 

 

[The fasting showman]

On 23/11/2024 at 19:56, Beedster said:

I'm learning a Who set at the moment. This, not one of their greatest or most recognised, takes my breath away every time I watch it. Mad, odd, loud, visceral (in places), and strangely beautiful, although not in a conventional sense  

 

One of the greatest clips of a live band, one of my favourites anyway. The intensity of the performance, almost athletic. Great sound also. It's Moon's performance I'm drawn to most: singing while he's playing, the way he decorates the music. Thanks for posting. 

 

[Beedster]

Just now, The fasting showman said:

One of the greatest clips of a live band, one of my favourites anyway. The intensity of the performance, almost athletic. Great sound also. It's Moon's performance I'm drawn to most: singing while he's playing, the way he decorates the music. Thanks for posting. 

 

Moon is simply glorious, the passion, energy, and life in him are extraordinary 🙏 

[The fasting showman]

I think the Stones kept this under wraps for 25 years. I remember seeing it on TV in the mid 90s. How do you follow a performance like that?

10 minutes ago, Beedster said:

 

Moon is simply glorious, the passion, energy, and life in him are extraordinary 🙏 

 

[Beedster]

3 minutes ago, The fasting showman said:

How do you follow a performance like that?

 

I don't think you can, there is something about all four of them that is sublime. Moon is so in the moment that he seems like a child, but his power and timing are incredible. Townsend's theatrical guitar playing is extraordinary, while JE's bass part drives the whole thing with an apparently - although in real terms deceptively - simple bass part. Daltrey, despite being one of the greatest rock vocalist of all time, is almost a bit part player in this performance 👍

[Grooverjr]

Thanks for this - I had never seen it. Fantastic. That's what a tight, creative, musically very accomplished 4 piece can be at its best. Always better live for me and I'm not a big fan of their studio stuff in general but even there Moon's drumming just jumps through everything and smacks you in the face. 

[Cosmo Valdemar]

Utterly glorious. The final section is just ferocious. Puts the limp studio version to shame.

[Beedster]

11 minutes ago, Cosmo Valdemar said:

Utterly glorious. The final section is just ferocious. Puts the limp studio version to shame.

Makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up 👍

[Cosmo Valdemar]

Just now, Beedster said:

Makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up 👍

This clip - and some others of the same era - are the reason I'm on here now.

[Beedster]

Just now, Cosmo Valdemar said:

This clip - and some others of the same era - are the reason I'm on here now.

Likewise mate, likewise. These are the reasons music still feels magical, mysterious, and magnificent 😆

[Cosmo Valdemar]

... specifically, THIS clip. Aged 6 or 7, this was the point I knew I was a bass player. 

Daltrey was yet to find himself but crikey, that rhythm section...

 

 

[Beedster]

6 minutes ago, Cosmo Valdemar said:

... specifically, THIS clip. Aged 6 or 7, this was the point I knew I was a bass player. 

Daltrey was yet to find himself but crikey, that rhythm section...

 

 

 

Takes you to a different place doesn't it 👍

[The fasting showman]

They came from Rock n Roll and the Blues but it's a different type of virtuosity to say Led Zep, Cream etc. Same tree but a different branch; you see their tougher aggressive virtuosity in the pub rock bands like the Stranglers, Dr Feelgood. Also many prog bands.

The origin of 'Bass strangling ', P Bass with rounds through a valve head and 4x12 ( in the world of IEMs and hi fi Bass cabs, I'm still glad I've experienced that setup) that influenced JJ Burnel, Squire, Lemmy and loads of others. The Amp stacks, double kick, the blueprint for a rock band. Also, after Who's Next, a drummer playing with headphones to a backing loop. 

Real pioneers 

[Beedster]

7 minutes ago, The fasting showman said:

They came from Rock n Roll and the Blues but it's a different type of virtuosity to say Led Zep, Cream etc. Same tree but a different branch; you see their tougher aggressive virtuosity in the pub rock bands like the Stranglers, Dr Feelgood. Also many prog bands.

The origin of 'Bass strangling ', P Bass with rounds through a valve head and 4x12 ( in the world of IEMs and hi fi Bass cabs, I'm still glad I've experienced that setup) that influenced JJ Burnel, Squire, Lemmy and loads of others. The Amp stacks, double kick, the blueprint for a rock band. Also, after Who's Next, a drummer playing with headphones to a backing loop. 

Real pioneers 

 

Until recently I had Zep down as the greatest rhythm section of all time, but despite their genius and versatility, they were sterile compared to The Who. Townsend and especially Moon were utterly visceral and in the moment players, they needed someone as powerful and creative as JE to glue them together. Daltrey had the relatively easy job.

 

Music has in many respects come a long way since 1966, but in so many other respects has faded and stagnated in comparison.    

[Cosmo Valdemar]

1 hour ago, Beedster said:

 

Until recently I had Zep down as the greatest rhythm section of all time, but despite their genius and versatility, they were sterile compared to The Who. Townsend and especially Moon were utterly visceral and in the moment players, they needed someone as powerful and creative as JE to glue them together. Daltrey had the relatively easy job.

 

Music has in many respects come a long way since 1966, but in so many other respects has faded and stagnated in comparison.    

Reading this makes me happy.

[Beedster]

6 hours ago, Cosmo Valdemar said:

Reading this makes me happy.

 

Which ultimately is what music is for 👍

[Old Man Riva]

18 hours ago, The fasting showman said:

I think the Stones kept this under wraps for 25 years. I remember seeing it on TV in the mid 90s. How do you follow a performance like that?

 

The audio was on The Kids Are Alright soundtrack album (released in ‘79). It’s almost like a f**ked up ‘Best of…’ record (typical Who!), with some stunning live versions of Who faves up to that point. The film itself was a cinema release - there was a cinema in Cov that used to show music films after the pubs closed on a Friday (Song Remains the Same, Pink Floyd in Pompeii, No Nukes ets.) and TKAA was shown there. I think any commercial release (video, DVD etc.) was some years later?

 

To this day, from my perspective, the version Beedster has posted is one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll performances ever - a band right at the top of their game, breezing through, what was - it has to be said - essentially a pretty odd piece of music, and blowing everything and everyone else away.

 

Townsend is one of my favourite guitar players. The variety of tones he gets from his SG just by simply adjusting the volume control on the guitar, and his wonderful feel and dynamic playing is out of this world. Apropos of nowt, he was Eddie Van Halen’s favourite rhythm player, and it’s easy to see why… 

[Beedster]

41 minutes ago, Old Man Riva said:

The audio was on The Kids Are Alright soundtrack album (released in ‘79). It’s almost like a f**ked up ‘Best of…’ record (typical Who!), with some stunning live versions of Who faves up to that point. The film itself was a cinema release - there was a cinema in Cov that used to show music films after the pubs closed on a Friday (Song Remains the Same, Pink Floyd in Pompeii, No Nukes ets.) and TKAA was shown there. I think any commercial release (video, DVD etc.) was some years later?

 

To this day, from my perspective, the version Beedster has posted is one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll performances ever - a band right at the top of their game, breezing through, what was - it has to be said - essentially a pretty odd piece of music, and blowing everything and everyone else away.

 

Townsend is one of my favourite guitar players. The variety of tones he gets from his SG just by simply adjusting the volume control on the guitar, and his wonderful feel and dynamic playing is out of this world. Apropos of nowt, he was Eddie Van Halen’s favourite rhythm player, and it’s easy to see why… 

 

Yep, they were a pretty decent album band but man they nailed it live, and you're absolutely right, that is at the very least a challenging, theatrical, diverse, and at times almost mediaeval, piece of music, that as @Cosmo Valdemarpointed out, was pretty straight and almost throwaway in the studio but massive and visceral live (and while I prefer the version above, the Live at Leeds version is also pretty special). For me it's the complete engagement and investment from the band that makes it so, you get the sense that at times they're on the edge of it completely falling apart, but that it's held together by their complete absorption.

 

It's hard to reconcile the reputation of Moon with the almost cherubic innocence he seems to display in this. OK, there's acting and showmanship, but nonetheless...........  

 

And Townsend, yes, a genius 👍

[Old Man Riva]

37 minutes ago, Beedster said:

 

Yep, they were a pretty decent album band but man they nailed it live, and you're absolutely right, that is at the very least a challenging, theatrical, diverse, and at times almost mediaeval, piece of music, that as @Cosmo Valdemarpointed out, was pretty straight and almost throwaway in the studio but massive and visceral live (and while I prefer the version above, the Live at Leeds version is also pretty special). For me it's the complete engagement and investment from the band that makes it so, you get the sense that at times they're on the edge of it completely falling apart, but that it's held together by their complete absorption.

 

It's hard to reconcile the reputation of Moon with the almost cherubic innocence he seems to display in this. OK, there's acting and showmanship, but nonetheless...........  

 

And Townsend, yes, a genius 👍

“you get the sense that at times they're on the edge of it completely falling apart, but that it's held together by their complete absorption”, is the perfect description of the Who live!

 

The way Keith Moon approached drumming really shouldn’t have worked, but for the most part it produced stunning results, and became part of the band’s sound and identity. I think a lot is made of Moon’s ‘antics’, but he was an exceptional drummer, though hugely unorthodox: for a large part of his time with the Who he didn’t use hi-hats live - I mean, come on!?!

 

Funnily enough one of my favourite Moon performances is his drumming on the non-Who track, Beck’s Bolero (the story behind the track is an interesting read!). It showcases his talents brilliantly. Tight, restrained, loose, manic all in one take.

 

I went to see the Who at Brum NEC in 1981 and it was probably the most disappointed I’ve ever felt after a gig. They were rotten. Of course, Moon wasn’t there, and it was left to Kenney Jones to try and fill the void. Jones was fine with The Faces, but I felt his playing was too leaden with the Who. It lacked the skip and general wonderful floppy looseness of Moon. Townsend obviously didn’t want to be there - he stood stock still for large portions of the gig, and Entwistle just overplayed. Daltrey wasn’t bad, mind! I think the first tours post Moon aren’t looked back at with particular fondness by the band, based on various interviews over the years.

 

Townsend had released a really interesting solo record, Empty Glass, the previous year (which had caused friction within the band, but is definitely worth checking out) so perhaps that’s where his heart was at that time? It certainly wasn’t In Birmingham!! 

[Cosmo Valdemar]

1 minute ago, Old Man Riva said:

 

 

Townsend had released a really interesting solo record, Empty Glass, the previous year (which had caused friction within the band, but is definitely worth checking out) so perhaps that’s where his heart was at that time? It certainly wasn’t In Birmingham!! 

Empty Glass is a fantastic album, although I actually prefer the earlier Who version - well, Pete's demo with Moon and Entwistle overdubs.

 

 

 

[Beedster]

15 minutes ago, Old Man Riva said:

“you get the sense that at times they're on the edge of it completely falling apart, but that it's held together by their complete absorption”, is the perfect description of the Who live!

 

The way Keith Moon approached drumming really shouldn’t have worked, but for the most part it produced stunning results, and became part of the band’s sound and identity. I think a lot is made of Moon’s ‘antics’, but he was an exceptional drummer, though hugely unorthodox: for a large part of his time with the Who he didn’t use hi-hats live - I mean, come on!?!

 

Funnily enough one of my favourite Moon performances is his drumming on the non-Who track, Beck’s Bolero (the story behind the track is an interesting read!). It showcases his talents brilliantly. Tight, restrained, loose, manic all in one take.

 

I went to see the Who at Brum NEC in 1981 and it was probably the most disappointed I’ve ever felt after a gig. They were rotten. Of course, Moon wasn’t there, and it was left to Kenney Jones to try and fill the void. Jones was fine with The Faces, but I felt his playing was too leaden with the Who. It lacked the skip and general wonderful floppy looseness of Moon. Townsend obviously didn’t want to be there - he stood stock still for large portions of the gig, and Entwistle just overplayed. Daltrey wasn’t bad, mind! I think the first tours post Moon aren’t looked back at with particular fondness by the band, based on various interviews over the years.

 

Townsend had released a really interesting solo record, Empty Glass, the previous year (which had caused friction within the band, but is definitely worth checking out) so perhaps that’s where his heart was at that time? It certainly wasn’t In Birmingham!! 

 

The problem is the same as with so many bands. They come together through an organic selection process because in the early days they complement each other, Moon's loose approach to timing and Townsend's gloriously tight guitar playing supported by JE's mediational/translational bass lines walking the middle way so to speak, and Daltrey benefitting from it all. Jones was was a tight timing drummer - JE said at the time it was the first tiome he's ever played with a drummer sho could keep time - but like putting Nile Rodgers in the New York Dolls or Babyshambles, he didn't fit The Who. Suddenly the glue that was provided by JE wasn't necessary so he started to play not because what he played was needed but because he could, same I suspect with Townsend. Out of necessity Daltrey became more a traditional front man then I think?