Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CLXXX--The Who: Who's Next (Album)

Another year has passed, and as I turned 59 last week, we have another edition of "It's My Birthday and I'll Write About a Favorite Album If I Want To..."

I've written about The Who before on FNJ so we can dispense with the weekly bio--not that The Who even need one.  They are without a doubt my favorite band of all time, and their Holy Trinity of Albums (Tommy, Who's Next, and Quadrophenia) released in succession may only be rivaled by the Beatles who released so many classic albums in a row I'd need a whole post to list all of them (slight exaggeration...) and maybe Springsteen's quartet from Born to Run through Nebraska.  For me, Who's Next is easily one of the five greatest albums of all time, and is Pete Townshend's magnum opus--an album filled with one rock classic after another. So without further ado:

Baba O'Riley--I noted a couple of weeks back that "Heroin" by the Velvet Underground, in my humble opinion, may be one of the best rock songs ever written--and some of it's fiercest competition might come from this song.  Literally the perfect musical storm:  vocals, instrumentation, music, and lyrics come together in a way few songs ever have. The best song The Who have ever done, bar none--and lyrically one of the sparsest.  Favorite lyric:  "Out here in the fields, I fight for my meals/I get my back into my living/I don't need to fight, to prove I'm right/I don't need to be forgiven..."

Bargain--A love song that would border on obsession...until Townshend sings the third verse, and you realize that love can be both a blessing and curse.  Catchy as all hell--a very underrated Who tune.  Favorite lyric:  "I look at my face in the mirror/I know I'm worth nothing without you/And like one and one don't make two/One and one make one..."

Love Ain't for Keeping--Lyrically this one reminds me of taking place in ye olde England--lying in a field with your baby not far from the cottage you built with your own hands.  Musically, it bounces from its ballad laced verses to an staccato, rat-a-tat chorus.  Nonetheless, another nice, if short, song from the album.  Favorite lyric:  "But the air is perfumed/By the burning firewood/The seeds are bursting/The spring is seeping/Lay down beside me..."

My Wife--Written and sung by John Entwistle, the song chronicles a man who stayed out far later than he should have getting drunk and now has to run from his wrathful wife.  Both comical and foreboding, the song shows another side of The Who.  The ominous horns are the work of comic genius.  Favorite lyric:  "Give me a bodyguard/A black belt Judo expert with a machine gun..."

The Song Is Over--One of my favorite songs on the album.  Townshend sings the vocals on this one as he tells the story of a relationship that has ended...by comparing it to a song.  Heartfelt and introspective, another in a long line of songs written by Townshend that remind you just how great of a songwriter he was.  Favorite lyric:  "The song is over/I'm left with only tears/I must remember/Even if it takes a million years..."

Getting in Tune--Who's Next was originally going to be an album called Lifehouse, that was supposed to be a follow up to the rock opera Tommy, and telling the story of a world taken over by totalitarianism that is redeemed by music from The Who.  When I read this my first thought was to marvel at the chutzpah, and my second was to wonder if The Who can save us from Donald Trump and the republican party....  A celebration of the healing power of love and music.  Favorite lyric:  "I'm singing this note cause it fits in well/With the way I'm feeling/There's a symphony that I hear in your heart/Sets my head a reeling..."

Going Mobile--An ode to the joys of owning a mobile home and taking to the road.  Uh, yeah.  One of the best pop songs Townshend ever wrote, and it truly conveys the joyousness of hitting the road.  Easily the funnest song on the record, with the vocals courtesy of Pete Townshend.  With my pop sensibilities, this is the first song on the album that grabbed me back in the day.  Favorite lyric:  "Hee, hoo!/Beep beep!"

Behind Blue Eyes--Quite possibly one of the most compassionate rock songs ever written--and it's sung from the viewpoint of a villain seeking an understanding of what it's like to be the bad man in search of a little empathy.  Another song that shows the sheer brilliance that is Pete Townshend.  Roger Daltrey's vocals for this one are as good as they get, especially as the song starts as a ballad and then segues into a balls out rocker.  One of The Who's most popular songs, and rightfully so.  A masterpiece.  Favorite lyric:  "And if I swallow anything evil/Put your finger down my throat/And if I shiver, please give me a blanket/Keep me warm let me wear your coat..."

Won't Get Fooled Again--An epic conclusion (eight and a half minutes) to an epic album--though it's seen as an anti-revolution song, I think it's more of an observation that revolutions all too often don't live up to their promises. Together with "Baba O'Riley" this song was the trailblazer for synthesizers in pop music.  Daltrey's scream of righteousness toward the latter part of the song is the perfect ending for a perfect album--it's an anthemic unleashing of the rock and roll soul.  Favorite lyric:  "And the parting on the left/Is now the parting on the right/And the beards have all grown longer overnight..."

For lyrics freaks like me, all the words can be found here.

If you have the time, enjoy:

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol XLII--The Who: Baba O'Riley

The Beautiful Boy turns eleven today, and in honor of that glorious achievement, Friday Night Jukebox is going to pay homage to his favorite band (and, in my ever so humble opinion, the greatest rock and roll band ever), and his favorite song by said band.

Formed in 1964, the quartet of Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey. John Entwistle, and Keith Moon, have left a legacy that is arguably matched only by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan.  Between 1969 and 1972, The Who released three albums (Tommy, Who's Next. and Quadrophenia) that are worthy of any top ten list.  They also released a multitude of wondrous singles, were considered one of the best live bands ever, and set new standards for both music production and the use of the rhythm section (in this case, bass and drums).  Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammys, and literally over a hundred million records sold--their influence on rock and roll has been felt far and wide.  And one thing you can say about the Who--there's no jazz or blues or classical influences.  They swore on their music bible in the church of rock and roll.

The most compelling aspect of "Baba O'Riley" is the sheer enormity of the song--there is a joyous power to it, and in it is the soul of triumph.  From the kid on Christmas morning excitement of the opening synthesizer movement to the front and center of the Entwistle's bass and Moon's explosive drumming the intro is one of the most recognized in rock and roll history.  It takes nearly a minute before Daltrey's vocals appear, and they are well worth the wait.  Bold, triumphant, and proud, Daltrey is a man on a mission.  And only when the first verse is done does Townshend's whirlwind guitar arrive, steamrolling the listener into aural ecstasy.  Throw in Townshend's unforgettable "teenage wasteland" vocal verse, a return to Daltrey, and closing it out with some dancing the jig fiddling and you have a song that underscores why you spent so much of your precious time on this planet listening to pop music, and makes every second of it ever so worthwhile.

Two more quick points:  first, the intricacy of the music and lyrics are utterly amazing in the simplicity (it's power chords and brevity in words) of the song and its sound, and second, that the Who were very much a sum of their parts.  Four men who literally had fist fights amongst themselves came together musically as one and created a song as close to perfection as a rock and roll can logically get.

Fun factoid:  The Beautiful Boy amazed his kindergarten teacher by being able to name all four band members and their instruments....

Not to ruin a lot of teenagers dreams that their youthful disillusionment was being addressed in the line "it's only teenage wasteland," but the line was actually a snide poke at the hippies who overdosed on acid at Woodstock....

Enjoy:

Peace,
emaycee