{"id":15613,"date":"2018-12-10T05:30:53","date_gmt":"2018-12-10T10:30:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=15613"},"modified":"2018-11-12T13:51:24","modified_gmt":"2018-11-12T18:51:24","slug":"the-whos-who-are-you-at-40-more-songs-about-songs-and-songwriting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2018\/12\/10\/the-whos-who-are-you-at-40-more-songs-about-songs-and-songwriting\/","title":{"rendered":"The Who’s ‘Who Are You’ at 40: More Songs About Songs and Songwriting"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"The late 1970s represented an uneasy time for The Who. The decade had begun auspiciously, with the group riding high on a critical and commercial wave; the success of 1969\u2019s Tommy<\/i> was followed by three smash albums: Live at Leeds<\/i> (released 1970), 1971\u2019s Who\u2019s Next<\/i> and Quadrophenia<\/i> from 1973. But when The Who By Numbers<\/i> appeared in 1975, it displayed a set of songs that explored guitarist and primary songwriter Pete Townshend\u2019s unease in dealing with middle age. The upbeat single \u201cSqueeze Box\u201d notwithstanding,\u201d The Who By Numbers<\/i> laid bare Townshend\u2019s uncertainty as to where and how he and his band\u2019s music fit into the era.<\/p>\n

For all intents and purposes, The Who went to ground after touring in support of The Who<\/i> By Numbers<\/i>. Nearly three years would pass before the release of the group\u2019s eighth studio album, Who Are You<\/i>. From the title on down, the album makes plain that Townshend\u2019s concerns about his own relevance have not been resolved.<\/p>\n

By the time of Who Are You<\/i>, punk rock was on the rise in both the U.S. and Great Britain. Townshend in particular had always been a keen observer of the music scene, and he followed punk with interest. That interest \u2013 and the fact that at least some of the prominent figures in the punk scene sought to distance themselves from \u201cdinosaur rock,\u201d a category into which The Who were sometimes lumped \u2013 was a mixed blessing for him. On one hand, it seemed to cause Townshend to wonder if perhaps his time had passed. On the other hand, it spurred him on creatively \u2013 both musically and lyrically \u2013 to create songs that explored these issues.<\/p>\n

The first sound heard on Who Are You<\/i> is a slashing guitar glissando that bracingly introduces the record. \u201cNew Song\u201d is characterized musically by a dialogue between Townshend\u2019s guitar and his overdubbed synthesizer. As the song unwinds, John Entwistle\u2019s bass and Keith Moon\u2019s drums assert themselves, but musically it\u2019s a Townshend showcase. Meanwhile, Roger Daltrey \u2013 the undisputed master at delivering Townshend\u2019s words \u2013 outlines the group\u2019s continued ambition in the face of a changing musical landscape. A dreamy bridge provides sharp contrast with the powerful attack of the rest of the song, and Daltrey provides a pair of none-too-subtle connections the The Who\u2019s past: his repeat of \u201clet it rain\u201d is a nod to Quadrophenia<\/i>\u2019s transcendent \u201cLove Reign o\u2019er Me,\u201d and a scream that concludes the bridge hearkens back to the most thrilling moment of the already pretty damn thrilling \u201cWon\u2019t Get Fooled Again\u201d from Who\u2019s Next<\/i>.<\/p>\n

As a Rolling Stone<\/i> reviewer noted decades ago when reviewing John Entiwistle\u2019s solo albums, The Who bassist had the misfortune of being a very good songwriter in a group that also happened to have a great one. Entwistle\u2019s three contributions to Who Are You<\/i> represent a full third of the album\u2019s content, and suggest that the group recognized the quality of his material. (Or, perhaps, that Townshend was having trouble coming up with songs that made muster. Or maybe a bit of both.)<\/p>\n

The synthesizers that provide the primary rhythmic element for the bassist\u2019s \u201cHad Enough\u201d are very much of their time, but the textures have aged surprisingly well. As a lyricist, Entwistle doesn\u2019t concern himself here with the angst that pervades Townshend\u2019s work; instead he writes a first-person tale (sung by Daltrey) that\u2019s almost a companion piece to Townshend\u2019s \u201cBehind Blue Eyes\u201d from Who\u2019s Next<\/i>. Ted Astley\u2019s breathtaking string arrangement adds a soaring element to the song, as do the close vocal harmonies. In place of a guitar solo, strings and brass take center stage, and they work exceedingly well.<\/p>\n

Entwistle\u2019s \u201c905\u201d is slightly less successful, though its off-kilter science fiction tale (again sung in first person, but this time by the bassist himself) is intriguing. Townshend adds splashes of guitar processed through unusual-for-the-time effects, including one quite similar to an effect Wings\u2019 Jimmy McCullough (an occasional Townshend associate) used on Wings at the Speed of Sound<\/i>\u2019s \u201cWino Junko.\u201d Appropriately enough for a sci-fi theme, synthesizer textures are prominent.<\/p>\n

But \u201cSister Disco\u201d takes The Who\u2019s use of synthesizers to a new level. Townshend\u2019s anthemic lyric isn\u2019t exactly a repudiation of disco music (though the \u201cdisco sucks\u201d movement was at its height around this time) but it is a clear statement in support of rock. A complex ARP 2600 keyboard sequence carries the song along, with Townshend, Entwistle and Moon seeming to chase after it. Once again Townshend displays his mastery of the bridge (or \u201cmiddle eight\u201d as the Beatles called it) that he sings in this song-about-music. High energy passages alternate with quiet, acoustic guitar interludes and a second bridge, this time sung by Daltrey. A simple guitar chord sequence \u2013 one recalling the band\u2019s earliest singles \u2013 is successfully grafted onto a tune that moves in several directions at once. \u201cSister Disco\u201d represents some of the most ambitious moments found on Who Are You<\/i>. Townshend\u2019s chorus specifically references Tommy<\/i> (\u201cdeaf, dumb and blind\u201d), and in a delightfully perverse move, the song ends with just an acoustic guitar.<\/p>\n

Keith Moon was in the depths of his struggle with alcohol abuse during the making of Who Are You<\/i>. While flashes of his drumming brilliance do crop up from time to time, he\u2019s largely out to lunch. And on \u201cMusic Must Change,\u201d he\u2019s all but absent. Daltrey\u2019s powerfully strident vocals declaim Townshend\u2019s musical statement of purpose (another song-about-music). The song rocks in seething, understated manner, occasionally exploding with punchy brass figures. Townshend adds some clever licks on guitar, most notably one that follows a lyric about mice; for a brief few seconds, his guitar effectively evokes the feel of scurrying rodents. Elsewhere on the tune, his playing almost jazzy.<\/p>\n

One of the best songs from the sardonic pen of John Entwistle, \u201cTrick of the Light\u201d is an uncompromising rocker. Daltrey sings the bassist\u2019s lyrics, which in this case express more angst and self-doubt than is typically Entwistle\u2019s wont. When the chorus asks \u201cWas I alright?\u201d it expresses vulnerability. The use of clich\u00e9 (\u201cWhat\u2019s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?\u201d) makes perfect sense in the context of the song.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The more nuanced moments of Quadrophenia<\/i> are echoed on \u201cGuitar and Pen,\u201d another Townsend song about songwriting. The song\u2019s arrangement increases the intensity and it builds toward the conclusion of each verse, and the instrumental breaks that follow each verse feature gurgling synthesizer and a guitar with a complimentary character. Guest keyboardist Rod Argent (Argent, the Zombies) provides a delightful piano break. Daltrey sings sweetly at the top of his range, effecting a menacing growl during the choruses. Moon does a good job with his signature fills, but there\u2019s a sense that he\u2019s out of breath. Not surprisingly, his drums seem lower in the mix than on previous studio albums.<\/p>\n

\u201cLove is Coming Down\u201d is a lovely song, though it\u2019s perhaps not best suited for the talents of Roger Daltrey. Because he\u2019s again singing at the top of his range, Daltrey\u2019s vocals take on a fragile, pleading quality. Townshend\u2019s introspective lyric and melody echoes the soul-searching moments of \u201cIs It in My Head?\u201d from Quadrophenia<\/i>. Ted Astley\u2019s stirring string arrangement is a thing of beauty. \u201cLove is Coming Down\u201d isn\u2019t exactly rock \u2018n\u2019 roll, but it does draw viscerally from the best of that tradition. Townshend doesn\u2019t seem here to be writing in a strictly autobiographical manner, but his fears and insecurities are nonetheless on display.<\/p>\n

Who Are You<\/i> concludes with its most well-known song, the title track. Forty years on, it\u2019s difficult to convey just how unusual \u201cWho Are You\u201d sounded on first listen. A synthesizer and chirping vocal chorus introduces the song, but Townshend\u2019s slashing, stinging lead guitar gives the song its fire. Daltrey\u2019s snarling lead vocal is one of his best, and Keith Moon turns in his last great drumming performance. Even through its repurposing as part of the opening title sequence of the long-running TV crime drama C.S.I.<\/i>, \u201cWho Are You\u201d still sounds fresh today.<\/p>\n

While Who Are You<\/i> was a deep look inside Pete Townshend\u2019s internal dialogue concerning his (and The Who\u2019s) future, it doesn\u2019t provide pat, easy answers. As a listening experience, it may not rank at the top of the group\u2019s efforts, but in the context of its times, it\u2019s a superb \u2013 sometimes great \u2013 collection of songs built largely around a unified theme.<\/p>\n

Who Are You<\/i> was released August 18, 1978, into a marketplace that included Boston\u2019s Don\u2019t Look Back<\/i>, DEVO\u2019s debut album, Donna Summer\u2019s Live and More<\/i>. The album reached #2 on the Billboard<\/i> album chart, and the single \u201cWho Are You\u201d reached #14 in the U.S. Exactly three weeks after the release of Who Are You<\/i>, drummer Keith Moon died from an overdose of a prescription drug designed to combat alcoholism.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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