The Who Album: “Who Sings My Generation”

If you put it down to a time, a band, an album... The Who's MY GENERATION is the first punk album ever recorded: With heavy pounding on what had to be the most tortured drum kit at the time (on stage the group would shock audiences by smashing their instruments and demolishing amps and speakers), angry lyrics are screamed and stuttered over guitar feedback and power chords. Even the album's cover, with the band's four grim faces set in front of Big Ben rising into an overcast sky, leaves you with the impression that these guys are a cocky group of foul-mouthed wiseasses--especially the stiff-jawed blond one, who looks like he'd rather be shaking down a store owner for protection money, or simply just kicking someone's teeth out (and, according to more than a few of the band's biographers, Roger Daltrey often would use his fists to end differences, with Pete Townshend as well as others).

This was 1965 and very few then would've had the courage or the foresight to put this kind of sound to wax. Sure, the Kinks also got together with producer Shel Talmy a year before to pioneer a heavier "rock" sound with "You Really Got Me," but they weren't taking it any further; it was easy confusing that song with its followup, "All Day and All of the Night," because they were basically the same thing with different lyrics. And as is always the case, it's the total package of talent with promotion, image with attitude.

It also took real guts for a rising pop group in 1965 to make an album--let alone a debut album!--where 3/4 of the tracks are original compositions. Except for Dylan and the Beatles, nobody at the time was able to get away with doing this. The original UK album version contains three covers, James Brown's "I Don't Mind," and "Please, Please, Please," as well as Bo Diddley's "I'm a Man;" the US version dropped "I'm a Man" for the proto-psychedelic "Instant Party (Circles)"--yet another original! Pete Townshend was taking a big gamble with this record.

In addition to the awesome title track, MY GENERATION also includes "The Kids Are Alright." Somewhat defining the group's early sound, "The Kids Are Alright" bacame a staple number on the Who's numerous compilations, and would provide the title to Jeff Stein's 1979 documentary on the band.

Of the other numbers here, things start off with "Out In the Streets," a weird hybrid of R&B styles with droning guitar feedback. Meanwhile, both "The Good's Gone" and "Much Too Much" sound as if Keith Moon is barely able to control himself with the drumsticks as Townshend displays his prowess with power chords. Daltrey, naturally, just seems pissed off.

Two other notable tracks are "La La La Lies" and "The Ox." The former obviously owing much to Martha Reeves & the Vandellas' "Heatwave" (a song the Who covered on their next album, A QUICK ONE), while the latter is a sort of group effort instrumental composition, written by Townshend, Moon and Entwistle with famous session man Nicky Hopkins.

A brilliant and exceptionally aggressive album that layed the foundations for most things coming to rock music.

I chose this CD as my 300th review for many reasons.

My Generation, that one song itself is one of, if not the best example of The Whos highly charged loud, fast, rebellious music.

Keith Moons drums pulsate and punctuate the lyrics and rhythm. When listening to My Generation, my pulse fluctuates to the beat, the adrenaline rush runs through my veins and summons my feet to dance.

Keith Moon has been dead thirty years this September. The last big bam in rock. Keith Moon, a.k.a. Moon the Loon remains the epitome of rock bad boys. Leaving a generation in mourning, yet hasn't ceased influencing future drummers.

Time has been good to this CD. It's still up there with the best of rock. A celebration of freedom, youth and their generation.

The first official album by the Who shows them as simple hard Mod rockers who did more than just destroy their instruments on stage. Its hard to imagine that this predates the punk movement by well over a decade because most of the qualities of punk are here. Gritty loud three chord songs, simple melodies, and playing that was faster and harder than just about anything that had existed at that time. Sharing the spotlight with the punk qualities was the die hard Mod theme that would influence bands well into the 70s and 80s.

Mid 60s London was a swinging good place to be. While America had their hippie movement, hipsters from England were dressed up in outrageous neo-European clothing and were jamming at late-night clubs. Thats when the music came into frame. The British were obsessed with American R&B. So they started playing it themselves only with a rougher edge. Imagine if James Brown had gone punk and you get the idea. The Who were a working class group. Yeah, I know they later became rich and famous but their music, back then, was not about being rich and famous but was told from the level of the British teenagers who bought it, listened to it, and enjoyed it. Though The Who were not the first British band to try out an R&B sound (The Beatles and the Mersybeat movement predate them) they were the first to combine it with the British born hard rock genre of crunching guitars, feedback, crashing drums (Keith Moon is easily one of the best drummers of all time) and angry frustrated lyrics.

Rodger Daltery was, and still is, a major vocal influence. Though his voice would get better over time, never again would he sound this angry yet secure about his subject matter. Pete Townshend and John Entwistle were an amazing guitar and bass duel who could keep the pulsating and loud music from seeming to skimpy and watered down. Many rock fans regard them as the best lineup ever for a rock band.

The album is a collection of hard rockers of mostly R&B influence however some tracks like the anthemic title track, and the highly experimental, The Ox, with its almost atonal attack of white noise and disortion may have been seen as a prelude to the psychedelic movement that would shortly unfold. The songwriting may not have been as mature as it would shortly become but some songs like, The Kids Are Alright, and, A Legal Matter, were more serious in meaning than most R&B songs at that time.

Before The Who made the rock opera, Tommy, or the arena rock masterpiece, Who's Next, they were the band you hear as you play this album and wonder to yourself "would rock had survived this long had it not been for groups like this?".

Though they came a little too late to dominate the British Invasion led by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, The Who were still one of the most important and enduring groups of that era. While the Beatles were into pop and the Rolling Stones were into Blues, The Who were were a hard rock and they played with an almost punk like attack. Of course they would later go on to craft rock operas a la "Tommy" and "Quadophenia" but at the time "My Generation" was released they simply wanted to smash their instruments to the beat of the music.

The album "My Generation" is The Who at there rawest. They play simple three and four chord songs that reflect there Rockabilly and R&B roots. "Out In The Street" and the James Brown cover "Please Please Please" are wild enough but other such as "The Ox" and the title cut are downright out of control. The title song has become an all time classic anthem with Keith Moon's thunderous drumming and John Entwhistle's groovy bass solo and, of course, the lyrics. Like punk, which would come many years after, The Who's music was all about youth and their rebellion. 50's rock had done this and groups like The Who were making sure the spirit lived on.

Though much of the music here is simply R&B played with a hard rock ethic there is signs of things to come. The afterformentioned "Ox" was just as experimental as anything the group would do later on and "Instant Party" incoporated french horns which would be used later on "Tommy". Roger Daltry's sings with more of a rasp suited for the R&B, James Brown style R&B present here. This in direct contrast to his more harmonious crooning on such masterworks as "Who's Next". Peter Townshend plays exceptionly well here. Whether he's spitting out blues licks or smashing the living daylights out of his guitar, it's clear he knows what he's doing. Perhaps even more of a showcase than Daltry and Townshend are John and Keith. Quite often voted rock's best rhythm section, it's easy to see why. John's bass lines are just as driving as they are melodic and Keith's drumming is as wild as you can get and still keep in 4/4 time.

In a way, The Who are the other Fab Four after The Beatles. "My Generation" is a wonderful start to one of the British Invasion's best acts. This complete's the holy trinity of British Invasion debut albums. The others are Beatles' "Please Please Me" and The Rolling Stones' "England's Newest Hit Makers" both also highly recommended.

This, the Who's first album, is very close to a classic 5 stars. A few weak moments, but the energy level on this album never quits...and this album is so much better than their second, A Quick One. If you haven't bought it yet because you're waiting for the remaster, forget it. The Who's original producer owns the master tapes and, despite great effort to purchase them from him, he will not relinquish them. There is no reason to expect that the situation will ever change. Can you imagine what this would sound like remastered from the original multitracks? But, hey, it's not going to happen, so purchase this gem before MCA does something stupil like cut it from their catalog.