What will Tex be doing Tuesday??

[FlaSoxxJim]

Unless I'm mistaken, he'll be doing the same thing as me, and that is picking up the first Who studio album in almost 25 years.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/arts/music/29ligh.html

 

Keeping a very open mind about this one untill I listen a few times. But Townsend is one of Rock's true geniuses in my opinion, and this may be something special.

 

Arguments can be made as to whether Pete and Roger = the Who. And we've certainly seen that the big Happy Together retread tours (which I've never plunked down any money for) are more about raking in the bucks than about artistic urgency or integrity. But despite my usual insistence taht it's better to let sleeping dogs (or dead bands) lie, I'm looking forward to this release.

[Texsox]

There is a certain interest I have in hearing the lyrics and discovering the changes from hope I die before I get old youthful exuberance to today. I can't wait and will pluck down the $ for the CD.

 

I've seen The Who two times in concert and would probably pluck down the cash if I happened to be living were they were touring. They haven't sunk to county fair and bar venues like several other I've attended.

[BobDylan]

I already have it.

[southsider2k5]

I want to get this... I really like The Who a lot. I'd really like to see a full production of Tommy one day.

[Texsox]

I already have it.

 

How? What did you think?

[BobDylan]

How? What did you think?

 

The internet is HUGE my friend.

 

While I have to say I'm not a big The Who fan (though I do have a wide collection of their music for whatever reason), I have to say that this album isn't great, but it isn't bad. It's peacefully right in the middle. For them to come back after 20+ years and suddenly make an album is a difficult task. It's definately an enjoyable album. If you're a Who fan, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

 

The only thing that bothers me is that 9 songs in, all the tracks get significantly shorter. It's not again until track 18 there is a song over 3 minutes.

Edited October 30, 2006 by BobDylan

[Rex Kickass]

I almost downloaded it last night.

[Kid Gleason]

I DL'ed it last night. I only checked out a couple of tunes. Better than I was expecting, and doesn't sound like they are pulling a "Stones" and just going through the motions. They actually sound like they cared to put out a good album. I'm not the biggest Who fan though. Daltry always bugged me a bit.

[Texsox]

It almost feels like two albums, a collection of songs to start and it segues into almost an opera for the second half. I had set my expectations low, a la Hell Freezes Over, and am pleasantly surprised.

 

BTW, the opening number seems to sample a few of their songs, I'm hearing Tricky Day and a couple others.

[FlaSoxxJim]

It almost feels like two albums, a collection of songs to start and it segues into almost an opera for the second half. I had set my expectations low, a la Hell Freezes Over, and am pleasantly surprised.

 

BTW, the opening number seems to sample a few of their songs, I'm hearing Tricky Day and a couple others.

 

I've just finished my first listening and I will need a few more before I can say a whole lot – other than current overall positive impressions.

 

I think I need to catch up on Pete's The Boy Who Heard Music serialized novel before I get the full impact of the Wire and Glass mini-opera. But some of those songs from the mini-opera are among my favorites on first listening, and I wish their running times were longer.

 

No sampling in Fragments or the Fragments of Fragments reprise, Tex. Rather, a de novo homage to some of the vintage arena rock Who anthems. Mostly it's a rendition of the Baba O'Reiley sequenced synth. I did not hear any Tricky Day in there - need to listen more closely.

 

Hearing a whole lot of Quadrophenia in It's Not Enough and Sound Round, the frist song of the mini-opera.

 

damn, if this album could have come out a couple years earlier, Entwhistle would have ablosluely played the $hit out of those songs.

 

More later. . .

[Texsox]

I've just finished my first listening and I will need a few more before I can say a whole lot – other than current overall positive impressions.

 

I think I need to catch up on Pete's The Boy Who Heard Music serialized novel before I get the full impact of the Wire and Glass mini-opera. But some of those songs from the mini-opera are among my favorites on first listening, and I wish their running times were longer.

 

No sampling in Fragments or the Fragments of Fragments reprise, Tex. Rather, a de novo homage to some of the vintage arena rock Who anthems. Mostly it's a rendition of the Baba O'Reiley sequenced synth. I did not hear any Tricky Day in there - need to listen more closely.

 

Hearing a whole lot of Quadrophenia in It's Not Enough and Sound Round, the frist song of the mini-opera.

 

damn, if this album could have come out a couple years earlier, Entwhistle would have ablosluely played the $hit out of those songs.

 

More later. . .

 

I shouldn't have said sampling, more accurate would have been heavy influences. The Tricky Day just happened to be the point I was at as I typed. It's been going non stop all morning.

 

I'm working with a very tedious document where later someone could use it to nail my ass to a wall, so I can't spend too much brain power on the music.

 

Not certain who Entwhistle is, but if you mean Entwistle, good call

[FlaSoxxJim]

Not certain who Entwhistle is, but if you mean Entwistle, good call

 

cough!! *ass-hat!* cough!!

 

Finished with my secind and third listenings. Hearing a lot of Tommy in Sound Round as well, which is one of my two favorites on the disc so far. Supposedly this was actually composed as far back as 1971, so the similarity to vintage Who tracks is to be understood.

 

Pete's Louis Armstrong meets Tom Waits vocal stylings in the first part of In the Ether are really irritating, which is unfortunate because I quite like that song.

 

Reading some of Pete's diary entry about Man With the Purple dress gave me a better perspective on what that was about.

 

It is the idea that men need dress up in order to represent God that appals me. If I wanted to be as insane as to attempt to represent God I’d just go ahead and do it, I wouldn’t dress up like a drag-queen.”

 

 

There's a lot of interplay between the Wire and Glass mini-opera and some of the things Pete was exploring back on Psychoderelict, including the fact that fictional dinosaur rocker Ray High is the central character from that play and is the sanitorium-bound narrator of the new play. A little creepy that Ray's obtaining explicit images of a 14-year old was a plot element back in 1993's Psychoderelict, btw.

 

There are conceptual whiffs of FZ's Joe's Garage rock opera as well as Tull's TOTR&R/TYTD (Ray Lomas, rather than Ray High though), and Pete is giving Zappa a run for his dead money as far as cyclical themes and conceptual continuity.

 

And you're a bigger Who Fan than me, Tex. Do you own the Lifehouse Chronicles box and is it worth getting? I'm always leary of the retread/"from teh vault" releases, but just the thought of hearing some demo stuff with Keith and John on it is an appealing idea.

 

Still digesting the album. . .

Edited November 1, 2006 by FlaSoxxJim

[Texsox]

Pate's Louis Armstrong meets Tom Waits vocal stylings in the first part of In the Ether are really irritating, which is unfortunate because I quite like that song.

 

I'll get to the rest later, but my first time through, I heard that and thought who the f*** is singing, Pino?

[BobDylan]

If anyone is interested, Pitchfork didn't think so highly of this album.

 

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/reco...ho_Endless_Wire

[Kid Gleason]

Who's in the band? Were they atleast somewhat smart and call up Kenny Jones? Listening to it, I am guessing not as it doesn't sound like him.

[Kid Gleason]

I just listened to it. I guess what I don't get is the lack of "intensity" and "bombast". I understand that Pete has sensitive ears and all that crap, but why not atleast turn it up for an album? It's not like it would hurt ol' Petey's ears. I mean, I have a feeling that many Who fans want that BLAST that is synonymous with the name THE WHO. Instead you get a bunch of Celtic tinged folksy numbers and lightly distorted Old People Rock. Daltry sounds like he wants to reallybust back out and ROCK, but old man Pete keeps him back with a "Well, Rog...ya know, me ears hurt".

[FlaSoxxJim]

If anyone is interested, Pitchfork didn't think so highly of this album.

 

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/reco...ho_Endless_Wire

 

I don't think that review is too far off, although it's worded a bit harshly.

 

I wish Entwistle was around to be on it for sure, and Daltry's voice isn't what it used to be, but that is to be expected.

 

Who's in the band? Were they atleast somewhat smart and call up Kenny Jones? Listening to it, I am guessing not as it doesn't sound like him.

 

Kenny hasn'r played with them since '96 or '98. Zach Starkey has done most of the touring group drumming duties since then, but because he was tied up with an Oasis album and tour he's only on one song on the CD. Most of the live drumming is Pete, and the programmed stuff is mostly him as well.

 

I just listened to it. I guess what I don't get is the lack of "intensity" and "bombast". I understand that Pete has sensitive ears and all that crap, but why not atleast turn it up for an album? It's not like it would hurt ol' Petey's ears. I mean, I have a feeling that many Who fans want that BLAST that is synonymous with the name THE WHO. Instead you get a bunch of Celtic tinged folksy numbers and lightly distorted Old People Rock. Daltry sounds like he wants to reallybust back out and ROCK, but old man Pete keeps him back with a "Well, Rog...ya know, me ears hurt".

 

Agreed, a little bombast is in order. Sound Round gats in the ballpark (think that's going to remain my fave cut on the album). It's Not Enough and Mirroe Door flirt with it.

 

All in all, missing personell aside and just focusing on the strength of the compositions and the production, I think this album is certainly better than It's Hard was. Without looking at the album, I can only recall two or three other tracks on that besides Athena.

 

That said, as much as I didn't warm too maybe half of what was on Face Dances when it first came out, I sure think highly of that album now (including Mr. Jones) by comparison to the new one.

[Kid Gleason]

I guess I don't understand the hang-up that Who fans have with Kenny. I mean, Keith Moon was DEAD for crying out loud. THe band chose to go on, and they chose probably the closest living thing to the intensity that Moon had. Anybody questioning Jones need only listen to the stuff he did with Faces. The guy was/is a monster on the kit. Hell, the three biggest pounders from the era were probably Moon, Bonham and Jones. The vote is still out on Baker, as he only hit hard but wasn't anything special otherwise. Oh hell, neither was Bonham really. Sorry. But Jones was a logical replacement.

[FlaSoxxJim]

I guess I don't understand the hang-up that Who fans have with Kenny. I mean, Keith Moon was DEAD for crying out loud. THe band chose to go on, and they chose probably the closest living thing to the intensity that Moon had. Anybody questioning Jones need only listen to the stuff he did with Faces. The guy was/is a monster on the kit. Hell, the three biggest pounders from the era were probably Moon, Bonham and Jones. The vote is still out on Baker, as he only hit hard but wasn't anything special otherwise. Oh hell, neither was Bonham really. Sorry. But Jones was a logical replacement.

 

I think he was absolutely a logical replacement. But at the time I did question whether they should have continued on or packed it in like Zeppelin did when Bonham died. I alluded earlier to the fact that Face Dances really grew on me in time, but it's pretty uneven and wey too heavy on keyboards and too light on Pete's guitar. Kenny's drumming on that is fine, but the band as a whole didn't really warm to most of the songs as far as i can hear.

 

As good a drummer as kenny was, he was so much the antithesis of Moon personality-wise I think that was difficult for some fans too.

 

he woulddn't have been a fit for a who replacement gig, but I'd include Mitch Mitchell in your group of top tier Brit drummers who could pound 'em pratty darn good.

[sox4lifeinPA]

so have we decided what Tex is doing next tuesday???

[Kid Gleason]

so have we decided what Tex is doing next tuesday???

 

Red Light District in Boise, Idaho.