Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Who, The
Label: Brunswick Records
Release: 1965
Length: 36:13
Rating: 3.5/5
Classic rock legends The Who introduced themselves to the wider public in 1965 with their studio debut »My Generation«, which on its original release had twelve tracks, only four of which ran longer than three minutes. After almost five decades, »My Generation« certainly looks like a modest start next to the far more ambitious, mostly concept-driven projects The Who tackled later, but it rightfully counts as one of the most important albums in rock history, because when it dropped it properly shook up the music scene of the day.
The first The Who single, »My Generation«, which became one of the most recognizable evergreens of their career, came out before the album of the same name. So the young band, which in 1965 changed its name from The Detours to The Who (for a short while they were called The High Numbers), quickly started winning followers among the new generation of listeners, shortly after the arrival of the brilliant but troubled drummer Keith Moon. Those listeners loved their lyrics, rebellious and revolutionary for the time. The lyrics were defined above all by that rebel hit and the evergreen »The Kids Are All Right«, which instantly ‘went mainstream’ and laid some of the foundations for later genres The Who had a major influence on, such as hard rock, heavy metal and punk.
With their mix of r’n’b, pop and early rock, The Who on »My Generation« were still a long way from the eclecticism of their future achievements, but the brilliant guitarist and songwriter Pete Townshend already stood out with nine original compositions, in which you could hear certain sonic and lyrical traits that they would later refine and build on. The Who managed to find a middle path between the melodic sweetness of The Beatles and the raw energy and vulgarity of The Rolling Stones, while in places you could already hear the seeds of their later, far more intellectually spiced-up ventures. »My Generation« also had three covers of other artists, which wasn’t exactly progressive and was a pretty typical move for those times, while the closing instrumental »The Ox«, which The Who wrote and played together with occasional keyboardist and composer Nicky Hopkins, came off as all the more innovative.
»My Generation« opens with the simple r’n’b track »Out In The Street«, which was originally supposed to come out as a single, but that never happened. It’s fascinating to hear how different Roger Daltrey’s vocal approach was at the start of his career, when he was still trying to imitate American Black r’n’b singers. »I Don’t Mind«, another classic r’n’b number, is a cover of the famous funk and soul musician James Brown, which The Moody Blues also covered that same year on their studio debut »The Magnificent Moodies« (1965). »The Good’s Gone« is already a bit more of a typical The Who track, with an interesting guitar chord structure and a somewhat nihilistic lyric, while Roger’s vocal sounds kind of muffled, as if he were singing through a cracked pot. The slightly stale pop rocker »La-La-la Lies«, which leaves no lasting emotional mark, is one of the weaker moments on the album.
»Much Too Much«, the next love song, comes off a bit more interesting, with a slight folk undertone and quality vocal harmonies. Over the decades, a lot of words have been said and written about the title hit, which had early elements of hard rock, power pop and even punk, so there’s really no point in going on about it here. According to Townshend, he got the inspiration for one of the most recognizable The Who songs after he got annoyed that Queen Elizabeth II had his car removed from the street, because she simply found it in the way of her drive through the streets of London. The lyrics are pretty simple and are about an individual looking for his place in society. The most appealing element of this rebel anthem is its multi-voice chorus, which, mostly thanks to the lyrics, was truly revolutionary for its time and instantly infected a whole new generation of listeners.
That’s followed by another one of the most recognizable The Who classics, »The Kids Are All Right«, which, unlike »My Generation«, is a much friendlier pop rocker with a pleasant Beatles-style melody, and it doesn’t lack one of the most famous choruses in the history of rock music either. »Please, Please, Please«, a hybrid between r’n’b and rock’n’roll, is another cover of the late James Brown, where Roger’s vocal once again sounds noticeably different from how most people were used to hearing him sing throughout most of his career. »It’s Not True«, yet another distinctly ‘American’-flavored track, isn’t among the most inspired moments of this album, as it has a strong country stamp, so it doesn’t even come close to being a typical The Who achievement.
»I’m A Man«, the next not-so-impressive dip into r’n’b and rock’n’roll waters, is a cover of the well-known blues musician Bo Diddley, where the most interesting part is a short instrumental jam, which was a kind of forerunner to the later, much longer The Who live jams. On »A Legal Matter«, which has a fun and fairly innovative guitar riff, Pete takes a turn on lead vocals, probably because Roger was going through a split from his first wife right then, and since the lyrics are about the breakup of two teenagers, it probably felt too personal to him. The instrumental »The Ox«, which features passionate improvisation between Townshend, Moon, bassist John Entwistle and guest keyboardist Nicky Hopkins and is a kind of scouting party for their later art rock ventures, closes the album in an experimental and pretty interesting way.
»My Generation« was one of the first heralds of a new musical era. It briefly put The Who at the top of the heap as the voice of the brand-new rebel generation born at the turn of the sixties, after the peak and slow decline of the mod movement, which had also shaped the early days of this legendary band. Of course, with its ‘holy simplicity’, »My Generation« was a far cry from what The Who created on their later, far more ambitious masterpieces, when they were evolving at lightning speed from one album to the next, but it laid the cornerstone of an incredibly successful and influential career and left a major mark on countless future generations of musicians.
Line-up
Roger Daltrey – lead vocals, harmonica
Pete Townshend – guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on “A Legal Matter”
John Entwistle – bass guitar, backing vocals
Keith Moon – drums, percussion
GUEST MUSICIAN:
Nicky Hopkins – piano
Production
Shel Talmy
Track list
1. Out in the Street (2:31)
2. I Don’t Mind (2:36)
3. The Good’s Gone (4:02)
4. La-La-La-Lies (2:17)
5. Much Too Much (2:47)
6. My Generation (3:18)
7. The Kids Are Alright (3:04)
9. Please, Please, Please (2:45)
10. It’s Not True (2:31)
12. I’m a Man (3:21)
13. A Legal Matter (2:48)
14. The Ox (3:50)
