Label: Interscope / Polydor
Release date: December 6, 2019
Production: Pete Townshend, Dave Sardy, Bob Pridden, Dave Eringa
Album length: 45:45 min (deluxe version: 57:01 min)
Genre: rock, classic rock
Rating: 9/10
The Who belong to the crowd that was dubbed the British Invasion in the sixties, and they stand for the harder-edged side of that spectrum. Five and a half decades on the scene, and only a twelfth studio album? No problem. A lot happens over that long a stretch, and even the most durable bands run into stories that shape their musical path. Along the way there were assorted reunion tours, spats between band members, media speculation, hearing loss and, sadly, the deaths of two founding members, drummer Keith Moon and bassist John Entwistle. In the last thirty-eight years The Who have put out just three studio albums. Even the biggest fans were slowly losing hope that any new music would ever see the light of day, but luck was on their side. Singer Roger Daltrey and guitarist, main songwriter and singer Pete Townshend, the only two members left from the start of the band’s career, insist they haven’t been resting on their laurels, and with the new record, WHO, they’re offering music for the new millennium.
On WHO, Pete Townshend is still digging into questions of life and existence, falling in love, choosing life partners, and the people we value and love most, regardless of their status or the thickness of their wallet. As usual, he sings a few songs himself, since he still likes to keep the vocal duality that gives the band its much-needed variety. He has once again proven himself a superb lyricist, and the music is unmistakably his and very good. Broadly speaking, it’s a praiseworthy show of respect and a tribute to the past and the present, but once again without too much pomp and noise. The Who are simply, quietly reminding the world of music that they’re back.
Townshend dedicated All This Music Must Fade to every songwriter ever accused of copying others. He says the musical palette is so limited and already used up that nobody in the 21st century should claim to have invented a new chord sequence. Whatever you think about Guantanamo is your business; how Townshend and Daltrey see it, they told us in Ball And Chain. Townshend sat on Rockin’ In Rage for the last six years. It only came alive the way it should once Daltrey added his voice. His vocal on it is powerful, vulnerable, broken and pleading. And in I Don’t Wanna Get Wise he warns: “Don’t grow old, you might get wise.”
For a good decade now, the Daltrey-Townshend duo have been backed live by bassist Pino Palladino and drummer Zak Starkey, son of the famous Beatle Ringo. This time the two recorded the entire album, and with some extra musicians on board, the production was handled with skill by guys who can boast of working on records by the likes of Oasis, Gorillaz and Manic Street Preachers. They took absolutely nothing away from songs that sound like they were recorded in the seventies. You’ll find all the familiar touches the band has stood for since the very beginning, the mid-sixties: socially engaged lyrics, Daltrey’s still-recognizable, powerful, slightly raspy voice, excellent backing, and Pete Townshend’s one-of-a-kind thundering guitars. Everything else is still here too: loads of keyboards, a symphony orchestra and plenty of embellishment. Townshend wasn’t out to reinvent himself, of course. In some songs he skillfully tucked in longer instrumental passages, making them far from instant, and above all more interesting for listeners who want a bit more from their music.
On the album WHO, The Who deliver Daltrey’s inward-looking interpretation. Townshend holds his own vocally too, even though both are well into their seventies. Pete Townshend may have tried too hard at times, but he mostly doesn’t care, since he wrote from the heart. Maybe he wanted to offer too much, and that can easily overwhelm the average casual listener and the youngsters meeting The Who for the first time today. On WHO the two old-timers are really in great shape, especially considering that Townshend is constantly writing, though he doesn’t hand everything over to Daltrey. On top of that, in 2018 he contributed a few songs to the singer’s solo album As Long As I Have You, songs that at the time had no clear home on any release in history. Longtime fans of The Who can of course only be glad that it all turned out the way it did. The two haven’t always been on the best terms, which was also the case in recent years. Daltrey supposedly even did his part separately from the other musicians and Townshend himself. But that doesn’t diminish the significance of this album. The cover was put together by Peter Blake as a collage of images from some of the band’s most important periods. With both gentlemen at such an advanced age, I hope they’ll make a new album sooner than thirteen years from now, because by then it will really be too late. And if this one is the last, it’s definitely a superb finale to the dazzling career of one of the most important bands in rock history.
Author: Jernej Vene
Tracklist:
1. All This Music Must Fade (3:21)
2. Ball And Chain (4:30)
3. I Don’t Wanna Get Wise (3:55)
4. Detour (3:46)
5. Beads On One String (3:40)
6. Hero Ground Zero (4:53)
7. Street Song (4:48)
8. I’ll Be Back (5:02)
9. Break The News (4:30)
10. Rockin’ In Rage (4:05)
11. She Rocked My World (3:23)
Bonus tracks:
12. This Gun Will Misfire (3:35)
13. Got Nothing To Prove (3:38)
14. Danny And My Ponies (4:04)
Line-up:
Pete Townshend: guitars, backing vocals, lead vocals (tracks 8, 12–14), harmonicas, percussion, synthesizer, violin, cello, hurdy gurdy, orchestration (6)
Roger Daltrey: lead vocals (except 8, 12–14)
Guest musicians:
Pino Palladino: bass (1-2, 4-8, 11-12)
Zak Starkey: drums (1-2, 4, 7)
Simon Townshend: percussion
Dave Sardy: percussion, mellotron, synthesizer programming (5)
Joey Waronker: drums (5, 8, 11-12)
Benmont Tench: organ, mellotron
Gus Seyffert: bass (3, 9-10)
Carla Azar: drums (3, 10)
Matt Chamberlain: drums (6)
Josh Tyrrell: handclaps (4)
Rowan McIntosh: handclaps (4)
Martin Batchelar: programming (6), orchestration (6, 8), orchestra arrangement (8), orchestra conducting (6, 8, 13)
Rachel Fuller: orchestration (6)
Bruce Dukov: orchestra leader (6, 8, 13)
Andrew Synowiec: acoustic guitar (9)
Gordon Giltrap: acoustic guitar (11)
Fergus Gerrand: percussion (11)
