Saturday 27 August 2011
Case Study: The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Dalrey (lead vocals and harmonica), Pete Townshend (guitar, piano and backing vocals, John Entwistle (bass and backing vocals) and Keith Moon (drums).They become know for their energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction, especially between Pete Townshend (also nicknamed the "birdman" by performing moves like spreading his arms wide while his guitar strummed out) destroying his guitar, but not allowing Pete to upstage him, Keith moon joined in by kicking his drums over.
(Above The Who performing Baba O'Riley, an example of their energetic performances)
An example of one of The Who's most imfamous performances is when the performed on the Smother Brothers Comedy Hour, when Kieth moon, had etra charges added to his bass drum, for the end explosion, with out telling the rest of the band. The explosion was so intense Keith was cut up by his drum kit and Pete's hearing suffers.
(Above The Who performing Baba O'Riley, an example of their energetic performances)
An example of one of The Who's most imfamous performances is when the performed on the Smother Brothers Comedy Hour, when Kieth moon, had etra charges added to his bass drum, for the end explosion, with out telling the rest of the band. The explosion was so intense Keith was cut up by his drum kit and Pete's hearing suffers.
The Who have sold about 100 million records, and have charted 27 top forty singles in the United Kingdom and United States, as well as 17 top ten albums, with 18 Gold, 12 Platinum and 5 Multi-Platinum album awards in the United States alone.
The Who rose to fame in the UK with a series of top ten hit singles, which were boosted by pirate radio stations such as Radio Caroline, beginning in January 1965 with "I Can't Explain". The albums My Generation (1965), A Quick One (1966) and The Who Sell Out (1967) followed, with the first two reaching the UK top five.
They first hit the US Top 40 in 1967 with "Happy Jack" and hit the top ten later that year with "I Can See for Miles". Their fame grew with memorable performances at the Monterey Pop, Woodstock and Isle of Wight music festivals. The 1969 release of Tommy was the first in a series of top ten albums in the US, followed by Live at Leeds (1970), Who's Next (1971), Quadrophenia (1973), The Who by Numbers (1975), Who Are You (1978) and The Kids Are Alright (1979).
Moon died at the age of 32 in 1978, after which the band released two studio albums, the UK and US top five Face Dances (1981) and the US top ten It's Hard (1982), with drummer Kenney Jones, before disbanding in 1983.
They re-formed at events such as Live Aid and for reunion tours such as their 25th anniversary tour (1989) and the Quadrophenia tours of 1996 and 1997. In 2000, the three surviving original members discussed recording an album of new material, but their plans temporarily stalled upon Entwistle's death at the age of 57 in 2002. Townshend and Daltrey continue to perform as The Who, and in 2006 they released the studio album Endless Wire, which reached the top ten in the UK and US.
The Who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, their first year of eligibility; the display describes them as "Prime contenders, in the minds of many, for the title of World's Greatest Rock Band." Time magazine wrote in 1979 that "No other group has ever pushed rock so far, or asked so much from it." Rolling Stone magazine wrote: "Along with The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, The Who complete the holy trinity of British rock."
The Who's identity has changed a lot over the course of the last 49 years, changes in band members and society have contributed to this. The pictures below show the changes over each decade to the last millennium, again theses are changes of the ideologies of the consumer, and the changes to the music industry.
The who have developed from the rhythm and blues band portrayed in 1962, to a more fledged rock genre band. Again portrayed through their different style of music which developed from again changes in time and influence of other bands at the time. A video below shows The Who in 1967, with a softer tonne compared to their more later hits.
Current Members
Roger Daltrey -lead vocals, rythm guitar and harmonica (1962-present)
Pete Townshend- Guitar, keyboards, synthesisers, vocals (1962-present)
Former Members
Doug Sandom - Drums (1962-1964)
John Entwistle- Bass Guitar, brass, Vocals (1962-2002)
Keith Moon- Drums, percussion (1964-1978)
Kenny Jones - Drums - (1979-1988)
The Who (1960)
The Who (1970)
The Who (1980)
The Who (1990)
The Who (2000)
The Who rose to fame in the UK with a series of top ten hit singles, which were boosted by pirate radio stations such as Radio Caroline, beginning in January 1965 with "I Can't Explain". The albums My Generation (1965), A Quick One (1966) and The Who Sell Out (1967) followed, with the first two reaching the UK top five.
They first hit the US Top 40 in 1967 with "Happy Jack" and hit the top ten later that year with "I Can See for Miles". Their fame grew with memorable performances at the Monterey Pop, Woodstock and Isle of Wight music festivals. The 1969 release of Tommy was the first in a series of top ten albums in the US, followed by Live at Leeds (1970), Who's Next (1971), Quadrophenia (1973), The Who by Numbers (1975), Who Are You (1978) and The Kids Are Alright (1979).
Moon died at the age of 32 in 1978, after which the band released two studio albums, the UK and US top five Face Dances (1981) and the US top ten It's Hard (1982), with drummer Kenney Jones, before disbanding in 1983.
They re-formed at events such as Live Aid and for reunion tours such as their 25th anniversary tour (1989) and the Quadrophenia tours of 1996 and 1997. In 2000, the three surviving original members discussed recording an album of new material, but their plans temporarily stalled upon Entwistle's death at the age of 57 in 2002. Townshend and Daltrey continue to perform as The Who, and in 2006 they released the studio album Endless Wire, which reached the top ten in the UK and US.
The Who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, their first year of eligibility; the display describes them as "Prime contenders, in the minds of many, for the title of World's Greatest Rock Band." Time magazine wrote in 1979 that "No other group has ever pushed rock so far, or asked so much from it." Rolling Stone magazine wrote: "Along with The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, The Who complete the holy trinity of British rock."
The Who's identity has changed a lot over the course of the last 49 years, changes in band members and society have contributed to this. The pictures below show the changes over each decade to the last millennium, again theses are changes of the ideologies of the consumer, and the changes to the music industry.
The who have developed from the rhythm and blues band portrayed in 1962, to a more fledged rock genre band. Again portrayed through their different style of music which developed from again changes in time and influence of other bands at the time. A video below shows The Who in 1967, with a softer tonne compared to their more later hits.
Current Members
Roger Daltrey -lead vocals, rythm guitar and harmonica (1962-present)
Pete Townshend- Guitar, keyboards, synthesisers, vocals (1962-present)
Former Members
Doug Sandom - Drums (1962-1964)
John Entwistle- Bass Guitar, brass, Vocals (1962-2002)
Keith Moon- Drums, percussion (1964-1978)
Kenny Jones - Drums - (1979-1988)
The Who (1960)
The Who (1970)
The Who (1980)
The Who (1990)
The Who (2000)
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