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Re: The Who Vs The Rest



On Fri, 9 Feb 1996, Cliff Barua wrote:

> still pack 'em in.  I think the Who (and their back
> catalogue) would have been better off if they'd packed it in
> after Keith died.  They became somewhat of a laughing stock
> after that - putting out very poor albums and countless


Not to mention all the Greatest Hits compilations, which started coming 
out even before Keith's death.  It made it just a bit more obvious that 
that the Who were concerned about the financial end.  Zep didn't come out 
with a compilation until 10 years after they broke up, and it sold 
fantastically well.  Sure it made a truckload of money for them, but 
people  bought it because it was the only way to get all the best songs 
whithout buying all 10 albums, plus they didn't already have a half dozen 
different versions of Whole Lotta Love or Black Dog (unlike My Generation 
& Pinball Wizard) on official releases.


> "farewell" and "reunion" tours.  Pete has gained back some
> of that respect with the play "Tommy" and hopefully people
> will now revisit the original album and other Who albums
> from that time and replenish the lost mystique of the Who


Most of the people I know that saw Tommy have never heard a Who album, 
and can only identify some of the songs as "something I heard on the 
radio once"  I also think the Who were one of the first bands to suffer 
from the leap from alternative to mainstream once they made it big & were 
doing stadiums.  Most of the bands that cite the Who as influences 
mention the earlier pre-Tommy stuff among their favourites.  When you're 
doing your thing for little money you're an artist, when you're doing it 
for a lot of money, you're a sell out. 


> pre-1978.  Led Zep was smart not to replace Bonham (maybe
> they realized they were on their way down as well with
> Presence and In Through The Out Door).

I think in the box set Page says that ITTOD was an indication of the 
direction Zep might have taken.  They never followed that path, The 
Who did.


> Also, please refrain from saying that the Who's influence
> can be seen in Green Day.  Green Day reflects the lack of
> musical standards prevalent in today's alternative music


I'm sure that the same was said of the Who back in the 60s by the older 
folk.  "Look at them smashing their instruments, making that horrible 
racket!  You call that music?  They could learn a thing or too from 
Laurence Welk."


Shane Matheson						MechEng/CompSci UWO

	"I smash guitars because I like them. " -- Pete Townshend