Re: Wrinkly rockers not dying before they get old

[Litgo@aol.com]

Rich B. wrote:

>Pete, on the other hand, has ALWAYS had good solo
>output, IMHO, with the possible exception of much of Iron Man.  For example,
>I think every single song on White City is very good, and there is much to
>recommend on Psychoderelict as well.
>
>Rich B.

Not to be a contrarian, but I rather liked Iron Man. Besides being an ideal
format for Pete to explore, it contains some great songs, even though some
are not sung by the writer. I thoroughly enjoy  listening to Over the Top. 

If our favorite artists, and not necessarily limited Pete, continued to
rewrite the same song (in a different key every) two years, how long would it
take for you to lose interest? I certainly can't sit through another playing
of "Love is Strong" by the Stones. And outside of a fan's interest, I would
most certainly, as an artist, long to explore new avenues and avoid being
pigeonholed. For those Joe Jackson fans out there, the 180 degree turn he
took at each variation of musical themes provides a variety and freshness
that would have foundered if stifled by rehashing Is she really... for 10
years.

Pete is, at least as an important facet of his work, is a concept writer.
Working on a grand (i.e., whole album) scale is his forte, and probably his
druthers. Sell Out, Tommy, Lifehouse, Quadrophenia (credit to Kit on the
push), and later, White City (to an extent), Iron Man and Psychoderelict, are
all different concepts to the typical collection of singles and filler that
comprise most albums. Where would the Who be if he never explored new
concepts? On the Steel Wheels tour...

Litgo