Re: The Who Mailing List Digest V4 #103

["Leo O'Sullivan" <Leo.O'Sullivan@globalone.net>]

Mark,
Nice job on your Who as influence message.  You hit the nail on the head
about WHO ARE YOU also.  I remember that sad year of 1978, when "Who Are
You" the song came and went like an expired gallon of milk, yet was,
IMO, the best song that year.  Also, citing how well a song sold has
gotten really old and it never means anything.  Where will the Spice
Girls be in twenty years?  And yes, "My Generation" influenced
everyone.  End of story (anyone interested can talk to the surviving Sex
Pistols, David Bowie, friends of Marc Bolan, and any true Punk Rock
historian).  I agree that The Who influenced The Beatles, but I think
you skimp out on how the Fab Four influenced The Who.  Pete wouldn't be
playing that Rickenbacker on those early songs if not for Lennon (Pete
claimed everyone had to have a Rickenbacker after The Beatles exploded
worldwide).  Neither would The Byrds, The Hollies, etc. who were all
copying that sound initially (no, I'm not knocking The Byrds, one of the
best, most original, and most influential bands ever).  Finally,
although Dylan is the reason for the maturing of the lyric writing in
both The Beatles and The Who (and yes, everyone else), The Beatles
returned the favor by influencing him.  I've read where Dylan decided
after hearing The Beatles that he was going to go electric, despite the
fact that his folkie peers considered The Beatles pop crap and said
going electric would bury Dylan.  Dylan thought otherwise and gave us
"Like A Rolling Stone" and a slew of other masterpieces.  My point is
the same one I'm constantly yammering about; these guys all influenced
each other, it was never a one way street.  Dylan saw the seed of
greatness in the early Beatles even when his peers dismissed them;
that's because Dylan was a musical genius and knew the goods when he saw
them.  Hendrix was obsessed with Dylan and The Beatles for the same
reason.  The real artists always recognize their true peers.  
	...but yeah, everyone gets more credit than The Who and that is
bullshit, so I hear you guy.
	On the Jimi Hendrix stealing Who act stuff.  In the documentary film,
Jimi Hendrix, Pete states that when Jimi came to London Jeff Beck came
out of a club and told Pete, 'Hey, he's stealing your act!', but when
Pete finally saw Hendrix he claimed that while he could see what Beck
meant, the smashing and feedback (etc), he also saw that Hendrix was
doing something completely different with it, he was making it his own. 
At the end of the same movie, Pete states before Jimi he really didn't
believe in the guitar as an important instrument (even though HE himself
was a famous guitarist) , but that Jimi changed his mind forever.
And let's face it, JHE and The Who were two completely different bands
and DID NOT rip each other off.  ("Voodoo Chile Slight Return" couldn't
have come from anyone but Hendrix, just as "Baba O'Riley" couldn't come
from any group but The Who). 
PS - Unfair to say that the Great Mitch Mitchell was a Moon clone
although his style was very similar.  But it's interesting that Mitch
Mitchell was one of the drummers who auditioned AND WAS PASSED OVER for
the drummer's seat in The Who before Moon joined (for nitpickers, I
think this comes from the Dave Marsh book; if not, keep looking)  It's
always boggled my mind that Mitch Mitchell didn't get that gig
considering how good he was with Hendrix and how similar he and Moonie's
playing is.  Oh well, I love you Mitch, but the better man won.
	To Jennifer D, keep up the great work.  To Wally, why is a Who fan
tearing down another Who fan who's providing info for more Who fans. 
"Can't we all just get along?"
	Despite evidence to the contrary in this message, I agree this should
be a Who list first and foremost, but debating the connection other
groups had to The Who just enriches MY understanding of the boys. 
Anyway, I'll try to write messages focusing more on The Who (and
mercifully shorter).
- --Leo