Re: The Who's Firsts

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

In reply to the feedback free-for-all, Neil wrote:

>Since I was responsible for starting the Feedback thread (bit of mischief
>really as I already knew the answer!) and so many people have got on the
>who-was-first comp I figured that it got outta hand.  Although I Feel Fine
>was first it actually had no impact at the time of release.  We only found
>out 20 years later that that funny little sound was the same as what we we
>heard on MG.
  
Perhaps main stream audiences didn't notice, but record companies and
peer bands certainly did.  And no, it didn't take 20 years for people to
realize that the funny little sound on "I Feel Fine" was feedback.  It
was discussed ad nauseum decades before then.  

>The Kinks stuck PINS in their amp (didn't invent the fuzzbox, obviously - first 
>used on Satisfaction).

Invention date of the fuzzbox aside, the first record played with guitar
distortion (not feedback) was The Kinks' "You Really Got Me" (July '64);
compliments of Dave Davies' pins AND sewing needle.  This while the
Stones were still cutting tinny sounding tracks like "Time Is On My
Side" (May '64) and "It's All Over Now" (June '64).  "Satisfaction"
lagged across the finish line in May '65, still trying to catch up to
the sound The Kinks had detonated worldwide a year earlier.

I certainly agree that MG was (is) one of the great rock songs of all
time and was a revolution in and of itself, but it wasn't created out of
the Void.  Pete himself admits that "I Can't Explain" and MG were
basically stolen from YRGM.  Stolen for two reasons: 1) obviously the
distortion 2) as Pete himself pointed out, he was even more impressed
with YRGM's escalating key change and used this idea in MG to great
effect.  He thought that was the most original concept The Kinks had
locked onto.  Escalating key changes were nothing new, but had never
been used before in a Rock song.  

>You don't think The Who didn't revolutionise rock and roll?  Then you weren't 
>there!

The Who is the greatest rock band ever.  I KNOW they revolutionized rock
and roll, but they didn't do it alone.  No, I wasn't there, and I doubt
you were in The Marquee Club in 1964 either!  But Pete WAS there and he
gives credit where credit is due.  The least WE can do is follow the
Master's lead.  

- --Leo