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The Who In October (A History)



5 Years Ago This Month (1992)

On the 9th, a 4 CD set of performances from The Monterey International
Pop Festival of 1967 is released by Rhino Records.  It contains The Who's
short concert.

W.A.S.P., A Los Angeles heavy-metal group, releases a CD single with a
cover of "The Real Me."

Pete's "Who Came First" LP is released in a newly-remastered CD by
Rykodisc with additional tracks from the Meher Baba albums.

10 Years Ago This Month (1987)

In Rolling Stone’s 20th anniversary issue, Pete calls "Won’t Get Fooled
Again" "the dumbest song I’ve ever written."

Pete's Double O Charity throws an upscale benefit ball at the Mayfair
Hotel.

15 Years Ago This Month (1982)

The North American Tour of The Who continues with shows at St. Paul (2nd
& 3rd), Rosemont, Illinois (5th & 6th),  Louisville (7th), Toronto (9th),
the Meadowlands, New Jersey (10th), Shea Stadium (12th & 13th), Cedar
Falls (15th), Boulder (17th), Seattle (20th), Portland (21st), Oakland
(23rd and 25th), San Diego (27th), Los Angeles (29th) and Tempe, Arizona
(31st).  The shows at Shea Stadium and San Diego are professionally
recorded and filmed.  The Clash are one of the opening acts at the Shea
Stadium shows.  Before the show, Pete is interviewed by the BBC and
declares he is happy to see The Who end so that he will never have to
play anywhere like Shea Stadium again.  Roger, also speaking to the BBC,
says this is the last tour because it might be four years before another
one and he can’t imagine singing with The Who when he is 42.

Rolling Stone prints a Kurt Loder interview with The Who.  Pete and Roger
say The Who will cease performing live but will continue producing
records.  John says he sees no point in making more records if they
aren’t going to tour.  Subsequently, Pete and Roger get upset with John
for saying this to the press but never saying it directly to them.  In
the same issue is a story about a Milwaukee DJ who stayed on a 21-story
ledge for 2 weeks until The Who agreed to play there.

"Athena" is released in Britain as a 12" picture disc backed with "Won't
Get Fooled Again" and "A Man Is A Man."

Richard Barnes’ 1st version of "The Who: Maximum R’n’B" is published.  It
includes a flexidisc with a Pete demo of "My Generation."

On the 21st, MTV airs a "Farewell To The Who" special.

20 Years Ago This Month (1977)

Although it may have begun the month before, the sessions for the album
"Who Are You" begin in earnest.  Well, perhaps not in that much earnest. 
Producer Glyn Johns later complains that Pete, John and Keith, having not
seen each other since early 1976, just wanted to sit around and drink and
talk about old times.  The ever sober Roger quickly gets fed up and goes
home, telling the others to call him when they want to do any actual
work.  Those around the band are also concerned with Keith who has gained
a lot of weight during his 2 years in Los Angeles, is drinking even more
heavily than usual, and has lost a lot of his drumming speed and
flexibility.  He does, however, have the energy to destroy his drum kit
within a few minutes of walking in to the first session.  He then objects
to a notice board in the reception area and calmly sets fire to it. 
During the month the songs "Who Are You," "Sister Disco," "Love Is Coming
Down" (on the 18th) and "New Song" (24th and 27th)  are put in the can. 
The recording mostly takes place at The Who’s Ramport Studios with some
additional work at Goring Studios.  Also probably during this month, Jeff
Stein, the New York City fan who has been assigned to direct a
documentary on The Who, talks them into performing some loose studio jams
before the cameras.  "Barbara Ann" and "I Saw Her Standing There," both
with vocals by Keith, are shot.

On the 1st, Roger's single "Avenging Annie" backed with "The Prisoner"
hits the U.S. charts.  It peaks at #88 in Billboard, #87 in Cashbox.

Roger appears on the program "Midnight Special" on NBC-TV in the U.S.
with Keith and John accompanying him on tape.

On the 15th, Pete and Ronnie Lane's "Rough Mix" LP hits the British
charts. It peaks at #44 on the New Musical Express charts.

Rolling Stone Magazine publishes a long article by Pete about what has
been happening to him over the past 2 years.  It contains the story of
the "millions screaming" dream.

25 Years Ago This Month (1972)

On the 14th, Melody Maker reports that The Who have sponsored a race car.

LaBelle releases their album "Moonshadow" which opens with a cover of
"Won't Get Fooled Again." 

On the 21st, Pete's 1st solo album "Who Came First" hits the British
charts.  It ultimately reaches #30 in Britain and #69 in U.S.  A single
from the album, "Forever's No Time At All" backed with a non-LP song
"This Song Is Green," is also released but fails to chart.

On the 23rd, Keith begins work acting in the movie "That'll Be The Day"
being filmed on the Isle Of Wight.  On the same day Atlanta’s underground
newspaper The Great Speckled Bird carries a negative review of a
multi-media production of Tommy at Georgia State University.

On the 28th, The United States Council For World Affairs adopts "Join
Together" as its anthem.

30 Years Ago This Month (1967)

Back in London after their 3-month tour of the U.S., The Who continue
work on "The Who Sell Out" LP.  By this time, they have decided to make
an album of songs interspersed with commercials.  On the 2nd another
version of "Early Morning Cold Taxi" is recorded at CBS Studios. At IBC
studios they record "Odorono" and "Heinz Baked Beans" (11th), "Tattoo"
(12th) and  "Armenia City In The Sky" (20th). At DeLane Studios the album
version of "Mary Anne With The Shaky Hands" is recorded on the 24th and
during the month "Medac," "Silas Stingy," and "Hall Of The Mountain King"
are recorded at Kingsway Studios.  Also at Kingsway, John and Keith
record additional jingles advertising Premier Drums, Rotosound Strings,
the Speakeasy, and John Mason’s Cars.

On the 7th, "I Can See For Miles" backed with "Mary Anne With The Shaky
Hands" hits the U.S. charts.  It hits #9 in Billboard and #8 in Cash Box
which is the highest position ever obtained by a Who single in the U.S. 
The next night, "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour," with The Who’s
appearance, airs on CBS-TV in the U.S.

On the 10th, BBC Radio's "Top Gear" plays some of The Who's new studio
recordings including alternate takes of "Pictures Of Lily" and "I Can See
For Miles" and a studio version of "Summertime Blues."

There is a brief mention of The Who in the 1st issue of Rolling Stone
Magazine now on sale in the U.S.

On the 14th, "I Can See For Miles" backed with "Someone's Coming" is
released in Britain.  Pete had been holding the song in reserve for when
The Who needed a really big hit.  It does not get the reception he
thought. Derek Johnson reviews "I Can See For Miles" in New Musical
Express and finds it less "tuneful" than their previous hits.  The
British public seems to agree and after a few weeks it peaks at #10 and
then drops off the charts.  Pete is both enraged and overwhelmed by
feelings of failure.

The Who perform at the Saville Theatre in London on the 22nd.  On the
28th they begin a British tour at the City Hall in Sheffield then go on
to Coventry on the 29th and Newcastle on the 30th.  The opening acts are
Traffic, the Herd, Marmalade and The Tremeloes.  At the Coventry show the
stage manager, upset at the violence in The Who’s act, tries to end the
show after only 3 songs.  Pete picks up an amplifier and throws it at
him.

53 Years Ago This Month (1944)

John Alec Entwistle is born in Chiswick, London


                                     -Brian in Atlanta