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TOWNSHEND BARES HIS CREATIVE PROCESS
by Joel Selvin

Scoop 3 Eel Pie $21.83 

Few artists allow people to see their sketchbooks.
Half-finished ideas, rejected concepts, crudely drawn
blueprints -- what's the point? The finished artwork
speaks for itself and why would any artist want to
risk the comparison with his rough drafts? 

Pete Townshend of the Who is hardly any artist and
"Scoop 3" is the third collection drawn from his demo
recordings since he released the first "Scoop" in
1983. While the third volume is currently only
available on his Web site (www.eelpie.com), he has
also put together a two-CD compilation of all three
sets called "Scooped," which was released to record
stores last month. 

"3" leans, naturally enough, on more recent
recordings, including a number of lush instrumental
interludes that Townshend composed in the wake of a
wrist injury 10 years ago. 

The selections include skeletal floor plans for the
odd Who and Townshend solo records ("Sea and Sand"
from "Quadrophenia"; the raw "Teresa," which Townshend
changed to "Athena" in the Who's version; the
surprisingly rough "No Way Out," which he ultimately
turned into a solo track). But a number of the set's
best tunes -- "Lonely Words," "I Like It the Way It
Is," "Squirm Squirm" -- were never released. Townshend
offers fans an unparalleled opportunity to view the
inner workings of his creative process. His demos were
more than words and music; he uses the recording
studio like modeling clay, pushing arrangements into
shape, checking out vocal parts, etc. 

Some of his demos retain the immediacy of their
creation far more vividly than the finished versions.
While "Scoop 3" has no higher aspirations than ripping
out a few of the most interesting pages of Townshend's
sketchbook, it is nevertheless a more rewarding,
intriguing record than many fully produced,
elaborately executed works by his would-be peers. 


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-Brian in Atlanta
The Who This Month!
http://www.thewhothismonth.com
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