[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: Empty Glass



Scott, re

> > I think that Empty Glass is the greatest Who album that never was.
> >
> > EMPTY GLASS still retains much of the "softer" elements found in
> > Pete's solo work rather than material that jumps out & screams, "Who
> > song!" Obviously, it's the least soft solo effort from Pete which
> > may be the reason it's often lamented as not being a Who album.

Good analysis Scott, just a couple of points ...

> > "I Am An Animal" - Great song. But would it have made a great *Who*
> > song? I'm not so sure. It's a rather delicate & dainty song, for the
> > most part. On a Who album, it probably would've been sung by Pete
> > anyway because of its high vocal register. Hearing Entwistle play on
> > this would have been interesting.

Hmm, perhaps, but there have been delicate and dainty songs on Who albums of some success - blue red & grey, for instance.

> > "Keep On Working" - This one just says, "Solo Pete," to me. I can't
> > hear it as a Who song. Maybe. In a lazy, silly, "Dogs" sort of way.

Naah, more like Now I'm a farmer!

> > "Cats In the Cupboard" - I don't like this song & wouldn't want to
> > hear a Who version. You might disagree.

Hey, we agree :-)

> > "A Little Is Enough" - Delicate & dainty again. Would it have been
> > a good Who song? I don't think so. It'd probably be another Who song
> > sung by Pete. Another song that says, "Solo Pete," rather than "Who
> > song that got away." IMO.

Again, this is a song that we disagree with. I can hear in my head a Who treatment of this song but I can't articulate it. Jaunty yes, but I think in keeping with material on WAY and Face Dances.

> > "Empty Glass" - Who song that got away. Definitely. Drop the "doo
> > wop" backing vocals, though. Never did like those.

Oh, no, don't drop the doo wop!

> > So, out of 10 songs, I see 5 that *definitely* fit the "Who mold."
> > The others, however, are more reminiscent of Pete solo songs &, IMO,
> > can't be definitively argued as being great lost Who songs.

Oh definitely. No one but Pete/TRoger/John could argue that one. I'd say that there are more like 7 possibly 8 genuinely Who type songs on that album.

Let's face it, it could be argued that many of the songs on WAY are more like solo Pete songs, and for a Pete solo album done by the Who, look at Who by numbers.

No, I'd still argue that Empty Glass is a great Who album. Sure, there are a couple of songs on it that might not translate more than adequately into Who material, much as I think there are songs on WAY and WN, for instance Love ain't for keeping which really for me aren't true Who songs.

But, and in your analysis, you've nailed the concept - Empty Glass does contain much material that would have worked significantly to making a great Who record.

And of course, if you develop the idea as Jim did, into looking at the overall picture with the songs on Face Dances, we have 19 songs to play with, and none of us would surely argue that with at least 5, more like 7 songs from Empty glass, and at least 5, perhaps 7 from Face Dances, we would have had an album that not only received critical and fan plaudits, but more importantly, might have restored Pete's faith in the Who as a recording entity for several more years?

Oh, then to have had the Who do pyschoderelict!

Cheers,

John


In conclusion (!), I see EMPTY GLASS as being about *half* of a great "could have been" Who album. The rest of the tracks fit comfortably in the solo Pete realm, IMO.