Wire & Glass

[Scott Schrade]

There's some good stuff here, people.  I'll admit, when I first 
listened to these "six songs from a mini-opera" I was sorta
underwhelmed.  But with each repeated listen I've come to like
it more & more.  Here's the breakdown of songs & their times:

Sound Round  (1:22)
Pick Up the Peace  (1:26) 
Endless Wire  (1:50)
We Got a Hit  (1:17)     
They Made My Dreams Come True  (1:12)  
Mirror Door  (4:13)

As you can see, "Mirror Door" is the only "full" track here.  
The rest are like "mini-songs."  It's not like they cut off after
a minute or so.  They have a beginning, middle, & end.  Like
really short, fully-realized songs.

For the most part, there are spaces between each track.  It's
not like "A Quick One," where the songs are truly connected.
I don't know how they will be presented on the final album.
I thought I read somewhere that the full mini-opera will be much
longer (30 minutes?) which leads me to believe that the shorter
songs above will be the normal 3 or 4 minutes when the album
comes out.

"Sound Round" is one of my favorites.  It starts out fast with
some furious snare rolls (Peter Huntington is the drummer) &
continues at this pace.  Daltrey's vocals, while a bit gruff-sound-
ing & a tad buried in the mix, are angry & insistent.  The chorus
is catchy, too.  The guitar is punchy & even Pino gets some
neat OX-like riffs.  It's got a nice part -- what I can only assume 
will be a middle-eight break -- where the song gets slower & 
quieter.  Here, this part is the ending.

"Pick Up the Peace" is slower-paced & has a definite QUAD 
vibe to it.  It sounds a bit like "Dr. Jimmy" -- especially when
Roger sings the line "...prepared to walk the line" with the 
same phrasing as "...when she chooses her man."  The chorus 
is very catchy.  Again, Daltrey's vocals are a tad rough-sounding.

"Endless Wire" is sung by Pete in a rather nasally tone.  It's a
slow song with nice accompanying piano from Rabbit.  It's OK.
Almost like a slow-dance song.  Pete's singing bugs me a bit.
Very nasally & monotone.  But again, the chorus sticks in
your head.

"We Got a Hit"  may be my favorite.  This is a head-bopping
song.  Cool backing vocals & powerful vocals from Rog.  The
chorus is too fucking cool.  I love it!  It reminds me of a quirky
Pete solo song but it has more strength with Roger singing.
But again Daltrey's vocals seem a little gruff.  I can deal, though.
This is how his voice is aging.  It's not *bad* -- don't misinterpret
what I'm saying.  We're all gettin' older.

"They Made My Dreams Come True" is another slow song
sung by Pete, again somewhat nasally, but with more range
than "Endless Wire."  This one may be my least favorite.

"Mirror Door" is a medium-tempo song.  But here, Roger's
vocals sound smooth & confident compared to the other tracks
he sings on.  (I hear some added echo, especially on the second
chorus.)  It's OK, but not as catchy as some of the others.
Contrary to that statement, I've had its chorus stuck in my 
head for a few days now.  

And that's it.  SR, PUTP, & WGAH (might as well start ab-
breviating these titles now) are my favorites.  This little sampler
leaves my spirits high in anticipation of the upcoming album.
I just wish OX were still around to partake in all this.  ;-(

The cover is a "we mean business" shot of Rog & Pete with
Pete in the foreground.  It screams, "Don't mess with these
old motherfuckers!  They've been through a lot!"  (It's the same
shot used on the recent MOJO magazine cover.)  And yes, 
the bird drawings on the inside cover *do* remind me of the
TOMMY album.

LONG LIVE THE WHO!!

Grade:  B


- SCHRADE in Akron