A Seattle fan remembers

[Brian Cady]

King County Journal:
http://tinyurl.com/qudtt

Who love the Who? For one fan, the band rocked his world
By Casey McNerthney
For the Journal

Scott Farley doesn't remember the exact day he heard The Who coming from a transistor radio on his headboard more than 30 years ago. What he remembers is the way their Brit-rock grabbed him, providing an electricity that few other bands have.

That's one reason why Farley, now 42 and the co-manager of Golden Oldies music store in Seattle, bought tickets to see The Who Wednesday at Seattle's KeyArena. "Each of their members is so strong," he said, "and when they're together they're incredible."

As one of the key figures of the British Invasion and the mod movement of the mid-'60s, The Who combined conventional rock and R&B structures with Pete Townshend's furious guitar chords, hyperactive bass lines from John Entwistle, Keith Moon's frantic drumming and the explosive vocals of Roger Daltrey.
The Who's first hit was the 1965 power rock single "I Can't Explain," but the band was vaulted to international success with "My Generation" — the teenage anthem from the same-named album released in 1965. Those songs — and a stack of other hits — earned The Who a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a No. 9 ranking on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Rock 'n' Roll.

Farley has all albums The Who has released in its roller coaster career – from 1971's "Who's Next" to "The Ultimate Collection," released in 2002.

"And I flipped when I saw 'Tommy' the movie," Farley said.

The Who's 1969 double-concept album, "Tommy," was acclaimed as the first successful rock opera by both mainstream publications and underground rock magazines. The movie version premiered in 1975, and in 1993, Townshend turned "Tommy" into a Tony-award winning Broadway musical.

The band has inspired many modern rock legends, including Pearl Jam, who covered The Who's "Baba O'Riley" at the Gorge Amphitheatre in July.

The Who — who lost Moon to a drug overdose 1978 and bassist John Entwistle to a heart attack in 2002 — is now anchored by surviving founders Townshend and Daltrey. Though the pair is old enough to qualify for AARP benefits, they still rock hard enough to release a new album — "Endless Wire," in stores Oct. 31.

"Only some music stands the test of time," Farley said. "Their music is still great.

"They are what rock is."

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