Billboard reviews "Tea and Theatre"

[Brian Cady]

http://tinyurl.com/yjqnk7

Tea & Theatre
THE WHO
Producer(s): Pete Townshend
Genre: ROCK
Label: Universal Republic

For one of the greatest—and loudest—rock bands of all time that invented such essential clichés as guitar-smashing and microphone-hurling, "Tea & Theatre" is a surprisingly quiet comeback single. The track from "Endless Wire," the Who's first studio album in 25 years (due Oct. 31), relies on Pete Townshend's gently finger-picked acoustic guitar and naked synth drums. Meanwhile, a relentlessly operatic Roger Daltrey revisits the band's history, lamenting with sandpapered grandeur: "This story is done/It's getting colder now/A thousand songs/Still smolder now/We play them as one/We're older now." Rock radio longing for windmill power chords and old-school pyrotechnics will cringe, but triple-A should dig this intimate, wistful conversation between two legends just having tea.—sp
 
-Brian in Atlanta
The Who This Month!
http://www.thewhothismonth.com