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Re: The Who Unplugged



I hate to bring up the well-trodden subject of this unplugged concept for the
Who, but a, if not the, primary appeal of The Who (not the individuals within
the group) is the visual aspect of the performance. The Who's notoriety in UK
and US was not built on the music -- it was built on a lunatic kicking over
his drums, a tall, skinny guy breaking guitars, a bronze god twirling a
microphone within inches of others' lives, and a stoic, blazingly fast bass
player off to the side. Top it of with 130 db and some explosions and you
have the reason the became famous.
Now, I know your saying that ended in the late '60s, if not with the
culmination of the Tommy tours; however, the reputation of the greatest live
band is built on this history, not on the music. As everyone of you who has
any boots or LAL, etc., it is rather obvious that there is something going on
behind the recording. The Who, save Entwistle, and maybe Roger, were not
overly pedantic when it came to reproducing the recordings on the stage. No
one went to a Who show hoping to hear a faithful reproduction of A Quick One.
They hoped to see, and expected, if not demanded, cymbals, microphones, doc
martens and Les Paul deluxes in the air. 

Now, the possibility of that type of show happening again ended in 1978. And,
the music itself is all we have to remember it by. Even so, a form of the Who
continued to function through 1989, providing some semblance of that appeal.
There were still mics twirling, guitars flying (at least thrown to the ground
at one of the shows I saw), Kenneth Coles jumping, Armanis scissor-kicking,
and the bleedin' VC-10' was still rumbling away on the left.

Having seen some episodes of Unplugged, I can't (IMHO) visualize The Who
providing the type of performance mentioned above while seated on folding
metal chairs. How will anyone sustain permanent hearing damage?

**end of diatribe**

Pete on Unplugged? That's a completely different story. His performance style
-- solo, that is --, his material, both acoustic and electric, and his
non-Who reputation, is much better suited to the format. 

I know I'm opening up a pandora's box with this statement -- and it is my
opinion only. Maybe I'm being too close-minded and too much a traditionalist.
I'd rather not see a J-200 in pieces on the cement floor of MTV's studio.

**************
BTW, I've found many a good boot at Generation records in NY. Also, you
Chicagoans, Dr. Wax and the place across the street (I can't remember the
name) on Clark have provided good stuff, too. 

Litgo