RE: Getting it all togetherSun Dec 7 13:17:06 PST 1997

[Gary Lang <garylang@ccnet.com>]

"Once the label saw that Lambert couldn't handle it (no argument
from me), they should have 86ed him as producer. "

Hmm, excuse me Who, but we want to fire your manager. What do you think of that?

I doubt that would have worked well on behalf of Decca or MCA.

-g

----------
From: 	Mark Leaman[SMTP:mleaman@sccoast.net]
Sent: 	Thursday, January 11, 1996 6:14 PM
To: 	thewho@mpath.com
Subject: 	Re: Getting it all together


>You're not up on your "Who History". The LP, "My Generation" was going to
>originally released with all the "cover" songs and it was aborted in favor of
>mostly Townshend songs. The songs they recorded for those sessions, ended up
>as the "b" sides as well as "Motoring" and "Heatwave" from "Two's Missing".
>I'm kinda happy the album ended up the way it did, aren't you?

WF:
Yes, yes...I know. A critic said something about the album being mostly
other people's material and Pete went into a panic. I'm quite aware of that.
That doesn't change the fact that the songs (already recorded) were buried
by MCA.
And sure I love MY GEN...but when they had enough material for two albums,
why not have two? The Stones, Beatles, and Kinks were cranking out four a
year at the time...

>BTW, are you saying that my Decca copies of "Can't Explain" &  "I Can't
>Explain" are the only one's in existance? As for "Substitute", they didn't
>"ruin" the song, just made it more "interesting". Especially since there were
>a lot of racism problems here at the time... 

Well, according to the quick check I did, it wasn't. So it was...

>The time period between "My Generation" and "A Quick One" was a year.

See above.

>See the pattern? The problem wasn't legal, it was Pete Townshend's writing
>ability to come up with popular singles in a "then" singles market. They were
>busy playing live, not spending time in the studio...

And so was everyone else, yet... A lot of Pete's reluctance to write had to
do with the legal battle. Please recall the singles that were released from
MG while The Who were in this battle: A Legal Matter, La La La Lies, The
Kids Are Alright, not to mention Substitute three times (in the UK). Did
Pete do this, or the record company? The answer to that IS the answer...

>The "sound quality" of the band wasn't the fault of MCA, (they didn't help
>any) but the fault of Kit Lambert, who had no clue what he was doing in the
>studio during that time. That, and the band had NO MONEY. 

Oh? The label doesn't hire the producer? That's news to me...and would be to
a lot of Rock musicians...(Andy Partridge of XTC could tell you a few
things). Once the label saw that Lambert couldn't handle it (no argument
from me), they should have 86ed him as producer. So many other bands have
had producers forced on them...was Polydor/Decca asleep at the wheel?
Really, my friend...you know more about The Who than you do the recording
industry. It's simply not that cut and dried. The artist (especially back
then) was the last in line to make decisions like that.

>"Sell Out" was no "recording marvel" either. Is Keith using a drum set or a
>bunch of "tin cans"???

That isn't out of line with the music of the time.

>>> Or, how about Young Man Blues, Jaguar, Fortune Teller, Glow Girl, My Way,
>Melancholia, Little Billy, Postcard, Early Morning Cold Taxi, Girl's Eyes,
>Faith In Something Bigger, Glittering Girl, Now I'm A Farmer? No, we got
>chilled leftovers instead.
>
>How 'bout them? They were unreleased songs. MCA or Polydor didn't even have
>possession of them.

Polydor and Decca did have those songs. And more, too, which were released
as B sides. Think about the relationship between labels and artists at the
time. It's not as true now, but back then the artists were often forced to
tour, record, appear, and other things. This I know, for I have friends who
recorded with major bands at the time. The artists were pretty much at the
mercy of the label.

>"Join Together" peaked at 17 on the charts, "Relay" 39. What are you talking
>about, re: "DOA"??? So, they didn't release "Let's See Action" here. We did
>get some nice solo albums while Pete was working on "Quadrophenia", didn't
>we? 

Relay was on the charts an entire 2 weeks, and JT only 8 from the time of
release. They were barely heard, compared to the airplay WN got. Look, I
remember that! I was there!

>I think you have Pete confused with the Robot from Lost In Space! If I were
>Pete or the record companies, I wouldn't be "ashamed" of the successes of
>"Who's Next" and "Quadrophenia". 

Sure, but don't you think that Lifehouse would have been better than WN? The
songs that have emerged from it indicate so. It would have done wonders for
Pete's mental health, too, which could have only benefited us. But the label
"...didn't want another double album." Ditto for LEEDS, BTW (twice now!!!).
As for QUAD, it was a complete commercial failure. This sent Townshend into
a depression...I'm sure you know this, `cause you ARE up on your Who
History. So the band's best work didn't get heard...very little promotion,
too. Again, I was there. I remember this.

>It's very easy to sit at your desk and say, they should have done this and
>they should have done that 20 or 30 years ago. 

But isn't that what YOU are doing, and have been doing? What, I can't
discuss it now? 
Does it matter that I felt the same at the time? I guess not...

                Cheers               ML