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RE: Musings About These TopicsSun Dec 7 13:17:06 PST 1997



W.R.T. Daltrey tour, it was said that: 

"An "unplugged"-type tour with Pete would have been very successful (tour, CD, video), but it turned out to be assessed as a simple "money grab". 

Both Daltrey and especially PT have been pretty upfront for almost 17 years now that they are doing what they are doing pretty much for the money. When asked why he agreed to do the '89 tour by several magazines that I saw, PT repeatedly said that he hated the idea but that (paraphrasing) "I discussed it with my accountants and they convinced me that if I went on tour America would send me home a very rich man" (quote) "and that's a good feeling".

When he's upfront about it, it's honorable in some way but it's sort of demeaning to the audience (and of course we're all a-holes too, listening to his interview on the 30 Yrs. tape). 

Let's not blame this on "business acumen". This is because these guys are such jerks. Which by the way is probably part of what makes their music so interesting. I laughed my head off when PT called us a-holes. It was very amusing.

-g

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From: 	Cliff Barua[SMTP:baruac@aestor.am.doe.ca]
Sent: 	Monday, January 15, 1996 2:25 AM
To: 	thewho@mpath.com
Subject: 	Musings About These Topics

First of all to Jeff:  here, here, bravo, and all that. 
Early in the discussions, I appreciated WFang's and Mark's
insights.  I mean, I've learned a lot from these guys.  But
you BOTH live in a dream world.  Neither of you will EVER
have any impact on what gets released.  I've seen this on
other lists as well.  Ardent fans who want this and that
released.  Townsend, McCartney, Jagger, Page & Plant have no
time for us .... that's just a fact.

Also, with all this talk about releases, etc, you must all
face the fact that though the Who were a great band, they
lack the business and commercial savvy that their
contemporaries have shown.  The Stones, Led Zep (and now)
the Beatles know what makes money, and what the fans want. 
Blending the two, they come up with a highly marketable
product.  The Who have done well so far with the reissues. 
Critics have generally been very favourable in assessing
both the "new" sound quality and the material.  But the Box
Set (Maximum R & B) I think was better for established fans
of the group than the general buying public.  With the
wealth of material available, a 3 cd expanded "greatest
hits" with pristine sound would have sold tons.  But when
the casual buyer sees "live" or "previously unreleased" too
much, they may not be willing to shell out the bucks.  As
for Tom Petty, 6 CD's are way too much (for him anyway). 
Led Zep's first box set (4 CD's) sold because it was limited
to 4 CD's (though they may be one of the few artists that
could successfully sell a 6 CD set).  Maybe the Stones and
Beatles as well.  But the Who, sadly no.

I think the Who also differ because Pete is the only
out-front personality in the group.  The Stones have Mick
and Keef, the Beatles have all three (at least Paul and
George), and Led Zep have Page & Plant.  For the Who,
everything falls on Pete.  Also, the farewell tour thing was
handled badly.  What's the old joke?  Did you hear about the
Who's 44th farewell tour?  Last year, Roger's "Daltry Sings
Townsend" tour was much maligned.  An "unplugged"-type tour
with Pete would have been very successful (tour, CD, video),
but it turned out to be assessed as a simple "money grab". 
The Who have the material;  they just need a good PR firm to
market their stuff (maybe they need the same firm that the
Americans used for the Gulf War).

I think we'll just have to be happy with what we get.

Cliff Barua
baruac@aestor.am.doe.ca