Re: Sea and Sand

[mleaman@sccoast.net (Mark Leaman)]

>Yes, Mark, each album had to be a giant step forward to be artistically
>valid, but as WF pointed out even before Quad each album sounded quite
>different from its predecessor. That is, the Who managed ( very well!) in
>those earlier years to be creative and forward looking without feeling they
>had to abandon their keynote, Wholike sound. An important component of this
>sound was PT`s rhythm guitar (electric or acoustic although the former was
>the preferred PT sound for many) produced high up in the mix and in effect
>functioning as a lead instrument (think of the distorted, cascading break in
>Pictures of Lily, or the opening chord sequence to the Seeker, or...). Pete
>let the synthesizers take over in Quad, where many of the guitar tracks
>sound like the musical equivalent to a guide vocal.

Gary:

I would say that since Rock music became more and more complex as it
proceeded along its path, Townshend felt he had to do more to change the
sound of the band. Also, and this has to be a consideration, the music by
their peers was relying more on synthesizers. Yes and ELP were quite popular
in `73, for instance. ELP was (in essence) The Who with a keyboard instead
of a guitar. Even The Stones were moving in that direction; a direction Pete
pioneered.
Also Pete may have felt increasing pressure by guitarists who were advancing
the art (in fact, he's said as much). So to really stay ahead, he turned to
keyboards (with the praise he received for his work on WN, that's not
surprising).
At any rate, it was a perhaps more drastic step than most...but it was a
more important album than most, too. Even to Pete.

>In New Song, PT
>announced his complaint quite clearly: "I write the same old song with a
>few new lines, and everyone wants to cheer it....admit you really want to
>hear it!". Well, it wasn`t really the same old song, yet PT thought it was
>and, I suppose, who are we to disagree? But in any case he gave us something
>new all right, as a result of which the band never regained its old edge,
>IMO. Looking at this another way, maybe PT should have quit the band in the
>early 70`s to pursue his solo career. This would also have given the
>remaining band members a chance to redeploy their considerable talents in a
>revamped version of the Who, or under a different name.

And since QUAD was trashed by the press and not-bought in droves by people
who loved WN (and wanted the same again), he returned to a simple format for
WNB. But he wasn't happy and that's evidenced by the songs therein. The
failure of QUAD (in his mind) was the beginning of his disenchantment with
The Who. And thus the attitude that spawned Same Old Song.
Hearing the TOMMY demos, it's not far-fetched to imagine Pete tarting that
up and putting it out (had the band broken up at that point). Certainly he
could have done it afterward.



                   Cheers                   ML

"Never underestimate the power of human stupidity."  L. Long