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Re: How I bit the bullet



I had heard of a couple of The Who's singles during the late '60s (e.g., I
Can See for Miles) but they were just another few entries in the rich
stream of singles pouring through the radio at that time by The Doors,
Hendrix, Cream, The Beatles, etc. etc.  Then in March '71 my high-school
German class took a trip to a state comvention.  It was an
emotionally-charged weekend (not least because we won the drama
competition) and on the late-night ride home a friend played _Tommy_ for me
straight through on a tape machine, helping me understand the lyrics when
they were drowned out by the road roar.  (I remember him and another friend
who knew the album, counting off the 13 "fiddles" at the end of "Uncle
Ernie" on their fingers.)  The combination of that weekend plus the music
really made an impression on me, and as soon as I got home I went out to
buy "tommy the who" and spent hours with the libretto and that great music.
I was 14.  I was most impressed that not only was the music great but it
all hung together to a purpose and a story, and I liked that there were
"holes" between the songs so I had to work a bit to figure out the story
itself (but it took a while -- for some time I thought that the mirror
smash didn't cure Tommy -- that the "Ohhhhh" at the end was a moan of
sadness on his part at seeing the mirror destroyed, and that some other,
unnamed event occurred to cure him between "Sensation" and "Miracle Cure".)
I also liked that the ending was open to interpretation.  That was the
start for me...when I knew The Who were special.  Who's Next hit the air
during my high-school years, and my first semester in college Quadrophenia
came out.  I was thrilled; it was a worthy successor to the loud epic rock
songs on WN; the more controlled, softer production values of Tommy now
seemed antiquated and dated.  Being unaware at the time of the fury of
their live shows, or the power-pop early singles, I thought they were
progressing nicely from softer rock to harder :-).  When I heard the
snippet of "The Kids Are Alright" in Quad (before "Sea and Sand"?) it was
the first time I had ever heard any of KAA; when I found out later that it
was a quote from an early song I was REALLY intrigued, especially since I
had already caught the reference to "My Generation" in "Punk vs. the
Godfather".  When the Quadrophenia tour came around I saw it in Dallas
(11/73).  The difference between the studio version and the live Tommy
songs they played was another huge revelation -- when they did "We're Not
Gonna Take It/Listening to You" I was awestruck, expecting to hear it as it
was done on the album.  Although it all started for me with Tommy, the
first live show was another crucial point in my appreciation for the group.

Alan
Be sure to read _McKendree: A Burning Novel of Murder and Revenge_
by Douglas Hirt, ISBN 0-8439-4184-7  (available at www.amazon.com)