Feedback on feedback and WAY, anyway

["Mark R. Leaman" <mleaman@sccoast.net>]

> I don't think so either here.  I read a John Lennon interview where
> he claims that his "I Feel Fine" feedback was done before Pete and
> Jimi.

Jim:

Lennon also claimed the idea of recording feedback came when he
accidentally left a guitar leaning against his amp. Well, I don't believe
any electric guitarist out there is going to buy THAT one! Feedback is an
annoying reality of amplified sound, be it mikes or guitars or you name
it...people go to great lengths to avoid it!
Like many of you, I have The High Numbers at the Scene Club in 1964, aka at
the Marquee, and Pete was using controlled feedback at that point. There is
also the feedback on BDYDI from the new ODDS AND SODS, circa late `64/early
`65. Dave Davies and Jeff Beck also claimed to have "invented" controlled
feedback, but I have no proof of anyone except our own Pete doing it. THEY
never recorded any, that's for sure! But The Kinks DID open for The
Beatles, just prior to The High Numbers (I believe they also shared some
dates).
In any case, I Feel Fine was recorded in 1965. And in a previous discussion
either Bruce or Brian (sorry I can't recall which; it's been a while)
established that The High Numbers opened for The Beatles roughly four
months before IFF was recorded.
In regard to Hendrix...his recorded work pre-Experience shows absolutely NO
feedback involved...since the band was formed by Chas Chandler in London,
1966, one must assume he saw Townshend using feedback at some point, so
again I must believe his use of feedback had a very familiar point of
origin.

> At this time in the band, The Who were at a lull.  We all know that. 
> Punk music was challenging the reign of the "supergroups"

BUT the majors were all Who fans (so they said), and The Who virtually
invented Punk with AAA, and it should have energized Pete (in fact he said
it did, despite there being no evidence of it). Instead, we got a weaker
effort. If anything, WAY was the opposite of Punk...a more overblown album
the band had never done (QUAD was more complex and textured, true, but it
worked in that case so I can't call it "overblown"). I remember the Rolling
Stone review at the time rightly (IMHO) pointing out that MMC might be a
correct sentiment, but the song ignored the fact that it already HAD! And
the album ignored Punk entirely. The Who certainly had what it takes to do
Punk; apart from their earlier songs which had the drive and energy, even
as late as QUAD and WBN there are songs which are a mere hair from being
Punk, with a little speeding up (In A Hand Or A Face & I Had Enough being
the two easiest examples), so...it would have been nice...

> He's harping on "recycling trash" again.  I got no problem with it.

Yeah, but while harping on it he's actually doing it. A joke which didn't
work, IMHO.

> 2.  Had Enough:  Several great Moon rolls, and Daltrey's voice make
> the song.

YIKES! Daltrey's voice is hoarse for the very first (recorded) time in this
song!!! A sign of things to come, unfortunately.