Re: WAY vs FD; Warped; New Who album

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

> I would say WHO ARE YOU has precisely the same structural flaws as FACE
> DANCES.

Brian:

I felt the same way about it. After hearing Quad, I was in tears. After
hearing WAY, I was thinking "I waited 3 years for THIS? THIS is all, and now
we have to wait three more years?" It really made me appreciate WBN a lot
more!
I felt about half of it was up to the Who's level: 905, Sister Disco, Music
Must Change, Guitar & Pen and the title track. And while half a Who album is
better than a whole one by most other bands, I couldn't help being pleased.
And when FD came out, I even thought it was a better album because it was
more consistantly good and went for the Pop sound aggressively. But I soon
tired of it, something that had never happened before with a Who album.

> heaviest of heavy metal. And let me infuriate everyone by saying that FACE
> DANCES with Keith Moon would have been only marginally better if at all.

Again, I agree. Keith's drumming two years after WAY would have been two
years worse. Unless the miracle occurred, and even then the songs are
ill-suited for his style. I imagine we would have gotten a completely
different album. With Pete even more disinterested and feeling even more
trapped by this time.

> play alright up until Sparks (thank GOD!) but ETTB and AQ stick.  Does
> anyone know of a way to 'unwarp' a CDr?

Jacqueline:

Very doubtful. There were always methods of unwarping an LP, none of which
ever worked (usually it made it worse). I'd contact the person you got the
show from and see if they won't make you another copy of the first disc.

> When I said 5 reunion tours I was including live aid and the 88 RAH
> show..those were one off gigs but I was including them..ok so the who have
> reunited to play live 5 times how about that??

Scott:

OK, I understand now. I was wondering if I'd missed a couple tours!

> there is a total putz! As you can see I am not a republican so please
don't
> lump me in with them...

Sorry, I'd never intentionally do something that cruel to anyone.

> It depends.  If Pete does idiosyncratic, off-the-wall stuff, then he can
> expect that there's a small market for it.  The more mainstream the work,

Keets:

I don't think either White City or Psycho were too idiosyncratic to sell.
Some bands, Death Metal bands for instance and Punk bands too, make their
career doing esoteric music. I can't see a mainstream Who album, since
there's never been one I liked much (that would be FD). Their best stuff was
far from mainstream...an album about a deaf dumb & blind boy? An album about
a guy with four personalities? An album about a future where music is
illegal and ends with people ascending to a higher spiritual level?
Mainstream you say?

> 3) Doesn't fit in with any known U.S. radio format.

Brian:

I think this is the main problem. Pete was doing synth music at a time when
Grunge was happening, and that was music based on live Who! If they'd toured
that year like they did last year, it would have been huge. It's great when
Eddie Vedder cites and performs with PT but it's about 10 years too late
now.
I think if The Who do a powerful, stripped-down (and most importantly)
non-slick album (the rougher the better), they have a shot. It could be a
concept album IF the songs also stand on their own (like WN). They're
definitely going to have to use either their "classic" sound (reference
Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting) or a completely new one (my choice
and yours, I know) at least as good as the one used for the WAY gateway mix.
They will get bad reviews...I don't remember seeing a good Who album review
after WN, do you? But we will get it, some others will catch on, assorted
movie directors will use some of the songs in their movies, and one day
people will admit what a good album it was (much like how Quad has been
treated).


"Those of us who spent time in the agricultural
  sector and in the heartland, we understand how
      unfair the death penalty is."
    George "Ground control to President" Bush

               Cheers                 ML