For fans of The Who My Generation was their Call to Arms
By Virgil The StoryTeller
Bursting onto the scene in 1965, for The Who My Generation was a nuclear blast aimed directly at the establishment and any authority figures they could line up in their sights. With blistering lines like “I hope I die before I get old” and “Why don’t you all fade away”, the band spit venom at what they perceived as an upper class in their native England which cared little about the welfare or future of the country’s youth. The single caught the attention of almost everyone from teenagers on up to the elderly and was one of the defining moments of 1960’s British rock.
The song was written by Pete Townshend, and there are a variety of stories surrounding his initial inspiration for the track. One version claims that Townshend received a jolt direct from the monarchy itself when the Queen Mother arranged to have his elderly hearse towed from its usual parking spot on his street because it offended her delicate sensibilities when going out for her regular drive. Another conjecture is that Townshend wrote the song as an effort to take a snapshot of current Mod culture, and that the unique, stuttering verse is meant to emulate the sound of a Mod on the drug speed. The Who’s guitarist has acknowledged that he may have unconsciously included the stutter as a result of being influenced by that subculture, but aside from stating that the song had originally been written to be performed at half the speed of the single version, he has remained tight-lipped as to its origins. Rather amusingly, the BBC initially banned the song from its airwaves as it did not want to offend those who did talk with a stutter. Little did they know what would be unleashed upon the public by the burgeoning rock and roll scene in just a few short years.
There were several other notable aspects of the song that were not related to the incisive social commentary of the track’s lyrics. According to rock historians, and not disputed by The Who My Generation contains the first recorded example of a rock and roll bass solo, played by John Entwistle. While the electric bass had previously been relegated to the background as a support instrument, Entwistle was able to put it front and center in many recordings by the band. The melodic bass breakdown towards the end of the song feels completely natural, and the skill of Entwistle would go on to inspire many future bassists to learn the instrument.
‘Who Are You’ would be the final album by The Who with Keith Moon on the drums. He died of a drug overdose mere weeks after it was released. The loss of Moon took the creative fire out of the band, and the multi-platinum status of the album did nothing to soothe their broken hearts.
About the author
http://www.classic-rock-music.com is the mystical rehersal studio for rockers DEMON TWEAK. Listen as they prepare for battle with the evil trickster Loki by playing home brewed classic rock direct from Ragnarok.Also read articles on your favorite classic rock band written by resident historian VIRGIL THE STORYTELLER. from http://www.FreeArticlesAndContent.com
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