THE WHO

THE WHO

A QUICK ONE (1966)
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REMASTER

As an albums band, the Who didn't peak until the early Seventies. Their mid-Sixties offerings, A Quick One and Sell Out, are both charming examples of a band shaking off their Mod image.
Before the band began recording A Quick One, their co-manager, Chris Stamp, negotiated a deal providing each member with an advance of £500, on condition they all contributed songs to the album (in 1966 this was a small fortune for any 21-year-old: Roger Daltrey splashed out on a Saint-style Volvo). And so this variety showcase includes Keith Moon's humorous ''Cobwebs and Strange'', a wonky marching tune complete with orchestral cymbals, trumpets and sousaphone, and ''I Need You'', during which Moon lapses into a John Lennon impersonation. Daltrey pays tribute to Buddy Holly on the forgettable ''See My Way''. John Entwistle throws in a couple of songs about whisky and spiders. His creepy ditty ''Boris the Spider'' remained an audience favourite for years.
The highlight on this album, however, is Pete Townshends sprawling title track, originally the albums closing number. Its almost ten minutes long: extraordinary, in the days of three-minute throwaways. Not even the Beatles had recorded anything as long. The reason for this is less artistic bravado than plain pragmatism. After the band had cut the available tracks for the album, Townshend, always the primary composer within the group, was requested to fill the remaining minutes to push the running time over half an hour. ''A Quick One While He's Away'' is Townshend's first attempt at a rock opera, perhaps the first in pop music. It's a suite of six episodes, comprising a simple tale of an unfaithful wife who has a quick leg-over with a lover called Ivor and is happily absolved by her husband. Each is a self-contained song, the whole spliced together in much the same way as Abbey Road's long medley would be, three years later. This was an audacious concept in 1966 and, although the track now sounds clunky and awkward, its fascinating to hear Townshend setting out on the path that would eventually lead to Tommy and Quadrophenia.
There are no hit singles here, although included on this reissue is a terrific acoustic version of ''Happy Jack'', their hit from late 1966. The other bonus tracks pick up songs originally found on the Ready Steady Who! EP: a rollicking version of the Batman theme and a couple of ill-advised surfing throwbacks, Jan and Dean's "Bucket T" and a harmonious version of the Regents' 1961 hit "Barbara Ann". A Quick One is the sound of four young lads having fun: slipping into boutique clothes to see what fits and what looks sharp. Above all, this is a fascinating glimpse into a time when pop bands were given free reign to try virtually anything.

1 Run run run
2 Boris the spider
3 I need you
4 Whiskey man
5 Heatwave
6 Cobwebs and strange
7 Don't look away
8 See my way
9 So sad about us
10 A quick one, while he's away
Bonus tracks
11 Batman
12 Bucket t
13 Barbara Ann
14 Disguises
15 Doctor, doctor
16 I've been away
17 In the city
18 Happy Jack (acoustic version)
19 Man with the money
20 My generation / Land of hope and glory

ENDLESS WIRE (2006)
320 KBPS

Nearly a quarter-century (and bassist John Entwistle) passed between what had been considered the Who's career-capping album, It's Hard, and this 19-song epic, which at its best has the band of two pining for the days of Who's Next. Built from the triumph of the mini-opera Wire & Glass EP (included here in its entirety), Endless Wire mixes metaphors of music, war, and religion, while showcasing Roger Daltrey's ageless vocal cords and Pete Townshend at his windmilling best. Launching with a "Baba O'Riley"-like synth break in "Fragments," Daltrey asks "Are we breathing out or breathing in?" and Townshend answers with a thrashing, crashing Gibson. When the volume is turned up, there are echoes of three decades ago. "It's Not Enough" and "Mike Post Theme" conjure images of Entwistle and Keith Moon--the latter song, with its quiet verse and thunderous chorus, recalls "Going Mobile" and longs for Moon to whack it into shape. But the linchpin remains Townshend's songwriting, whether he's questioning faith ("Man in a Purple Dress"), showing gratitude for support ("You Stand By Me"), or dreaming of entertaining immortals into eternity ("Out on an Endless Wire"). By the time it wraps up, Endless Wire tells two things. No, it does not rank with the band's best work. But yes, as long as Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey walk the earth in tandem, the Who live on.

1. Fragments
2. A Man In A Purple Dress
3. Mike Post Theme
4. In The Ether
5. Black Widow's Eyes
6. Two Thousand Years
7. God Speaks, of Marty Robbins
8. It's Not Enough
9. You Stand By Me
10. Sound Round
11. Pick Up the Peace
12. Unholy Trinity
13. Trilby's Piano
14. Endless Wire
15. Fragments Of Fragments
16. We Got A Hit
17. They Make My Dream Come True
18. Mirror Door
19. Tea & Theatre
20. We Got A Hit - Extended Version
21. Endless Wire - Extended Version