When the cosmic book on rock ’n’ roll is closed eons hence, the musicologists of the future will squabble and quibble over the finer points of who recorded what, where and why.

But when they get to the section of their report entitled “Influences” the answers — at least through today — will be clear cut: Chuck Berry, the Beatles, Bob Dylan and Pete Townshend of the Who.

RECORDSCOPE

Empty Glass (Atlantic Records SD 32-100) is Townshend’s latest solo LP and an important step forward for the Who’s songwriter and leader. It is, incidentally, the best Who-related project since the pivotal Who’s Next. And while there’s no “I Can See for Miles” or “Tommy” or even “Summertime Blues” on it, Empty Glass is hard to fault.

THE HIT SINGLE from the album is “Let My Love Open the Door,” and it may not be the last. “Door” is light pop/rock, done in early Who style: complex and simple at the same time. Like several of the cuts — notably “And I Moved” — this one has religious overtones in the lyrics. Townshend, you’ll recall, pays close attention to the words of Avatar Meher Baba. But the themes and words are oblique enough to be universal. The lovely “Moved” could just as easily refer to a Christian figure.

The song getting the most FM airplay is the angry indictment of music writers and critics, “Jools and Jim.” The title is a reference to a couple of powerful English journalists, but the words accuse all of them. The music echoes the lyrics: crashing drums and chords, almost New Wave style. On a cut like this I really miss the barely controlled anarchy of Keith Moon. (Though Mick Waller would do in a pinch).

Another possible .45 release is the opening “Rough Boys,” a full-tilt rocker dedicated both to his young sons and the Sex Pistols. More epic guitar and keyboard work under finely assembled harmonies. The more I hear Townshend, the more early Who songs I attribute to him instead of the technically limited Roger Daltry.

“I AM AN ANIMAL” goes a different route altogether. It features acoustic guitars and falsetto voices Led Zeppelin style, but picks up with a couple of rockin’ interludes. In a similar feel is “A Little is Enough,” which pays tribute to

PETER TOWNSHEND His Writing Influences Rock

the band’s Quadrophenia days. Only the quasi-reggae of “Keep on Working” fails. The rest of the cuts rock and rock hard. “Cat’s in the Cupboard” has a surging, powerful beat sung in Townshend’s best Bob Dylan mannerisms. “Empty Glass” is a finely textured work, thumping guitars and his highest singing voice detailing desperation on the streets of London. And the album ending “Gonna Get Ya” is yet another frantic rocker with exceptional singing and guitar work. These last three all could have been off Who’s Next, in their wailing power.

The lyrics on Empty Glass range from inspired to tired. The title cut features his slightly skewed line: “Why was I born today, life is useless like Ecclesiastes say.” But in “A Little is Enough,” he reflects on excess: “I’m a connoisseur of champagne cognac — the perfume nearly beats the taste, I eat an oyster and I feel the contact, But more than one would