Entwistle on bass: Who can replace him?

One of the Who's best-known albums is titled "Who's Next," but perhaps the more appropriate question now is, "What's next?"

After all, Who bassist John Entwistle died of an apparent heart attack on Thursday – just one day before the band was to launch a three-month tour.

Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend, the Who's two surviving members, announced that the band's tour would continue, with British session bassist Pino Palladino on bass. That means the Who is still set to play at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the AutoWest Amphitheatre near Marysville.

Ticketholders and fans, however, aren't so sure that the Who should continue with the tour. On alt.music.who, an Internet newsgroup devoted to the band, debate is raging over the group's decision.

"I think they should really wait until the funeral is over," said one post. Others say the Who should commence the tour but retire once it's over.

Even Townshend is grappling with the Who's decision.

"Unlike others I entirely respect (including many of John's friends and family), I don't feel I know for certain that John would have wanted us to go on," said Townshend in a message posted on his Web site (www.petetownshend.co.uk). "I simply believe we have a duty to go on, to ourselves, ticket buyers, staff, promoters, big and little people."

Entwistle's bass was the key to the Who's rock 'n' roll fireworks.

With a larger-than-life tone and serpentine runs, Entwistle proved that guitar players didn't have a lock on the best solos and riffs in rock 'n' roll.

In an interview a couple of months ago with The Bee, Entwistle reflected on "My Generation," arguably the definitive bass solo in rock music:

"That was actually the fourth time we recorded 'My Generation,' and it was the slowest solo. I thought, 'This is boring,' and everyone was so impressed with it. If they'd heard the other solos, it would have freaked them out completely.

"Some of the solos I played on a Danelectro bass, which is a medium-scale bass, and the strings sounded like a piano. I was playing them fast, so the solos would sound more impressive. But I'd bust a string and you couldn't replace the strings on them, so I had to buy another one of the basses.

"In the end, I got the last Danelectro in the country, and I busted the string. We had to record it again, so I got a (Fender) Jazz bass.

"Engineers back then wouldn't let you play with your fingers because they couldn't record it properly, for some reason. So you had to record with a plectrum. The solo was kind of dropped to half-speed by the time we got to the final version.

"Every time I play a different ('My Generation') solo on stage, people go, 'He can't play the real one.' I still play it as is, except for the last solo. I drop the pick and play something really flashy."

Here are a few more of Entwistle's key bass breaks with the Who:

"Heaven and Hell": The deluxe version on "Live at Leeds," perhaps rock's best in-concert album, kicks off with this Entwistle composition. Though Townshend uses the tune as a platform for his guitar pyrotechnics, Entwistle's bass rumbles with its own sinewy, aggressive lines.

"5:15": The core tune from the Who's rock opera "Quadrophenia" is also a showcase for Entwistle's bass chops in concert. Anyone who saw the Who at the Sacramento Valley Amphitheatre in 2000 surely remembers Entwistle's blazing bass runs during this number.

"Won't Get Fooled Again": Entwistle's ability to mesh lead and rhythm playing is exemplified in this hard-driving but groove-filled effort.

"The Real Me": In the kickoff tune from "Quadrophenia," Entwistle's bass lines seem to scale the entire fretboard. Whether going high or low, Entwistle kept his rhythm locked in the groove and added a tastefully melodic touch.

– Chris Macias, Bee pop music writer