Saturday, May 22nd, 1965

An article on The Who appears in Record Mirror featuring short and angry quotes from Pete and Keith. Pete: "This thing about smashing amplifiers; well, if we've got a particularly thick audience out in the sticks we do it but sometimes we take the thing down a bit." Keith: "We had to do something ['Anyway Anyhow Anywhere'] that would get away from all the rubbish that people are buying.

 

Transcript:

 

THE WHO’S POP-ART DISC
by RICHARD GREEN

POP art has never caught on with the kids simply because it didn’t mean anything to them—and it isn’t pop in the musical sense. But add rhythms, words and the Who and you may well have the start of a big new thing.

The Who have hardly ever been restrained. Anything they have wanted to do, they’ve almost always done. On stage, mainly.

“This thing about smashing amplifiers, well if we’ve got a particularly thick audience out in the sticks, we do it, but sometimes we take the thing down a bit,” said Pete Townshend who is responsible for the sadistic streak in the group.

Now the whole attitude of the Who as regards pop music has come out on “Anytime Anyhow Anywhere” which Decca releases tomorrow (Friday). Quite a bold step for a record company to take.

“The whole pop scene is half-baked,” Keith Moon stated. “People like Val Doonican and Ronnie Hilton, that sort of thing. We wanted to do something completely different.”

NOT SO MAD

They did “I Can’t Explain” months and months ago when they weren’t so mad on stage. They would not have taken the risk of their new record at that time.

“We weren’t known and we couldn’t have done it. It was more typical of us then than it is now,” Keith explained. “We had to do something that would get away from all the rubbish that people are buying. That’s why we did this one.”

Disc jockey Tony Hall described the Who’s record as “the most commercial uncommercial record” and “the record people will love to hate.”

I got an acetate over two weeks ago and have been playing it ever since to various people. Quite a lot hate it, saying it is a load of muddled-up noises. But even more rate it.

For those people who have led sheltered lives in Stoke Poges or who rate “the King” above all else, then the Who’s record will be regarded as utter nonsense.

But to those who are willing to accept this as a means of getting away from the stale pop scene that is with us at the moment, it is very good.

Pete ordered an apple strudel and ham sandwich (which he rapidly changed to apple strudel and ice cream) and then told me: “If this record doesn’t get in the charts, we’re going to slam it up with another.”

DARING

“We’re not giving it as long as ‘I Can’t Explain.’ And we won’t go back to the other style for our next record, either, we’ll do two or three more this way.”

It takes a certain amount of daring to get up on stage and do the things that the Who’s do. They are, in a way, doing the sort of thing that most of their audience would do if only they had the courage.

An important point is that when the Who come off stage, they don’t immediately change their personalities and behaviour. They’re naturally that way. Other people will decide whether that’s a good or bad thing.

But whatever the fate of their new record, the Who have to be congratulated for going ahead with their plans to record it. If they succeed in drawing enough attention to their attitude, then it’ll be a big hit.

If they don’t, we’ll be stuck with wish-wash that has been around far too long. That will mean that anyone will be able to come along, copy a trend or a safe bet and get a hit record. No originality is involved there.

“We don’t get on with a lot of groups because of our attitude,” said Keith finally. “If they don’t like us, that’s too bad.”

Photo caption: THE WHO — weirdly named group whose new disc is even weirder. This pic was taken in Soho’s Great Windmill Street.