Getting the 'Scoop'

Early Years of The Who's Pete Townshend

By Pete Bishop

In the jacket notes, Pete Townshend writes that the tracks on the two-record "Scoop" (Atco 7 90063-1-F) are "music that was never intended to be heard by a wide audience."

What they are are demos (demonstration tapes) Townshend made in a variety of studios, including a primitive one in his parents' home, with an even wider variety of instruments: guitar, bass, drums, piano, synthesizer, organ, accordion, viols, cello, even his children's plastic whirling tubes (a fad toy in England at one time).

Taken that way, "Scoop" is an interesting peek into one of rock's most fertile and talented minds, a glimpse as to how some songs which later became favorites in The Who's repertoire were born.

Music G-6 Sun., April 3, 1983

Taken as an ordinary double album, "Scoop," like almost every double album, has a lot of deadwood: short, throwaway instrumentals; very early songs like "Things Have Changed" that are amazingly lightweight; a poor prototype of "Magic Bus," with weak, almost astral voices fading in and out.

But it has a lot of good, too, starting with a marvelous version of "Squeeze Box," far jauntier and more infectiously grabbing than the group effort on "The Who By Numbers," and ending with a powerful solo rendition of "Quadrophenia's" "Love Reign O'er Me."

In between, there's a zippy barnburner called "Dirty Water" on which Townshend sang the vocals "lying flat on my back on the studio floor." There's "Bargain," strong and sturdy though lean; Roger Daltrey's fiery voice sure helped when it turned up on "Who's Next," though.

There are big, rough rocker "Cache, Cache," the gentle, folk-flavored "Mary" and techno-pop "You're So Clever," which well could be a hit today as is.

Speaking of his writings, the sleeve notes alone are worth paying for, be they painful ("Cache, Cache"), technical ("You're So Clever," "Goin' Fishin'"), incredulous ("Squeeze Box") or tongue-in-cheek ("Magic Bus").

Don't expect polished, "finished" songs. These are embryos, and Townshend writes that he has hundreds more stuffed away somewhere. I'd like to hear some more, and most of those who listen to "Scoop" probably will, too.

P.S. An extra star to Ian Wright for his cover illustration.

* * *

WHAT'S GOOD and what's not so good about today's dance-beat music is aptly demonstrated on two albums, Ultravox's "Quartet" (Chrysalis CHR B6V 41394) and Felony's "The Fanatic" (Rock 'n' Roll Records BFZ 38453).

Negatives first (they're more fun to write about). Ultravox kicks off its disc with a synthesizer-dominated mood piece, "Reap the Wild Wind," and continues Side 1 that way, perked up only by a bit strong-