1964 – “Zoot Suit” backed with “I’m The Face” and listed as by “The High Numbers” is released on Fontana Records. Derek Johnson in New Musical Express says, “The High Numbers are highly topical with their novelty lyric about male attire, ‘Zoot Suit.’ Medium twister, but with an inconsequential tune. Harmonica leads into broken-beat unison vocal on ‘I’m The Face.’ Compelling styling, but weakish material.” Record Mirror, however, gives the single a rave, calling “Zoot Suit,” “an ultra-commercial blues-flavoured dance tune that grows and grows on you.” Only 1,000 discs are pressed and although members of The Who fan club write to pirate radio stations, using assumed names on multiple letters, asking for the songs to be played, the single fails to get airplay or generate sales.
1965 – “Anyway Anyhow Anywhere” reaches its U.K. peak at #10. That same day Record mirror carries a full page ad for the single. There is also an ad for their upcoming show at Manor House and a letter from the public titled “Pop ‘N’ Who”
1965 – Melody Maker interviews Pete under the headline “Well, What Is Pop Art?” Pete declares The Who’s next single, “My Generation” will be “anti-middle-age, anti boss-class and anti-young-marrieds.”
Transcript:
WELL, WHAT IS POP ART?
What is pop art? For weeks the hit-parading London group The Who have been at the centre of a big storm.
Some say it is a lot of bunk. Others defend pop art as the most exciting musical development since the electrical guitar boom started.
Who guitarist Pete Townshend defined pop art for the MM this week.
“It is re-representing something the public is familiar with, in a different form. Like clothes. Union Jacks are supposed to be flown, we have a jacket made of one. Keith Moon, our drummer, has a jersey with the RAF insignia on it. I have a white jacket, covered in medals.
“We stand for pop art clothes, pop art music and pop art behaviour. This is what everybody seems to forget — we don’t change offstage. We live pop art.”
Trowel-nosed Townshend, aged 20, was sitting in a high-class restaurant wearing a loud check jacket.
The Who are ridiculed for smashing pounds worth of equipment. Why do they do it? Pop art?
Pete, the culprit wrecker, answered:
“I bang my guitar on my speaker because of the visual effect. It is very artistic. And it gets a tremendous sound.
“What annoys me is the person who comes up after a show and says, ‘Why didn’t you smash your guitar tonight?’
“It’s split right down the middle of the neck, but the audience don’t realise.
“If guitars exploded and went up in a puff of smoke, I’d be happy. The visual effect would be complete.
“Roger Daltrey, our singer, smashes his microphone on Keith’s cymbal. He does this every night, because it’s a sound. I use feedback every night.
“That’s a sound. But, if the audience isn’t right I don’t smash guitars. They wouldn’t appreciate the visual effect.”
What is pop art about their music?
“Well, our next single (My Generation) is really pop art. I wrote it with that intention. Not only is the number pop art, the lyrics are young and rebellious. It’s anti middle-age, anti boss-class and anti young marrieds!
“The big social revolution that has taken place in the last five years is that youth, and not age, has become important. I’m important now, but I won’t be when I’m over 21.
“We play,” continued Townshend, “pop art with standard group equipment. I get jet plane sounds, Morse code signals. Mind you, near pop art discs have been produced before: The Shangri-Las, with seagulls and motorbikes, and Twinkle’s Terry.
“Hey! We should have done Trains And Boats And Planes!”
Nick Jones
1965 – The Who play The Gaiety Ballroom in Ramsey, Huntingdonshire
1967 – German documentary Die jungen Nachtwandler – London Unter 21, featuring footage of The Who shot in February, airs on Bayerischen Rundfunks
1969 – Brian Jones, ex-member of The Rolling Stones, is found dead in his swimming pool in Hartfield. Shortly afterwards Pete writes an obituary for him entitled “A Normal Day For Brian, A Man Who Died Everyday”.
I used to play my guitar as a kid
wishing that I could be like him
But today I changed my mind
I decided that I don’t want to die
But it was a normal day for Brian
Rock and Roll’s that way
It was a normal day for Brian
A man who died every day
For more about Pete’s thoughts on Brian, check out this article from MOJO transcribed here: A Friend of Mine’ by Pete Townshend
1970 – The Who play the Minneapolis Auditorium in Minneapolis, Minnesota
1971 – Melody Maker reports on the appearance of a new Who bootleg in the U.S., Who Unreleased. Seven of the ten tracks are British Who releases that had not yet come out in the States.
Transcript:
Now there’s a Who bootleg
From VICKI WICKHAM in NEW YORK
THE WHO have been bootlegged! “The Who Unreleased” is being snatched up as a collector’s item, heavily wrapped in plain-brown paper.
Meanwhile, The Who forge ahead with their new, proper and official single, “Won’t Get Fooled Again.”
It’s a monster. Into the shops this Friday, it’s just the most commercial single they’ve done in some time and the radio stations are pottily playing it and the kids with dollars in hand are besieging the record shops.
The album isn’t commercial, though, of course, it will be. The songs are knock-out. My favourite is Behind Blue Eyes, which starts out very atypical Who, slow and almost soulful. But above all the lyrics on all the tunes are so deep and heavy—it’s a long way from “Magic Bus”!
And their East Coast tour? The demand for tickets which are only just going on sale, would put Grand Funk no less out-of-business! The NY date on July 31—Forest Hills—sold out immediately (19,000 seats). It’s exciting!
1971 – The Who play the City Hall in Sheffield, Yorkshire
1976 – Pete opens his Meher Baba Oceanic Centre with a week-long convention for his followers. Also at the Oceanic Centre at this time is an amateur production of Siddhartha with music by Pete. “The Ferryman” from this show is later released on Pete’s Another Scoop
1980 – The Who play the University of Texas Special Events Center (Later renamed “Frank Erwin Center”) in Austin, Texas
1982 – Pete’s LP All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes hits the British charts. The reviews range from lukewarm to strongly negative. Adam Sweeting in Melody Maker calls it belabored, Dave Marsh in Record says it is at least more interesting than The Who’s latest work, Robert Palmer in The New York Times calls it an embarrassment, Jon Pareles in Rolling Stone says it is a “listenable mess” and Steve Simels in Stereo Review groups it with Robert Plant’s recent solo album as “duds of major proportions.” Pete chooses to disagree and to this day calls it his best solo work. The album peaks at #32 in Britain, #26 in the U.S.
1985 – Pete is interviewed on ITV about Ian Dury’s book of poetry he is publishing through Faber & Faber called Hard Lines 2
1987 – Roger is on the Ocean Sound radio programme on the BBC giving his opinion on recently released singles
1989 – The Who play Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey for the 4th time in 5 days.
1995 – Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band, featuring John Entwistle on bass, play Summerfest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
1996 – A remixed, remastered version of The Who’s Quadrophenia is released in the U.S.
1999 – Roger performs with the British Rock Symphony at Ragley Hall, Alcester, Warwickshire. This show makes up the bulk of the British Rock Symphony video released the next year.
2000 – American Movie Classics holds A Trip Through Rock Music History featuring rock ‘n roll movies hosted by Roger.
2000 – The Who play the Tweeter Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts
You can listen to the show here
2001 – “A Walk Down Abbey Road: A Tribute To The Beatles” featuring John on bass plays Summerfest at the Miller Lite Oasis in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
2002 – The Who play the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California
2006 – The Who play the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, Hampshire
http://www.bbc.co.uk/hampshire/content/articles/2006/05/11/beaulieu_summerpops_feature.shtml
2010 – Roger opens for Eric Clapton at the DTE Energy Center in Detroit, Michigan
2011 – Roger Daltrey sets off with his own solo band performing the entirety of Tommy (minus “Underture”) at the Civic Hall in Wolverhampton. His musical director and keyboardist is Loren Gold who will subsequently become The Who’s new primary keyboardist in their subsequent tours.
2013 – The Who play the Palais Omnisports de Paris Bercy in Paris, France
Visit Les Who en France for more information about this show here