#774: The Who – Love Ain’t for Keeping

The Who’s 1971 album Who’s Next opens with two intense rockers. ‘Baba O’Riley’, one of the band’s most iconic songs, and then ‘Bargain’, a five and a half minute powerhouse of hard rock. So to slow the momentum down just a bit, ‘Love Ain’t for Keeping’ arrives as a bit of a country-folk acoustic number, steady to the ear and much easier to take in in comparison to its predecessors.

I’ve always been fond of this one. It’s only two minutes and ten seconds, probably gets a bit shafted because of all the other songs on the album too. But it shows that The Who were as great in their softer approach to their music rather than the usual balls to the wall performances. Keith Moon on the drums plays with just enough restraint and keeps control of the song’s rhythm alongside bassist John Entwistle, and Pete Townshend plays the acoustic guitar in both channels, covering the rhythmic role in the left and lead guitar lines on the right. I think the overall highlight of the song are its vocals. They’re a highlight on many a Who song but it’s a glorious feeling when Roger Daltrey comes in with the first ‘Layin’ on my back…’ line that opens this one, especially with the natural reverb that occurs when he drags out the long note. The three-part harmonies during the instrumental nearing the end are amazing too.

So what it’s about? Judging from the lyrics, I say it’s about a person living in the countryside feeling fine and wants to make use of the good times they have by making love. It’s not meant to be kept, after all. If you think this track is boring, there was another version of the song made with guitarist Leslie West during the sessions for Who’s Next. It’s a lot more like the Who performances you may know and prefer. Townshend also takes the lead vocal here. I think it’s okay. I’ll stick with the one that appeared on the album.

My iPod #447: The Who – Going Mobile

“Going Mobile” is the seventh track from The Who’s classic album Who’s Next from 1971. The track features only Pete Townshend, John Entwistle, and Keith Moon on their respective instruments. But don’t come to the conclusion that this track can’t be compared to the other eight just because it misses the presence of Roger Daltrey’s monstrous voice. In fact, the song rocks just as hard as them. Even if Pete does play the acoustic guitar for the majority of it, it is again the wonders of Moon and Entwistle that give the track its emphatic edge.

The track concerns the wonders of being on the road, on the move with no sign of stopping, just generally feeling free with the cool air blowing in the wind and not having a care in the world. And as much as the track is about continuously moving lyrically, it also gives this idea in it’s actual execution. Keith Moon particularly pulls off an incredibly energetic performance (as ever) on the drums, ending every single measure with thundering drum fills and generally playing them as if he has more than two arms. At one particular point, he turns the track into some sort of barn-dance before seamlessly transitioning back to the regular pattern. It’s crazy. John effortlessly keeps it all together with his fluid bass playing, and Pete can’t contain his excitement on the vocals, ad-libbing at any given opportunity.

Being on the same album as tracks such as “Baba O’Riley” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again“, “Going Mobile” tends not to get so much attention. But it should. It is honestly just as brilliant.

My iPod #86: The Who – Behind Blue Eyes

Hi everyone. I’m feeling good. Each day just seems to go into the next so quickly, I don’t know where the time is going.

This is the third song from this album that I’ve done a blog on, and I’ve only got five songs from Who’s Next on my iPod. Oh, well.

For those of you who don’t know, “Who’s Next” is only a compilation of songs that were supposed to be used for a much bigger project that Pete Townshend had worked on. After they had finished “Tommy”, Townshend began work on a rock-opera called “Lifehouse”. However, when he explained the concept to his friends and the other band members they just didn’t get what was going on. They couldn’t handle it.

“Behind Blue Eyes” is sung from the perspective of the villain of the story, Jumbo. It was intended to be his ‘theme song’, but of course “Lifehouse” never happened. “Who’s Next” is still considered to be the band’s best album, even though it wasn’t intended to be made. That’s quite funny. You can listen to the album’s intended tracklist, thanks to this playlist on YouTube.

“Behind Blue Eyes” is the penultimate song – before “Won’t Get Fooled Again”. It starts off with Roger singing alone over Pete’s guitar, John later joins in with the bass and vocal harmonies are introduced. The song then changes into a full rock out when Keith and the electric guitars come in. Keith’s drumming is brilliant on this, listen to them here. The song then ends with a reprise of the first sections. With three cymbal crashes on the last three words, the song fades to a close.

It’s quite of a downer. But then the last track begins, and for the next nine minutes you’ll feel great.

Until tomorrow.

Jamie.

My iPod #73: The Who – Bargain

Have you ever wanted something so much – so badly, that you would give up anything to win it?

Well then my friend, “Bargain” is the song for you. After “Baba O’Riley” on “Who’s Next” is this gem, again penned by Pete Townshend about becoming closer to God.

It’s another powerful song and is driven on by the force of the rhythm section and Daltrey’s vocals, even more so than in the aforementioned album opener.

I don’t think I can write anything else that isn’t in its Wikipedia entry.

It’s one of my favourites from the album though. It’s good stuff.

Until tomorrow.

Jamie.

My iPod #58: The Who – Baba O’Riley

NOT ‘Teenage Wasteland’.

“What are you going to do now?”
“Rest until July, then I’ll find something to do.”

That was one exchange of words by my mum and I after I had finished my last exam in secondary school. I have been working endlessly all year for this stuff, and it feels like a whole weight has been lifted off my shoulders, it feels very relaxing. Everytime I feel like I should be doing something… but I don’t, and it feels weird and a bit creepy.

It’s fine not doing anything at the moment but seeing as other people still have exams to do, it’s quite boring being in your house by yourself when the weather’s crappy and there’s nothing on except…. daytime television…. eurgh.

At least I have my iTunes library to keep me company. And that reminds me… it’s the second of the ‘B’ series. Yay.

I feel like I’ve already gone on about The Who in an earlier post, so I won’t rabble on too much. “Who’s Next”, the album ‘Baba O’Riley’ is on, is actually the most recent one of theirs that I downloaded and listened to. It’s considered to be their magnum opus by many critics, and I knew that their two most overplayed songs including this and “Won’t Get Fooled Again” were on it. I didn’t want to listen to an album which I thought was only good for two songs, so I chose to listen to “Quadrophenia” and “Sell Out” instead. Heck, I might have even listened to “By Numbers” before it. I can’t remember. I’ll have a look at my computer.

Yeah, “Who’s Next” is beast. This song is the perfect way to start things off.

Firstly, the synthesiser which seems to last for an eternity until the descending riff is introduced by the piano and Moon’s drums come crashing in. “Who’s Next” is mainly regarded to be the album in which each individual member had reached their peak in creativity, much like “Revolver” by The Beatles. Although Roger Daltrey wasn’t much of a songwriter, but listen to his vocals on here compared to those of “Tommy”… I know right? Pete Townshend was well in the way of writing songs with meaning, and with links between one another to tell a story, simply put as a concept album, and had completely abandoned the writing for the “singles band” that The Who was once regarded to be. John Entwistle and Keith Moon…. well with a rhythm section like that, how much better can you get? Come on, people.

Yep. I don’t want to ruin the song for you. It’s already up there.

Until tomorrow.

Jamie

P.S. I can confirm that I did listen to “The Who by Numbers” before “Who’s Next”. And what… bitch.