Deep Tracks: The Who
Anyone interested in the music of the British Invasion and the 1960s is well aware of the Who, of course. Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, and Keith Moon comprised one of the most successful and popular groups of the second wave of British acts to find success in America, and much of their music is well known and ubiquitous. There are, however, still plenty of songs that the Who recorded that get little to no airplay, and even some that could only be found after the release of albums on CD that contained previously unreleased or hard-to-find tracks. Here is a short, purely subjective, and by no means exhaustive list of some of the deeper tracks by the Who that even some of the most devoted fans may not be that familiar with.
1) “I’m The Face,” Single; later on Odds and Sods (1964)
The Who recorded this song as the High Numbers, a name given to them by their then-manager, Peter Meaden, who re-christened the group and molded them into a focal point for the burgeoning Mod youth movement in London, changing the band’s dress and style to better appeal to them, even though, as Roger Daltrey pointed out, they were already a bit too old to be the real deal. A “number” was slang for an ordinary Mod, and “high” was self-explanatory, since many Mods were often blocked up on amphetamines or stoned on pot. Meaden took the tune of Slim Harpo’s “Got Love If You Want It,” wrote Mod-centric lyrics, and gave it to the group. The resulting single (later released on the Who’s album Odds and Sods) sold a dismal 500 copies, but gave the group exposure within their new and loyal Mod following.
2) “A Legal Matter,” Single; later on Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bouncy (1965)
Recorded for the Who’s debut album, My Generation, this song was released as the B-side of the single “The Kids Are Alright” and later appeared on the compilation album Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bouncy. Uncharacteristically for the time, Pete Townshend sings the lead vocal, because the subject of teenage divorce hit a little bit too close to home for Roger Daltrey, who was going through a divorce at the time. The song was released without the group’s permission by producer Shel Talmy during a legal dispute in an attempt to sabotage and overtake the release of their chosen single, “Substitute,” but it only reached #32 on the charts, while “Substitute” eventually reached #5.
3) “I’ve Been Away,” Single; later a bonus track on CD release of A Quick One (1966)
A seldom-heard John Entwistle gem, this song is sung from the point of view of a man whose brother Bill framed him for a crime he did not commit. After his release from prison, our protagonist vows to visit revenge on his brother by plotting his death. The song was recorded by Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon without Townshend and Daltrey, while the latter went out to a pub. It’s one of only two songs to feature Entwistle and Moon alone, the other being “In the City.” That song features an Entwistle/Moon songwriting credit as well, incidentally.
4) “Under My Thumb”/”The Last Time” (1967)
These two songs were covered by the Who in 1967 after Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were arrested and charged with drug possession after a raid turned up amphetamines and marijuana. They were held in jail, but no one was certain how long they might be there, or to what extent the charges might stick. The members of the Who returned from their first major US appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival to this news, and in solidarity, recorded these two songs and issued a rush-released single, accompanied by an ad in the London Evening Standard pledging to continue releasing Rolling Stones covers for as long as Mick and Keith remained incarcerated. Fortunately for all, they were released after just a single night, but this record remains as an artifact from that period.
5) “Early Morning, Cold Taxi,” Bonus track on CD release of The Who Sell Out (1967)
Songwriting credit on this record went to Roger Daltrey and Dave “Cy” Langston, who were trying to establish themselves as a songwriting partnership, though Langston was the primary songwriter. The song was recorded during the same sessions as the album The Who Sell Out, but was an outtake from the record. It was finally released as added material upon the CD reissue of the album, as well as part of the collection Thirty Years of Maximum R&B. Langston became the Who’s first roadie after leaving his former band Cyrano and the Bergeracs, and later worked with John Entwistle on many of his solo projects. The song is the story of a man lamenting leaving the side of his lover in the wee hours of the morning yet again and hoping for a better future with her.
6) “Rael,” The Who Sell Out (1967)
Another song from The Who Sell Out, this song actually started life as the beginning of a rock opera. Like Lifehouse, which came after it and was never finished, and Tommy and Quadrophenia, which did, it was an experiment by Townshend to create a long-form work. Originally a vaguely political statement about a future (set in 1999) where the Red Chinese had become world leaders — strangely prescient, given what has actually come to pass — “Rael” had a story synopsis that was running to nearly 20 pages before the project was aborted and the song, edited down to about four minutes, became just another bit of filler on the band’s next album. Interestingly, it did contain musical themes that later reappeared in the “Underture” and the song “Sparks” from Tommy, a fine example of Townshend recycling previous musical motifs in later, more developed works.
7) “Water” (1973)
This song had a place in the Who’s live performances as far back 1970 and 1971 but was not officially released in studio form until it became the British B-side of “5:15” from Quadrophenia in 1973. In the US, the studio version appeared as the B-side of “Love Reign O’er Me.” A live version, recorded at the Young Vic in 1971 during the failed Lifehouse project, was released as bonus material on the CD re-release of Who’s Next. The song refers to an incident on the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1969, during which the surface of the river actually caught fire because of the extreme pollution levels within. It is one of several songs written by Pete Townshend that references Ohio, the other two being “Put The Money Down” (another failed Lifehouse song) that mentions Columbus, and Townshend’s solo song “Sheraton Gibson,” which also directly refers to Cleveland.
8) “However Much I Booze,” The Who by Numbers (1975)
A song from The Who By Numbers that doesn’t get a lot of radio play, this song, like many of the others on the album, was quite personal and introspective on Townshend’s part. At the time, he was struggling with a disenchantment with the music industry and the feeling that he was too old for the business and that there was “no way out.” Roger Daltrey felt the track was so personal that he refused to do the lead vocals, leaving them instead for the songwriter. The song found its way into the band’s live performance briefly, but did not remain long. Townshend’s stage intro announced that the song was about “the day he stopped drinking,” which was patently untrue, and it is possible that Daltrey did not want to sing it because he wanted to make absolutely clear that it was Pete, not he, who had the drinking problem.
9) “905,” Who Are You (1978)
Another song by bassist John Entwistle, written for the Who Are You album, this song is the story of a man from a future full of clones, wondering about the meaning of his life. Entwistle said that he was trying to create concept album, not unlike Townshend’s failed Lifehouse project, and that this song was supposed to be part of it and was shelved for many years. When that project never came to fruition, he reworked it for Who Are You. The song used one of the first multiphonic Polymoog synthesizers and was prepared by Entwistle at his home studio.
Like I said above, this is a highly subjective list — every Who fan has his or her favorite songs and favorite picks for deep tracks. However, if this list allows people to hear some of the Who’s lesser-known songs, whether for the first time or the hundredth, then hopefully it will open doors to an even deeper exploration of all that the Who have to offer!
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Guy Smiley
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spazaru