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No one sings now like Roger Daltrey did in the 70's--except Roger Daltrey. Whether you like or loathe that "man-atop-a-mountain" delivery, it's kind of amazing he's still doing it, albeit with less subtlety and with a perma-cup of throat coat tea with honey in his hand.
Personally, I've always preferred, much preferred, Pete Townshend's much more modest, high, nasally, limited delivery. But you wouldn't really believe him as much if he was singing "I'll sing my song to the wide open spaces, I'll sing my song to the free....TO THE FREE!!!" Daltrey can't write songs or words, Townshend can't always deliver the words he writes convincingly. Thus, that's part of what the Who WAS, and is pretty much what the Who IS now.
I'm glad I've held my tounge about the the latest Who album, "Endless Wire". I was encouraged when I heard snippits on line, and then really disappointed when I heard the single on the radio, and more disappointed when I heard 3 or four more songs.
But yesterday I finally got the chance to listen, start to finish, to the whole thing while at work.
In high school, I preferred Who;s Next to Quadrophenia, much like I preferred Let It Bleed to Exile on Main Street. It took me like 5 years of life and living to reverse those opinions. There are the immediatly gratifying albums/movies/books..and then the ones that, if you keep giving them chances, they might become a huge part of your life while the others become time-pieces.
Endless Wire is almost kind of like listening to Quadrophenia. There are some programmed drums, and the longest song is 4 min (as opposed to Quad's bloated 8 minute songs), and Pete and Roger's voices have aged, but really, it sounds like a friggin Who album--and I know I'm parroting stuff I've read in other reviews.
I REALLY don't understand why on one great Townshend-sung song, "In the Ether", he has to sing like Tom Waits doing a bad imitation of Roger Daltry doing an imitation of Pete Townshend. It's a pretty song, but I wanna hear Pete's voice.
And on other songs, I kind of want Rog to tone it down just a bit. Or it may be a mixing issue. Pete mixed it on off days while on tour--so his delicate ears may have been influenced.
Zak Starky only plays drums on one song, but it's SO Keith Moonish, it becomes the best song on the album (Black Widow's Eyes). Other highlights are "We Got a Hit" (the longer version--3 min as opposed to 1 min), Mirror Door, which is totally classic, and a couple acoustic Pete songs--always a timeless treat (God Speaks of Marty Robbins and You Stand By Me).
I like the fact that the average length of song is 2:30.
In the end, I'm glad they did this. Pete's main squeeze is a hip, fun songwriter half his age (Rachel Fuller) who I think has influenced his outlook on life greatly in the recent past.
Anyway, this clumsy closing is exhibit #1 why I'm not a journalist.
Have a good weekend.
1 comment:
Well said. I quite like it too (got it for Christmas), and for very similar reasons. Pete's gone on to say that since The Who is now pared down to just him and Roger, he wants to present much of the material that way (with just the two of them, like on "A Man In A Purple Dress"), and to make whatever The Who is now less bloated by design as well as by necessity. IMHO, by simplifying, they have regained some of the edge they lost in the rather stodgy and dull years following Moon's demise, when it seemed like Townshend was keeping all the good tunes for his solo releases.
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