Recommendations of the Editorial team
The colleagues of the American Rolling Stone met Pete Townshend for a big interview. The WHO guitarist spoke to Andy Greene about his work show “The Studio Albums” and about the history of the WHO.
“Although this is a collection of solosongs, in my opinion they could have been all WHO songs,” says Pete Townshend about compilation. “Don’t let us fall into the trap that I would have held songs back in front of the WHO. I never did that. I just wrote songs.”
It is an intensive conversation about the history of The WHO and the solo years Pete Townshends. Of course, it is also about failures in a career that lasts around 60 years.
“The Who invented the Stadium Rock. We gave it away”
It sounds a little disappointed when Pete Townshend comes to speak on stadium bands such as U2 or Queen. The WHO had done “the preparatory work”. But were not rewarded with the appropriate success.
Andy Greene asks: “In the new Liner Notes to the box set that you wrote, it says: ‘I have released the stadium stage to Queen and U2 and of course Bruce Springsteen. That was not bad. But we should have been part of this revival of the post-punk height that enjoyed these acts?’ Can you explain this in more detail?
Pete Townshend takes out: “The WHO invented the Stadium Rock. We gave it away. Our timing was terrible. When we made live AID, we could hardly play. Queen was in the middle of tour. Go out there. Taking it out and made it advertising for himself.”
Then Townshend says that he would never have really dealt with the band from Freddie Mercury and colleagues:
“I never really recognized what Queen was about to be honest. I liked Abba. But I didn’t really associated it with the carefree pop variety of the Queen catalog. I am of course a big fan of Bruce and a big fan of U2. And very happy to see how they conquered the stadium.”
“I gave away this instrument”
And further: “But with songs like ‘Won’t Get fooled Again’ and ‘Baba O’Riley’ I did it damn again. No question. And I gave away this instrument. But it would be wrong to say that I do not regret it, because I don’t. I have to look back and say: ‘Well, what is.’ But what was really difficult for us.
And yet The Who was one of the first acts to book a stadium:
“Of course we weren’t the only ones. We were really lucky that we had our first big stadium appearance in 1976 in 1976. The shocking person was that nobody had ever thought of doing something like that. You could have done it with Grateful. Could attract ice hockey stadiums.
Rolling-Stone editor Andy Greene then brings the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin into play. Both bands that today enjoy greater success than The Who.
“Why do the Rolling Stones deny some albums?”
Greene: “When I was a teenager in the 1990s, I had the feeling that The WHO was often called in the one breath with the Beatles, the Stones and Led Zeppelin. I have the feeling that this is no longer the case. That young people no longer know your work as well as before. That’s right?”
Townshend says he does not miss the recognition. But in contrast to music colleagues, he stands for everything that The WHO has ever brought on the market: “I think you are right. I think that’s not the case. And no, it is not really important to me. I think because we are now dealing with mythology that is actually being fed by social media and streaming. It is one of the content. Albums made that you have denied in a way.
I think it is not a good idea to deny albums as a legendary band. My favorite album of the Stones is still “aftermath”. Brian Jones was still lively and had ideas. It felt to me that they were in an incredibly interesting creative space of an art school. A little hippy. But interesting. The Beatles just didn’t hold out long enough.
But here the myths begin and end
Finally, Pete Townshend expresses his admiration for Brian Wilson:
“And the same thing happened with the beach Boys. After the Beach Boys Pet Sounds recorded, you could have a conversation with Brian Wilson:” Come on, Brian. Why didn’t you do any other pet sounds? What happened, man? ” “What actually happened is that I got damn crazy, that happened!”
I wonder if children who think Jimmy Page for the best guitarist in the world have heard “Pet Sounds”? Not that it had something to do with the guitar game. But here the myths begin and end. “