A Presentation by Aurelio Dregni, Chelsey Hancock, Jake Kelly, Nathan Severiano, & Yi

Zhang

The Who The Who is known for their powerful, energetic and individual personalities that were fused together and produced R&B albums with rock operas and classic

rock tracks. Each their own, the member’s remarkable talents were expressed in their music with passion and wit during their prime of the late ‘60s to the early ‘80s.

Because The Who had one of the strongest and most

unconventional rhythm sections in rock history , we felt intrigued to examine their musical dynamics of concise, classic singles and the ambitious concept albums they are remembered for.

How Good was The Who? As one columnist puts it: "They were arguably the most divisive anarchic

yet fiercely committed band in rock history, and they didn't just command attention, they demanded it. They were individually brilliant young musicians blending into such a perfect gestalt of mind and music whose power, rage and compassion was both anguish and sheer unadulterated delight."

Starting in 1964, they came on as equipment smashing Mods who brashly declared their anthem to modern culture in their song, My Generation, by saying, "Hope I die before I get old."

The Who? The Who began in 1964 with singer Roger

Daltrey, guitarist and songwriter Pete Townshed, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Daltrey, Townshed, and Entwistle had recently been in a London based band the Detours, but when they replaced their drummer with the enigmatic Keith Moon, they rebranded themselves "The Who", to some extent to confuse and interest those that heard about them by word of mouth. This is said to have worked very well on posters.

They began with a few hit singles, "I Can't Explain", "My Generation", and "The Kids are Alright", leading to their first album, "My Generation" in 1965. Unlike the Beatles, or the Stones, the Who's first albums contained few covers: they were almost entirely original songs written by Townshed.

Theatrics In 1964, during a gig at the Railway Hotel, Pete

Townshed smashed his guitar against the ceiling while he made a flying leap. In frustration, he proceeded to completely destroy his guitar on stage, while it was still plugged into the amp, for a previously unheard sound. What began as an accident eventually became one of their signatures, with Pete smashing his guitars, Moon destroying his drum sets, and Daltrey spinning his microphone to the extent that it even hit the stage.

They also did this at Woodstock, but Jimi Hendrix who followed them immediately afterward did the same, and even lit his guitar on fire. Those who saw this explained how while the Who destroyed their instruments in anger and out of angst, Hendrix seemed to almost be worshiping his guitar.

The Late '60s In 1967, the who achieved their first U.S. top 40

album, with Happy Jack (A Quick One in Europe). It and their next, The Who Sell Out helped bridge the gap from England to the U.S. These albums further showed that Townsend could write amazing singles, but he wanted more.

Their next album, Tommy, was the first Rock Opera. All of the songs were connected by a story, with underlying themes and images running throughout, vastly different from the compilations of hits they had done before. Their next album in 1971 was going to be a rock opera, but due to the stress of threading a story through a whole album, it was abandoned. Though it never came to fruition, it left us with some of what is widely considered the Who's best work, which was put into their 1971 album, Who's Next.

The '70s and beyond The Who continued to produce albums in the '70s though they were beginning to

go their separate ways with solo careers. Their work in the 70s culminated with Who Are You in 1978, which reached the #2 spot on the U.S. charts.

On September 7th, 1978, three weeks after the release of Who Are You, Keith Moon was found dead in his apartment from a drug overdose. The remaining members debated continuing, and later said that they felt that the Who died with him.

They released two new albums in the 80's, with many songs influenced by Punk and New Wave, genres which they had inspired.

The Who continued touring off and on ever since. Entwistle died in 2002, while the Who were doing a reunion tour.

In 2006, the remaining members released Endless Wire, a completely new album, to critical acclaim, their first completely original work in 28 years.

The Who were inducted to the rock and roll hall of fame in 1990, the first year they were eligible.

Musical Style: Key Stylistic Elements

Roger Daltrey: Delivered the groups vocals with a strong

muscularity and expressive passion.

Peter Townshend: Provided "slashing" guitar sounds and energetic melodies and accompaniments.

John Entwistle: Gave the "anchor to the ship," creating streaming basslines. (Very musically adept).

Keith Moon: Often referred to as one of the best drummers of his time. He exploded with energy and passion to deliver the songs rhythm and beats.

Musical Style: Key Stylistic Elements

•  The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame describes the musical style of the Who as the following: "The Who have distilled the pent-up energy and chaos of Rock and Roll into its purest form, while investing their songs with lyrical depth and visionary insight." •  Townshend's abilities on the guitar to create streaming rhythmic melodies, provided the foundation for Moon and Entwistle to showcase their talents. •  Together Entwistle and Moon created a strong yet unconventional rhythmic sections in Rock and Roll; they would provide the heart pumping bass lines and melodic drum fills.

Musical Style: Where They Fit In

•  The Who didn't make it big until the late 1960's and are considered to be one of the keystone groups that formed a part of the first British Invasion wave to hit the United States.

•  Their musical style is more identifiable with the Rolling Stones (As apposed to the Beatles), but they represented their newly adopted image of the 1960's mod movement.

•  The mod (short for modernist) movement is a subculture that originated in London during the early 1960's. Typical characteristics included anything that was popular or moderne during the time. e.g. tailored suits, British beat music, R&B, motor scooters, etc.

•  What set them apart from the other groups of their time was that The Who based their rhythm on Townshend's guitar, which allowed for Entwistle's bass lines, and Moons beats to be changed and improvised.

•  Their songs are said to have "exploded the conventional rock and R&B compositional structures" to create their iconic musical energy.

The image of the mod subculture

The Who adopted the symbol of the mod subculture for their band's logo.

Musical Style: Stylistic Performance

•  The Who were well known for their energetic performances, and were often times considered to be quite theatrical.

•  Their "bad-boy" and "anti-establishment" image was mostly pure accidental. Out of frustration of a broken guitar neck, Townshend proceeded to smash his guitar on stage, and Moon quickly followed suit and decided to do some damage to his drum set.

•  Due to the reaction of the crowd, they decided to keep up with this behavior, and make it a permanent part of their image.

•  Apart from wreaking havoc on their instruments,Townshend would display theatricality by playing the guitar with his iconic circular-windmill motions, Daltrey would swing his microphone around while strutting around the stage, Moon would be beating all over his drum set in a blur, and Entwistle would anchor them all by standing stoically in place. (The anchor to the already violently rocking boat).

Musical Style: Importance in the History of Rock n' Roll

•  The Who (specifically Townshend) created the first successful rock opera: Tommy (1969)

•  What is a rock opera? - It is a work of rock music that presents a storyline told over a succession of multiple parts, songs, or sections, like that of an opera.

•  Tommy (1969) tells the story of a deaf, blind, and dumb boy that turns into a pinball champ - pop idol turned autocratic messianic. o  Top song to come out of this release:

"Pinball Wizard" •  The who were also one of the first rock

groups to successfully integrate the synthesizer into their music.

•  First experiments with the synthesizer include the following tracks: "Baba O'Riley," "Bargain," and "Won't Get Fooled Again."

Musical Analysis: "Won't Get Fooled Again"

Background: •  By the time they recorded the album Who's Next in 1971, the Who were among the top

bands in rock. «Won't Get Fooled Again,» one of the tracks from the album, is notable for its extensive use of the ARP synthesizer.

•  Focus on Instrumentation, Meter, Beat subdivision, Texture and Form •  Won't get fooled again

Meter and Subdivision: "Won't Get Fooled Again"

The tempo and meter are maintained throughout the entire eight and a half minutes of the song. Won't Get Fooled Again uses a moderately fast tempo, with quadruple meter. The synthesizer plays the chords twice each beat for a duple subdivision, while the drums and guitar often play 16th notes, for a quadruple subdivision.

Instrumentals: "Won't Get Fooled Again"

Instrumentals (and the role they play in the song): •  "Won't Get Fooled Again uses the following instruments: The electric guitar, the bass guitar, the drum

set, and also the synthesizer. The synthesizer is what gives the iconic opening melody and accompaniment.

•  Intro (0:01-0:51): The song opens with the synthesizer and a strong strum from the electric guitar. The synthesizer then continues to carry out the melody and the drums and guitar are added to the mix, followed by the vocals and bass guitar.

•  Vocals (0:52-2:49) •  Instrumental Break 1 (2:50-3:25): Here the electric guitar forms the rhythmic structure and

foundation for the bassline and the drum's melodic fill-ins. The synthesizer is still in the background adding accompaniment.

•  Vocals (2:26-3:38) •  Instrumental Break 2A (3:39-4:26): Here the Drums take on the task of carrying the rhythmic

foundation while the bass carries the bassline. This leaves the electric guitar to take the lead with a new melody that is a lot more notable and stronger. The synthesizer then starts to become stronger as well, accompanying the guitar.

•  Instrumental Transition (4:26-4:36): The instrumentals then return to the role they played in the Introduction and then carries into the vocals.

Instrumentals Cont.: "Won't Get Fooled Again"

Instrumentals Continued: •  Vocals (4:37-5:37) •  Instrumental Break 2B (5:38-7:52): This instrumental break begins by following the

instrumental roles in instrumental break 2A. The instruments then carry out and transition into the roles they played from the Introduction, the only difference is the emphasis on the drums (solo given) right before leading into the final phase of vocals.

•  Vocals (7:53-7:59) •  Instrumental Break 3/ Ending (8:00-8:33): This instrumental break follows the same role as

instrumental break 1, then transitions into the ending. Here all four instruments (electric guitar, bass guitar, drum set, and synthesizer) play their notes on the first beat of each measure until the last measure where the notes are held out til they fade to nothing.

Form: "Won't Get Fooled Again"

Form : •  The form of "Won't Get Fooled Again” is verse-chorus form •  Intro (0:01-0:51): •  Verse/ chorus(0:52) We'll be fighting in the streets With our children at our feet And the morals that they worship will be gone (Bridge [1:13]) I’ll tip my hat to the new constitution Take a bow for the new revolution Smile and grin at the change all around Pick up my guitar and play Just like yesterday Then I'll get on my knees and pray (Hook[1:38]) we don’t get fooled again •  Verse/ chorus 2(1:53): The change, it had to come We knew it all along We were liberated from the fold, that's all •  Instrumental (2:57) •  contrasting section(3:24) I’ll move myself and my family aside If we happen to be left half alive I'll get all my papers and smile at the sky Though I know that the hypnotized never lie •  Verse/chorus 3 (4:38) There is nothing in the street Looks any different to me And the slogans are replaced, by-the-bye And the parting on the left Are now parting on the right And the beards have all grown longer overnight •  Instumental (5:44) •  Outro (7:51) .

Texture Analysis: "Won't Get Fooled Again"

The texture throughout the song is very dynamic and ultra creative on The Who's part. It is through the different instruments and interesting beats that make it dynamic. Up to 0:36 sec., it has a monophonic texture style instrumentally; just the keyboard, for a very thin texture. 0:37 sec., It has a Polyphonic, non-limitative texture with the electric guitar being strummed or "bashed on" loudly and significantly (unlike the overall melody). The drums have a consistent, fast beat of the loud taps every second, unlike the overall melody nor the guitar as well. Very thick texture. 0:44 sec. The song's melody starts for to the homophonic texture of melody and accompaniment like we are used to; with the keyboard, electric guitar, and drums; one vocal chord, all following rhythmically. Thick texture. 1:14 - 1:36 Homophonic chordal..Both vocals are singing on the same pitch and following course with the accompanying instruments. This is what we hear for the chorus; each time throughout the song. They are singing the same melodoic line. Moderately thick texture. 1:42 - back to the Homophonic Texture; melody and accompaniment style for the accompanying verses throughout the song, and then for the guitar solo accompanied by the keyboard. Moderately thick texture. 6:35 - The instrumentals change to a monophonic texture. There are no more drums nor electric guitar; the keyboard only. Once again, a very thin texture.

Texture Analysis: "Won't Get Fooled Again"

7:31 - Homophonic texture at this point of the song; it just adds drums to the keyboard. 7:45 - Still the homophonic M&A texture, but the guitar is now incorporated for the instrumentals as well as the vocals with a loud, shouting, inspirational, "YAAA!." Moderately thick texture. 7:53 - Vocalist, "Meet the new boss." 7:56 - Both monophonic vocalists, "Same as the old boss", Still homophonic M&A. 8:33 - the marking of the end of the song; finishing off in instrumental, polyphonic nonimitative texture. Those two lines were the last of the lyrics...interesting, huh!? The texture of this song is so awesome, so much character and spirit. It is truly dynamic and an original in its own.

Influence On The Who

John lee Hooker Hark Marvin Bo Didley

Pete Townshend cites John Lee Hooker, Bo Diddley, Hank Marvin, Link Wray, Mose Allison, Ray Charles, and Jimmy Smith as early musical influences. He also has identified Henry Purcell as important to his composing."As a matter of fact, Who leader Pete Townshend has frequently credited the first-wave British Invasion band the Kinks with being his initial influence for composing "I Can't Explain," while "The Kids Are Alright" would be unthinkable without the influence of the Beatles and their Merseybeat sound"

.

Other Music of the Period -After experimenting with many styles in the early 60s, "The Who" formed an ultimate identity as an R&B influenced pop rock group in Great Britain. - The Who were most directly involved in the "British invasion of the 1960s"

-The arrival of the Beatles in the United States on February 7, 1964 opened the door for a flurry of British rock bands coming to the United States.

-The Who were in the second wave of British bands to emerge in the United States, making their first appearance on the American Charts in 1967.

The Beatles arriving in America (britishinvasionbands.com)

More on the British Invasion -The bands of the British invasion were primarily influenced by early American rock & roll and blues musicians.

-This led to a blend of American and British styles of the time, ultimately resulting in a pop rock hybrid. -Bands made a point to form an identity, which led to experimentation and new sounds.

-The Who most closely and successfully represented the British "Mod" subculture, which represented "modernism" in British culture through music, clothing, and rebellious teenage lifestyle. -The Who considered themselves "maximum rhythym and blues, and "power pop."

The Shape of Musical Culture When Coming to America

-Many British acts had already successfully crossed over and made an impact by the time The Who arrived in America (most notably: The Beatles, Rolling Stones.) -The success of Euro Rock bands was great in the United States. This new brand of music ultimately helped lead to the demise of instrumental surf music, and helped evolve the revival of folk music into folk rock. -The band played alongside emerging acts like the Jimi Hendrix Experience and The Doors on tour, as well as playing at the legendary Woodstock festival in 1969. -Woodstock helped cement The Who as the one of the hottest live music tickets in America, next to only the Rolling Stones. -Musicians from Elvis to Chubby Checker saw their music take a backseat to that of the British Invasion, and the sound was ultimately adopted by upcoming American garage rock bands that helped shape American Rock music for decades to come.

Legacy The Who have been releasing albums for almost half a century, and have inspired

many branches of rock unlike anything that came before. They will be remembered for their development of the rock opera, their crazy stage

antics, their unique rhythm section, and the invention of the power trio.

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