Well, the Who were my first Big Band, ya neh? Me and Trixie, 12-year-old DJ wannabees, would record our own radio shows full of Who tracks. I'm with trashman -- if only they had done a few more low-fi, raw albums before traveling at lightspeed to Rock Opera! One can only imagine... Still, Quadraphenia comes miles before Tommy on my stereo and for all their worldwide fame and notoriety, they still don't get the airplay of the Stones or Beatles, which probably suits me anyhow.

Hey Gringo -- I reckon you are onto something tho' -- the whole larikin/lad aspect of the Who make them a decidedly blokey band. Ditto when the Jam first toured the US. I remember being one of the few females to venture out in front of the stage (well, there were a lot of jumping boys going nuts) and no screaming girls. Hmmmm. Less girlie appeal means fewer top 40 hits? Anyway, you can't sell teen mags that way, a contributor to the different fortunes, not that the Who didn't sell records, but... they always seemed to have one foot in the alleyway.

Must now go and play some early 'OO clips to work by.

Thank you. That's what I'm talkin' bout my g...g...De - generation. I'll be back , later  ,to respond to your comments. Ready Steady Go was a great show, believe it or not , The Disney Channel used to show it , but , Dave Clark wisely bought the whole fam dangle years ago , but , that meant he could distribute clips sparingly at his leisure. I have two really good VHS tapes from the 80's. The Who are on 'em , as well as the Stones , Them , that GREAT aNIMALS CLIP AND OTHERS.... 

Thought i'd throw this in the mix. My fave Who song very much brought to life. Very early performance on an amazing Brit 60's tv show 'Ready Steady Go' Everyone who was anyone played this show first. Check out the early Animals performances as well. The Yardbirds did an amazing version of 'A Certain Girl' on there as well. Check it out. Roger and co may have their critics. Apart from the early 80's pop guff, The Who abide on many plains.

http://youtu.be/DU6EQ5hXSIs

Thee 'OO!! Probably third place in the 'Holy Trinity' of the British Invasion by most enthusiasts but they are my favorite! Yes, I am an American, a total U.S. 'Garage-in-the-mid-sixties' freak and a die-hard Who fan!! Arguably the first Punk band in Rock and Roll history as well as having one member blow away the song writing skills of Lennon/Macartney (spelling?) and Jagger/Richards in a single bound (starting with The Who Sells Out). I love the whole sordid story of these boys, the four opposite personalities, the fights onstage and the love that would come later. The music of the Who is by far the most timeless out of the other two bands mentioned above and I expect time will prove that out (in time). Way too much for me to say about these lads so just let me get on the board here; I am one of the Who-Heads!

Despite hearing the song a hundred thousand times, I still max the volume for My Generation every time I catch it on the radio.  I also need a regular dose of Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere (including the Live Five version which I just clicked on to complete this post).  

The early stuff is just downright incredible (all their stuff is but in regards to punk).  But obviously their talent was too big to just stay in the lo-fi garage standard.  Amazing to think Tommy was their 4th studio album, they had evolved that much, that quickly.  By 1967 they had horns in their tracks (Pictures of Lily).  After all, Entwistle was a french horn player I have read.

Obviously, for the overall world of Rock-n-Roll we should be pleased they developed the way they did.  But I wish they had put out another album or two before they went so rock opera so I had a few more raw songs.  Probably timing, maybe if they came out just a year or two earlier things would have moved differently.  To me, their best return to the veracity of the early stuff was their cover of "Summertime Blues".  

Hmmmm, I seem to recall several conversations regarding The 'OO and garage... Are the Who so incredibly tied to STADIUM RAWK now that they're not worth discussing re garage? I just can't believe it's true! Did the '70's block our Who-dar in the Hideout?

Too commercial to discuss? I'm interested in hearing about who have been influenced by the Who musically, personally, whatever. Me? I can't think of garagepunk without thinking about a certain 'attitude' -- and a sound that ingested early R&B, blues, then spit it back out in a new form. The Who had that basement, raw, obnoxious sound.

Could there be any more opinionated, snot-nosed, punks than Townsend in his prime? Could anyone mess up their kit better than Moon? There'd be no '70's punk without 'em. And certainly no Jam (well, duh).

Who are the Who-Heads? :D

Maybe the first couple of sentences are'nt appearing here.....I usually see the intros to other people's blogs before I click on 'em.

But , if you're just tuning in , have a look , leave a comment regarding The Who and their infuence on US and UK GARAGE ROCK  , FREAKBEAT , Punk , non  - US/UK  bands , too , AND OF COURSE, mOD (SOME MODS STILL PREFER GUITARS OVER STRINGS AND VIBES , i'M TOLD.) .The phone lines are open !

Sorry if the title was too vague. That's an ongoing joke amongst The Who and their fans.