I think this is a POLL of shit while John Sinclair rots in prison: THE WHO RESULTS THREAD (ilm artist poll #25)

Sounds good. Will do 20-11 today, starting shortly...

20. "5.15" (Quadrophenia), 1973) 11 votes, 233 points
http://www.thewho.net/linernotes2/515.jpg
http://youtu.be/FlL-FFQZd2I

That was my #10 (and the only non-'60s track in my top 10).

19. "Eminence Front" (It's Hard, 1982) 10 votes, 241 points
http://www.mutineermagazine.com/img/blog/schlitz_rocks_america.jpg
http://youtu.be/07hoKUrMT5A

Great scene in the movie, but "5:15" hasn't aged well for me--partly because of the horns, mostly because of the vocal.

TOOOOOO LOW

this is a put on, right?

fuckin 60s

TOOOOOO HIGH

VegemiteGrrl you are no longer forgiven

Has Pete said anything in any interviews about the radical changes in his guitar soloing in the last 10 years or so? Is he getting lessons or something?

That's the most 1982 tour poster ever.

Same year as Tron, which I'm guessing they saw. And really liked.

Schlitz Rocks America

great sequencers

All you have to do is see Daltrey's bleach blond surfer dude hair to know that this song is the worst

The reason I hate it so much is that if you didn't like or know the Who you might go, "oh wow this is a cool Peter Gabriel song"

Has Pete said anything in any interviews about the radical changes in his guitar soloing in the last 10 years or so? Is he getting lessons or something?

I think his single-string facility really started taking off in 1982. With "Eminence Front" (and Kenney Jones), he was finally able to luxuriate in a backbeat; his solos on that song in '82 were unlike any he'd played previously (and were one of the few highlights of those shows).

More recently, though, he hurt his arm/hand in a bike accident in 1991, and my guess is that he doubled-down on practicing as part of his rehab. That seems to be around when the fast fingerpicking started.

Personally, I thought his psychedelic psoloing in the expanded "Sell Out" (especially "Mountain King") a revelation!

OK. I mentioned lessons because he's doing more GIT/Berklee style stuff in the post-2000 stuff I've seen, some jazz modal playing and whammybar tricks -- but if anyone in rock music could teach himself that at home alone with a book, guitar, and computer, it'd be Pete.

I don't think all of the changes to his soloing are brilliant, but they're noticeable!

Little love for these 2 tracks from me. 5.15 is too forced, though the bridge "inside outside" is nice. Other Quad tracks deserved much better.

I certainly hope that wasn't it for Quad!

He's said his all-time favorite guitarist is Pat Martino, so I can see why he'd want to gravitate towards that style of playing. I'm not personally a fan of Martino's, but when that style is filtered through Pete, it gets pretty scary.

xp

18. "Behind Blue Eyes" (Who's Next, 1971) 11 votes, 261 points, one #1 vote
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/dc/The_Who_Behind_Blue_Eyes.jpg/220px-The_Who_Behind_Blue_Eyes.jpg
http://youtu.be/KLMc6J9h3mU
(start at 1:45)

YouTube link has Daltrey's vocals isolated with Keith's drums. VegemiteGrrl referenced it earlier; it's a fascinating/revelatory insight into Moon's approach.

"Eminence Front" is such a massive groove, i remember being so happy whenever it'd come on the radio during the graveyard shift at my old night job

x-post: ...and Martino is another guitarist who had to completely re-learn guitar as a grown-up. Wheels within wheels.

god I love Behind Blue Eyes.

if you didn't like or know the Who you might go, "oh wow this is a cool Peter Gabriel song"

never bothered to listen to it before and uh yeah my first thought was "hey this is a peter Gabriel song!"

thanks for posting that link Tarfumes -- I've been looking everywhere trying to find it!!

I never heard "Eminence Front" on the radio till a coupla years after the fact...the single from It's Hard was "Athena". That was all my local AM stations played.

i only heard "Athena" for the first time while putting my ballot together for this! it's pretty good

Yeah, EF stuck around for the "classic rock" canon, even though "Athena" was a much bigger hit (#28 to EF's #68).

xp

xp to VG -- you're welcome! It's such a great moment in that doc.

Eminence Front was all over MTV back in the day

regret not voting Behind Blue Eyes. the "when my fist clenches..." part is all time

unrelated - whenever I see interviews with Daltrey and Ox and Pete I'm always struck by how much genuine love they have for Moony.

Definitely. Although, Pete had some snarky things to say about him in the Quad doc (including a hilarious imitation of his drumming).

17. "Pinball Wizard" (Tommy, 1969)13 votes, 263 points
http://www.gameroomchamp.com/product_images/b/178/Tommy_The_Whos_Pinball_Wizard_99-01__22355_zoom.jpg
http://youtu.be/gpGegoE3Kik

I used to love BBE, but burned out on it in the 70s/80s. Burned out on all of Who's Next, really.

16. "Bargain" (Who's Next, 1971) 10 votes, 269 points, two #1 votes (233 points studio, 36 points San Francisco 12/13/71)
http://www.myticketstubs.com/711202.jpg
http://youtu.be/y0lXdl_HKrY

i thought for sure i'd be the only #1 vote for that one! i really just started to feel that song in my bones in a major way the last few years.

"Bargain" was my second highest Who's Next vote. I think it's my favorite Daltrey singing, especially on the bridge, but also on the chorus. & the drumming is, needless to say, tremendous, especially in the chorus.

The live version (in the YouTube link) was my #2. Just...fucking rampaging elephants.

Bargain is awesome

"Bargain" covered by onetime contemporary Christian big-shots Rez Band ("rez" short for "resurrectiom"):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laGonH-hAQA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0cGMW4wUQc

15. "Happy Jack" (single, 1966) 15 votes, 298 points
http://991.com/newGallery/The-Who-Happy-Jack-83349.jpg
http://youtu.be/3yijuowRXiM

Their first US top 40 hit (#24)!

Yay Steadman!

Daltrey looking frighteningly like Beavis there.

LAP LAP LAP LAP

LAFF LAFF LAFF LAFF