Pete Townshend invites Kenney Jones to be the new drummer for the Who. Odd.

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Also did I mention I have a plane ticket to see The Who in San Diego March 1st? So I have a personal stake in whether Zak is the man or not.

White Dopes on Punk (Bimble...), Saturday, 20 January 2007 04:21 (seventeen years ago) link

Yeah, well, the point was less about which drummer the Who had in 1978 per se, and more about what bands (and/or their auteurs) do when they lose a key member. A similar situation with, say, Jane's Addictiion, who released an album (Strays) that IMO was pretty good except for the fact that the bass lines were straight and boring, and not that great galloping stuff that Eric Avery used to do. A different situation as they were clearly reuniting for money, and just needed somebody who wouldn't rock the boat.

i'll mitya halfway (mitya), Saturday, 20 January 2007 06:13 (seventeen years ago) link

wonder what the stones would have been like with a decent drummer.

Worse, I daresay.

But that aside, why does anyone care who plays drums with The Who nowadays? It's not going to change the fact that they stink.

A-ron Hubbard (Hurting), Saturday, 20 January 2007 06:19 (seventeen years ago) link

Hurting, I heard they were trying to get a hold of a replacement they had heard all kind of good things about, a hot young drummer from Hoboken.

The Redd And The Blecch (Ken L), Saturday, 20 January 2007 07:30 (seventeen years ago) link

Or maybe it was Madison, Wisconsin.

The Redd And The Blecch (Ken L), Saturday, 20 January 2007 07:50 (seventeen years ago) link

does anyone care who plays drums with The Who nowadays? It's not going to change the fact that they stink.

Well that's a kneejerk attempt to be cool if I ever heard one - you haven't even heard the new album have you? Admit it.

White Dopes on Punk (Bimble...), Saturday, 20 January 2007 07:51 (seventeen years ago) link


1. I don't know if White Dopes on Punk knows the following and left it unsaid, but Kenney is the drummer on "Its Only Rock and Roll."

2. Townshend apparently chose Jones because he decided that any Who without Moon would need to be a new Who, one that would feature a more conventional drummer. The Ox also apparently said that it was novel to play with a solid drummer, but it was Daltrey who apparently never cared for Jones, which is odd cuz I would think their personalities were similar enough (both seem to be essentially normal dudes) to be complementary.

I like the Who just fine with Kenney: its too bad they ditched him in 1989.

3. I love that "Carouselmbra" is a meme on ILM.

4. The 5 or 6 songs I've heard from Endless Wire are feeble, and "Mirror Door" is absolutely pathetic.

veronica moser (veronica moser), Saturday, 20 January 2007 12:52 (seventeen years ago) link

it's often forgotten, but the negative reaction to jones in the who didn't start until face dances came out. reviews of their 1979-1980 live shows were almost unanimous in their praise for jones.

daltrey always hated kenney's playing, from day one, and was very vocal about it. but he'd always say something like, "it nothing personal. we're great friends. i just can't stand his playing."

I like the Who just fine with Kenney: its too bad they ditched him in 1989.

i could never stand simon phillips. the hackiest hack who ever hacked.

I mean, he was in the small faces before the faces, and some that drumming -- "Get Yourself Together" and those early R&B throw downs -- is fuckin' nasty and unhinged. At the same time, he has his own, more solid style. So, if I Townsend, I'm thinking, "Jones will help give us a new sound in the studio, but he will also be able to keep up, when we play the older stuff on our next world tour."

absolutely OTM

but daltrey's claim was that the only reason pete asked kenney to join was because they were drinking partners. and given how much pete was drinking at the time, he probably saw jones more than he saw his own family.

Lawrence the Looter (Lawrence the Looter), Saturday, 20 January 2007 15:09 (seventeen years ago) link

some basketball team uses "eminence front" as their intro music. i think it might be the lakers but i can't quite remember.

M@tt He1g3s0n: oh u mad cuz im stylin on u (Matt Helgeson), Saturday, 20 January 2007 16:25 (seventeen years ago) link

fuck scott that live youtube version is awesome.

on that clip, THE OX is fucking pwning the whole world on bass, dude was so badass.

M@tt He1g3s0n: oh u mad cuz im stylin on u (Matt Helgeson), Saturday, 20 January 2007 16:29 (seventeen years ago) link

Pretty sure this is from a TV special of this "final" tour (Who Rocks America?) -- that was the height of my Who fandom and I was so fucking stoked to be watching it.

Mark (MarkR), Saturday, 20 January 2007 16:44 (seventeen years ago) link

I swear I heard (or read) Pete say that in retrospect, Kenny Jones was not a good choice?
Interesting rock trivia courtesy the lp credits, via wikipedia:
3. "It's Only Rock'n Roll (But I Like It)" – 5:07
* Features Ian Stewart on piano Kenny Jones on drums and Willie Weeks on bass

Mike Dixn (Mike Dixon), Saturday, 20 January 2007 21:03 (seventeen years ago) link

I swear I heard (or read) Pete say that in retrospect, Kenny Jones was not a good choice?

i don't think he's ever said that kenney wasn't a good choice -- actually, he's staunchly defended kenney whenever an interviewer brings the subject up -- but rather that the band should've stopped after moon's death instead of carrying on. he's also said they should've stopped after the who by numbers (supposedly he was done with the who at the end of '76, but the others desperately wanted/needed to carry on); and that the band should've stopped the day after the cincinnati tragedy.

Lawrence the Looter (Lawrence the Looter), Saturday, 20 January 2007 21:50 (seventeen years ago) link

All of which is quite ironic in light of the way he revived the band last year.

i'll mitya halfway (mitya), Sunday, 21 January 2007 08:34 (seventeen years ago) link

Done with the Who after Who By Numbers...wow. That's one of my fave albums of theirs.

White Dopes on Punk (Bimble...), Sunday, 21 January 2007 09:14 (seventeen years ago) link

seven years pass...

one of the most surprising things in Townshend's autobio was the revelation that after Moon died, Phil Collins was one of the drummers who offered to fill in. would've liked to hear what that'd sound like.

not pop, shambhala, where to buy weed (some dude), Sunday, 20 July 2014 20:55 (nine years ago) link

http://youtu.be/v-ErHX4IEIA

Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 20 July 2014 21:11 (nine years ago) link

uh Midge Ure on co-lead guitar

guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 20 July 2014 22:12 (nine years ago) link

Mick Karn on bass? What the hell is this?

Iago Galdston, Sunday, 20 July 2014 22:14 (nine years ago) link

damn, Phil is jamming that clip

not pop, shambhala, where to buy weed (some dude), Sunday, 20 July 2014 23:52 (nine years ago) link

Yeah, but Phil wasn't a mod. Kenney had a history with the Who, from touring together (he and Keith once played "Magic Bus" together on the same kit) to playing on most of the Tommy soundtrack. Great as Phil was, they barely knew the guy.

Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Monday, 21 July 2014 04:24 (nine years ago) link

Not a mod? B-but he was in A Hard Day's Night:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiKj007MA0g

dow, Monday, 21 July 2014 04:36 (nine years ago) link

i get WHY Phil wasn't the choice (and it's hard to imagine him juggling Genesis, the solo career AND the Who throughout the 80s), i'm just saying it's an interesting scenario to imagine.

not pop, shambhala, where to buy weed (some dude), Monday, 21 July 2014 12:45 (nine years ago) link

I can't think of many moments of Collins as sessioneer when he hasn't shone.

guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 21 July 2014 13:27 (nine years ago) link

The Sessioneer Shone would be a good title for a compilation of his sideman work

not pop, shambhala, where to buy weed (some dude), Monday, 21 July 2014 13:50 (nine years ago) link

That video cracks me up-Pete looking like he is going to sit in later with Ultravox, and Collins ready to go for the Jimmy Buffett set.

campreverb, Monday, 21 July 2014 14:33 (nine years ago) link

Yeah, but Phil wasn't a mod. Kenney had a history with the Who, from touring together (he and Keith once played "Magic Bus" together on the same kit) to playing on most of the Tommy soundtrack. Great as Phil was, they barely knew the guy.

― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Monday, July 21, 2014 5:24 AM (10 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Not sure about Collins during the 60s, do know that the Action are one of his all time favourite bands and he seemed to have a predeliction for 60s soul too which might suggest he was at least leaning toward mod.
THink he may have been too young to be actively involved in any mid 60s scene. Not sure how old he was when he was in Flaming Youth

Stevolende, Monday, 21 July 2014 14:42 (nine years ago) link

Yeah, I realized after dow's AHDN post that Phil was too young to be a mod (he was 13 in 1964). And while Phil no doubt dug mod sounds, Jones and the rest of the Who came up through (and helped define) mod culture itself. So the Who and Jones felt a kinship that Phil couldn't have shared, largely due to the age difference.

That said, yeah, it would've been fascinating to hear Phil play with the Who. And it could've happened; Daltrey's idea was that the Who would have a revolving door of drummers, but Townshend shot him down and insisted on Jones. The irony is that Phil really seemed to love the Who, while Jones, by his own admission, only knew the hits when he joined.

Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Monday, 21 July 2014 14:56 (nine years ago) link

Pete and Phil both played on Paul McCartney's Press to Play album as well!

http://www.maccafan.net/Albums/PressToPlay/Friends.jpg

http://www.maccafan.net/Albums/PressToPlay/Friends2.jpg

bus people are fine broad thinkers (soref), Monday, 21 July 2014 15:41 (nine years ago) link

that is an amazing prince's trust clip.

akm, Monday, 21 July 2014 17:48 (nine years ago) link

"Angry" is by far the worst song on that album.

guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 21 July 2014 18:28 (nine years ago) link

That video cracks me up-Pete looking like he is going to sit in later with Ultravox, and Collins ready to go for the Jimmy Buffett set.

One of the more memorable bits in Pete's bio was his assessment of how well he was pulling off that haircut. Answer: totally.

That said, yeah, it would've been fascinating to hear Phil play with the Who. And it could've happened; Daltrey's idea was that the Who would have a revolving door of drummers, but Townshend shot him down and insisted on Jones. The irony is that Phil really seemed to love the Who, while Jones, by his own admission, only knew the hits when he joined.

― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Monday, July 21, 2014 10:56 AM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

a poignant bit from Pete's book about the period after Face Dances when Roger wanted Kenney out:

"Why was this new system not working for Roger? Roger literally used to dance to Keith's drums. He was balletic in his upper-body movements, just as I was balletic sometimes in my leaps and splits. (I once said to Roger that if you could combine his torso with my legs you'd have a hell of a man.) But when Kenney joined the band, Roger couldn't dance to the music any more. He claimed that Keith had always followed the vocal line, and that he in turn followed Keith. And Keith was gone."

not pop, shambhala, where to buy weed (some dude), Monday, 21 July 2014 18:45 (nine years ago) link

Roger otm

Dig Roger here at 1:33 demonstrating Keith playing with the vocal:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLMc6J9h3mU

Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Monday, 21 July 2014 18:53 (nine years ago) link

Can Pete come out already

guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 21 July 2014 18:56 (nine years ago) link

i mean he's pretty open about his attraction to Jagger and other men in the book. if he'd acted on those impulses, it's difficult to imagine he'd hold back given how detailed the book is about everything else that ever happened to him.

not pop, shambhala, where to buy weed (some dude), Monday, 21 July 2014 19:00 (nine years ago) link

wouldn't count on it some dude, have you seen how he walked back 'Rough Boys'?

campreverb, Monday, 21 July 2014 19:06 (nine years ago) link

The explanation is so goddamn gnarled

guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 21 July 2014 19:14 (nine years ago) link

oh god, rog playing back the vocals and drums to behind blue eyes and just being totally joyful <3

a biscuit/donut hybrid called “bisnuts” (stevie), Monday, 21 July 2014 20:24 (nine years ago) link

Wasn't there someone he dun it with in his book? I forget who, boom boom.

Mark G, Monday, 21 July 2014 23:32 (nine years ago) link

i haven't finished it yet, jeez spoiler alert much

not pop, shambhala, where to buy weed (some dude), Tuesday, 22 July 2014 11:27 (nine years ago) link

It's OK, it wasn't Basil Brush really.

Mark G, Tuesday, 22 July 2014 11:30 (nine years ago) link


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