The Who
The Who performing in 2007 (on left: Roger Daltrey, on right: Pete Townshend)
Background information
Origin	Shepherd's Bush, West London, England
Genre(s)	Rock, hard rock, pop rock, art rock
Years active	1964–1982, 1989, 1996–1997, 1999-present
Label(s)	Decca, Brunswick, Polydor, Track, MCA, Universal Republic, Warner Bros., (More info)
Website	www.thewho.com
Members
Pete Townshend Roger Daltrey
Former members
John Entwistle Keith Moon Kenney Jones

The Who are an English rock band that formed in 1964. Roger Harry Daltrey, CBE (born 1 March 1944) is an English rock Vocalist, songwriter and actor best known as the Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (born 19 May 1945 in Chiswick, London) is an English rock Guitarist, Singer, Shepherd's Bush (also Shepherds Bush) is a district of West London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, situated 4 West London is the area of Greater London to the west of Central London. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. Hard rock (also referred to as heavy rock) is a variation of Rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage and Psychedelic rock Pop rock is a hybrid of Pop music and Rock music that uses catchy pop style with light lyrics over top of guitar-based songs Art rock is a term describing a subgenre of Rock music that tends to have "experimental or avant-garde influences" and emphasizes "novel sonic texture In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Decca Records is a British Record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Brunswick Records is a United States based Record label. The label is currently distributed by Koch Entertainment. Polydor Records is a Record label currently headquartered in the UK, and is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Track Records was an "Independent" Record label founded in 1967 by Kit Lambert, Chris Stamp (managers of The Who) and Pete MCA Records was an American -based record company owned by MCA Inc Republic Records is a Record label subsidiary of The Universal Motown/Universal Republic Group. Warner Bros Records Inc is an American Record label that operates as a wholly owned Subsidiary of Warner Music Group. The following is a Discography of Albums and singles released by the UK rock band The Who. Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (born 19 May 1945 in Chiswick, London) is an English rock Guitarist, Singer, Roger Harry Daltrey, CBE (born 1 March 1944) is an English rock Vocalist, songwriter and actor best known as the John Alec Entwistle ( October 9, 1944 – June 27, 2002) was an English Bass guitarist, Songwriter, Singer Keith John Moon ( August 23, 1946 &ndash September 7, 1978) was the Drummer of the rock group The Who. Kenneth Thomas "Kenney" Jones (born 16 September 1948, Stepney, East London) is a veteran English rock England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend, vocalist Roger Daltrey, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (born 19 May 1945 in Chiswick, London) is an English rock Guitarist, Singer, Roger Harry Daltrey, CBE (born 1 March 1944) is an English rock Vocalist, songwriter and actor best known as the John Alec Entwistle ( October 9, 1944 – June 27, 2002) was an English Bass guitarist, Songwriter, Singer Keith John Moon ( August 23, 1946 &ndash September 7, 1978) was the Drummer of the rock group The Who. The band reached international success, became known for their energetic live performances,^[1][2] are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and '70s, and recognized as one of the greatest rock and roll bands of all time. ^[3][4]

The Who rose to fame in the United Kingdom with a pioneering instrument destruction stage show, as well as a series of top ten hit singles (including the celebrated "My Generation") and top five albums, beginning in 1965 with "I Can't Explain". The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The destruction of musical instruments, a tradition in pop and Rock music, is normally carried out by band members during a Live performance, particularly " My Generation " is a song by the British rock group The Who, which became a hit and one of their most recognizable songs An album or record album is a collection of related audio or Music tracks distributed to the public " I Can't Explain " is a song released by English rock band The Who in 1965, written by Pete Townshend and produced by Shel They first hit the top ten in the USA in 1967 with "I Can See for Miles". The United States of America —commonly referred to as the " I Can See for Miles " is a song written by Pete Townshend of The Who, recorded for the band's 1967 album The Who Sell Out. The 1969 release of Tommy was the first in a series of top five albums for the group in the USA, followed by Live at Leeds (1970), Who's Next (1971), Quadrophenia (1973), and Who Are You (1978) among others. Live at Leeds (1970 is The Who 's first Live album, and is their only live album that was released while the band was still recording and performing Who's Next is the fifth album by the English rock band The Who. Quadrophenia is the sixth album by the English rock band The Who. Who Are You is the eighth album by English rock band The Who.

Keith Moon died in 1978, after which the band released two more studio albums, the top five Face Dances (1981) and the top ten It's Hard (1982), with drummer Kenney Jones, before officially disbanding in 1983. Face Dances is the ninth album by the English rock band The Who. It's Hard is the tenth studio album by the English rock band The Who, the second to be released after the death of Drummer Kenneth Thomas "Kenney" Jones (born 16 September 1948, Stepney, East London) is a veteran English rock They reformed on several occasions to perform at special events such as Live Aid and for reunion tours such as their 25th anniversary tour (1989) and the Quadrophenia revival tours of 1996 and 1997. Live Aid was a multi-venue rock music concert held on. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia Quadrophenia is the sixth album by the English rock band The Who. In 2000, the three surviving original members began to discuss the possibility of recording an album of new material. These plans were delayed following the death of John Entwistle in 2002. Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey continue to perform as The Who. In 2006 they released the studio album Endless Wire, which reached the top ten in the USA and UK. Endless Wire is the eleventh album by the English rock band The Who.

Contents 1 History 1.1 1960s 1.1.1 Early days 1.1.2 Singles band 1.1.3 Conceptual work 1.1.4 Tommy & Live at Leeds 1.2 1970s 1.2.1 Lifehouse & Who's Next 1.2.2 Quadrophenia & By Numbers 1.2.3 Who Are You & Moon's death 1.3 1980s 1.3.1 Decline and breakup 1.3.2 Reunions 1.4 1990s 1.4.1 Partial reunions 1.4.2 Quadrophenia tour 1.5 2000s 1.5.1 Charity shows and Entwistle's death 1.5.2 Endless Wire 1.5.3 Amazing Journey 2 Influence 3 Awards 4 Band members 5 Discography 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References 9 External links

History

1960s

Early days

The first band that could be considered a parent of The Who was a "trad jazz" band started by Pete Townshend and John Entwistle called The Confederates. Townshend played the banjo and Entwistle the French horn (which he would continue to use in The Who and in his solo career). Roger Daltrey, founder of the Detours, met John Entwistle in the street (with his bass slung over his arm) and asked him to join his band. Entwistle agreed and suggested Townshend as an additional (rhythm) guitarist.

In their early days the band was known as The Detours. Like many of their British peers, the group was heavily influenced by American blues and country music, initially playing mostly rhythm and blues. Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. The initial lineup of the band consisted of Roger Daltrey on lead guitar, Pete Townshend on rhythm guitar, John Entwistle on bass, Doug Sandom on drums, and Colin Dawson on lead vocals. Doug Sandom (born 1932 was the original drummer for English rock band The Who. After Colin Dawson left the band, Daltrey moved to lead vocals and Townshend became sole guitarist. In 1964 drummer Doug Sandom left the band, and Keith Moon became The Who's drummer.

The Detours changed their name to "The Who" in 1964 and, with the arrival of Keith Moon that year, their line-up was complete. However, for a short period during 1964, under the management of famed mod Peter Meaden, they changed their name to The High Numbers, during which time they released "Zoot Suit/I'm The Face", a single designed to appeal to their mostly mod fans. Mod (originally modernist, sometimes capitalised is a Subculture that originated in London in the late 1950s and peaked in the early to mid 1960s Peter Alexander Edwin Meaden (November 11 1941-July 29 1978 was a publicist and " Zoot Suit " b/w "I'm the Face " was the first single of the British Rock and roll band The Who, when they were known as The High Numbers When it failed to chart, the band fired Meaden and quickly reverted to The Who. They became one of the most popular bands among the British mods, a 1960s subculture involving cutting-edge fashions, scooters and music genres such as rhythm and blues, soul, and beat music. Mod (originally modernist, sometimes capitalised is a Subculture that originated in London in the late 1950s and peaked in the early to mid 1960s A scooter is a style of two-wheeled motor vehicle traditionally defined by characteristics such as a step-through frame wheels less than 16" in diameter and an engine located Soul music is a Music genre that combines Rhythm and blues and Gospel music, originating in the United States.

In September 1964, at the Railway Tavern in Harrow and Wealdstone, England, Pete Townshend smashed his first guitar. Playing on a high stage, Townshend's physical style of performance resulted in him accidentally breaking off the head of his guitar when it broke through the ceiling. Angered by snickers from the audience, he proceeded to smash the instrument to pieces on the stage. He then picked up a Rickenbacker twelve-string guitar and continued the concert. A large crowd attended their next concert, but Townshend declined to smash another guitar. Instead, Keith Moon wrecked his drumkit. ^[5][6] Instrument destruction became a staple of The Who's live shows for the next several years. The destruction of musical instruments, a tradition in pop and Rock music, is normally carried out by band members during a Live performance, particularly The incident at the Railway Tavern is one of Rolling Stone magazine's "50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock 'n' Roll". Rolling Stone is a United States -based Magazine devoted to Music, Politics, and Popular culture that is published ^[7]

The band would soon crystallise around Townshend as the primary songwriter and creative force. Entwistle would also make notable songwriting contributions. Moon and Daltrey contributed a handful of songs in the 60s and 70s.

Singles band

The Who's first release, and first hit, was January 1965's "I Can't Explain", influenced by the early Kinks hits (with whom they shared American producer Shel Talmy). " I Can't Explain " is a song released by English rock band The Who in 1965, written by Pete Townshend and produced by Shel The Kinks were an English pop and rock group formed in 1963 and categorised in the US as a British Invasion band Shel Talmy (born August 11 1937 in Chicago, Illinois United States is an American record producer best known for his work in 1960s London with The Who and The song was first played in the USA on WTAC AM 600 in Flint, Michigan by DJ "Peter C" Cavanaugh^[8] where Keith Moon allegedly drove a Cadillac into a hotel pool during his 21st birthday. The song was a top 10 hit in the UK and was followed by "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere", which was the only song credited as being composed in a joint effort by Townshend and Daltrey, though Townshend implied Daltrey assisted in songwriting without credit in the liner notes to Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy. " Anyway Anyhow Anywhere " was a single released by The Who in 1965 Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy is a Compilation album by British rock band The Who.

Their debut album My Generation (The Who Sings My Generation in the U. My Generation is the debut album by the English rock band The Who, released in the UK in December of 1965 S. ) was released the same year. The album included such mod anthems as "The Kids Are Alright" and the title track "My Generation". " The Kids Are Alright " is a song written by Pete Townshend of The Who. My Generation is the debut album by the English rock band The Who, released in the UK in December of 1965 Subsequent hits, such as the 1966 singles "Substitute", about a young man who feels like a fraud, "I'm a Boy" about a young boy dressed as a young girl, "Happy Jack" about a mentally disturbed young man, and 1967's "Pictures of Lily", a tribute to masturbation, all show Townshend's growing use of stories of sexual tension and teenage angst. " I'm a Boy " is a 1966 rock song written by Pete Townshend for his band The Who. " Pictures of Lily " is a single by the British rock band The Who. Masturbation refers to Sexual stimulation especially of one's own genitals ( self masturbation) and often to the point of Orgasm, which More hits followed, including "I Can See for Miles" and the 1968 single "Magic Bus". " I Can See for Miles " is a song written by Pete Townshend of The Who, recorded for the band's 1967 album The Who Sell Out. " Magic Bus " is one of The Who 's most popular songs

Conceptual work

Although they had success as a singles band, Townshend had more ambitious goals. He wanted to treat The Who's albums as unified works, rather than collections of unconnected songs. Although Townshend later said that the song "I'm A Boy" was from a projected opus, the first sign of this ambition came in their 1966 album A Quick One, which included the storytelling medley "A Quick One While He's Away", which they later referred to as a "mini opera", and which has been called the first prog epic. A Quick One is the second album by English rock band The Who, released in 1966 A Quick One is the second album by English rock band The Who, released in 1966 ^[9]

A Quick One was followed by The Who Sell Out in 1967, a concept album which played like an offshore radio station, complete with humorous jingles and commercials, and which also included a mini rock opera, called "Rael" (whose closing theme ended up on "Tommy"), as well as The Who's biggest USA single, "I Can See for Miles". The Who Sell Out is the third album by the English rock band The Who, released in 1967 In Popular music, a concept album is an Album which is "unified by a theme which can be instrumental compositional narrative or lyrical" The term pirate radio usually refers to illegal or unregulated radio transmissions Rock operas, Concept albums Song cycles and Oratorios all differ from a conventional rock album which usually includes songs that are unrelated to each The Who famously destroyed their equipment onstage at the Monterey Pop Festival that year and subsequently repeated the routine on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour with literally explosive results as Keith Moon detonated his drum kit. The Monterey International Pop Music Festival was a three-day concert event held June 16 to June 18 1967 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey The Smothers Brothers are an American music-and- Comedy team consisting of the brothers Tom ("Tommy" and Dick Smothers. In 1968 The Who were the headliner of the first Schaefer Music Festival in New York City's Central Park. The Schaefer Music Festival (which began it's life as the Rheingold Central Park Music Festival in 1966) was a Music festival which had been held in the summers between The City of New York Central Park is a large public Urban park in New York City, with about twenty-five million visitors annually Also that year, Pete Townshend became the subject of the first Rolling Stone interview. Rolling Stone is a United States -based Magazine devoted to Music, Politics, and Popular culture that is published Townshend revealed in that interview that he was working on a full-length rock opera. This was Tommy, the first work billed as a rock opera and a major landmark in modern music. Rock operas, Concept albums Song cycles and Oratorios all differ from a conventional rock album which usually includes songs that are unrelated to each

Tommy & Live at Leeds

Around this time the spiritual teachings of India's Meher Baba began to influence Townshend's songwriting, an influence that continued for many years. Meher Baba ( Devanāgarī: मेहेर बाबा) (February 25 1894 Merwan Sheriar Irani – January 31 1969 was an Indian mystic and spiritual Baba is credited as "Avatar" on Tommy. Avatar or Avatara (अवतार IAST Avatāra) is often inaccurately translated into English as incarnation In addition to its commercial success, Tommy also became a critical smash, with Life Magazine saying, ". . . for sheer power, invention and brilliance of performance, Tommy outstrips anything which has ever come out of a recording studio,"^[10] and Melody Maker declaring, "Surely The Who are now the band against which all others are to be judged. Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly Music Newspaper "

The Who performed much of Tommy at the Woodstock Music and Art Festival later that year. That performance, and the ensuing film, catapulted The Who to superstar status in the USA.

In February 1970 The Who recorded Live at Leeds, which is thought by many to be the best live rock album of all time. Live at Leeds (1970 is The Who 's first Live album, and is their only live album that was released while the band was still recording and performing ^[11] The album, originally relatively short and containing mostly the show's hard rock songs, has been re-released in several expanded and remastered versions over the years, remedying technical problems with the original recording and adding portions of the performance of Tommy, as well as versions of numerous earlier singles and interstitial stage banter. The Leeds University gig was part of the Tommy tour, which not only included gigs in European opera houses, but also saw The Who become the first rock act to perform at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. The Metropolitan Opera Association of New York City, founded in April 1880 is a major presenter of all types of opera including Grand Opera. The City of New York

1970s

Lifehouse & Who's Next

Also in 1970, The Who began work on a studio album that was never released. At the Isle of Wight Festival in August, Daltrey introduced "I Don't Even Know Myself" as "off the new album, which we're sort of half-way through". The Isle of Wight Festival is a Music festival which takes place annually on the Isle of Wight, England. But within a few weeks of that concert Townshend wrote "Pure and Easy", a song which he later described as the "central pivot" of what became an ambitious concept album/performance art project called Lifehouse, distracting him and the band from work on the album in progress. This article is about Performance art For other uses see Performance (disambiguation For the 2005 album by the band Lifehouse, see Lifehouse (Lifehouse album. Lifehouse was never completed in its intended form. Some Lifehouse songs were released as non-album-track singles, b-sides and on various albums over the years, such as 1974's outtakes compilation Odds & Sods and Townshend's 1972 solo album Who Came First. A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of 7 inch Vinyl records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s Odds & Sods is an Album by British rock band The Who. In the Autumn of 1973 while Roger Daltrey, Who Came First is the first major-label solo album by Pete Townshend, Guitarist and lead Songwriter of The Who. Townshend would later reconstruct it as a radio play for the BBC in 2000, and most of the material was released on a 6-CD album from Pete Townshend's website shortly after. Radio drama is a form of audio storytelling broadcast on radio. Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (born 19 May 1945 in Chiswick, London) is an English rock Guitarist, Singer,

Meanwhile, in March of 1971, the band began recording the available Lifehouse material with Kit Lambert in New York, and then restarted the sessions with Glyn Johns in April. Christopher "Kit" Sebastian Lambert ( 11 May, 1935 &ndash 7 April, 1981) was a Record producer and the Manager Glyn Johns (born February 15, 1942 in Epsom, Surrey, England) is a musician recording engineer and Record producer Selections from the material, along with one unrelated song by Entwistle, were released as a traditional studio album, Who's Next, which became their most successful album among both critics and fans, but which effectively terminated the Lifehouse project. Who's Next is the fifth album by the English rock band The Who. Who's Next reached #4 in the USA pop charts and #1 in the UK. Who's Next is the fifth album by the English rock band The Who. Two tracks from the album, "Baba O'Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again", are often cited as pioneering examples of synthesiser use in rock music; ironically, both tracks' distinctive keyboard sounds were actually generated in real time by a Lowrey organ^[12] (though in the case of "Won't Get Fooled Again", the organ's output was processed through the filters of a VCS3 synthesiser). " Baba O'Riley " is a song by the English rock band The Who, written by Pete Townshend. The VCS 3 (an acronym for V oltage C ontrolled S tudio with 3 oscillators is a portable analog Synthesiser with a flexible However, synthesisers can be found elsewhere on the album, playing a prominent role in "Bargain", "Going Mobile", and "The Song is Over". Who's Next is the fifth album by the English rock band The Who. Who's Next is the fifth album by the English rock band The Who.

Quadrophenia & By Numbers

Who's Next was followed by Quadrophenia (1973), a work in the rock opera vein, but which can also be seen as something of an autobiographical or social history piece about early 1960s adolescent life and conflict in London. Quadrophenia is the sixth album by the English rock band The Who. The story is about a youth named Jimmy, his struggle for self-esteem, his conflicts with his family and others, and his mental illness. ^[13] His personal story is set against a backdrop of the clashes between Mods and Rockers in the early 1960s in the UK, particularly the riots between the two factions at Brighton. Mod (originally modernist, sometimes capitalised is a Subculture that originated in London in the late 1950s and peaked in the early to mid 1960s For the movie see Rockers (film. For the professional wrestling tag team see The Rockers. Brighton ( is a town on the south coast of England and with its neighbour Hove, forms the city of Brighton and Hove. The supporting US tour featured a legendary November 20, 1973 San Francisco, California concert at the Cow Palace in Daly City where drummer Keith Moon passed out during the show during "Won't Get Fooled Again" and again in "Magic Bus" due to tranquilizers. The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city Keith John Moon ( August 23, 1946 &ndash September 7, 1978) was the Drummer of the rock group The Who. When Moon was finally incapacitated, Townshend asked the audience, "Can anyone play the drums? - I mean somebody good. " An audience member, Scot Halpin, filled in for Moon for the rest of the encore. Thomas Scot Halpin ( February 3, 1954 – February 9, 2008) was an artist and musician noted for sitting in for The Who 's Keith

The band's later albums contained songs of more personal content for Townshend, and he eventually transferred this personal style to his solo albums, as seen on the album Empty Glass. Empty Glass was released as the first proper Pete Townshend solo album ( Who Came First was a collection of demo recordings and Meher 1975's The Who by Numbers had several introspective songs in this vein, lightened by the crowd-pleasing "Squeeze Box", another hit single. The Who By Numbers is the seventh album by the English rock band The Who, released in 1975 " Squeeze Box " is a song by The Who. " Squeezebox " is a slang term for Accordions and related instruments but it is also a slang term Nevertheless, some rock critics considered By Numbers to have been Townshend's "suicide note. "^[14] A movie version of Tommy was released that year. Tommy is a 1975 Musical film, based on The Who's 1969 "rock opera" album musical Tommy. It was directed by Ken Russell, starred Roger Daltrey in the title role and earned Pete Townshend an academy award nomination for Best Original Score. Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell, known as Ken Russell (born 3 July 1927 is an English Film director. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. In 1976 The Who played a concert at Charlton Athletic Football Ground which was listed for over a decade in the Guinness Book of World Records as the loudest concert ever. Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records (and in previous U The loudest band in the world is a subject of some dispute in musical circles although the claim has been made that Motorhead holds this distinction ^[10]

Who Are You & Moon's death

In 1978, the band released Who Are You, a move away from epic rock opera and towards a more radio-friendly sound, though it did contain one song from a never-completed rock opera by John Entwistle. Who Are You is the eighth album by English rock band The Who. The release of the album was overshadowed by the death of Keith Moon in his sleep after an overdose of Heminevrin - a medication prescribed to him to combat alcohol withdrawal symptoms - only a few hours after a party held by Paul McCartney. Keith John Moon ( August 23, 1946 &ndash September 7, 1978) was the Drummer of the rock group The Who. Clomethiazole (also called Chlormethiazole) is a Sedative and Hypnotic that is widely used in treating and preventing symptoms of acute alcohol withdrawal Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942 is an English rock Singer, Bass guitarist songwriter Composer, Two ironies about the last album include the cover, which shows Moon sitting in a chair with the words "not to be taken away", and the song "Music Must Change", which has no drum track. Kenney Jones, of The Small Faces and The Faces, joined the band as Moon's successor. Kenneth Thomas "Kenney" Jones (born 16 September 1948, Stepney, East London) is a veteran English rock Small Faces were an English rock group from East London, heavily influenced by American Rhythm and blues. Faces (sometimes known as The Faces) were a Rock band formed in 1969 by members of the Small Faces after Steve Marriott left that group

In 1979, The Who returned to the stage with well-received concerts at the Rainbow Theatre in London, at the Cannes Film Festival in France and at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Cannes Film Festival (le Festival de Cannes founded in 1946 is one of the world's oldest most influential and prestigious Film festivals alongside Venice, Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG, and known colloquially as The Garden, has been the name of four Arenas in New York City. By late autumn, the band had agreed to undertake a small tour of the United States. Sadly, this tour was marred by tragedy: on December 3, 1979 in Cincinnati, Ohio, a crush at Riverfront Coliseum before The Who's concert resulted in the deaths of eleven fans. Events 1800 - War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Hohenlinden, French Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) US Bank Arena (known originally as the Riverfront Coliseum, and known later as The Crown and the Firstar Center) is an indoor arena located The band was not told of the deaths until after the show because civic authorities feared more crowd control problems would arise if the concert was cancelled. The band members were reportedly devastated by this event. Also in 1979, The Who released a documentary film called The Kids Are Alright and a film version of Quadrophenia, the latter becoming a huge box office hit in the UK and the former capturing many of the band's most scintillating moments on stage over the years. This article is about the film For the song of the same name see The Kids Are Alright (song and The Kids Are Alright (soundtrack. Quadrophenia is a 1979 British Film based on the 1973 Rock opera album Quadrophenia by The Who. In December, The Who became only the third band, after the Beatles and The Band, to be featured on the cover of Time Magazine. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 The Band was a rock group active from 1967 to 1976 and again from 1983 to 1999 Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and The accompanying article, written by Jay Cocks, was overwhelmingly positive with respect to The Who, their members, and their place in rock music, saying that The Who had "outpaced, outlasted, outlived and outclassed" all of their rock band contemporaries. Jay Cocks (born January 12 1944 is a Film critic and Motion picture Screenwriter. ^[15]

1980s

Decline and breakup

The band released two more studio albums with Jones as their drummer, Face Dances (1981) and It's Hard (1982). Face Dances is the ninth album by the English rock band The Who. It's Hard is the tenth studio album by the English rock band The Who, the second to be released after the death of Drummer While both albums sold fairly well, and even with It's Hard receiving a five-star review in Rolling Stone, many fans were not receptive to the band's new sound. Shortly after the release of It's Hard, The Who embarked on their first of several 'farewell tours' after Pete Townshend declared his alcoholism, cleaned himself up, got sober, and stated that he wanted to do one more substantial tour with The Who before turning it into a studio-only band. It was the highest grossing tour of the year, with sellout crowds in numerous stadiums and arenas throughout North America. ^[16]

After their final show in December, 1982, Townshend spent part of 1983 trying to write material for the next studio Who album which was still owed to Warner Bros. Records from the contract they signed in 1980. Warner Bros Records Inc is an American Record label that operates as a wholly owned Subsidiary of Warner Music Group. By the end of 1983, however, Townshend had declared himself unable to generate material which he felt was appropriate for The Who and he issued a public statement in December, 1983, wherein he announced his decision to leave The Who. With Townshend formally ending The Who as an entity producing new music, Townshend focused on solo projects such as White City: A Novel, The Iron Man (which did feature appearances from Daltrey and Entwistle and two songs on the album credited to "The Who"), and Psychoderelict, a forerunner to the eventual release of the radio work Lifehouse. White City A Novel is a solo album by Pete Townshend of The Who. Psychoderelict was a Concept album written produced and engineered by Pete Townshend. For the 2005 album by the band Lifehouse, see Lifehouse (Lifehouse album.

Reunions

On 13 July 1985, the members of The Who, including Kenney Jones, reformed for a one-off performance at Bob Geldof's Live Aid concert at Wembley Stadium. Robert Frederick Zenon Geldof, KBE, known as Bob Geldof (born 5 October 1951, is an Irish singer Live Aid was a multi-venue rock music concert held on. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia The band performed "My Generation", "Pinball Wizard", "Love Reign O'er Me", and an obviously unrehearsed "Won't Get Fooled Again" (it was later revealed that the band had also intended to play a new Townshend composition, "After The Fire", but was unable to learn it well enough to be played, it became a solo hit for Daltrey later that year). Although the BBC's equipment blew a fuse at the beginning of "My Generation", the band kept playing, so most of "My Generation" was missed by the rest of the world.

In 1988 the band was honoured with the British Phonographic Industry's Lifetime Achievement Award. The British Phonographic Industry (BPI is the British record industry's trade association. The Who played a short set at the award ceremony (which is the last time Kenney Jones has worked with The Who to date). In 1989 they embarked on a 25th anniversary "The Kids Are Alright" reunion tour which emphasised Tommy. Long time Townshend collaborator Simon Phillips played drums during the tour. Simon Phillips (born 6 February 1957 in London) is a prolific English Jazz and rock Drummer. Demand for tickets was phenomenal, inspiring Newsweek to say, "The Who tour is special because, after the Beatles and the Stones, they're IT. Newsweek is an American weekly Newsmagazine published in New York City. " There were massive sellouts in stadiums throughout North America, including a four-night stand at Giants Stadium. ^[17] In all, over two million tickets were sold.

1990s

Partial reunions

In 1990, their first year of eligibility, The Who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by U2, with Bono saying, "More than any other band, The Who are our role models. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a Museum located on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland Ohio, United States " The Who's display at the Rock Hall describes them as prime contenders for the title of "World's Greatest Rock Band". Only The Beatles and The Rolling Stones receive a similar accolade at the Rock Hall. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960

In 1991 The Who recorded a cover version of Elton John's "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" for a tribute album. Sir Elton Hercules John CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947 is an English pop / rock Singer, Composer "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" (sometimes written "Saturday Night's Alright (for Fighting") is a Rock & roll song performed by musician This was the last time that they released any studio work with John Entwistle. Pete Townshend toured in 1993 to promote his Psychoderelict album. Psychoderelict was a Concept album written produced and engineered by Pete Townshend. On one night of the tour John Entwistle guested for several songs at the end of the show. In 1994 there were rumours of an upcoming 30th anniversary tour. These never happened but Roger Daltrey turned 50 and celebrated with two concerts at Carnegie Hall. Carnegie Hall (generally ˌkɑrnɨgi ˈhɔːl is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east These performances included guest spots by both John Entwistle and Pete Townshend. Although all the surviving original members of The Who were in attendance, they did not appear on stage together except for the finale, "Join Together", along with all the other guest stars at the end of each show. Roger Daltrey toured later that year with an orchestra and special guest John Entwistle. The band consisted of John "Rabbit" Bundrick on keyboards, Zak Starkey on drums and Simon Townshend filling in for his absent brother. John Douglas "Rabbit" Bundrick (born November 21, 1948) is a prominent American-born rock Keyboardist, Pianist, and Zak Starkey (born 13 September 1965 is an English Drummer, well-known as the first-born child of The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr (whose real name Simon Townshend (born October 10, 1960) is a British guitarist singer and songwriter Pete Townshend had given Daltrey his consent to call this band The Who, but Daltrey declined. Overall, the Daltrey Sings Townshend tour was not a major commercial success.

Quadrophenia tour

In 1996 Pete Townshend was asked to join the lineup for a major rock concert at Hyde Park. Hyde Park is one of the largest Parks in central London, England and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner He intended to perform Quadrophenia as a solo acoustic piece using parts of the film on the screens. After contacting Entwistle and Daltrey it was agreed that a one-off performance of Quadrophenia would happen. The band was augmented by Zak Starkey on drums (although he was initially reluctant), Rabbit on keyboards and Simon Townshend and Geoff Whitehorn on guitars. Zak Starkey (born 13 September 1965 is an English Drummer, well-known as the first-born child of The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr (whose real name Also, Jon Carin was added as an additional keyboard player, a horn section was added alongside backing vocalists and several special guests would join to play characters from the album. Jon Carin (born October 21 1964, in New York New York) is a producer, Artist and Musician best known for his association These included David Gilmour, Ade Edmonson, newsreader Trevor McDonald and Gary Glitter. David Jon Gilmour CBE (born 6 March 1946 is an English Musician, best known as the Lead guitarist one of the lead Singers Adrian Charles "Ade" Edmondson (born 24 January 1957 is an English Actor, Comedian, director and Writer Sir Trevor McDonald OBE (born George McDonald on 16 August 1939 is a Trinidadian -born British Journalist and Television presenter Paul Francis Gadd (born 8 May 1944 is an English Glam rock Singer and Songwriter, and is better known by his Stage name Gary The whole performance was narrated by Phil Daniels who played Jimmy the Mod in the film. Philip Daniels (born 25 October 1958 in Islington, London) is an English actor most noted for film roles as Jimmy in Quadrophenia Despite a few technical difficulties the show was a huge success and many considered this to be the best act of the day above headliner Eric Clapton. Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE (born 30 March 1945 is an English Blues-rock Guitarist, singer Songwriter and Composer The success of this show led to a sold out six night residency in New York at Madison Square Garden. Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG, and known colloquially as The Garden, has been the name of four Arenas in New York City. These shows were not billed as The Who.

The success of the Quadrophenia shows led to a major US and European tour. The show was reworked for the tour and included several Who standards as the encore. The show was originally billed under the band members names but was eventually billed as The Who to aid ticket sales.

After the success of Quadrophenia The Who disbanded once again. Pete Townshend went on to perform many acoustic shows, John Entwistle mounted several shows with his own band The John Entwistle Band and Roger Daltrey toured with the British Rock Symphony performing The Who and other classic rock songs with an orchestra. In late 1999 The Who reformed as a five-piece band with Rabbit on keyboards and Zak Starkey on drums and performed several charity shows in small venues. Many of the songs at the shows were taken from Who's Next and included songs not performed for 30 years or more.

2000s

Charity shows and Entwistle's death

The success of the 1999 shows led to a US tour in the Summer of 2000 and a UK tour in November that year. The tour ended with a charity show at the Royal Albert Hall for the Teenage Cancer trust with special guests which was released later on CD and DVD. Live at the Royal Albert Hall is a three-CD Live album set by The Who, released in 2003 With the numerous rave reviews of the shows in the press all three members of The Who began to discuss the possibility of a new album. ^[18]

The band's appearance at The Concert for New York City in October 2001, was the most fervently cheered of any act by the audience of New York police officers, firefighters and rescue workers. The Concert for New York City was a Benefit concert, featuring many famous musicians that took place on October 20, 2001 at Madison Square Garden While other acts that night performed songs steeped in sentimentality, The Who immediately launched into a blistering set of their top hits without acknowledging or invoking the recent tragedy, earning them praise from attendees and television viewers. The Who were also honoured with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award that year. The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded by the Recording Academy to "performers who during their lifetimes have made creative contributions of outstanding

Just before the onset of a tour in the summer of 2002, John Entwistle was found dead in his room at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. A coroner's investigation revealed that while not technically an overdose, a modest amount of cocaine in his system was a contributing factor in a fatal heart attack, the result of years of heart trouble caused or aggravated by regular cocaine use, hypertension, and decades of smoking. Cocaine ( benzoylmethyl ecgonine) is a Crystalline Tropane Alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the Coca plant Over-consumption of alcohol and drugs had dogged all of the band members except for Roger Daltrey over the years. After a brief delay, the tour commenced in Los Angeles with bassist Pino Palladino. Pino Palladino (born on 17 October 1957 in Cardiff, Wales, UK) is a rock and Rhythm and blues bass Most shows from the tour were released officially on CD as Encore Series 2002. Encore Series 2002 is a series of recordings from The Who 's 2002 American tour Before the tour began new songs "Real Good Looking Boy" and "Certified Rose" were rehearsed alongside old classics such as "I Can See for Miles", but due to the death of Entwistle, they were not performed. In September, Q magazine named The Who as one of the "50 Bands to See Before You Die". Q is a Music Magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom, with a circulation of 130179 as of June 2007

Endless Wire

In 2004 The Who released two new songs, "Old Red Wine" and "Real Good Looking Boy" (with Pino Palladino and Greg Lake, respectively, on bass guitar), as part of a singles anthology (The Who: Then and Now), and went on an 18-date world tour, playing Japan, Australia, the UK and the US. Pino Palladino (born on 17 October 1957 in Cardiff, Wales, UK) is a rock and Rhythm and blues bass Gregory Stuart Lake (born 10 November 1947 in Poole Dorset England is an English Bass guitarist Guitarist, Vocalist Then and Now (2004 is a compilation album by The Who aimed to support their comeback singles "Real Good Looking Boy" and "Old Red Wine" Again, all shows were released on CD, as part of Encore Series 2004. Encore Series 2004 is a series of recordings from The Who 's 2004 tour to Japan Australia the UK and the U The band also headlined the Isle of Wight Festival that year and received the usual ecstatic reviews. ^[19] Also that year, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked The Who #29 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Rolling Stone is a United States -based Magazine devoted to Music, Politics, and Popular culture that is published ^[20]

The Who then announced that the spring of 2005 would see the release of their first new studio album in 23 years (tentatively titled WHO2). Endless Wire is the eleventh album by the English rock band The Who. In March 2005, Pete Townshend's website issued a statement that the release was delayed indefinitely, and explained that expected UK/US tours in the summer of 2005 were also shelved. Part of this was due to slow recording of the new material, and part was due to Zak Starkey's commitment to tour with Oasis. Oasis are an English rock band that formed in Manchester in 1991 Townshend continued working on the album, posting a novella called The Boy Who Heard Music on his Internet blog site. The Boy Who Heard Music is a rock Opus that began life as an Internet Novella written by musician and songwriter Pete Townshend. This concept developed into a mini-opera which formed the kernel for the new Who album, and later a full opera which Townshend presented at Vassar College. Vassar College is a private Coeducational, liberal arts college situated in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, USA.

The Who performed "Who Are You" and "Won't Get Fooled Again" on the London stage of the Live 8 concert in July 2005. " Who Are You " composed by Pete Townshend, is the title track on The Who 's 1978 release Who Are You, the last album The main Live 8 concert was held at Hyde Park, London, England on 2 July 2005, in front of over 200000 people Steve White (drummer for Paul Weller and older brother of ex-Oasis drummer Alan White) took the place of Starkey, who was on tour with Oasis, and Damon Minchella (Ocean Colour Scene's bassist) filled in for Palladino (who was touring South America as the bassist for Jeff Beck). Steve White (born on 31 May, 1965 in Bermondsey, London) is an English Drummer who has worked extensively with Paul Weller (born John William Weller 25 May 1958 in Sheerwater near Woking, Surrey) is an English Singer-songwriter. Alan White, born 26 May 1972, in Eltham, South London, is an English drummer most famous as being the 'longtime' drummer Oasis are an English rock band that formed in Manchester in 1991 Damon Minchella (born 1 June 1969 in Liverpool) is an English Bass guitarist formerly with Ocean Colour Scene, which he Ocean Colour Scene (often abbreviated to OCS) are an English Britpop band from Birmingham. Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck (born June 24, 1944 to Arnold and Ethel Beck in Wallington, England) is an English Also that year, The Who were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame. The UK Music Hall of Fame honours musicians for their lifetime fame in music

In 2006, The Who were the first recipients of the Freddie Mercury Lifetime Achievement Award in Live Music at the Vodaphone music awards. Roger Taylor and Brian May of Queen presented the award. Roger Taylor (born Roger Meddows-Taylor on July 26, 1949 in Dersingham, Norfolk later moved to Kings Lynn is an English Musician Brian Harold May, CBE Queen were an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist ^[21]

On October 3, 2006, iTunes released two singles in advance of their new album, Endless Wire entitled "Tea & Theatre" (which is played at the end of the concerts during the North American leg of the tour) and "It's Not Enough". Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Endless Wire is the eleventh album by the English rock band The Who.

Endless Wire was released on 30 October 2006 (31 October in the USA). Endless Wire is the eleventh album by the English rock band The Who. Events 637 - Antioch surrenders to the Muslim forces under Rashidun Caliphate after the Battle of Iron bridge. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 445 BC – Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the Israelites in Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 91 NLTse It was their first full studio album of new material since 1982's It's Hard. It's Hard is the tenth studio album by the English rock band The Who, the second to be released after the death of Drummer The new album featured songs inspired by many subjects, such as the incidence of Stockholm syndrome during the Beslan school hostage crisis ("Black Widow's Eyes"), Mel Gibson's 2004 film, The Passion of the Christ ("Man in a Purple Dress" and "2000 Years") and it contained the band's first mini-opera since "Rael" on 1967's The Who Sell Out. Stockholm syndrome is a psychological response sometimes seen in an abducted hostage in which the hostage shows signs of loyalty to the hostage-taker regardless of the danger The Beslan school hostage crisis (also referred to as the Beslan school siege or Beslan massacre) A series of explosions shook the school followed by a fire Endless Wire is the eleventh album by the English rock band The Who. Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson, AO (born January 3 1956 The Passion of the Christ is a 2004 film co-written co-produced and directed by Mel Gibson. Endless Wire is the eleventh album by the English rock band The Who. Endless Wire is the eleventh album by the English rock band The Who. The Who Sell Out is the third album by the English rock band The Who, released in 1967 Excerpts from the mini-opera, called "Wire & Glass", were released as a Maxi-single on July 17 exclusively on iTunes, and was released on CD and limited edition 12" vinyl in the UK on 24 July. " Wire & Glass " is the first single released from The Who 's 2006 Album, Endless Wire. A maxi single or maxi-single is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks (generally an a-side song and a b-side song Events 180 - Twelve inhabitants of Scillium in North Africa are executed for being Christians Events 1132 - Battle of Nocera between Ranulf II of Alife and Roger II of Sicily. "Mirror Door" was released in a radio edit and was first played on BBC Radio 2, on The Ken Bruce Show at 10:00 on 8 June 2006. Events 68 - The Roman Senate accepts emperor Galba. 536 - St Silverius becomes Pope (probable Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Endless Wire debuted at #7 on Billboard and #9 in the UK Albums Chart. See Billboard (Turkish magazine Billboard is a weekly American Magazine devoted to the Music industry The UK Albums Chart is a list of Albums ranked by sales in the United Kingdom.

In advance of the album, and later to support it, The Who embarked upon their The Who Tour 2006-2007. The Who Tour 2006-2007 is The Who 's first worldwide Concert tour in several years First they did a 24-date European tour followed by the rest of the world. These are their first shows since their 2004 world tour and brief performance at Live 8 in 2005. Live 8 was a string of Benefit concerts that took place on 2 July, 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa. Members of the latest lineup remain, including keyboardist John "Rabbit" Bundrick, bassist Pino Palladino, drummer Zak Starkey and guitarist Simon Townshend, who is also acting as the supporting act for The Who with his band The Casbah Club. John Douglas "Rabbit" Bundrick (born November 21, 1948) is a prominent American-born rock Keyboardist, Pianist, and Pino Palladino (born on 17 October 1957 in Cardiff, Wales, UK) is a rock and Rhythm and blues bass Zak Starkey (born 13 September 1965 is an English Drummer, well-known as the first-born child of The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr (whose real name Simon Townshend (born October 10, 1960) is a British guitarist singer and songwriter Casbah Club is a mod rock band formed in 2004, consisting of Guitarist / Vocalist Simon Townshend (brother Other opening acts on the tour include The Pretenders and Rose Hill Drive. The Pretenders are a British rock band The original band consisted of group founder and main Songwriter Chrissie Hynde ( lead vocals Rose Hill Drive is a young American rock Power trio. The band is often aligned with other innovators in the revival of traditional hard rock and Shows are again on CD and DVD as part of Encore Series 2006. Encore Series 2006 is a series of recordings from The Who Tour 2006-2007.

Zak Starkey was invited to become a full member of Oasis in April 2006, and, in November 2006 of The Who, but he declined, preferring to split his time between the two bands.

On 24 June 2007, The Who topped the bill at the Glastonbury Festival. Events 972 - Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces takes place For the classical music and theatre festivals co-founded by Rutland Boughton between 1914 and 1926 see Glastonbury Festival (1914-1925 The

Amazing Journey

On 6 November 2007, a new documentary on The Who went on sale, titled Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who. It was shown on VH1 prior to release. The product description states: "Spanning four decades, this authorised and definitive anthology of The Who relives their journey from humble beginnings to their meteoric rise to rock legend status in a 2-film DVD set. Filled with all-new interviews with band members Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend and former member Kenney Jones and music icons Sting, The Edge of U2, Eddie Vedder and more, this must-have collection also features electrifying rare and unreleased concert footage in mind-blowing 5. 1 surround sound. David Wild, a contributing editor of Rolling Stone, says it's "Brilliant. An exceptionally smart and intimate portrait. " "For music that spoke to generations of fans, and refused to be classified, the answer is - and always will be - The Who. "

The documentary includes a lot of footage not seen in earlier Who documentaries, including film from their acclaimed 1970 Leeds University appearance and a 1964 performance at the Railway Hotel when they were known as the High Numbers.

On October 30, 2007, Roger Daltrey announced plans for The Who to return to touring in 2008 for a set of shows in Japan and Australia. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. "We don't want to stop. . . " Daltrey said. "We don't want those long hiatuses that we used to have. . . . You should at least keep the ball rolling. "^[22]

During this announcement, Daltrey also implied that Pete Townshend was working on new material for the group, and on February 11, 2008, Townshend confirmed this on the band's website. "I am hoping to come up with some songs for a more conventional Who record," Townshend wrote. He also stated that Roger Daltrey is working on setting up album work. ^[23]

The Who will also be honoured at the upcoming 2008 VH1 Rock Honors in Los Angeles. The VH1 Rock Honors are an annual ceremony that pays homage to bands who influenced the sound of Rock music. Taping of the show will take place July 12th, followed by a network broadcast on the 17th. ^[24]

Influence

The Who are one of the most influential groups in rock music. Their progressive approach to the writing of albums and their exciting live shows are matched by few. The hard rock style they brought to England's music scene was one that set the stage for other bands ranging from Led Zeppelin to the Clash. Hard rock (also referred to as heavy rock) is a variation of Rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage and Psychedelic rock Led Zeppelin were For the debut album by The Clash see The Clash (album The Clash were The Who have sold more than 100 million albums worldwide. ^[25]

The music of The Who's earliest Mod genesis in the 1960s provided a significant source of inspiration for bands of the Britpop wave in Britain in the mid-1990s. Britpop is a subgenre of Alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. Bands such as Blur, Oasis, Stereophonics and Ash draw a heavy influence from the band's work, which, especially with the Mod counter-culture, provided a quintessentially "Cool Britannia" ideal. Blur are an English Alternative rock band that formed in London in 1989 Oasis are an English rock band that formed in Manchester in 1991 Stereophonics are a British Rock band, consisting of Kelly Jones, Richard Jones, Javier Weyler and Adam Zindani. Ash are an Alternative rock band that formed in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland in 1992 Cool Britannia is a media term that was used during the mid-to-late 20th century to describe the contemporary Culture of the United Kingdom.

The Who have also been called "The Godfathers of Punk" in numerous publications^[26], as well as in Spike Lee's film, Summer of Sam. Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20 1957 is an Emmy Award -winning and Academy Award -nominated American Film director, Summer of Sam is a 1999 crime - drama - romance - Thriller film based around the Son of Sam serial murders Part of the foundation of punk rock lies in The Who's onstage aggression, violence and snotty attitude. The Stooges, MC5, Ramones, Sex Pistols, the Clash, Generation X, Green Day and many other punk rock and protopunk rock bands, point to The Who as a major influence. The Stooges are an American rock band that was active from 1967 to 1974 then reformed in 2003 The MC5 ( Motor City Five) was an American Hard rock band formed in Lincoln Park Michigan in 1964 and active until The Ramones were an American rock band often regarded as the first Punk rock group The Sex Pistols are an English Punk rock band that formed in London in 1975 For the debut album by The Clash see The Clash (album The Clash were Generation X (aka Gen X) were an English Punk rock band, formed on 21 November 1976 by Billy Idol, Green Day is an American rock trio

The group has been credited with devising the "rock opera" and it made one of the first notable concept albums. Rock operas, Concept albums Song cycles and Oratorios all differ from a conventional rock album which usually includes songs that are unrelated to each Following in the footsteps of Tommy were David Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway by Genesis and Pink Floyd's The Wall, among many others in the 1970s. David Bowie (ˈboʊiː born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947 is an English Musician, actor producer, and arranger. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (sometimes called simply The Lamb) is a double concept album recorded and released in 1974 by the British Pink Floyd are The Wall is a Rock opera presented as a Double album by the English Progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released in late More recent concept albums in the rock opera tradition include The Flaming Lips's Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots and Green Day's American Idiot. The Flaming Lips (formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1983 is an American rock band Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots is the tenth Album by The Flaming Lips, released on July 16, 2002. Green Day is an American rock trio American Idiot (also known as Green Day presents American Idiot is the seventh studio album by American Punk rock band Green Day, released on September

In 1967 Pete Townshend coined the phrase "power pop" to describe The Who's sixties singles sound. Power pop (or powerpop) is a popular Musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and Rock music. ^[27] The guiding lights of the seventies power pop movement, from the The Raspberries to Cheap Trick, take much of their inspiration from The Who. Raspberries are a Power pop / Rock and roll band from Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford Illinois, that gained popularity in the late 1970s ^[28]

The Who's influence can also be seen in their early incorporation of synthesisers into rock music^[29], with Who's Next featuring the instrument prominently and the single "Won't Get Fooled Again" becoming the first hit single to be driven by a synthesiser track.

"My Generation" is perhaps the band's most covered song. Iron Maiden, Oasis, Sweet, Pearl Jam, Patti Smith, Green Day, McFly, Di-Rect and Hilary Duff have recorded it. For other uses see Iron maiden. Oasis are an English rock band that formed in Manchester in 1991 Sweet (referred to as The Sweet on albums before 1974 and singles before 1975 were a popular 1970s British band. Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1990 Patricia Lee Smith ( born December 30 1946 is an American Singer-songwriter and poet Green Day is an American rock trio Di-rect is a rock band from The Hague, Netherlands, which was first formed in 1999 Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28 1987 is an American Actress, pop Singer-songwriter Oasis used it as their set closer during their 2005 world tour. The Zimmers, known as "the world's oldest rock band", made a tongue-in-cheek version and used it as their first single, which became a hit in Britain. The Zimmers are a British band, and thought to have the oldest members in the world the lead singer Alf is 90 and the oldest member Buster is 101 David Bowie covered "I Can't Explain", "Pictures of Lily" and "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere". David Bowie (ˈboʊiː born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947 is an English Musician, actor producer, and arranger. The Sex Pistols, the Ramones and Great White covered "Substitute". The Ramones were an American rock band often regarded as the first Punk rock group Great White is an American Hard rock band formed in Los Angeles that gained semi-popularity during the 1980s and early 1990s The Jam and The Breeders have covered "So Sad About Us". The Jam were an English Mod revival band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s The Breeders are an American Alternative rock band formed in 1988 by Kim Deal of the Pixies and Throwing Muses ' Tanya Donelly A Quick One is the second album by English rock band The Who, released in 1966 The Clash incorporated the well-known riff of "I Can't Explain" into their songs "Clash City Rockers" and "Guns on the Roof". " Clash City Rockers " is a song and single by The Clash. Give 'Em Enough Rope is the second album by The Clash, released in 1978 Pearl Jam performed "Baba O'Riley" and "The Kids Are Alright" during their tours in the 1990s and 2000s. Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1990 Pearl Jam have also played many other Who songs such as "Leaving Here", "Blue, Red, & Grey", "Love, Reign O'er Me" and "Naked Eye". German band Scorpions covered "I Can't Explain" while shock metal band W.A.S.P. covered "The Real Me". Scorpions are a heavy metal / Hard rock band from Hanover, Germany, probably best known for their 1980s rock anthem " Rock You Like a WASP is an American heavy metal band formed in 1982 and emerged with the L Van Halen covered "Won't Get Fooled Again" on their 1993 live album Live: Right Here, Right Now, explicitly describing it as "a tribute to The Who" and in 1995, Phish covered Quadrophenia for their second annual Halloween concert tradition of performing another band's album in its entirety, which was later released as Live Phish Volume 14. Van Halen is a Hard rock band formed in in 1972 They enjoyed success from the release of their self titled debut album in 1978 Live Right Here Right Now is the first and only live Album by American Hard rock band Van Halen, released in 1993. Phish is an American Jam band noted for their Musical improvisation, extended Jam sessions and cult following Quadrophenia is the sixth album by the English rock band The Who. Halloween, or Hallowe’en, is a Holiday celebrated on the night of October 31. Live Phish Vol 14 was recorded live at the Rosemont Horizon (now the Allstate Arena in Rosemont Illinois, near Chicago Illinois, on Phish continued to cover "Drowned" regularly in their live performances. The Grateful Dead also covered "Baba O'Riley" in the early 1990s, as did Nirvana. The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen Washington. Rush covered "The Seeker" on their 2004 "Feedback" EP and live during their R30 tour that same year. Rush is a Canadian rock band originally formed in August 1968 in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, currently comprised of " The Seeker " is a Song written by Pete Townshend and performed by English rock band The Who, and featured on their 1971 Feedback is a circular causal Process whereby some proportion of a system's output is returned (fed back to the Input. An extended play ( EP) is a Vinyl record, CD, or Music download which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify R30 30th Anniversary World Tour is a live DVD by the Canadian band Rush, that was released on November 22 Limp Bizkit also did a cover of "Behind Blue Eyes" in their 2004 album Results May Vary. Limp Bizkit is an American Nu metal band from Jacksonville, Florida. " Behind Blue Eyes " is a Song written by Pete Townshend of The Who for his Lifehouse project Results May Vary is the fourth album by Limp Bizkit, released on September 23, 2003 through Interscope Records. McFly covered "Pinball Wizard" for the B-side to their 2004 single "I'll Be Ok", and played the song live in their 2005 tour. " Pinball Wizard " is a song written by Pete Townshend and performed by the English rock band The Who, and featured on their 1969 " I'll Be OK " is the sixth single from the British pop band McFly and their fourth number #1 hit Fish (ex Marillion) covered "The Seeker" during his Songs from the Mirror period. Derek William Dick, better known as Fish (born 25 April 1958, in Dalkeith, Midlothian) is a Scottish Progressive Marillion are a British rock group Formed in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England in 1979 their recorded studio output comprises Songs from the Mirror (1993 is the third solo album by singer Fish. Many other artists, ranging from Buddy Rich to Richard Thompson to U2 to Petra Haden (who covered The Who Sell Out in its entirety), have covered Who songs. Bernard "Buddy" Rich ( September 30 1917 &ndash April 2 1987) was an American jazz drummer and Bandleader Richard John Thompson (born 3 April 1949 in Notting Hill Gate, West London) is a British songwriter Guitar player Petra Haden (born October 11, 1971 in New York City) is an American Violinist and Singer. The Who Sell Out is the third album by the English rock band The Who, released in 1967

The music of The Who is still performed in public by many tribute bands, such as (in alphabetical order): Bargain, The Ohm, The Relay, The Substitutes, The Whodlums (UK), The Wholigans, The Who Show, Who's Next USA, Who's Next UK, Who's Who UK. A tribute act is a Music group, Singer, or Musician who specifically plays the music of a well-known music act often one which has disbanded or ceased

All three versions of the American forensic drama CSI (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, and CSI: NY) feature songs written and performed by The Who as their theme songs, "Who Are You", "Won't Get Fooled Again" and "Baba O'Riley" respectively. CSI Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama Television series that trails the investigations of a team of Las Vegas CSI Miami is a spin-off of the CBS network series. CSI Miami airs new episodes Mondays at 10 PM ET/PT on CBS. CSI NY is an American Police procedural Television series, which premiered on September 22, 2004. " Who Are You " composed by Pete Townshend, is the title track on The Who 's 1978 release Who Are You, the last album " Baba O'Riley " is a song by the English rock band The Who, written by Pete Townshend. The CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men once did a brief CSI spoof called Stiffs with the theme song "Squeeze Box". Two and a Half Men is an Emmy Award nominated American television sitcom, which premiered on CBS on Monday September 22 2003 at " Squeeze Box " is a song by The Who. " Squeezebox " is a slang term for Accordions and related instruments but it is also a slang term

Awards

The Who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990,^[30] the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005^[31] and won the first annual Freddie Mercury Lifetime Achievement in Live Music Award in 2006. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a Museum located on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland Ohio, United States ^[32] They received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the British Phonographic Industry in 1988,^[33] and from the Grammy Foundation in 2001,^[34] for creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording. Tommy was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998, "My Generation" in 1999 and Who's Next in 2007. The Grammy Hall of Fame Award is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least twenty-five years old and that have "qualitative Who's Next is the fifth album by the English rock band The Who. ^[35]

Band members

Main article: The Who personnel

Discography

Main article: The Who discography

• My Generation (1965)
• A Quick One (1966)
• The Who Sell Out (1967)
• Tommy (1969)
• Who's Next (1971)
• Quadrophenia (1973)
• The Who By Numbers (1975)
• Who Are You (1978)
• Face Dances (1981)
• It's Hard (1982)
• Endless Wire (2006)

See also

• The Who's influence on musical equipment

Notes

References

• Marsh, Dave (1983). Dave Marsh (born March 1, 1950 Detroit Michigan) is an American Music critic who briefly attended Wayne State University Before I Get Old: The Story of The Who. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-07155-8.

External links

• The Who.com official site
• The Who biography from Rolling Stone
• The Who at Allmusic

Rolling Stone is a United States -based Magazine devoted to Music, Politics, and Popular culture that is published allmusic (previously All Music Guide) is a Metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide.

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