WHO'S NEXT

My youth in Clacton, Essex, was heavily influenced by violent battles on the seafront between Mods, many of whom wore parkas with "The Who" on them and Rockers. I was 12 at the time and tended to align myself with the Rockers as the songs I heard by The Who did very little for me in those early days and I liked bikes more than scooters, but I was too much of a coward to get involved. Quadrophenia is, of course, based on the events of the time. Maybe my memories of this have coloured my views of this album.

Who's Next is, in fact, the only Who album I have retained and even then it was a marginal decision since the only really good tracks are Won't Get Fooled Again, Baba O'Reilly and Behind Blue Eyes, by far the best song they ever recorded. The rest is inoffensive mainstream rock which showcases John Entwhistle's phenomenal bass skill and Daltrey's fine voice but also shows up the limitations of the rest; Moon's drumming is fairly unsubtle (though not in the John Bonham league) and Townshend is no great shakes as a guitarist. However, they have matured greatly by this stage and I can see some progressive elements in this in its early use of synths, though not enough to really stimulate the mind. However, it's light years ahead of the dross they made in the sixties so I'll reflect this with a generous rating.