MY GENERATION

After two successful singles, I Can't Explain and Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere, The Who wrote their third one, the legendary rock anthem My Generation. Being probably the best known song by the band, it featured the infamous line 'I hope I die before I get old'. The song featured Pete's crazy riffs, John's incredible bass solos, Roger's s-s-silly yet p-p-powerful singing, as well as Keith's insane drumming. By the end of the song, a 'system collapse' occurs - The Who proceed to destroy their instruments. Some say that Pete Townshend finally divided pop and rock by this song, and I agree.

Soon after the success of the single, the album of the same name was released. However, the result was only partly good. The band admits they were rushed to the studio to record the album, and thus failed to fully deliver the power of The Who had on stage to the vinyl. Lots of songs resemble the 60s pop a la The Beatles. But, while there are some great tracks, e. g. The Kids are Alright and A Legal Matter, there are some rather naive and childish tracks (Please, Please, Please, La-La-La Lies). Nonetheless, the final song on the album, instrumental The Ox is a raw and rocking track. It fully resembles The Who in concert, along with the title track. Keith Moon beats the living daylights out of his kit on this one.

Though a very important album for The Who, this is definitely not a prog album like Tommy or Who's Next, for example. In 1965, when it was released, Pete, Roger, John & Keith were still a part of R&B movement, along with The Rolling Stones, The Animals and The Yardbirds. In short, a manifest of the great band's early days. Good, but non-essential.