The Who vs Rush song clash

Xanadu. Definitely strikes me as a more epic and mystical song, not only because of the lyrics but also on how the music progresses and changes throughout the song.

Logan wrote: micky wrote: boo to the OP.. as a general rule The Who are lightyears above and beyond the prebubescent rawk of Rush....you would have picked the ONE Who song of note that I don't think was all that man... voting Xanadu ..though I that is high up on the hit parade of character assignations of Peart's lyrical abilities.. errgggg... at least the music is still pretty cool.. I'm glad that this forum still holds surprises, or maybe it's just because I'm getting stupider and more forgetful as I age.... I was expecting you to vote for the Who in this poll. I personally love the instrumental in Baba O'Reilly. If I thought we had too few few Rush polls already, I might think an 1982 The Who vs. Rush poll might be interesting (It's Hard being the first album I bought on cassette). I'd choose "I've Known No War" as my favourite track off It's Hard and "Subdivisions" from Rush's Signals. But if I wanted the poll to be closer since Rush would wallop the Who I think, then I'd choose, say "Chemistry" from Signals.

You should know me after all these years Greg ... if you can count on anything.. you can count on me surprising you.  Usually it is Bad Micky rearing his ugly head as only he can.. other times it is when thoughtful Micky makes a rare appearance.

yeah.. Baba O' Reily and that whole damn album are classic.. but you know what it wasn't. It wasn't ..'The Who'.  Imagine someone taking Hendrix into the studio and telling him just to play root chords... telling Squire to just play a backing rhythm... telling Emerson to let a guitarist take the leads.

While one can't argue with the results with Who's Next. many consider it not only the Who's best album..  but one of Rock's greatest albums...  it might have been a great rock album.. and Baba O a great song yadda yadda yadda.. what it wasn't was a great WHO song.  What made that group was not Townsend going arty...  expanding the sonic range of the group... at its heart it was about Moon being Moon and doing things drummers did not do....along with him the Ox trying to keep up with him.

sure it was a great song... but as I said..  this one was probably the least of the greats of what the Who ever did.  At least 'Won't get fooled again' was saved by the almighty saving grace of rock and roll.. the power chord.  I never thought much of that album.. especially compared to earlier albums.. but much of that centered around this song specifically.  While Glyn Johns made a name of himself by being the one that could get manacles on Moon.. it really did the music NO good.  For everything great about the Who.. there was one.. and only thing thing that made them what they were...  Keith f**king Moon. There have been great song writers.. great bassists... there simply has never been a drummer like Keith Moon. This album was what happened if you have put a lesser drummer.. like.. say...  Peart... on it to deliver traditional by the numbers drumming.

Let's see, an epic song from one of the greatest rock albums of all time, or a Rush Song? 

Baba O'Riley

Xanadu