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But the edge was being blunted. The sheer slog of re-writing and re-recording the score for the Ken Russell film of "Tommy", filmed in 1974, released in 1975, had taken a heavy toll on the band. Pete Townshend in particular was suffering. His vital working relationship with co-manager Kit Lambert had fallen apart from 71 onwards, and he was already unsure about the relevance of The Who by 1974/75.
He was terrified of them becoming just another bunch of aging rockers, unable to match their younger fire, or to move beyond to something fresh.
Also, the whole band were living lives of excess, especially Keith Moon. Hence the deep pessimism and self-loathing of the ascerbic "Who By Numbers" in 1975. After a proudly defiant series of live gigs in 75/76, The Who had once again slipped into a period of dormancy. In the meantime, younger, stroppier, snottier youngsters had taken the British music scene by the throat. The Sex Pistols, The Clash and all those who followed in their phlegm-flecked wake wanted to erase all memories of fat-cat rock bands grown older and lazy. The Who were still granted respect, but mainly for the danger and drama of their younger days.
By early 78, Moon's health and technical abilities had deteriorated sharply. He was in no great shape when the band reconvened to record this album.
So it's astonishing the album is as good as it is.
Townshend wants The Who (and their followers) to realise that times are changing. The trouble is, they're all that bit set in their ways when it comes to writing and playing. Instead of trying to speed up The Who's harder-edged tunes in what would have been an embarrassing attempt to "ape" the raw thunder of punk, Townshend wisely steered into other, newer styles. So what we get is a mix of Rock (with a capital R), jazzier material, and even a tongue-in-cheek nod to Gilbert and Sullivan. When it works ("New Song", "Who Are You", arguably "Sister Disco"), The Who sound great. W.A.Y. itself is probably the very last great Who song. When they move into territory they're less sure of ("Love Is Coming Down"), it can be hard to take.
John Entwistle contributes three songs, all with his own dark vision to the fore. And "905" may just be his best contribution to the Who cause since "Boris The Spider".
Should you buy this CD? If you're already familiar with The Who, yes, certainly. If you're not, maybe you should try a compilation such as "My Generation - The Best Of...", or "Who's Next". But if you DO take the plunge, give it time. There are very, very few utterly useless Who albums - and this isn't it. By the way, the utterly useless album is called "Who's Last". Avoid like a stinky dog.
John Entwhistle's three songs, musically at least, compare favourably with Townshend's often uninspired efforts. 'Sister Disco' and 'Guitar And Pen' are a slog, while the slushy 'Love Is Coming Down' is okay, but not what you'd expect from the author of 'My Generation'. 'Music Must Change' is more ambitious, a rare success, while the technical gifts of the band shine through as ever. Having heard Townshend's 'Empty Glass' album of a couple of years later, however, I can't help thinking he may have been stockpiling some of his better songs. The inclusion here of a version of the title track as a bonus serves as a nudging reminder in that direction.
There are 3 John Entwhistle compositions on "Who Are You", an unusually large proportion. The liner notes include a quote from Entwhistle complaining that the main problem with the Who was that he didn't get to sing enough of his compositions on their albums. The main problem for Entwhistle, maybe, but good for the rest of us. The Who's popularity was based on Daltrey singing Townshend compositions. If people wanted to hear Entwhistle singing his own compositions, his solo albums would have sold better than they did. So the Entwhistle tracks are among the weaker on this album, especially the very heavy and very turgid "Trick of the Light". The best of them is "Had Enough", sung by Daltrey.
The excellence of the album is, in my view, in the Townshend songs. The opener "New Song" is a full-on rocker, with provocative lyrics: "I sing the same old song with a few new lines, and everybody wants to cheer it." It could come across as a "me fans are stupid pigs"(Simpsons reference)-type rant, but Daltrey doesn't do cynicism or irony, so the mixture of Townshend's thoughtful and acerbic lyrics with the full-throated gusto of Daltrey's singing makes for an excellent hard-rocking opener.
The theme of musical creativity is prevalent throughout the album. "Music Must Change" is another exceptionally insightful, searching and honest lyric from Townshend and a powerful performance from the band. "Guitar and Pen" details the frustrations and ecstasies of the creative process, with changes in tempo and dynamic mirroring the moods of the composer.
The bonus tracks include alternate versions of three album tracks, including the title track with a completely different second verse. There's also two other songs from the sessions not on the original album: "No Road Romance", which is fairly forgettable, and "Empty Glass", with Pete on vocals, an excellent song, Townshend at his angriest, which is always good. It was to become the title track of Townshend's second solo album.
"Who's Next" aside, this is possibly the Who album I return to most often. It's generally one of their less-admired works, but the songwriting is high quality, with the harder edges that disappeared from their next album "Face Dances", and that brought the best out of Daltrey's voice. Overall, a very good listen.
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