Biographies, histories, facts, photographs. British group "The Who"

"The Who"- one of the most influential British rock bands of the 60s and 70s. This is another long-lived rock band, organized in 1964! They performed with one line-up for 15 years. After the death of drummer Keith Moon, they continued to perform with a new drummer Kenny Jones for more than 20 years.Today, only two of the first squad survived - Roger Daltrey and Pete Townsend, but they are in vests, because they still continue to delight the audience with performances.So at the closing of the XXX Olympic Summer Games in London was not without the participation of The Who.Still alive people who call this group the best rock band in the world.So what is the secret of The Who's success?Let's figure it out.

On the popularity of "The Who" in the Soviet Union, I will again judge from my bell tower. Yes, we knew about the existence of such a rock band and that they became famous for breaking instruments on stage. Their music was not played at the dances. With all the desire, it was impossible to repeat such a frantic, unbridled sound of the bass guitar and drums. I would not say that everyone was a fan of her, but there were fans, albeit in a small amount.

You should have seen their performances. How many times have I said this phrase? That's why they are rock bands, that you need to watch and listen to them live. At concerts, the secrets of success are much easier to understand. Enormous energy, improvisational approach to performance, individuality and much more. And these tools are also crushing. The receiving party, knowing about such predilections, after the final chord hastily carried away expensive equipment from the stage. But, of course, it was not possible to carry everything away. Such a mess looked, perhaps, to put it mildly, funny.

So, the first and unique composition of The Who.

Roger Daltrey (March 1, 1944) – lead vocalist, songwriter, plays some harmonica and guitar. He showed himself as an interesting actor, starring in the films: "Tommy", "Comedy of Errors", "Listomania", etc. At one time he was a real leader in the group, showing his strength in front of the rest of the participants. They were going to kick him out after he hit the drummer. But Daltrey apologized, reconsidered his attitude and promised not to bully again. Thus, they reined him in and showed their place.

Pete Townshend (May 19, 1945) - guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, composer and lyricist of almost all the band's songs. Never played long solos. His feature is a hard rhythm and a peculiar attack of the strings with rotational movements of the straightened right hand. Such a technique, which Pete came up with, is called the "Air Mill". Here he had no equal. As there was no breaking of instruments after the performance before.

Once, by accident, in the final jump, he broke the neck of the guitar. The crowd liked it very much. At the next concert, she demanded the same. So Pete began to destroy the equipment and he was supported by the drummer. From this behavior, The Who stood out sharply from the rest of the rockers. (By the way, I experienced for myself what kind of action it is to break guitars when I broke my own on asphalt in public. Half of the crowd, as if in hypnosis, half in ecstasy.)

Townsend played a big role in the development of British rock, organizing grandiose festivals, inviting his many friends to them. So he, at one time, helped Eric Clapton get out of drug addiction. If not for Pete, there would be no Eric, whom we see and listen to now. Although, he barely got out of this shit in the 80th.

John Entwistle (October 9, 1944 - June 27, 2002) bassist, multi-instrumentalist. In fan circles, simply "The Ox" (Bull). On the stage - phlegm. A minimum of emotions, a static figure, only fingers flicker. He used the bass as lead guitar. Powerful game technique, a lot of fancy moves. Recognized as one of the best bass players of all time. He had a huge impact on the playing technique and sound of subsequent generations of bassists such as Victor Wootain. He had a wide range of voice: from children's falsetto to low bass. He held matches behind his back when Keith Moon blew up toilets. He died in 2002 as a result of a heart attack from a cocaine overdose.

And, finally, the main participant of the killer rhythm section - Keith Moon (08/23/1946 – 09/07/1978) - virtuoso drummer One of the first to use two barrels in performances. The brightest and most unpredictable personality in the composition. He was a drummer from God and a man not of this world. Half the glory of The Who can be safely given to him. In high school, an art teacher said of him: “Artistically backward, otherwise an idiot.”

He didn't care about honor and respect. He lived his own life. After smashing drum kits, his second favorite activity was blowing up hotel bathrooms. He lowered the explosive device into the toilet and flushed it. There was an explosion that destroyed the toilet along with the sewer. “Porcelain flying in the air is simply unforgettable!” he said.

Alcohol, drugs served as a means of self-expression for all participants, and only he experienced joy, shocking others. But all these scandalous antics were more humorous than malicious. Here is another example. One day, on the way to the airport, Moon strongly insisted on returning to the hotel, allegedly he forgot something and he definitely needed to return urgently. A luxury limousine pulls up to the hotel. The whale shoots out of it like a bullet and runs to his room. Takes the TV and throws it out the window into the pool. Returning to the car, he says with relief: “I almost forgot!”

He could easily enter into the image of anyone: from Hitler to a sexy lady, from a priest to a young schoolboy. He died suddenly in his sleep on September 7, 1978 from an overdose of sleeping pills. At autopsy, doctors found 32 tablets (!), six of which dissolved, which led to cardiac arrest. A strange coincidence - 32 tablets and 32 years of life. He was recognized as one of the greatest drummers in the history of rock music. He entered the Guinness Book of Records as the drummer who destroyed the largest number of drum kits on stage.

(b. October 9, 1944) took place in 1959 in the ranks of the jazz band "The Confederates", with the first of the guys playing the banjo, and the second - the horn. A couple of years later, their future partner Roger Daltrey (b. March 1, 1944) made a self-made six-string and organized the skiffle group "The Detours". After some time, John joined the team as a bassist, dragging Pete along with him, who got the second guitar. At that time, the band also included vocalist Colin Dawson and drummer Doug Sandom, but already in 1963, Roger took the microphone to himself, and Colin was put out the door. Replacing the frontman, "The Detours" turned into an active concert team, specializing in rhythm and blues and rock and roll. For about a year the quartet played in pubs, clubs and dance halls, and in February 1964, at the suggestion of one of Pete's friends, the group was renamed The Who. Sandom soon left, and from April 1964 the installation was occupied by the maniac drummer Keith Moon (b. August 23, 1946).

At the same time, the ensemble was supervised by a fan of the mod movement, Peter Meaden, at whose suggestion the sign was changed to "The High Numbers". When the single "I" m The Face / "Zoot Suit", released under his direction, failed, Keith Lambert and Chris Stump took over the management. They returned the name "The Who" to the quartet and gave their wards a strong promotion, flooding London with prospectuses with the promise of "maximum rhythm and blues". In the meantime, at one of the concerts, an interesting incident occurred: Pete was swinging his guitar violently, accidentally hit it on the ceiling and broke it. Out of frustration, he smashed the instrument to pieces, and at the next performance he deliberately repeated this trick. Now his friend was supported by Moon, who turned the installation, and since then, pogroms have become an integral part of The Who concerts.

Thanks to the scandalous reputation of the team, it was easy to sell out in clubs like "Marquee", but almost all the proceeds went to the purchase of new instruments. In January 1965, The Who made their first hit in the top ten with the single "I Can" t Explain", followed by the minions "Anyway Anyhow Anywhere" and "My Generation". The debut album was also a good success, and in the British charts, he got the fifth line.If on this disc the lion's share of the material belonged to Townshend's pen, then on "A Quick One" the rest of the musicians joined in the songwriting process. Another noteworthy moment of the second LP was the appearance of the track "Happy Jack", positioned as mini-opera In 1967, the team made their first foray into America and prepared a concept program called "The Who Sell Out" that imitated the broadcast of a pirate radio station.

The Who suffered a fiasco on the singles front the following year with the disastrous EP Dogs, but this setback was made up for by two US headlining tours. During those tours, Pete got the idea of ​​creating a full-fledged rock opera, and his idea was realized on the double album "Tommy". The success of this monumental work was enormous, and tickets for the accompanying performances were sold out at an incredible rate. Also, the scandalous glory of the team that left the destroyed rooms in the hotels grew. Most of all, Moon was much more adventurous, and the peak of his adventures was the Cadillac at the bottom of the hotel pool. Following "Tommy", the top ten was rammed by the magnificent live album "Live At Leeds", which became a model for all other rock live.

In 1971, the band embarked on a new concept project, Lifehouse, but Townshend's nervous breakdown stalled, and the usual Who's Next album was born instead. , and the disc took the highest position in the British lists.After the release of "Who" s Next, the activity of the team decreased, and its members began to release solo albums, but in 1973 "The Who" returned with the rock opera "Quadrophenia", which settled on the second lines on both sides of the Atlantic. Meanwhile, Moon and Townshend's alcohol cravings intensified, resulting in a sharp decline in concert dates. Pete captured his personal experiences of this period on the disc "The Who By Numbers", which could well claim the status of his solo album. Despite the fact that the next album "Who Are You" became the group's fastest-selling release, the team was in for a serious blow. On September 7, 1978, Keith took an overdose of anti-alcohol pills and passed away.

Many thought that the team had come to an end, but already in early 1979, The Who returned to the stage, replenishing their ranks with ex-drummer "Faces" Kenny Jones and keyboardist John Bundrick. However, internal problems did not disappear, and Townshend soon switched from whiskey to heroin, which significantly reduced his ability to compose. The albums "Face Dances" and "It" s Hard "received conflicting responses, and in 1982, having arranged a farewell tour, the band announced its dissolution. In the following decades, a considerable number of reunions took place, and even after the death of John Entwistle, who died in the summer of 2002 , Townshend and Daltrey continued to steer the ship called "The Who" through the waves of show business.In 2006, it even came to the point of creating another album, with a significant amount of space on the disk being devoted to the mini-opera "Wire & Glass".

†
Kenny Jones

The Who became famous in their homeland both due to their innovative technique - breaking instruments on stage after a performance, and due to hit singles that hit the Top 10, starting with the 1965 hit single "I Can" t Explain "and albums that fell into Top 5 (including the famous " My Generation") The first hit single to hit the Top 10 in the US was "I Can See For Miles" in 1967. The rock opera Tommy was released, which became the first album to hit the Top 5 in the US, followed by "Live At Leeds" (), "Who's Next" (), "Quadrophenia" () and "Who Are You" ().

The Who found a way to attract fans after Townsend accidentally broke his guitar neck against a low ceiling during a concert. During the next concert, the fans yelled at Pete to do it again. He broke his guitar and Keith followed him, smashing his drum kit. Then there was the "airmill", a style of guitar playing invented by Pete, which was based on the stage movements of Keith Richards.

Pete's next work is also autobiographical. "Psychoderelict" is about a reclusive rock star who is forced into retirement by a dastardly manager and a conniving journalist. Despite a US solo tour, the new work did not receive much attention.

In early 1994, Roger took a break from acting to hold a grand concert at Carnegie Hall to celebrate his 50th birthday. The music played by the band and orchestra was a tribute to Pete's work. Roger not only invited many guests to sing Pete's songs, but also invited John and Pete to play on stage. After that, Roger and John went on a tour of the United States, performing the songs of "The Who". Pete's brother Simon was on guitar and Ringo Starr's son Zach Starkey was on drums.

That same summer, a four-disc box set consisting of The Who songs was released. The MCA label began releasing remastered and occasionally remixed editions of the band. Live at Leeds was the first to be released with eight added tracks, followed by many CDs with bonus tracks, artwork and booklets.

1996 began with the formation of a new group, The John Entwistle Band, which toured the United States. The band's new album, The Rock, was sold at the show and after the show, John met with fans.

In 1996, it was announced that The Who would get back together to play "Quadrophenia" at a charity concert in Hyde Park. The June 26 show combined Pete's multimedia ideas with some of the ideas from the Deep End/1989 tour, accompanied by Roger's band. It was supposed to be only one show, but three weeks later The Who played a show at Madison Square Garden in New York and began a North American tour in October. They were not billed as "The Who", but performed under their own names.

The tour continued in Europe in the spring of 1997 and after another six weeks in the US. In 1998, Pete and Roger finally reconciled. In May, Roger presented Pete with a list of grievances about Pete's neglect of the band since 1982. Pete burst into tears and Roger heartily forgave him.

Concert activity (1999-2004)

On February 24, 2000, Pete posted the 6-disc box set Lifehouse Chronicles on his website. The Who's new tour began on June 25, 2000. Roger pushed Pete to write new material, which made the release of the new album a reality. Pete's attempts to promote The Who's music as soundtracks hit the spot when the television series C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation chose "Who Are You" as the show's theme song.

After the September 11 attacks, The Who performed at a charity festival for police and firefighters on October 20, 2001. This concert was broadcast worldwide. Unlike many members, whose sets were filled with gravity and restraint, The Who put on a real show. The band played at the Royal Albert Hall charity festival in support of children with cancer on February 7th and 8th 2002. These shows were John's last.

On June 27, 2002, John died in his sleep at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas from a cocaine-induced heart attack. It happened the day before the start of the band's big US tour.

The band's fans were shocked when Pete announced that the tour would take place without John. Session bassist Pino Palladino replaced him. Critics and fans have cursed this decision as yet another example of fundraising. Later, Pete and Roger explained that they and a lot of other people contributed a lot of money for this tour and could not lose it.

After a year of hiatus, Pete, Roger, Pino, Zach and the Rabbit performed as The Who at the Kentish Town Forum on March 24, 2004. On March 30, the band's new best-of compilation, Then and Now! 1964-2004" with brand new songs 13 years later "Real Good Looking Boy" and "Old Red Wine" which was a tribute to John.

"Endless Wire" (2005-2007)

Daltrey, Townsend, Karin. 2005 year

In 2004, the band toured Japan and Australia for the first time. February 9, 2005 Roger received an order from Queen Elizabeth II of Britain for his charitable work.

On September 24, 2005, Pete posted the novel The Boy Who Heard Music on his blog. Written in 2000, this sequel to "Psychoderelict" provided the basis for many of Pete's new songs. After premiering new songs on the Rachel Fuller show, the band began a new tour that included both new and old songs. On 17 June 2006 the band performed in Leeds, at the same university where they recorded their famous live album 36 years ago.

• A Quick One (December 9)
• The Who by Numbers (October 3)
• Who Are You (August 18)
• Face Dances (March 16)
• It's Hard (September 4)

Notes

Links

• Joe Giorgianni's Who Page Fan site dedicated to The Who
• The Who.info

The Dors are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965. The Doors instantly became popular, even the usual promotion in such cases was not required. The Dors group, whose photographs did not leave the pages, became the first in the record number of sold "gold" albums, and eight such records were sold in a row, which has never happened in the history of rock music.

Such success is due to the unusual style of performances and the unsurpassed talent of the soloist, Jim Morrison. The music of The Doors was beautiful, acted hypnotically: those who listened to the first track did not leave until the rest were heard. This phenomenon of the Dors group was studied by psychologists, but they could not explain the reason for such super-attractiveness.

A bit of history

In the summer of 1965, Ray Manzarek and Jim Morrison met, who had once known each other. Young people discussed the situation in American show business and decided to create a rock band. Both had good data, Jim Morrison wrote poetry and composed music, and Ray was already a professional musician at that time. They were later joined by John Densmore, drummer and backing vocalist. At the same time, guitarist Robbie Krieger was accepted into the group. The Dors group did not escape the so-called turnover, the musicians left and returned several times. Only Morrison and Manzarek never doubted the correctness of the choice.

This composition is considered the main one, but, in addition to the main participants, outside musicians were periodically invited to record discs and hold concerts. These were bass and rhythm guitarists, keyboardists and harmonica virtuosos, without whom blues compositions could not take place.

The Dors group differed from similar musical groups in that it did not have its own bass player. For session studio recordings, he was invited, and in concerts the bass guitar part was imitated by Ray Manzarek on the Fender Rhodes Bass keyboard. Moreover, he did this with one hand, and with the other he played the main melody on the electric organ.

Musicians invited to participate in concerts

• Douglas Luban, bass player, has been featured on three studio albums.
• Angelo Barbera, bass player.
• Eddie Vedder, lead vocals.
• Raynal Andino, drums, percussion.
• Conrad Jack, bass guitarist.
• Bobby Ray Henson, rhythm guitar, percussion, backing vocals.
• John Sebastian, blues harmonica.
• Lonnie Mac, lead guitar.
• Harvey Brooks, bass guitar.
• Ray Neapolitan, bass guitar.
• Mark Banno, rhythm guitar.
• Jerry Sheaf, bass guitar.
• Arthur Barrow, synthesizer, keyboards.
• Bob Globe, bass guitar.
• Don Wess, bass guitar.

Soloist of the group "Dors"

Jim Morrison, vocalist, composer, author of poems for his own songs, was born on December 8, 1943 in the family of a naval officer. He is one of the most notable and charismatic musicians of the 20th century. The singer's entire creative life was associated with the Dors group, which he himself created together with pianist Ray Manzarek.

According to Rolling Stone magazine, Morrison is considered the greatest rock performer of all time. The history of the musician is a series of successful projects created by him in collaboration with other members of the Dors group. The philosophical approach to life brought to the work of Jim Morrison that special flavor that was absent in the songs of other representatives of rock music of that time. The fascination with the works of Friedrich Nietzsche, Arthur Rimbaud, the work of William Faulkner,

Morrison studied at the Faculty of Cinematography in Los Angeles, where he managed to make two author's films, and these works did not concern music, but were full of philosophical reflections. In 1965, after the formation of the Dors, Jim Morrison devoted himself entirely to rock music. And just six years later, on July 3, 1971, he died of a heroin overdose.

The Dors without Jim Morrison

After the death of the soloist, the rest of the participants tried to continue their creative activity, but had no success. Songs that had a hypnotic effect on the listeners, such as Jim Morrison's Riders On The Storm, were no more. The Dors group ceased to exist.

Further projects

In 1978, the Dors' album An American Prayer was released, featuring soundtracks of Jim Morrison's own poetry readings. The recitation was combined with musical and rhythmic accompaniment of other members of the group. The installation was done by a simple overlay method.

This project was also not successful, neither commercially nor artistically. Some critics called the album blasphemous. And some compared it to a masterpiece cut into pieces by Pablo Picasso, when each of the fragments individually is of no value.

In 1979, one of the famous Dors hits called The End was included in the film "Apocalypse" directed by Francis Ford Coppola, which is dedicated to the Vietnam War.

Discography

Studio session albums recorded at different times in the studio:

1. The - Recorded in January 1967, the first "gold" format, sold over 2 million copies.
2. Strange Days ("Strange days") - created in October 1967.
3. Waiting For The Sun ("Waiting for the sun") - the album was recorded in July 1968.
4. The Soft Parade ("Soft procession") - the disc was released in July 1969.
5. Morrison Hotel ("Morrison's Hotel") - released in February 1970.
6. L.A. Woman ("Women of Los Angeles") - the album was recorded in April 1971.
7. Other Voices ("Other voices") - created in October 1971 as a symbolic farewell to the untimely departed Jim Morrison.
8. Full Circle ("Full circle") - an attempt to record an album with new songs in July 1972, with a dedication to the anniversary of the death of the main soloist.
9. An American Prayer is an abortive compilation of Morrison's poetry set to music.