English IV Honors
“The Who”
Rated third in the so-called Holy Trinity makes them known as The Who. This British Rock Band came into America during the second wave of the British Invasion. With them originally named as The Detour, the band had found out around mid-1963 that another band appeared on national television with the same name and this had forced them to change their name. They then held a meeting at original band member, Peter Townshend’s apartment and everybody all threw out suggestions for the name change, until his roommate Richard Barnes came up with the generic name, The Who.
Original band member Roger Daltrey, who was born on March 1st, 1944, was expelled from Action County Grammar School for not wanting to wear his uniform. Months later, fellow band member John Entwistle who was born on October 9th, 1944, was approached by Roger Daltrey who was in need of a bass guitarist in the summer of 1961, when Roger came up to him, he just so happened to be caring a bass guitar. A third member of the band is Peter Townshend who was born on May 19th, 1945. While Pete and John were close in age, they had played together in a band known then as The Confederates. In fact though, the band they had created was very trendy and popular around that time. John had played the French horn while Pete was playing the banjo. Also with hardly knowing each other, Roger had attended Action County School with Pete and John before he was expelled, except he had been a year ahead. There is still one band member left and that is Keith Moon, he is the youngest of the group and was born on August 23, 1946. With The Who failing the auditions of a major recording company, Doug Sandom, one of the original Detours drummer was asked to leave his drum sticks behind and retire his position. When auditions had started for a new drummer, Keith who was the drummer for the Beachcombers had tried out. He was only 17 at the time and they were all shocked by the sound; with it being like no other drummer they had ever heard before. Keith had then made an impact on The Who and got asked to be the new drummer for them. With their new drummer and being known as one of the loudest, most eye catching bands that many will have ever seen, after every performance people would watch to see Pete smash his guitar into the stage with just excitement! In the background on the stage is Keith who doesn’t want to be upstaged ever or do bad, would start to kick his drums over after every performance along with Pete.
While this band was having a very dynamic and unbelievably sonic force towards people, they also created a very conventional rock music that attracted all ages! With Baba O’Riley or commonly known as Teenage Wasteland being one of their most successful songs that they had in their career. But with knowing that, the song never fully got released in UK or even in America. The message they had sent of this song was that the youth were rebelling against all society. With the immense amount of drug use and going against the system this song had described it perfectly. Another song that showed their way and how they liked to speak out, was a popular hit called Who Are You. With this song appearing in today’s shows like CSI: and CSI: Miami, it makes an impact with the way The Who has put the words together. This song was really written for when they had all met with Paul Cook and Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols and there was a brutal 13-hour encounter. But what is meant of it is for the demands of a friendship and having a blood-letting challenge. A third song that reached