The Who - "Live at Leeds"

Was listening today to the first CD of the "Who Live At Leeds" double and was struck yet again by what an awesome, perfectly-toned yet passionate, live band they are. It has been a very difficult time for me of late; I'm struggling with depression in the aftermath of a traumatic divorce and the havoc it has wrought on my emotions, health, and financial situation, so it was a blessing indeed to be uplifted by the presence of sheer power and greatness.

This album is, I think, the most sonically-exciting music ever made. Townshend's riffs are huge and raging, yet never bombastic. His guitar-playing is much under-rated - it may lack the virtuosity of Clapton and Page and the sonic daring of Jeff Beck, but his solos are full of fire and tension, and always mean something in the context of the song. Roger Daltrey is at his peak here, singing with anger and intensity and yet also control. His renditions of "Substitute" and "Can't Explain" have all the verve of the original singles but with the added power and authority built up over years of touring in America. For pure passion and integrity he is the number one rock vocalist - he never indulges in the phallic preening of a Plant or the sexual decadance of Mick Jagger.

Then we come on to the two now-deceased members. Can there ever have been a rhythm section like this ? Entwistle's power is thundrous, and he weaves the most intricate lines between Townshend and Moon. I can think of only one other bass player (Jack Bruce at his peak in Cream) who plays such complex lines with such intensity. And then there is Moonie, who is at his very best here. He thunders around and underneath the riffs, plays a constantly-inventive stream of fills, and keeps a continuous backdrop of hissing, crashing, cymbal-work going. Yet his work is also tightly-disciplined here; not a single drum roll is out of place, and everything he does serves the song. Like that other titanic drummer John Bonham, he has power, flair, and great creativity - every fill and drum roll is worth listening to.

This, then, is the sound of a band who have honed themselves over years of touring in the States and have built their strength as a band - nothing is done out of context of the overall sound. Pete's guitar roars out the riffs; John's bass powers away underneath, providing the fundamental forward thrust of the band while playing some awesomely complex lines. Keith's drums pound under and around the music, and have a tension to them which is always in sync with the rest of the group; listen to the extended "My Generation", on which Keith provides a text-book lesson in how outstanding virtuosity, power, and flamboyance can be tied in with the rest of the music to provide an irresistible force. The cymbals surge over the repeated riffs, the bass and tom-toms thud with intensity, and the fills keep coming.

Then, of course, we have the songs. One key difference between The Who and all the other great English live bands (Stones, Zeppelin, The Faces, Free) is that all their songs are about something. They have a weight, intensity, sensitivity, and humour in the lyrics which matches everything else going on. The band sound as if they are actually on a mission to tell us something. Also, whereas those other bands have a high phallocentric / chauvinistic element to what they do, The Who's lyrics (and Daltrey's singing) do nothing to offend my sisters. The virtues of Pete's songs have rightly been much-praised; what I notice most here is that, for all the virtuosity and musical power of the band, everything they do is in service to those songs, whether they're playing their sixties hits, their supercharged versions of rock'n'roll classics, or "A Quick One" and "Tommy".

A nice final touch is that this notoriously-volatile group do sound to be enjoying each other's company on this album. The banter between Townshend and Moon in particular is hilarious - listen to the introduction to "A Quick One" for the sense of fun that's being had here.

All the great English rock bands listed above have meant an awful lot to me. The Stones have their amazing raw musicality (and Keith'n'Charlie); Zeppelin are over-powering and awesome in their violence yet also mysterious and eclectic. The Faces are soulful, lively, and good-humoured, while Free have that constant sense of tension and emotions reined in. Yet the Who mean the most; they are perfectly-integrated, and have a sheer anger and intensity which those other bands lack. For me their only match as a live rock band (English style) are Cream at their peak, for very different reasons. Listening to "Live At Leeds" I am exhilarated, grateful, and humbled.