Anyone acquainted with me, or indeed this blog-site, will be well aware The Who and I have history. At the risk of repeating previous ‘Who‘ posts in not so many words, engagement with them led to a widespread interest in rock as a whole – an immersion in their career leading to a fascination in the history and development of popular music that shows no sign of abating.
Put another way, because of The Who I picked up a pen and began writing down my opinions – there, another burden for them to carry.
Now into the 56th year of their career, (based on the moment Keith Moon joined up with Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle and Pete Townshend in May 1964), as time passes each new year seems to bring another personal ‘Who‘ milestone and also a significant anniversary in their enormous contribution to contemporary culture.
October this year will mark 45 years since attending my first Who show, but far more pertinent is that fifty years ago today (February 14) occurred a performance that resulted in the live album usually first on the lips when the format is discussed: THE WHO – LIVE AT LEEDS.
First, however, a recap is in order to establish how The Who had come to play the Refectory of Leeds University in the early weeks of a new decade.
When ‘Hurricane Keith’ blew into the orbit of fellow West London teenagers Daltrey (vocals), Entwistle (bass) and Townshend (guitar) five and a half years before, it had the effect of transforming an established Shepherd’s Bush pub act capable of lively Shadows and Motown covers into a turbo-charged express train – his extravagant, powerhouse drumming giving them propulsion no other band could match.
Attached to the ‘Mod’ scene developing apace across Britain by newly-installed managers Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp, The Who espoused ‘pop-art’ and ‘auto-destruction’ – their incendiary performances ending with the stage strewn with upturned drums and remnants of Townshend’s smashed guitar.
While there was no doubting the shock value of such eye-catching chaos, The Who had the musical prowess to qualify their aggressive ethos – and in Townshend a songwriter of stunning originality.
Their first three singles (all 1965), ‘I Can’t Explain‘, ‘Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere‘ (co-written with Daltrey) and ‘My Generation‘ were each upbeat, belligerent pieces articulating the confrontational mood of the times – the latter containing the explosive line ‘hope I die before I get old‘, that defined their rebel stance.
Such superbly-crafted songs as ‘The Kids Are Alright‘ and ‘Substitute‘ were further evidence of his skills as a composer, the musical accomplishment testament to their authenticity as performers.
But by the time of their second album ‘A Quick One While He’s Away‘ (1966), Townshend was already experimenting beyond the three minute single, the title track an extended work with a loose narrative.
Established as the most dynamic live act around, their third album ‘The Who Sell Out‘ (1967) was another stab at exploring a continuous theme, the stand-out track (among several) being the outstanding ‘I Can See For Miles‘, that took traditional motifs of early Who records, crashing drums, thunderous bass, searing guitar, to new heights.
Despite being a magnificent offering, it was only a minor UK hit (faring significantly better in the US where they had begun to build a devoted following), Townshend, sensing their time as a renowned singles band was coming to an end, began conceiving a conceptual work on a scale not attempted before.
Released in May 1969 the double-album ‘Tommy,’ his story of a deaf, dumb and blind boy who through success playing pinball becomes a spiritual messiah, was dubbed a ‘rock opera‘ (with an overture, recurring stanzas and finale it was operatic in structure) and rightly heralded as a masterpiece. The marked improvement of Daltrey as a vocalist is just one striking feature of the piece (assuming the role of ‘Tommy‘ as The Who took their opus into concert halls, he emerged from the shadows of three musicians who were either dexterous or flamboyant – or in the case of Moon, both).
Several songs from ‘Tommy‘ – ‘Overture‘, ‘1921‘, ‘Amazing Journey/Sparks‘, ‘Pinball Wizard‘, ‘I’m Free‘, ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It/See Me, Feel Me‘ – would be sublime moments in rock history even if they only existed on vinyl. But when The Who began performing the rock opera for an audience they entered such a stratosphere of live performance that behind them the trail went cold.
Debuting ‘Tommy‘ for the music press at Ronnie Scott’s in London on May 1 1969 (in typically acerbic fashion Townshend put the ecstatic reviews down to the free booze scribes had been plied with), a week later they began taking America by storm and before the summer was out had played legendary shows from coast to coast.
In August they brought Woodstock to its feet, before returning home to wow the Isle of Wight Festival – continuing thereafter to conquer every venue they played. As one Who insider commented as 1969 came to a close:
‘It was seven months of standing ovations everywhere and Pete being interviewed everywhere – believe it or not, sometimes the ovations went on longer than his interviews.’
After playing opera houses in six European cities during January 1970 (such was the intellectual gravitas of ‘Tommy‘ they were invited to such places, but either side of the centrepiece ripped through their early singles and favoured covers), although for a first UK appearance of the year rolled into the slightly less salubrious surroundings of Leeds University.
Several recent performances had been recorded in readiness to issue a live album seen as their next natural step, the plan then changed to see how the shows at Leeds and following night in Hull were captured – judging by results things turned out rather well.
Indeed, based on accounts from the era, there was little to distinguish the Leeds performance from most others The Who were giving at the time – as extraordinary was virtually a nightly occurrence.
The original six track ‘Live At Leeds‘ album boasted a first side containing covers of ‘Young Man Blues‘, ‘Summertime Blues‘, ‘Shakin’ All Over‘, interspersed with a shortened, snappy rendition of ‘Substitute‘.
On side two was an elongated ‘My Generation‘ (incorporating instrumental breaks from ‘Tommy‘ and snatch of ‘See Me, Feel Me‘) and closing rave-up of perennial live favourite ‘Magic Bus‘, featuring some wailing harmonica from Daltrey.
Marvelling at the incredible chemistry between Moon, Entwistle and Townshend and astonishing lung-power of Daltrey to be heard over their uproarious assault, what ‘Live At Leeds‘ shows to this day is when the four distinct strands of The Who came together, a fifth element took hold – thus creating that collective cacophony of passion, power and panache.
Having long since established the template for three instruments and a voice, the intuitive engagement of rampant drums, thunderous bass and slashing guitar riffs elevated The Who to a perch where they stood as the most exhilarating experience live rock had to offer – ‘Live At Leeds‘ bearing umpteen examples of them pushing their incredible talents to the outer limits of a genre they had created.
‘They’re all playing lead‘, remarked Noel Gallagher in more recent times when discussing The Who, ‘Entwistle’s doing lead bass, Moon lead drums, Daltrey lead vocals and Townshend’s playing lead guitar. It’s insane‘.
Despite his unrivalled showmanship, however, Moon apparently hated drum solos (you will not find anywhere twenty minutes of just Keith, his kit and the audience), besides, such indulgence was unnecessary as he turned every number into a drum extravaganza. There are times when you cannot be certain if he is playing with the bass, vocal or guitar – but given his remarkable dexterity, on tracks such as ‘Young Man Blues‘, ‘My Generation‘ and ‘Magic Bus‘, it could quite possibly be all three.
Whether stretching out or playing in lightning bursts, Townshend sounds fluid and sharp, his rhythmic harmonics giving the listener cause to wonder if there were another couple of guitarists joining in from the wings. Daltrey is confident and assertive, his new found belief evident not only in the fire he breathes into ‘Summertime Blues‘ and ‘Shakin’ All Over‘ but also in the extra dimension found for the ‘Tommy‘ material.
But, in keeping with any other Who show, ‘Live At Leeds‘ is anchored by the supersonic bass guitar of Entwistle, his playing at times bordering on nonchalant if it wasn’t so concentrated – John, literally, pulling the strings when drum sticks were in the air, arms and microphones being twirled.
On release in May 1970 ‘Live At Leeds‘ prompted a slew of rapturous reviews, Nic Cohn of the New York Times moved to write: ‘Tommy’ is rock’s first formal masterpiece. ‘Live At Leeds’ is the definitive hard-rock holocaust. It is the best live rock album ever made.’
Packaged as a bootleg album with a plain, brown card gatefold sleeve, inside were a selection of reproduced contracts, a 1964 rejection letter from EMI Records, photographs, a court summons for an unpaid bill and the poster advertising their Tuesday night residency at the Marquee Club in 1964.
This revisiting of Who history would not be the last as time moved on into the 70s, Townshend looking back to their early ‘Mod’ days with the weighty ‘Quadrophenia‘ (1973), some studio loose-ends tied up with ‘Odds & Sods‘ (1974) – all of which makes ‘Live At Leeds‘ feel like it arrived as phase one of their career was coming to an end.
Fifteen months on from ‘Live At Leeds‘ new Townshend material salvaged from the aborted ‘Lifehouse‘ project was absorbed into ‘Who’s Next‘. This skyscraper of an album yielded such epics as ‘Baba O’Riley‘, ‘Bargain‘, ‘My Wife‘ (written by Entwistle), ‘Behind Blue Eyes‘ and ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again‘, all of which became staples in a stage show that underwent changes in set-list, while continuing to defy superlatives.
In 1995, an extended version of ‘Live At Leeds‘ (containing most of the performance, including the ‘Tommy‘ segment) was released on CD, with the entire show finally seeing the light of day – as an official release – seven years later. Out of pure sentiment my heart belongs to the original LP, but these subsequent updates serve as proof The Who were unrivalled as the best live band on the planet not just because they were loud, fast and furious, but due to having a repertoire nobody else could match.
Indeed, ‘Tommy‘ might have high-brow intentions, but it is no less enthralling hearing them tear through ‘Substitute‘, ‘My Generation‘ or ‘I Can’t Explain‘, the CD reissues of ‘Live At Leeds‘ testament to how rarely their energy levels dropped during a show.
They also provide welcome reminder just how funny The Who were in addressing the audience between songs, Townshend and Moon particularly jocular, not least with each other – their exchanges in introducing ‘A Quick One, While He’s Away‘ on ‘Live At Leeds‘ are an absolute treat (they can be heard in equally great form outlining the same song at the London Coliseum in December 1969, of which there is YouTube footage).
But for all the, ‘greatest live album ever made‘ or ‘only live album you ever need to hear,’ critical laurels that have become attached to it, now fifty years on and no matter its undisputed glory, ‘Live At Leeds‘ might not even be the best night The Who ever had.
This article was first published on 14/2/2020.
THE WHO – ‘LIVE AT LEEDS‘ (Released May 23 1970):
Original track listing:
Young Man Blues/Substitute/Summertime Blues/Shakin’ All Over/My Generation/Magic Bus.
NEIL SAMBROOK is also the author of ‘MONTY’S DOUBLE‘ – an acclaimed thriller now available in paperback and as an Amazon Kindle book.
Thanks so much for reprinting. I was fortunate to see them live in ’69, ’70 and ’71. The passion from those concerts is a major ingredient in the recipe that keeps me alive.
Hello Brian – hope you are well, good to hear from you;
Feel very envious you saw them, them, the ‘Orribble Oo’ in those 69-71 halcyon days – so many of those shows are still talked about in the most hallowed terms. Over forty years since my first time and it is not an exaggeration to it changed my entire outlook – and not just with regard to rock music.
Even now, all this time later and all the music I’ve heard since, nothing moves me quite like the sound of The Who.
Be safe and well.
Regards
Neil
That’s a truly well considered piece Neil, a joy to read. It sums up what many of us from that early Who generation feel – lyrics that really meant something to kids growing up at the time, wrapped up in that incredibly powerful, soaring yet beautifully rich and melodic music. I read somewhere else that seeing The Who at their peak you almost felt they were levitating, such was the transcendental experience. It’s so true. Live At Leeds just about captured it.
Hello Steve – hope you are well;
Delighted to hear you enjoyed my ‘Live At Leeds’ article and thanks for taking the time to say so.
Listening to it again these past few days has been a reminder not just how formidable they were, but of all the excitement, wit, fluidity and imagination that occurred each time they played. I first saw them in 1975, the year I became a fan, so missed out on the early singles/Tommy/Who’Next/Quadrophenia eras – but even in 75/76 they were still an untouchable live act. I have been trying to find the piece I have somewhere by Steve Turner (I think) in which he describes what it was like to ‘feel’ the sound of The Who (when I find it will let you know exactly what it says).
Your ‘levitating’ comment is also interesting – as I’m sure I experienced something of that nature at the Charlton show of May 1976!!
Best wishes
Neil