The Who This Month!

"No Face, No Name, No Number" - Roundhouse, London

On the 23rd, Pete Townshend - The Definitive Collection CD is released. Pete is interviewed on XFM and speaks about playing Glastonbury: "I don't know if we're allowed to say," he revealed, "But let me put it this way, I think they want us to do it, and we want to do it. So we shall see. "I this it's about whether or not they'll give me space to park my tent."

Photo: Dave M. Benett

On the same day, The Who receive a lifetime achievement award at the South Bank Awards Show at London's Savoy Hotel. Pete and Roger receive their award from ITV chairman Michael Grade.

The Who - South Bank Show Awards by IvorTheEngineDriver

Also on the 23rd, Tony Furtado releases a cover of "Won't Get Fooled Again" on his CD Thirteen and Joe Goldmark releases his CD Seducing The '60s featuring a country & western cover of "The Kids Are Alright."

On the 24th, Pete reveals on his website that he and Roger had a business meeting prior to the South Bank Awards show and decided on a European tour for May followed by a winter tour of Japan, Australia and Hawaii. He also discusses a recent French author's view that soon all music will be available for downloading for free: "iTunes are getting away with murder, and the French want to stop them. Oh! I warned you all back in 1986 and no one listened."

On the 30th, the group Ruth's Hat releases their CD Nostalgic For Right Now featuring a cover of "I Can't Explain".

January 2002 (10 Years Ago)

UK#1 songs - "Gotta Get Thru This" - Daniel Bedingfield; "More Than a Woman" - Aaliyah; "My Sweet Lord" - George Harrison; "Hero" - Enrique Iglesias
US #1 songs - "How You Remind Me" - Nickleback; "U Got It Bad" - Usher

On the 2nd, in a phone interview to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Pete Townshend calls rap "the only authentic form of neighborhood music we have left," and says he has made a commitment to go into the studio with The Who, a producer and a record contract in October 2002 to make a new Who album.

On the 14th, Pete posts the script to White City on his website.

Roger Daltrey pens captions to old Who and Roger photos for Q magazine. He says he was never serious about his solo career and, speaking about when Gary Glitter broke his eye socket in 1996, "if I’d known he was a nonce then, I would have killed him."

On the 16th, Pete posts a long diary message called A Different Bomb about the dangers of child pornography on the Internet. "When you are a child - possibly the victim of a war, maybe just an orphan or foster child - and sexual abuse follows, it could be said that what drops on you is '...a different bomb'. I believe that the internet is a latent bomb factory for the children of the future."

On the 21st, Pete posts his 1967 U.S. Air Force ad on his website.

Photo: Elaine

On the 23rd, The Who hold the first of their rehearsals for their upcoming shows that start on the 27th and 28th at Portsmouth Guildhall. William Topley is the supporting act. At the first show, Pete sends a Fender to its reward.

"Sparks" - Portsmouth

On the 29th, The Concert For New York, featuring The Who's performance from the previous October, is released on DVD.

Photo: Majik

On the 31st, The Who perform at Watford Town Hall. Before the show, Roger slags British pop mogul Simon Cowell to the press, calling him a "dreadful piece of crap who drags the music industry down whenever he rears his ugly f***ing head." During the show, Pete makes reference to a lurid murder then a hot topic in the British tabloids by imitating hecklers and saying, "I’ll put a marble down your throat." He later apologizes.

"The Real Me" - Watford (John Entwistle's last performance of this song)

January 1997 (15 Years Ago)

UK#1 songs - "2 Become 1" - The Spice Girls; "Professional Widow" (Armand's Star Trunk Funkin' Mix) - Tori Amos; "Your Woman" - White Town; "Beetlebum" - Blur
US #1 song - "Un-Break My Heart" - Toni Braxton

On the 12th, Pete writes "Wired To The Moon (Part 2)", which is later released on Scoop 3. On the 19th, he records "Drumming" later released on his website.

The Who: The Definitive Guitar Collection sheet music books are published.

On the 18th, The John Entwistle Band performs at the Cakewalk exhibit at the NAMM convention in Anaheim, CA. This live performance is also presented on an Internet-only cybercast hosted by Cakewalk Music Software and Intel. The cybercast makes musical history as The John Entwistle Band is joined by percussionist Pedro Vargas over an internet connection from a CAA/Intel Media Lab in Hollywood over 50 miles away.

"The Real Me" - The John Entwistle Band, NAMM Convention

On the 28th, John goes to Stockholm to promote the upcoming Who show.

On the 29th, original cast members of the movie Quadrophenia and the press take the Quadrophenia Express from Victoria Station to Brighton. They are met by Brighton’s mayor and a group of Mods to celebrate the re-release of the film.

January 1992 (20 Years Ago)

UK#1 song - "I Will Always Love You" - Whitney Houston
US #1 songs - "Black or White" - Michael Jackson; "All 4 Love" - Color Me Badd

On the 4th, the animated short film The Real Story Of Happy Birthday To You is released. Roger voices the character "Barnaby the Stablehand."

On the 28th, The Chieftains release their CD An Irish Evening: Live at the Grand Opera House, Belfast. Roger sings "Raglan Road" and "Behind Blue Eyes" on the CD. It peaks at #120 in the U.S.Billboard charts and wins a Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album.

January 1982 (30 Years Ago)

UK#1 45's - "Don't You Want Me" - The Human League; "The Land of Make Believe" - Bucks Fizz; "Oh Julie" - Shakin' Stevens
US#1 45's - "Physical" - Olivia Newton-John; "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" - Daryl Hall and John Oates

Sometime around the beginning of the month Pete calls in Steve Strange of Visage to do a duet with a cross-dressing French chanteuse named Ronny. The Pete-produced recording of "The Lady Is A Tramp" has not been released to date.

Shortly after this he flies to Dr. Meg Patterson's neuroelectric therapy clinic at Corona del Mar, California to end his addictive use of alcohol, heroin and Ativan. While there he writes more songs for his upcoming solo album and short stories that will ultimately end up in the Horse's Neck book. As for The Who, Pete contacts Roger Daltrey back in London and says that as soon as he's clean and sober, he'd like to record another Who album and follow it with one final major tour.

January 1977 (35 Years Ago)

UK#1 45's - "When a Child Is Born (Soleado)" - Johnny Mathis; "Don't Give Up On Us" - David Soul
US#1 45's - "Tonight's The Night (Gonna Be Alright)" - Rod Stewart; "You Don't Have to Be A Star (To Be In My Show)" - Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr.; "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" - Leo Sayer; "I Wish" - Stevie Wonder; "Car Wash" - Rose Royce

Roger is in Ramport Studios in Battersea, London to record songs for his third solo album.

On the 20th, The Who's lawsuit against ex-managers Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp is settled with negotiations between Pete and Stamp at an office on Poland Street. Pete receives a $1 million settlement of his U.S. copyrights to date and The Who gain rights to all their recordings from "Substitute" on. MCA also agrees to pay for the cost of writing a screenplay for Quadrophenia. During the settlement Pete learns that lawyer Allan Klein permanently owns a piece of his song copyrights as a result of the 1966 settlement with Decca Records. Pete who loathes Klein, is appalled by the news.

After the settlement Pete and Chris Stamp go clubbing at The Speakeasy where they catch some of John Otway's performance. Later that night Paul Cook and Steve Jones of The Sex Pistols stop by. Mistaking them for Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious, Pete huddles with them at their table and tells them The Sex Pistols will have to carry the "rock 'n' roll banner" as The Who are finished. Instead of the snarled response he expects, the two Pistols express their admiration for The Who and declare they don't want them to break up. Pete and the Pistols are snapped by a New Musical Express photographer who has punches thrown at him by a very inebriated Pete. Pete then tears up his million-dollar check, leaves The Speakeasy and passes out in the gutter where a policeman who recognizes him brings him around. The bobby explains that if he can get up and go home, he won't have to arrest him. Pete will later write the events of this night into the first verse of the song "Who Are You."

On the 24th, Eric Clapton records a guitar overdub for Roger’s One of the Boys solo LP. The results aren’t quite good enough to use, however, after Eric gets soused on Roger’s gift of a barrel of Fuller’s Superstrong Ale.

On the 29th, New Musical Express reports on the Pete/Sex Pistols meeting. "He thinks he's past it but he ain't really, he's still great," says Cook. Jones adds, "he was a really great geezer even though he was, like, paralytic."

On the 31st, Keith Moon is a presenter at the 1977 American Music Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.

January 1972 (40 Years Ago)

UK#1 45's - "Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West)" - Benny Hill; "I'd Like To Teach the World To Sing (In Perfect Harmony)" - The New Seekers
US#1 45's - "Family Affair" - Sly and the Family Stone; "Brand New Key" - Melanie

The Who begin 1972 by taking a break until their May recording sessions, their first lengthy time off since the formation of the band. Pete leaves for Arangoan, India to visit Meher Baba's tomb and meet other Baba disciples. He will return early the next month.

On the 15th, Billboard lists “Let’s See Action” as #3 in Singapore.

Rolling Stone names The Who band of the year and awards Who's Next album of the year.

Gold award for Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy

Courtesy: The Who Collection

On the 17th, Meaty Beaty Big & Bouncy is certified gold by the RIAA.

On the 23rd, John's son Christopher is born at Queen Charlotte's Maternity Hospital in Hammersmith.

At the end of the month, the Universal Spiritual League releases the Meher Baba-dedicated album I Am. It is produced by Pete and contains a 9:50 edit of the instrumental "Baba O'Riley" as well as his musical version of Baba's prayer "O Parvardigar," that becomes the main hymn for Baba followers. In addition Pete plays synthesizer on "Dragon," guitar and drums on "Affirmation" and synthesized flute on Billy Nicholls' "This Song Is Green."

"Affirmation" - Mike Da Costa

January 1967 (45 Years Ago)

UK#1 45's - "Green Green Grass of Home" - Tom Jones; "I'm a Believer" - The Monkees
US#1 45's - "Winchester Cathedral" - The New Vaudeville Band; "I'm a Believer" - The Monkees

The Who's first show for the year is on the 6th at the Marine Ballroom in Morecambe, all except for Pete who doesn't make it, again due to a car accident. Mike Dickinson of the opening act the Doodlebugs fills in on guitar. The other support act is Harold Graham.

On the 7th, Disc magazine starts a four-part "Who Are The Who?" series starting with Roger.

On the 11th, The Who mime to "Happy Jack" for a broadcast of Top Of The Pops the following day. BBC records show The Who are paid £84 for their appearance. After the show, Pete and Eric Clapton catch Jimi Hendrix's set at the Bag O'Nails club. The following night they both attend his next show at the 7 1/2 Club.

One more date in the U.K. for The Who follows at Festival Hall in Kirkby-in-Ashfield on the 13th before they fly off to Hamburg, Germany on the 15th to perform on the TV show Beat Club. They mime to "I'm a Boy," "Heat Wave" and "Happy Jack" and the first song is later released on the Who's Better Who's Best video.

On the 14th, Melody Maker prints the interview "Pop think in: Pete Townshend." Meanwhile Keith Moon's marriage is completely covered up in an article in Disc and Music Echo. Keith claims to live alone except for a Labrador puppy.

The Who Fan Club Newsletter reveals that The Who now have U.S. live performance representation with Premier Talent.

Manfred Mann release their album Soul Of Mann with a jazz cover of "My Generation."

"My Generation" - Manfred Mann

One benefit of The Who being allied with Brian Epstein is realized this month as Pete and The Who’s manager Kit Lambert are invited to John Lennon’s house to listen to and critique The Beatles’ soon-to-be-released song “Strawberry Fields Forever”. Whether or not Pete is critical to John Lennon’s face, he shortly afterwards tells New Musical Express: "I believe pop music should be like the TV - something you can turn on or off and shouldn't disturb the mind. Eventually these people are going to go too far and leave the rest of the world behind. It's very hard to like 'Strawberry Fields Forever' for simply what it is. Some artists are becoming musically unapproachable."

Pete tells Beat Instrumental he is working on a full-length rock opera. Pete: "It takes place in the year 1999, when China is breaking out and is about to take over the world. The hero loses his wife and decides to go and live in this tiny country, which is about to be overrun by the Chinese. The hero goes through hundreds of situations, and there is music for each. He goes out in a boat and gets shipwrecked, he has a bad nightmare, and so on." Pete never finishes the work and part of it is subsequently released as "Rael" on The Who Sell Out.

On the 17th, The Who are recorded live at The Playhouse for BBC's radio programme Saturday Club. The tunes supplied are "Happy Jack," "Run, Run, Run," "Boris The Spider," "See My Way", "Don't Look Away" and “So Sad About Us”. Pete is also interviewed. The show airs on the 21st.

"Happy Jack" - The Who live at the BBC

On the 18th, The Who perform at the Orchid Ballroom in Putney. The 21st was to have been The Who's first performance at Leeds University, but Pete again has car trouble when he runs out of gas on the A1. Determined not to miss the show, Pete attempts to trade his guitar for gas. By the time he finally makes it to Leeds, it is too late.

Also on the 21st, "Happy Jack" reaches its U.K. peak at #3. On the same day, Billboard reports it is at #2 in The Netherlands. In Sweden, both “Happy Jack” and “La La La Lies” enter the Tio i Topp charts on this date. The former will reach #5, the latter #7. On the 24th, “Happy Jack” also appears on Sweden’s Kvällstoppen sales chart where it will peak at #8.

On the 25th, The Who are at the Kingsway Theatre in Hadleigh, Essex supported by The Roulettes, Sound Around, the She Trinity, and the Sovereigns. The set for the show: "I Can't Explain," "So Sad About Us," "Barbara Ann," "Run Run Run," "Don't Look Away," "Substitute," "I'm A Boy," "Happy Jack" and "My Generation." The next night sees them at The Locarno Ballroom in Bristol. The Who have their biggest sell-out up to that time at this venue. Locked-out fans trash cars in the parking lot including Roger's new sports car.

On the 28th, New Musical Express prints the article: "After Monkees, big Who tv series?" about a supposed deal to create a Monkees-like TV show starring The Who. That night sees The Who performing at Tofts Club in Folkestone.

Also on the 28th, more Who business news. Billboard reports Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp are setting up a public relations firm with Nancy Lewis. They will handle U.K. publicity for The Who, The Merseys and touring Motown acts.

On the 29th, The Who play their first Who show booked by Brian Epstein's NEMS Enterprises at the Saville Theatre in London. The opening act is The Koobas followed by The Jimi Hendrix Experience. John Lennon and Paul McCartney watch from Epstein's private box. In their first match up, reviewers say Hendrix's show tops The Who's. Part of this is because Hendrix ends his set by smashing his guitar and amplifiers, leaving The Who with no climax to their set. Pete walks out and says, "Well, we're not going to top that. You lot might as well go home now." The Who's set does have two surprises. John smashes toy robots walking across the stage, and the mini-opera "A Quick One While He's Away" has its live premiere.

The Who finish the month on the 31st performing at the Palais Des Danse in Ilford, Essex.

January 1962 (50 Years Ago)

UK#1 45's - "Moon River" - Danny Williams; "The Young Ones" - Cliff Richard and The Shadows
US#1 45's - "Big Bad John" - Jimmy Dean; "Please Mr. Postman" - The Marvelettes; "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" - The Tokens

On the 15th, Roger submits an application for The Detours to audition for the BBC Light Entertainment. The band members are listed as "Solo guitar - Roger Daltrey, Bass guitar - John Empwhistle, Rhythm guitar - Peter James, Rhythm guitar - Roy Ellis, Drums - Harry Wilson, Vocalist - Colin Dawson."

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