UK#1 songs - "Burn"
- Usher; "Lola's Theme" - The Shapeshifters;
"Dry Your Eyes" - The Streets
US #1 songs - "Burn" - Usher; "I Believe" -
Fantasia; "Confessions Part II" - Usher
On the 6th, filmmaker
Michael Moore claims in an interview with Film Comment
that Pete refused use of "Won't Get Fooled Again" for
Moore's movie Fahrenheit 9/11 because "Word
came to us that he is not a fan of Michael Moore's and
in fact supports the war and supports Tony Blair and
doesn't want the song used in any way that would make
Blair look bad. Harvey personally made an appeal to him
to reconsider. And he wouldn't." The next day, Pete
replies: "I have never hidden the fact that at
the beginning of the war in Iraq I was a supporter. But
now, like millions of others, I am less sure we did the
right thing…I have nothing against Michael Moore
personally, and I know Roger Daltrey is a friend and fan
of his, but I greatly resent being bullied and slurred
by him in interviews just because he didn't get what he
wanted from me."
Also on
the 6th, Rush releases the CD Feedback featuring
a cover of "The Seeker."
On the
13th, Moore
responds to Pete's remarks: "Last year," he said in
the statement, "the Who asked me to do a documentary on
their career. I was sorry I had to tell them that due to
my need to finish 'Fahrenheit 9/11' I
would not be able to make their film for them. ... I am
sorry I wasn't able to do the Who documentary like they
wanted me to, but this is certainly no way for Pete to
show his anger, and frankly it is very embarrassing for
him to behave in this manner, as he is the greatest rock
star who ever lived."
Press battles
concluded, Pete takes The Who to Japan for the first
time, opening for Aerosmith at the Yokohama Festival.
The band plays a 90-minute set in near 100 degree
Fahrenheit (upper 30's Celsius) heat. Pete smashes his
guitar at the end.
On the 26th, The Who
finish their appearances in Japan at the Osaka Festival.
From there The Who return to Australia, thirty-six years
after the band's previous disastrous tour. They play two
nights at the Sydney Entertainment Centre (28th & 29th),
then go to the Vodafone Arena in Melbourne on the 31st.
Mark Wilkerson's masterful biography of Pete Townshend has been completely revamped with new interviews.
Now available worldwide!
"The most detailed, exacting study of his life and music we'll likely get until Townshend releases his own autobiography...and maybe not even then." - Mark Brown, The Rocky Mountain News
First two volumes of German-language biography of The Who
Deluxe edition cardboard sleeve box set for The Who's second album "A Quick One." Set features two high quality SHM-CDs (compatible with standard CD players) with mono and stereo versions of the album plus B-sides, outtakes, demos, and tons of album and picture sleeve covers. All tracks feature remastering from Jon Astley.
andall the others who did the original research and provided the aid that led to this page.
A note about photographs: None of the photographs used on this site are by purchase agreement with the original photographer.
I try to credit when I can discover the name of the original photographer but, in most case, sources in newspapers, old copies of Creem Magazine, and even some Who books, do not credit photographers.
If you are the photographer or represent the photographer and you do not want your photograph posted, please get in touch and I will remove it immediately. This is a wholly non-profit site (if you could see my bank account, you'd know it's quite the opposite!) established to provide an historical overview of The Who.
July 1999 (10
Years Ago)
UK#1 singles -
"9pm (Till I Come)" - ATB; "Livin' la Vida
Loca" - Ricky Martin US
#1 singles - "If You Had My Love" -
Jennifer Lopez; "Bills Bills Bills" -
Destiny's Child; "Wild Wild West" - Will
Smith ft. Dru Hill and Kool Moe Dee; "Genie
in a Bottle" - Christina Aguliera
On the 2nd, Spike Lee's
movie Summer Of Sam, about the
"Son Of Sam" murders in 1977, is released in
the U.S. One of the main characters is a
punk rocker obsessed with The Who and the
film contains sequences edited to "Baba
O'Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again".
Also on the 2nd, The John Entwistle
Band begins their third U.S. tour at The Compound in
Deerfield, Ohio. From there, they go to Pine Knob Music
Theater in Clarkston, Michigan (5th), Cubbie Bear in
Chicago (7th), Club Bene in South Amboy, New Jersey
(9th), Joyous Lake in Woodstock, New York (10th -
cybercast live on Radio Woodstock), a live performance
broadcast on WRAT's Electric Ballroom in South Belmar,
New Jersey (11th), The Sound Cafe in So. Norwalk The
Equator Bar in Manchester, Connecticut (17th), Stephen
Talkhouse in Amagansett, New York (20th), The Lucky Dog
Music Hall in Worcester, Massachusetts (21st), and The
Call in Providence, Rhode Island (22nd), the
Entertainment Center in Medina, Minnesota (23rd).
Pete spends the 9th writing lyrics to
the as-yet-unreleased songs "Time to Think" and "I Lost
Interest."
On the 12th, the John Entwistle Band
holds a cyberchat on Yahoo! The following day J-Bird
Records releases their CD Left For Live.
Photo: Barry King
On the 18th, Roger attends an event
for PETA in Los Angeles.
On the 20th, ESP (Eric Singer
Project) releases the CD ESP with a cover of
"Won't Get Fooled Again".
On the 22nd, Roger makes a guest
appearance playing a crack dealer on the ITV TV
program The Bill. The episode is titled
"Cracked Up".
On the 24th, VH1 in the U.S. does a
segment on Pete for their show Where Are They Now?
On the 25th, the John Entwistle Band
plays the Emerging Artist's Stage at the Woodstock '99
Festival in Rome, New York (25th). The band will
fortunately miss a notorious riot that concludes the
controversial festival as they continue to Upstairs at
Nick's in Philadelphia (27th), and the Voodoo Lounge in
Bayside Queens, New York (29th).
On the 26th, The Independent
confirms that Lifehouse will appear as a radio
play on BBC Radio 3 December 6 with a cast including
Geraldine James, David Threlfall, Kelly McDonald and
11-year-old Philip Dowling.
On the 28th, Pete performs at the
Supper Club in New York City as part of a release party
for his forthcoming new CD Pete Townshend Live: A
Benefit For Maryville Academy. It is by invitation
only with a meet and greet prior. Pete performs a solo
set and then is joined by Eddie Vedder who also appears
on the CD. The John Entwistle Band is in the audience.
Earlier in the day Pete and Eddie tape an appearance on
Late Night With David Letterman performing
"A Heart To Hang Onto" and "Magic Bus". During a radio
broadcast on this day Pete announces that The Who will
reunite for a benefit show for the Maryville Academy at
the Chicago House Of Blues on November 19th.
On the 29th, Pete and Eddie travel to
Chicago for a by-invitation-only press conference at the
Chicago House Of Blues to make the official announcement
of The Who's upcoming charity show there. Earlier in the
day, Pete and Eddie show up at WCKG-FM for an interview
with DJ Steve Dahl but after he has to wait several
minutes before being interviewed, Pete gets angry and
cuts the interview short after less than a minute and
storms off. From Chicago Pete travels on to Los Angeles
where, on the 31st, he attends the premiere of the movie
The Iron Giant. The movie is based on Ted
Hughes' children's book The Iron Man. Pete had
been trying for years to get a movie made of his musical
based on the book but allowed a director to take over
who jettisoned all the songs. Pete receives an executive
producer credit on the film. He praises the movie as do
critics but it fails to find an audience.
On the 31st, Roger again appears on
the Showtime cable-TV show Rude Awakenings
playing an alcoholic rock star.
July 1994 (15 Years Ago)
UK#1 single - "Love Is All Around" - Wet Wet Wet US#1 single -
"I Swear" - All-4-One
On the 4th, the first
release from The Who reissue program, the
4CD, 5-hour long box set Thirty Years Of
Maximum R&B is released. It goes to #48
in the U.K. charts and #170 in the U.S.
Billboard charts. Released at the same
time is an over two hour video collection
with the same name and packaging featuring
new interviews with Pete, Roger and John and
performances from 1965 to 1989. Also on the
same day a CD from Roger's Carnegie Hall
concerts from February, with performances by
Pete and John and other special guests is
released in the U.K., the following day in
the U.S. A Celebration: The Music of Pete
Townshend and The Who sells poorly.
John is interviewed in Guitar
World. The article mentions he currently lives in a
"stylish 1920's dwelling underneath the Hollywood sign"
with his girlfriend Maxine. His other house in Los
Angeles is about to revert to his "soon to be ex-wife."
On the 16th, the Spin Doctor's new
single "You Let Your Heart Go Too Fast" hits the charts.
The CD single includes a cover of "I Can't Explain."
Pete spends the middle of the month
in Los Angeles, overseeing the touring company of The
Who's Tommy and the assembly of the forthcoming Tommy
CD-Rom. On the 22nd, he is interviewed for Rolling
Stone in San Francisco. He tells them he would give
his permission for Roger and John to tour without him as
The Who.
Roger doesn't accept the offer,
beginning his orchestral celebration tour of the music
of Pete Townshend at Red Rocks in Denver on the 30th.
His band consists of John on bass, Pete's brother Simon
on guitar and Zak Starkey on drums. The highlight of the
show is an abridged version of Quadrophenia.
July 1989 (20 Years Ago)
UK#1 singles -
"Back to Life (How Ever Do You Want Me)" -
Soul II Soul ft. Caron Wheeler; "You'll
Never Stop Me Loving You" - Sonia US#1 singles - "Baby
Don't Forget My Number" - Milli Vanilli;
"Good Thing" - The Fine Young Cannibals; "If
You Don't Know Me By Now" - Simply Red; "Toy
Soldiers" - Martika
Photo:
Neal Preston
The Who's four nights at
Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New
Jersey concludes on the 2nd and 3rd.
Performances of "Boris The Spider", "I Can
See For Miles" and "See Me Feel Me" from
these shows are later released on the
30 Years Of Maximum R&B video. All
four shows are sellouts earning $5,243,672.
From there The Who extravaganza
travels to R.F.K. Stadium in Washington, D.C. on the 6th
and 7th. On the 8th The Who attend a private party at
Cagney's nightclub where Pete, Roger and John blow out
the candles on a 25th Anniversary cake. Comedian John
Candy does a skit and sings and a videotape of the party
is given out to the attendees.
Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia is
next on the 9th and 10th followed by Sullivan Stadium in
Foxboro, Masschusetts on the 12th and 14th, Three Rivers
Stadium in Pittsburgh on the 16th, Rich Stadium in
Orchard Park, New York on the 18th, Cleveland Municipal
Stadium on the 19th, Alpine Valley in East Troy,
Wisconsin on the 21st, 22nd and 23rd, the Pontiac
Silverdome on 25th, Carter-Finlay Stadium in Raleigh,
North Carolina on the 27th, Tampa Stadium in Florida on
the 29th, and Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami on the 31st.
At this point the tour has to take a break as Roger is
suffering horribly with abdominal pains aggravated by
his singing.
On the 10th, Advertising Age
magazine does a feature on the involvement of Miller
Brewing and Anheauser-Busch in The Who's tour and The
Who's participation in Miller TV commercials.
On the 13th, Pete answers fans'
questions for over two hours on the syndicated American
radio show Rock Line.
On the 15th, Pete's The Iron Man,
a musical version of Ted Hughes' children's book and
featuring two new recordings by The Who, hits the U.S.
charts. The album opens to generally favorable but not
enthusiastic reviews. It peaks at #58 in Billboard.
A single "A Friend Is A Friend" backed with "Man
Machines" is also released but does not chart. In The
U.K. neither the album or single charts.
In Elle magazine, Pete says
among the current generation of musicians, he admires
Michael Jackson, Madonna and Prince while in Guitar
Player, John says he is writing a book about The
Who. Meanwhile Roger appears in Life magazine in
a 20th anniversary article on the Woodstock festival.
He's says, "I would have been 10 times richer if I'd
left England and gone to live as a tax exile, but I
chose to stay because I believed in the dream of
socialism."
Rolling Stone
reports that The Who's summer tour is expected to gross
between 25 and 30 million dollars.
July 1984 (25 Years Ago)
UK#1 45 - "Two Tribes" - Frankie Goes to Hollywood
US#1 45 -
"When Doves Cry" - Prince
During the month, Pete joins Mick
Jagger at AIR Studios in London to add guitar work
to the Rolling Stones' frontman's upcoming solo
album, She's The Boss.
Roger is interviewed for Musician magazine by
Chris Salewicz who remarks that Roger still does not
seem reconciled to Pete's disbanding The Who: "I feel
his reasons for leaving the Who don't really hold
water. The real reason, I think, was not that he
couldn't come up with the songs but that he just
didn't want to play with us any longer. He was
bored."
July 1979 (30 Years Ago)
UK#1 45's - "Are 'Friends' Electric?" - Tubeway
Army; "I Don't Like Mondays" - The Boomtown Rats US#1 45 - "Ring My Bell" - Anita Ward;
"Bad Girls" - Donna Summer
On the 7th, "Long Live Rock" from
The Kids Are Alright soundtrack backed with
"My Wife (live)" hits the U.S. charts, reaching #54
in Billboard and #66 in Cash Box.
On the 8th, Pete is on the cover of
The London Observer Sunday Supplement.
On the 13th, Pete performs an
electric set at The Rainbow Theatre in London as part of
the Rock Against Racism benefit. The band, Pete's first
of his own devising, consists of Kenney Jones, Tony
Butler, John "Rabbit" Bundrick, Peter Hope-Evans and
Neil Abbot.
Photo: Virginia
Turbett
On the 21st, Simon
Frith writes an editorial for Melody Maker
concerning The Who's business dealings called "The Kids
are all wrong."
July 1974 (35 Years Ago)
UK#1 45's - "She" - Charles Aznavour;
"Rock Your Baby" - George McCrae US#1 45's - "Rock
the Boat" - The Hues Corporation; "Rock Your Baby" -
George McCrae; "Annie's Song" - John Denver
On the 1st, the Tommy
movie shoot begins four days filming in Keswick in
the Lake District, Cumbria.
On the 4th, John completes final
mixing and production of Odds and Sods at Nova
Sound Studios.
The Link Wray album The Link Wray
Rumble is released with liner notes by Pete.
On the 17th, Odds and Sods
receives its final mastering at Apple Studios.
On the 20th, New Musical Express
reports that Keith Moon will star in a play with
fellow Tommy movie performer and drinking
friend Oliver Reed and that Roger will star in two
films, one of which will be a biography of composer
Franz Liszt. In the same issue is a long article about
teenagers in a British school who put on a performance
of Tommy.
On the 23rd, former High Numbers
publicist Pete Meaden takes Pete Townshend to see the
Steve Gibbons Band perform at Dingwalls, Camden Town,
North London.
On the 27th, Pete attends a party
thrown by Mick Jagger with guests Rod Stewart, Debbie
Reynolds, Bryan Ferry and Mama Cass. Two days later Mama
Cass will die of a heart attack in the very same
apartment where Keith Moon will die four years later.
July 1969 (40 Years Ago)
UK#1 45's - "Something
in the Air" - Thunderclap Newman; "Honky Tonk Women"
- The Rolling Stones US#1
45's - "Love Theme from
'Romeo and Juliet'" - Henry Mancini; "In the
Year 2525 (Exordium and Terminus)" - Zager and Evans
On the 3rd, Brian Jones, ex-member of
The Rolling Stones, is found dead in his swimming pool
in Hartfield. Shortly afterwards Pete writes an obituary
for him entitled "A Normal Day For Brian, A Man Who Died
Everyday".
Photo: Peter
Saunders
On the 5th, The Who close out a week
of Pop Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Chuck
Berry headlines the first show while The Who headlines
the second. Fights break out between Berry and Who fans
in the audience and to quell the rioters, roadie Tony
Halsam fires a mace canister into the crowd. The second
show is quieter as the audience fills up with people who
have wandered over from The Rolling Stones' free concert
in Hyde Park. Despite the controlled second show, the
Royal Albert Hall bans rock performances at the venue
for the next few years.
Also on the 5th, "I'm Free" backed
with "We're Not Gonna Take It" from the Tommy
album is released in the U.S. It peaks at #37 in
Billboard, #30 in Cash Box. The single is
also released in many other countries, usually with
"Tommy Can You Hear Me" on the flip.
On the 6th, Pete begins producing the
Thunderclap Newman album Hollywood Dream.
Additional recording sessions will be held on the 7th,
8th, 15th, 16th, and 17th. During the month, the group's
single, "Something In The Air", will knock The Beatles
out of the #1 spot in the U.K. charts.
On the 10th, Pete writes the music
for the song "Day Of Silence" while undergoing a day of
silence in honor of Meher Baba. He writes the lyrics the
next day so as not to break his vow.
On the same day, Keith accompanies
"Legs" Larry Smith to a Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band show at
the Locarno, Bristol where he plays drums as "The Lone
Arranger." He does the same at the next days Bonzo show
at the Van Dike Club in Devonport.
On the 12th, Melody Maker
reports that Pete told them backstage at the Royal
Albert Hall about The Who's deal with Universal
International for a film of Tommy to be made at
the end of 1969 with a six-figure budget.
The House That Track Built,
with The Who's previously unreleased studio version of
"Young Man Blues", is released in the U.K. as a Track
Records budget album.
Roger produces an album for the group
Bent Frame. They record Andy Newman's song "Accidents"
as a potential Track Records single.
The Who are photographed for Vogue
magazine.
On the 19th, The Who hit the stage at
Mothers Club in Erdington, Birmingham. Keith hits the
stage literally, passing out halfway through the set but
returning later to finish the concert.
Meanwhile on this day, four
promotional singles from Tommy (or just three.
There is some controversy about the existence of
one of them) are sent out to
radio stations in Britain and in Melody Maker,
Pete continues his description of the upcoming Tommy
movie saying he will be working with a scriptwriter on
the screenplay, it will have a budget of 2 million
dollars, and no member of The Who will play Tommy.
The Who follow with
more U.K. dates, playing the Pier Ballroom in Hastings
on the 20th, the Redcar Jazz Club, Coatham Hotel in
Redcar on the 27th, and opening the new Fillmore North
at the Locarno Ballroom in Sunderland on the 28th.
July 1964 (45 Years Ago)
UK#1 45's - "It's Over"
- Roy Orbison; "The House of the Rising Sun" - The
Animals; "It's All Over Now" - The Rolling Stones;
"A Hard Day's Night" - The Beatles US #1 45's -
"I Get Around" - The Beach Boys; "Rag Doll" - The
Four Seasons
On the 3rd, "Zoot Suit" backed
with "I'm The Face" and listed as by "The High
Numbers" is released on Fontana Records. Derek Johnson in New Musical
Express says, "The High Numbers are highly
topical with their novelty lyric about male attire,
'Zoot Suit.' Medium twister, but with an
inconsequential tune. Harmonica leads into
broken-beat unison vocal on 'I'm The Face.'
Compelling styling, but weakish material."
Record Mirror, however, gives the single
a rave, calling "Zoot Suit," "an
ultra-commercial blues-flavoured dance tune
that grows and grows on you." Only 1,000
discs are pressed and although members of
The Who fan club write to pirate radio
stations, using assumed names on multiple
letters, asking for the songs to be played,
the single fails to get airplay or generate
sales.
The next day The Merseybeats review
"Zoot Suit" during a "Blind Date" blind listening
session for Melody Maker. Aaron Banks: "Just a
nice ordinary record." Tony Crane: "I don't
particularly like it -- it's too ordinary." Johnny
Gustafson: "I don't recognize the sound so it must be a
new group. It's well done but there's nothing unusual
about it." John Banks: "It's all right but I doubt it
will be a hit."
On the 7th, still billed as "The
Who", the group performs at the Railway Hotel in Harrow
& Wealdstone. It is around this time that Pete, jumping
around under the venue's low ceiling, cracks the neck of
his guitar and, angered by laughter from the audience,
smashes his guitar. He is surprised to find at the next
appearance at this venue that the audience is expecting
another instrument smashing.
On the 11th, The High Numbers get one
of their first national articles in Record Mirror under
the headline "How High Will These Numbers Go?"
That night, "The Who" open for Chris
Farlowe and The Thunderbirds at the Trade Union Hall in
Watford, Herfordshire. The next night, it's "The High
Numbers" who give their first live performance under
that name at The Florida Rooms in Brighton.
On the 13th, Academy Award-winning
director John Ford begins production of his movie
Young Cassidy in Ireland. Production assistant
Chris Stamp works on the film to fund his business
partners Kit Lambert and Mike Shaw who have been
scouting London's nightclubs for the last few months
looking for a visually interesting unknown band. Lambert
and Stamp's idea is to manage the band to stardom while
making a film of the process.
On the 14th, the group, now billed as
"The High Numbers", return to the Railway Hotel. Kit
Lambert, a posh young man looking quite out of place in
a Saville Row suit, watches The High Numbers noisily
bash away at their songs between bouts of arguing
between themselves. He later says they projected "an
evil excitement." Lambert immediately calls Stamp
telling him they have found their band.
Probably on the 18th, Stamp flies
over from Ireland to see the new discovery as Chris
Farlowe and the Thunderbirds open for The Who at the
Trade Union Hall in Watford. It also may have been at
this show that Stamp is accompanied by fellow
Young Cassidy crewmember and potential investor
Michael Douglas, son of Kirk Douglas. Michael declines
to invest in this noisy London band.
On the 19th, The High Numbers
audition for Lambert, Stamp and Mike Shaw at a gymnasium
at Holland Park Comprehensive School in the Campden Hill
Road, West London. Needless to say, they pass the
audition. From there they catch the 5:15 to play the
Florida Rooms in Brighton.
According to Pete, also around this
time, Pete Meaden, in an effort to keep some control
over The High Numbers, has them audition for Andrew Loog
Oldham, manager of the Rolling Stones, at The New
Carlton Irish Club in Shepherd's Bush. Kit Lambert
unexpectedly shows up. Oldham turns the High Numbers
down, leaving the way clear for Lambert and Stamp to
take over the group. Pete Meaden agrees to relinquish
his part of the control of the group for a payment of
£250. Meanwhile manager Helmut Gorden, on vacation in
the Seychelles, receives a letter informing him his
services will no longer be needed. He immediately
launches legal action but fails when it is pointed out
that the group members who signed his contract were
underage.
On the 21st, The High Numbers play
the Railway Hotel and another show there on the 28th.
According to Chris Downing, during one of these dates,
former manager Helmut Gorden repossesses the High
Numbers' van during the show.
Starting on the 22nd, The High
Numbers receive their parting gift from Pete Meaden, a
five-week residency on Wednesdays at the Scene Club, one
of the main Mod clubs, located at the Ham Yard, 41 Great
Windmill Street in Soho. An article in Record Mirror
on the 25th mentions the residency.
Other dates for the
month are the Trade Union Hall in Watford on the 25th,
the White Hart Hotel in Acton on 26th (for which the
band is paid £12), the Scene Club on the 29th, and the
Goldhawk Social Club on the 31st opening for The Kinks
(again receiving £12).
July 1959 (50 Years Ago)
UK#1 45's - "Dream
Lover" - Bobby Darin; "Living Doll" - Cliff Richard
and the Drifters US #1 45's - "The Battle of New
Orleans" - Johnny Horton; "Lonely Boy" - Paul Anka
Around this time, John
and Pete and their trad jazz band The Confederates give
their first public performance together at the
Congregational Hall Congo Club in Acton.
