The Who

Roger Daltrey - vocals (born March 1st 1944, London)

Pete Townshend - guitar (born May 19th 1945, London)

John Entwistle bass guitar (born October 9th 1944, London)

Keith Moon - drums (born August 23rd 1947, London, died September 8th 1978, London)

The mod band of the mid-sixties, in 1964 the gap between the Who as performers and their mod audience was virtually non-existent. They both came from similar backgrounds and had similar ambitions. The Who blasted power chords, shouted of adolescent rage and took out their aggression on their instruments after concerts.

Townshend, Daltrey and Entwistle first played together during the early 60's in The Detours with Doug Sanders on drums. They played everything from Tornados material to country and western until they discovered R&B.

They came under the management of Pete Meadon, who changed their name to The High Numbers and secured them a contract with Fontana. The first single, "I'm The Face", flopped. During this period Sanders was replaced by Keith Moon, who had been with a surf-band called the Beachcombers.

Towards the end of 1964 Meadon was replaced as their manager by Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp. Lambert and Stamp were not mods but they actively encouraged the band to embrace the movement, offering advice on their choice of material and clothing. They also had an intuitive grasp of the music business. The group's named was changed to The Who and Pete Townshend was encouraged to develop his songwriting, and by the end of 1964 they had built up a large following amongst the mods.

"I Can't Explain", produced by Shel Talmy (whose previous credits included the Kinks' early records), was released in January 1965. Aided by an explosive performance on the popular television show "Ready, Steady, Go", during which Townshend and Moon both destroyed their instruments, the song became a top 10 hit. It was followed by two more seminal records from '65, "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere", and "My Generation",

Following "Substitute" - their fourth successive top 10 record - they split with Talmy and Kim Lambert took over as their producer.

At their best, Townshend's songs during this period ('65-6) reflected the feelings of his audience, the bafflement, irritations, and sheer exuberance of youth.

 E.P.