Another new album to review, and this time it’s The Who’s WHO!

Released this past Friday on December 6, 2019 on Polydor Records, the record marks the first new studio album by the band in thirteen years (I’m sure they’re not the only band I’ve reviewed this year to wait that long). In addition to Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend, The album features contributions from bassists Pino Palladino and Gus Seyffert, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench, Zak Starkey, Son Of Ringo, Pete’s brother Simon, Jack White drummer Carla Azar, Beck/R.E.M. session drummer Joey Waronker, and classical guitarist Gordon Giltrap.

1. “All This Music Must Fade” (Pete Townshend):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QpKhGNaiS6c

We open the album with “All This Music Must Fade”, which opens with a rich church organ along with a processed vocal delivering the refrain What’s yours is yours and what’s mine is mine.

And we launch right into the kind of bombastic rocker that only The Who do. Pete’s words, particularly as delivered by Daltrey, are full of piss and vinegar, cynical and biting but with a headstrong sense of determination. We may not be hip or current, but any and all music will meet our fate and when time tests you, how will you fare? And don’t get me wrong, I’m into a fare amount of current stuff but man, to hear some good rock again is so good. To hear Roger in such fiery voice is so good, Pete cranking his amp to 12 feels so good. There’s a tinge of bitter sweetness not only with wondering “if only Moon and Ox were here“, but knowing that Pete and Roger are not getting any younger. There will come a day when they join Ox and Moon wherever the dead go, but man, this music will live on in one way or another.

It’s so good to hear this, this was such a great way to kick off the album and to get people pumped for a new Who album.

2. “Ball and Chains” (Townshend):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=h2IN8wYqQ6E

We come to

We begin with this little rapid riffing on the bass (I could be wrong though), and then the piano kicks in. Roger is in strong voice, the instrumentation is solid. The song isn’t bad, but it doesn’t really feel like a standout to me. It honestly feels like a placeholder to get you to a better song.

3. “I Don’t Wanna Get Wise” ( Townshend ):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0X0TX-vyxSU

Third track, third promo single.

I hear a decent amount of “Bargain” in this song, particularly in the beginning. Overall, the track has that grand, epic feel reminiscent of Quadrophenia or even Who’s Next, the sweeping synthesizers and guitar work to give the song such a gravitas. Even with some age, Roger belts it out and frankly sounds better than some guys half his age.

Lyrically, Pete revisits the contemplative sense of crisis seen in By Numbers (one of my favorite Who records), grappling with his growing age and how to reconcile it with his music and career. Rock has traditionally been the music of the youth, so if Pete was freaking out at turning 30, imagine how he feels about being 74. And with rock losing mainstream ground to the likes of hip hop and electronic music, there’s that self doubt, Pete wondering if there’s still a place for him. Roger sang and Pete wrote “Hope I die before I get old” fifty-five years ago, and now the phrase is being remade into a desperate clinging to the days of old.

Overall, another knockout for the album, let’s see if the remaining tracks can keep up the momentum.

4. “Detour” (Townshend):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mITPKXD4VZA

We come to “Detour”.

I really dig this song, it has this cool, behind-the-beat feel to it. And then you add those Beach Boys type harmonies to the song, which is a nice touch given that, as many Who fans know, Moon was a huge fan of The Beach Boys and surf music in general. I also really dig the way they switch between the rocking structure and the sort of mellow, trippy wah-infused guitar. And man, Pete coming out on lead vocals, yes! I should also mention that Pete plays bass harmonica on this song and it’s a cool texture to add to the song.

On initial listen, this is an album highlight for me. It does a nice job going retro but still feels very fresh.

5. “Beads On One String” (Townshend/Josh Hunsacker):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cCNfyDnfwWg

And now one of two tracks to feature a writer other than Pete, this one being co-written with some guy named Josh Hunsacker. Like “Hon, sack her! Sack that bitch and hook up with me!” And that’s what led to “My Wife”.

This is a very synthpoppy type of song, and I’ll admit this generally isn’t the kind of song I’d want from The Who. BUT the song is very well structured, has some great little books throughout and Daltrey’s more aged voice works to the song’s advantage. This is a nice little love song, a little cheese but the cheese is some prime, fresh mozzarella. Even the electronic handclaps that I usually hate in songs, that works really well in this song!

This song was a pleasant surprise for me, I really like this song.

6. “Hero Ground Zero” ( Townshend ):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=glhe17DqhR0

Ah, “Hero Ground Zero”, very cinematic with the strings mixed in with Pete’s rhythm guitar. Big and bold as you’d expect from The Who, with some powerful drum fills by Zak Starkey. This song is another that is sort of bittersweet for me because “man, if only Ox and Moon were here”. And don’t get me wrong, Zak has done a great job filling in for Uncle Keith, but yeah, you still can’t help but miss Moon. And Pino Palladino, amazing bass player, but to me he’s a little too smooth for The Who, you’ve got to pack a punch and leave a few broken, bloody noses to play bass in The Who. That Jon Button guy they have now, he’s pretty good from what I’ve seen, a little bit better of a fit.

But back to this track, this is another astounding track on the album.

7. “ Street Song” (Townshend):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NsoLC3OW77w

Here we are at “Street Song”, which is also very keyboard driven, has this very power pop type of structure not unlike the band‘s sixties singles, albeit with a more modern take. Pino and Zak do a fine Job on the track, giving some beef to this lean salad of a track.

Overall, it’s a strong album track and a nice addition to this album.

8. “ I’ll Be Back” (Townshend):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vP6LPjmHIPc

We now come to the first Pete lead vocal on the album (the only one if we discount the bonus tracks).

In contrast to the previous tracks, this has more of a mellow jazz-soul vibe to it, and Pete has this sentimental, nostalgic character to his voice, almost at peace (a rarity for Pete on record or in life). Even the little harmonica solo is very understated. This is a really cool ballad type of track to break up the pace.

9. “Break The News” (Simon Townshend):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=o4HVg4LW_PM

Here we come to a song written by Pete’s little brother.

When I saw the credits for this song, I was like oh fuck, Pete is going to try and make his brother happy, throw him a bone because while he’s not a terrible musician or anything, Simon only has the career he has because he’s Pete’s brother. And this is easily one of the weakest tracks on this album, it’s competent at best, just very generic indie fluff.

10. “ R o c k i n ‘ I n Rage” ( T o w n s h e n d ) :

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=49fVOODLUy0

Now we come to another piano track which explodes into a country rocker.

Roger is in solid voice, Benmont delivers some excellent piano to compliment the track, and I like the distorted bass, God only knows who plays this bassline. I believe this is where Gordon Galtrip appears on the album as I hear some very intricate acoustic work throughout this track.

The song gets progressively harder and more abrasive, and Roger is like a volcano on this track, he’s just ready to explode. He/Pete is/are over bottling it all up, and they’re not going to let their age get the best of them. They’ll fight and win or die trying.

11. “She Rocked My World” (Townshend):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QSaMjzbJrtg

We close the album proper with another jazzy ballad called “She Rocked My World”.

It’s a pretty cool track, with some nice piano voicings by Benmont, though I’m not sure if this is really a good closing track. I think a song with a little more punch would have ended the album on a stronger note, which isn’t to take away anything from this song as it’s a good song, I just think it’s badly placed on the album.

That’s the end of the album proper, but there are three bonus tracks to talk about.

BONUS TRACKS

12. “This Gun Will Misfire” (Townshend):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dNqIgRblUnI

We come in with a raging epic song featuring Pete on lead vocals, as do the other bonus tracks.

This is absolutely fantastic! There’s a lot of the classic Who touches with some excellent flamenco work by Gordon Giltrap to add some texture. I also love the touches of Mellotron reminiscent of early King Crimson. I have no idea why this didn’t make the album proper because it’s an awesome song and honestly better than a couple that did make the standard tracklist <cough>Break The News<cough>. And man, imagine Roger singing this song, that would take an already great song into another plain of existence.

13. “Got Nothing To Prove” (Townshend):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=f2FZmbB7B-M

And now some James Bond style arrangement. This really reminds me of some mid sixties Who, I can hear this on Sell Out. So rich and orchestral in its instrumentation, with Pete totally at ease vocally. He doesn’t have anything to prove at this point, he’s Pete fucking Townshend, a great guitar player and the band leader and songwriter of one of the greatest bands of all time. And yet, he’s still here to kick your ass at 74.

Once again, why is this a bonus track? This is way better than a couple other songs on here.

14. “Danny And My Ponies” (Townshend):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7gyFAzxVHPQ

And now the final bonus track of the album, “Danny And My Ponies”. This is such a great little mellow tune, wonderful acoustic work and Pete’s voice manages to be somewhat soothing for him. It’s very loving and affectionate, and yet there’s still that tinge of regret in his voice, a sense of self–doubt. Am I good enough? Have I done right by him? It’s such a beautiful song and such a great song by Pete. This is one that is perfect as is, one of the best songs from this whole release.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

Gotta say, I wasn’t expecting a whole lot from this album, particularly in light of Endless Wire. But this is easily better than Endless Wire, it’s better than the Kenney Jones albums or Who Are You, maybe A Quick One, don’t hold me on that yet. The band is as rich and vital as ever, with Pete in fine form writing wise, bringing together the youthful angst of old with the wisdom of…old but new. New old. You get what I’m getting at, he’s matured as a writer. Honestly, he seems to have handled age a lot better than a couple of his peers, he seems as much at peace with himself as he’s ever been. If this the last Who record, then at least we can end this band’s career on a positive note. Seriously, ending these titans’ careers on Endless Wire would have really sucked.

Do I recommend this? Definitely, it’s a strong 7/light 8 for certain.