Unpopular Gems

[plasticfantastic]

Jefferson Airplane paled The Who quite a bit in the late 60s, if you don't mind my saying so...

I really do like Jorma's vocal on that song. It isn't good in the classical sense that it would;ve been with Marty singing, but I really feel that it gives the song some real character, and makes it very distinctive sounding.

[EmbryonicRabbit68]

Between 1967-1969 Jefferson Airplane was the best live band, they really kicked ass at that time.But when The Who started coming out of their shell with Tommy around 1969/1970, they easily became the best live band of the 1970s.They blew everyone and anyone off the stage during the 1970s, no comparison.Even if some of them were completely wasted...

I love everything about Star Track.I agree with PF, it gives it character.The words and their meaning worked well with Jormas voice, the "as-it-is" voice.It was one of the reasons Crown is possibly my fav. Airplane LP, atleast with the mood and most of the tracks.

Some rare madness-
Van Der Graaf Generator - Pawn Hearts(1971) - Just heard them, and was subjected to this.Its good, but definitely not for the weak-hearted non-prog-prepared listener.Redrabid should get a good laugh from it.
And rare melloness-
Rare Bird - Rare Bird(1969) - Great album by a great band.If you live in Europe, you might be familiar with the song 'Sympathy'.

[redrabid]

Good guess, ER68, I did. It was such music that turned me away from english bands towards american music ca 1970.
By the way, I loved the Who, untill they came up with that sentimental, pretentious album "Tommy", one of the must overrated albums ever (Sergeant Pepper is my undisputed number 1 on that list). The Who and I never made up.
Sympathy? Terrible top 40 pop. Yes boys and girls, the music scene wasn't that different in the 60's. Bad music dominated the radio. Good music was hard to find. Then just as now.

[EmbryonicRabbit68]

pretentious album "Tommy", one of the must overrated albums ever

I will never forgive you for saying that.You are now my enemy.

[redrabid]

As we say: Truth hits hard.
Don't feel bad. You'll recover from the shock.
And remember: Love thy enemy!
"Sympathy, sympathy is what we need my friend..."

[EmbryonicRabbit68]

Tommy may be in your mind over rated, I can see why you think that, you're not a fan.I however, am a fan and I love Tommy, along with just about everything else by The Who.Its not truth, its a point of view.A silly, mis-guided point of view.

And I absolutely f*cking HATE Randy Newman, with a passion.But I know you like him, so I would never say bad about him because I know everyone has different musical tastes and you adore his music.I just love my favorite music so much that when someone trashes it, it feels like a knife in the heart and they said that about me.So, I'm going to drop the nice thing and be frank; RANDY NEWMAN IS ONE OF THE WORST NON-TALENTED PIECES OF SH*T OF THE 1970S!He is one of the reasons musicianship is dead, killed by non-talented hacks who can play crap on the piano and write some words down and attempt to sing it, or sell it to a pop singer because they cant sing.Randy Newman is one of the epitomes of why the 1970s sucked so bad.I say good day to you sir!

[Susan Butcher]

"Tommy" always seemed a bit confused to me. If Tommy's so enlightened, why did he make the mistake of trying to start an organised religion? He comes out of it looking like an idiot, but he's still singing "See me, feel me" at the end as if nothing had happened. I don't think the album's prententious, just fumbled, and too long to boot.

The Who also looked daft on stage, all jumping around and smashing things. But that doesn't matter because "A Quick One" and "Sell Out" are brilliant records.

Top 40 radio has always been mostly bad, but the proportion of really good stuff changes from time to time. However, almost everything that was in the charts when I got my first transistor radio in 1968 was great! Or so it seemed. Now when I hear "Green Tambourine" it has a mysterious quality, as if it's coming down the echoing drainpipe of Time. Even though I know it's not that good.

[EmbryonicRabbit68]

He didnt just start an organized religion and become a messiah, he felt enlighted by seeing life as it should be without the material goods that we take hold of because we can see, hear and think-better.He saw that if everyone could go through what he did, they would get in contact with their soul, which is more important than material objects, and it was Uncle Ernie that put the thing together to make a buck.Thats atleast what I got from listening and an interview Pete Townshend did.Even if it didnt make sense I still love it.

[plasticfantastic]

Tommy does seem a little confused at times, but everyone involved in this discussion should agree that it was completely groundbreaking. THere was never really an album like it before. I really do prefer Quadrophenia in basically all respects. There's an unpopular album for you...

The music in Quadrophenia is breathtaking, track after track. The story (I admit) is conveluted, but all of the emotion is there, and that's what really matters the most for an album like it.

I honestly do not like "Sell Out" or "A Quick One." I'm a big Who fan, but I just don't get it with those ones. I realize that they're good, but they just aren't my thing. I love The WHo's early blues-y stuff, and even the sort of blues-pop that came a little later, but the period of those two albums is far from my favorite. Then, when they got into the real rock n' roll stuff, I think they really hit their stride. That era from around 1970-1978 when Moonie died was my favorite.

It's all just personal preference though, isn't it?

[PrayForPlagues]

Tommy is awesome music-wise, not so much concept-wise to me. The Who were kind of what introduced me to the whole 60s thing, though, so there will always be the sentimental value I have for Tommy. (although the 1990s stage musical of it was horrid)
Quadrophenia on the other hand has a great concept I think. It's definitely the most emotional album I have ever heard.

As for their stage antics, as a kid I thought it was really bad ass but today I cringe. Jack Casady once said that at Monterey him and Jorma were horrified after watching The Who, because they came from playing in folk circles where the instrument was like a sacred temple, and they just could not believe that Pete must have not had an attachment to his guitar.

[EmbryonicRabbit68]

Yeah I guess Tommy had some flaws, but I still love it.The beginning with Overture and end with See Me Feel Me are one of the two most emotional beginnings and endings to an album I have ever heard.But true Quadrophenia was better, AMAZING album, one of the best concepts ever, if not the.I get more emotion from Love Reign O'er Me than almost any song I have heard.

I can see where Jack is coming from, the instrument is sacred, I could never smash my Fender Jazz.Like John, he never smashed but two instruments in his whole career, and he has what, 200 basses??But then again, Pete was never that much of an emotional guitar player, it came out in his songs.I still think Whos Next is my favorite Who album though.The 1970-1978 period was truely their best.

Oh, and me and plasticfantastic have the ultimate story ever out - called The Many Tales of Lily and Eriik on the forum.Read it; or die.Or not...

[redrabid]

Good to see you passionate about the music you love, ER68, but passion may blind your vision. I keep insisting that the 60s are not a Lost Paradise. Mainstream music was as mindstiffling as it is today. Lots of bland music filled the charts, Petula Clarke ("Downtown"), Kamahl ("The Elephant Song"), The Cowsills, The Archies, or the hugely popular, company-manufactured Monkees. And parasitic bands like the Lemon Pipers (Susan, you know very well that "Green Tambourine" is worse than "not so good"). Even our heroes could let us down as the Beatles did, releasing "Hello, Goodbye". And lots of those "undergroud" albums have been forgotten quite rightly. But you also seem to shut your ears for lots of good music from the 70s till today. Musicianship isn't dead, it never was or will be as it is a quality of hard working, dedicated and passionate musicians. The politics of the music industry can't kill it. There are very good young musicians and excellent new music is and will be made. Mostly released on small record companies, so it may be hard to find.(Also because so much more music is being released nowadays than in the 60s, though that doesn't necessarily mean that more good music is around.) As music lovers we must be true to our passion and open our minds to new musical developments. Support musicianship, buy music of today!
But there is one important thing that has changed: Music has lost it overall bonding function. Music isn't as important to most young people as it was. And that will never come back, I'm afraid.
End of sermon.

[babson]

I saw the Who live at Tanglewood on August 12th '69, but I hadn't heard of them and was there for the Airplane. It's funny, as people would leave after the show you would say;
Who was that band? Someone would answer, The Who.
and then you'd say Who?
Answer - the Who

So I always thought they chose that name for that reason.

My wife and I saw the play Tommy in 1975 in Seattle. It was pretty good. The orchestra came up out of the floor, like at Radio City Hall in NY. Tommy running up and down the ladder, nude. That play was running last year again.

I never took to the Who to much and have a token self titled vinyl.
After '70 got more into, Grand Funk, James Gang, EL&P,Steve Miller Band, Moody Blues, It's A Beautiful Day. Saw QMS live. Now they put on a show!

And color me different - I loved Green Tamborine

[babson]

As for their stage antics, as a kid I thought it was really bad ass but today I cringe. Jack Casady once said that at Monterey him and Jorma were horrified after watching The Who, because they came from playing in folk circles where the instrument was like a sacred temple, and they just could not believe that Pete must have not had an attachment to his guitar.

I saw Hendrix twice in '68 in Hartford, Connecticut. The first time, at the end of his show, he poured lighter fluid all over his guitar, lit it, then picked it up and smashed it on the stage while it was on fire.

For the second show, at the end, he flashed the peace sign to the crowd, then tuned around, and using his guitar as a battering ram, jammed his guitar right through one of these big 6 foot speakers. Then he flashed the peace sign to the crowd again, then did the same to another speaker. Then he took his guitar off, flashed the peace sign a 3rd time to the audience, then jumped on the front of one of the speakers, and proceeded to hump the hole he had made in it.

Don't think the Who were original for this guitar smashing thing. My guess is they picked it up from Hendrix.

[EmbryonicRabbit68]

I can see where you're coming from redrabid, there are alot of good bands out there today that I am aware of, I just want to make a breakthrough in the music business of some sort and try to push that forward.And its not called being blind, its called being able to accept more forms of music, which I think is an advantage.I listen to or sympathise more forms of music than you could really ever understand.But, I'm still a young teenager, I have years to go to open myself to new or other music, but mainly I want to become a musician, but not stick to one genre, which I hate when people do that.Just let music be music.And are you going to seriously say the worst back in the 1960s is as bad as the worst today?Seriously!?Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Hanna Montana, I could go for hours.I would rather listen to the most sickeningly sweet pop crap of the 1960s than "Lady Humps", or "Tick Tock", or whatever.

And babson, I would like to give you a golden award for getting to be in the same building as Jimi Hendrix while he was alive.You are now an idol of mine for experiencing that!Oh, and Hendrix did make it more interesting, but The Who were smashing guitars back in 1964 when he was in The Isley Brothers.