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Who - 1975

The Who in 1975


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The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey (vocals), Pete Townshend (guitar), John Entwistle (bass) and Keith Moon (drums). They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction.[1][2] The Who have sold about 100 million records and have charted 27 top forty singles in the United Kingdom and United States with 17 top ten albums,[3] with 18 Gold, 12 Platinum and 5 Multi-Platinum album awards in the United States alone.[4]

The Who rose to fame in the UK with a series of top ten hit singles, boosted in part by pirate radio stations such as Radio Caroline, beginning in January 1965 with "I Can't Explain". The albums My Generation (1965), A Quick One (1966) and The Who Sell Out(1967) followed, with the first two reaching the UK top five. They first hit the US Top 40 in 1967 with "Happy Jack" and hit the top ten later that year with "I Can See for Miles". Their fame grew with memorable performances at the Monterey Pop[5] and Woodstock[6]music festivals. The 1969 release of Tommy was the first in a series of top ten albums in the US, followed by Live at Leeds (1970), Who's Next (1971), Quadrophenia (1973), The Who By Numbers (1975), Who Are You (1978) and The Kids Are Alright (1979).

Moon died at the age of 32 in 1978, after which the band released two studio albums, the UK and US top five Face Dances (1981) and the US top ten It's Hard (1982), with drummer Kenney Jones, before disbanding in 1983. They re-formed at events such as Live Aid and for reunion tours such as their 25th anniversary tour (1989) and the Quadrophenia tours of 1996 and 1997. In 2000, the three surviving original members discussed recording an album of new material, but their plans temporarily stalled upon Entwistle's death at the age of 57 in 2002. Townshend and Daltrey continue to perform as The Who, and in 2006 they released the studio album Endless Wire, which reached the top ten in the UK and US.

The Who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, their first year of eligibility.[6][7] Their display there describes them as "Prime contenders, in the minds of many, for the title of World's Greatest Rock Band."[8] Time magazine wrote in 1979 that "No other group has ever pushed rock so far, or asked so much from it."[9] Rolling Stonemagazine wrote: "Along with The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, The Who complete the holy trinity of British rock."[10] They received a Lifetime Achievement Award from theBritish Phonographic Industry in 1988, and from the Grammy Foundation in 2001, for creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording.[11][12] In 2008 surviving members Townshend and Daltrey were honoured at the 31st Annual Kennedy Center Honors.[13]

___History___

The band formed in 1964 as The High Numbers, which featured vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle, and drummer Doug Sandom. The quartet released an unsuccessful single title “Zoot Suit” later that same year. Also that same year, the band changed their name to The Who? and replaced Sandom with Keith Moon. The band’s debut album, “My Generation,” was released in 1965. It was very successful and the title track became a hit. They followed it up with “A Quick One” the following year, which featured the 1st ever rock opera, “A Quick One While He’s Away.” “The Who? Sell Out” dropped in 1967, and featured the hit single “I Can See For Miles.” That same year, they headlined the Monterrey Pop Festival alongside Jimi Hendrix. In 1969, they released the rock opera “Tommy.” It was a big departure for the band; A concept album about a deaf, dumb and blind boy who falls in love with a pinball machine. The next year, the band headlined the Leeds festival, which was later released on CD/DVD as “The Who? Live At Leeds.” “Who’s Next?” was released in 1971. It is considered the band’s quintessential album, and spawned the singles “Baba O Riley,” “Behind Blue Eyes,” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” 2 years later, The Who? released their 2nd rock opera “Quadrophenia.” “The Who? By Numbers” dropped in 1975. It is mostly known for it’s cover art, which featured a connect-the-dots activity. It also featured the single “Slip Kid.” “Who Are You?” hit record store shelves in 1978. It is mostly known for the title track, which became one of the band’s signature songs. It was also their last to feature Keith Moon, who died later that same year. He was 32 years old. The band carried on with former Faces drummer Kenney Jones, releasing 2 more albums, “Face Dances” and “It’s Hard,” before splitting up in 1983.

Songs present in the series[]

In other rhythm games[]

Cover versions of "The Seeker" and "Won't Get Fooled Again" appear in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and Rock Revolution, respectively.

The Who and Rock Band[]

The Who have been part of the Rock Band franchise since the beginning, with the song Won't Get Fooled Again on Rock Band 1 and the promise of the entire "Who's Next" album to whet the appetites of their fans. Unable to locate all of the masters for "Who's Next", Harmonix and the band worked together to assemble a 12 song DLC package titled The Best of The Who: Rock Band Edition, which spanned the band's entire career, including three more songs from "Who's Next" as well as hits like My Generation and Who Are You. Guitarist Pete Townshend has nothing but praise for the game, saying “I ... love the way it brings different generations together through music. I like the idea that people of all ages will be having fun playing our songs,” (source). Continuing to support the franchise, The Who played an exclusive concert at the 2008 E3 conference to celebrate the announcement of Rock Band 2, which features Pinball Wizard, the hit single from The Who's first rock opera "Tommy". An additional song from the Live at Leeds album, Magic Bus, was released as a single track the same week as the 40th anniversary of the famous 1969 Woodstock Festival at which the band performed.

With the inclusion of the song I Can See for Miles on Rock Band 3, The Who have become the only band to appear in the on-disc setlists of all mainstream games of the series (that is, not counting Lego Rock Band or the band-centric games).

Then "The Seeker" was featured in 2015's Rock Band 4.


Bandmates[]

Current[]

Roger Daltrey

Pete Townshend

Zak Starkey

Formely[]

Keith Moon

John Entwistle

[Kenney Jones]]

Doug Sandom

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