I would have to agree with the consensus here that Townshend, although a brilliant songwriter and composer in his prime (up to but not much beyond Quadrophenia), was simply not what I'd consider a great "lead guitarist". There are simply not that many sustained leads in The Who corpus, but there are tons of killer riffs and incidental fill one would expect from a great rhythm guitarist, much like Keith Richards was.
"And your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away on the bony shoulders of a young horse named George who stole surreptitiously into her geography revision."
Occasional musical musings on https://darkelffile.blogspot.com/
Also, Pete Townshend is one of THE guitarists who invented controlled feedback.
http://www.thewho.org/pete.htm(...) To your knowledge were you the first to use controlled feedback?
PT: To tell the truth, Dave Davies, Jeff (Beck) and me have got a tacit agreement that we will all squabble ‘til the day we die that we invented it. I think possibly the truth is that it was happening in a lot of places at once. As the level went up, as people started to use bigger amps, and we were all still using semi-acoustic instruments, it started to happen quite naturally. I think the development of it was the word was around the street and then Lennon used it at the beginning of that record I Feel Fine and then it became quite common and a lot of people started to use it. (...)
Last edited by Svetonio; 08-17-2016 at 05:03 AM.
Different strokes, and all that. For me, it's not even a question.
Pete Townsend is a fantastic rock guitarist. Again: Live at Leeds. I don't rate Barrett that highly, although he did write an album's worth of pretty nifty songs. I don't think I would have put it exactly that way that Townsend did, but I get his point. I guess I just don't understand what's so controversial about saying that a band known for having audiences watching them while on drugs would not have quite the same impact without the presence of the drugs. Again, maybe he could have gotten his point across in a less inflammatory way...
Not to stir the pot unnecessarily, but I think you could make the same case for the Grateful Dead. Great band, but my guess is that a significant portion of the attention that they got for their live performances wouldn't be there if people were sober. (Keep in mind that I have seventeen GD albums in my collection...I'm not a fanatic, but I like them more than most people do, and I am not saying that you can only like the Dead if you are listening to them high.)
Possible Worlds http://www.possibleworldsband.com
Live at Leeds is imo more enjoyable than anything with PF (I'm sure most here disagrees).
Townsend is a fantastic rythmguitarist, and intrumentwise The Who: Live at Leeds is just a trio where the rythm guitarist really fills out all the harmonies, leeds the band, keeps the rythm steady (while Moon and the Ox are sailing up & down). He is clumsy as a fingerstyle soloist, but he doesnt try harder than its required and his 4 notes solos are in place. On this album I never needed more.
Leslie West is playing on a few tracks on Whos Next (bonus tracks) and imo it doesnt make any difference.
Last edited by Zeuhlmate; 08-19-2016 at 10:16 AM.
Yeah, I think both of them were great in their own way. Barrett, sadly, never got past the formative stages as a guitarist and musician due to his mental issues (whether LSD induced or not). I think what he DID do was evidence of a person that could have easily gone on to greatness. His song writing was far less formulaic and pedestrian than Roger Waters, that's for sure (and I say that as a fan of ALL Pink Floyd......Waters solo, or any of them solo for that matter, not so much).
I'm not a big Who fan, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate Townsend's writing and guitar playing skills. I don't think he was ever a "lead" player, but man could he play rhythm guitar and write some incredible rhythm guitar parts. I remember seeing him do a solo acoustic version of Pinball Wizard and you'd have to be blind and deaf not to be impressed by it (and like I said, I've never really been a fan of the Who....but I can appreciate talent and craft when I hear it / see it).
As others have mentioned, I think he was just pissed that the acid didn't work and that colored his judgement of the performance.
I think Syd was a great innovator of psychedelic textures and it would have been interesting to see what he would have come up with if he had hung on to his marbles. But we'll never know. i play Piper now and then but for me it'll never be the pinnacle some think it is. Everyone's mileage varies. Including, obviously, Pete Townsend. Though seriously Pete, considering that you spent most of your most prolific years in one altered state or another, it does come off as a tad judgmental.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
Of Svet's stupid and mean point to prove himself right on another thread? Just ask him .. he should be happy to indulge
Biiiingooooo!!
Hey, Townsend was/is an exciting rock guitarist... better than most of the shredding wankers of the 80's & 90's
Well there was a lead drummer and a lead basist and a lead vocalist in the band... and he's still a good (but not great) lead guitarist
I still think Citystart is under-rated as a guitarist in general
my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.
Well I just saw The Who live and Pete was damn impressive and he provided some excelled solos as well as his patented rhythmic play. Great show.
Don't quite get all the bashing here but it's very typical.
Pete Townshend is clear since 1981. So his ultimate Art Rock masterpiece All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes (1982) was recorded when he was already clear. Endless Wire, released in 2006, although it's more "The Two" than The Who, proved once again his amazing talent for songwriting.
Last edited by Svetonio; 08-19-2016 at 12:08 PM.
I actually always thought Townshend was an awesome guitarist. In the first place, he's one of the best "rhythm" guitarists, if you want to use that phrase, in rock music. Period. That might not seem like a very important skill in the realm of "prog", but trust me, in rock n roll, if you're the only guitarist in your band, it's essential.
He was also one of the first guys to really make the acoustic guitar rock as mightily as an electric. Things like Substitute, Imagine A Man, and the Who Are You solo demonstrate he didn't necessarily need a Gibson (or a Gretsch, or Rickenbacker or a Schecter) and a Hi-Watt stack to get his point across.
Secondly, I think he's really underrated as a "lead" guitarist, as well. He has this weird feral vibe to his playing. It's very unrefined, which I think The Who's music quite awesomely. I'm fond of quoting the I Can See For Miles solo (which largely consists of a single tremolo picked note, backed up by a couple of quick trills in the last bar) is one of my favorites, simply because it's the antithesis of "virtuoso" playing, and it just absolutely works.
Other great Townshend moments include Slip Kid (check out the volume swells during the breakdown on that song), Eminence Front (great solo, and an awesome two note riff), the power chords fading into feedback (complete with pickup switch telegraph effects, a good three decades before Tom Morello!) on Anyway Anywhere Anyhow, and the backwards guitar licks on Armenia City In The Sky.
And he's also been responsible for some of the most awesome intros in the history of the genre, from Substitute to Pinball Wizard to Won't Get Fooled Again to In A Hand Or A Face.
So don't tell me he had "no musical ability".
Not just the "lead drummer" but "lead bassist", too. I remember Entwistle admitting once he actually chose the wrong instrument, because his earlier musical experience as a trumpet and horn player had gotten him "used to being the center of attention". And really, what he wanted to do was play like Duane Eddy anyway.
If I remember correctly, in the original Detours lineup, Townshend actually played acoustic rhythm guitar, while Daltrey played electric lead. So yeah, originally Townshend was in the band for his rhythm guitar chops, and it was only when Daltrey took over lead vocals (after Colin Dawson quit) and put away his guitar that Townshend was sort of nudged into the lead guitar role.
Or his backwards guitar licks at Entwislte's The Ox the instrumenal track from My Generation the debut album (1965)
Oh don't forget this oneHe was also one of the first guys to really make the acoustic guitar rock as mightily as an electric. Things like Substitute, Imagine A Man, and the Who Are You solo demonstrate he didn't necessarily need a Gibson (or a Gretsch, or Rickenbacker or a Schecter) and a Hi-Watt stack to get his point across.
Don't forget the best of the best riffs for starting a Rock concertAnd he's also been responsible for some of the most awesome intros in the history of the genre, from Substitute to Pinball Wizard to Won't Get Fooled Again to In A Hand Or A Face.
Last edited by Svetonio; 08-20-2016 at 04:09 AM.
Pete Townshend is fantastic. Hearing the demos he has made it is amazing how close Moon plays to what Pete lays down.
The man is a genius, with more emotion than you could ask for. His run from about '68 to '74 is just stupendous.
Bookmarks