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1. "My Generation"

There was an article in this week's "Entertainment Weekly" that was completely worthless. It was debating the importance of rock lyrics. This asshole Rub Brunner said they didn't matter. He had Chris Willman on the ropes, trying to say rock lyrics did matter. Instead of quoting great couplets, Mr. Willman just kept responding to Mr. Brunner's choices, many of which were inane.

Then we've got something like "My Generation". Which ONLY tops this list BECAUSE of the lyrics.

"Hope I die before I get old" might be THE most quoted rock lyric of all time. And even if it's not, it represents the rock ETHOS better than any other lyric. We're here, we rule, we're having fun, FUCK OFF! God, how many times has this lyric been rewritten? By the Surf Punks as "My beach, my waves, GO HOME!" As the lyric of every PUNK band. But Mr. Townshend wrote it first.

The nineties were akin to the sixties in that the younger generation ruled. Oh, the PARENTS, the BABY BOOMERS, wouldn't accept this. They tried to THINK they were hip. By nabbing all the accoutrements. The SUVs, the hairstyles, the clothing. But the kids know...they don't get it, they're passe, they're out of touch.

Sad that they didn't die before getting old. Because they're so laughable now. Their only hope is to GROW UP!

But they still refuse to do so. Getting facelifts, using botox, using kids' slang after it's out of date.

Still, unlike the boomers themselves, records are frozen in time. This is their best selves, the Who's "My Generation".

2. "Won't Get Fooled Again"

Can we make this number three? The third most played track on rock radio EVER, behind "Stairway To Heaven" and "Free Bird"?

Still, although on one level it turns your stomach, on another you can remember all those summer afternoons, driving to the beach with this gem cranked to eleven.

This is not the best song, but it's a phenomenal RECORD! It delivers on all the promise of "My Generation" half a decade later. It's older, it's wiser, but there's STILL attitude, there's still ANGER, there's still POWER!

That's one thing that was missing from most punk. It was minimal, it was loud, it was in your face, but somehow it wasn't POWERFUL! Whereas one felt that if you just cranked "Won't Get Fooled Again" LOUD ENOUGH, those rockets down at the Kennedy Space Center would start jumping off the launching pads BY THEMSELVES!

The synths are integrated. Not sitting on top, unintegrated, like most records of the day. Hell, this was one of the FIRST records with electronic equipment, and most people did not live up to the Who's use of them EVER!

We've got Keith Moon's drumming. Which sounds like he's about a player and a half. In a trance. Playing Whack-A-Mole and eviscerating the whole rodent race!

And Roger's screams, his TRADEMARK, are there.

And Pete Townshend might not have the lyrical ability of a Hendrix, but his playing positively DANCES all over this track. Showing it's not about raw skill, but how you use the talents you possess.

And if you listen to the bass parts, you'll see what a tragedy it was that John Entwistle died. This guy was in his own world, not only pinning down the bottom of a track, but dancing himself down in those deep notes.

And in '71, the Vietnam War was still raging. Still, most people couldn't say that they'd been ripped off by the counterculture. But, Mr. Townshend went on the line. That's what we want from our artists. To LEAD, not put a finger to the wind and FOLLOW!

3. "Behind Blue Eyes"

Funny. We heard "Won't Get Fooled Again" and "Baba O'Riley" MUCH more on the radio. But it was this tune that touched our hearts.

Today's acts play one note. Their careers are narrow. They can't be bombastic AND quiet. Or, maybe it's that they can't be IN BETWEEN! You can have a rocker, and a ballad. But how about something in the middle, that doesn't fit any radio format, what do you do with that? What do you do with a tune like "Behind Blue Eyes"?

"Behind Blue Eyes" is the quintessential album track. Not the single, not the obvious in your face number, but the one that REACHES YOU!!!

I'm not going to put any more tracks from "Who's Next" on this list. But each one is stellar. No better rock album has ever been cut.

4. "Pinball Wizard"

You've got to understand, prior to "Tommy" the Who was seen as some weird hybrid of punk and rock excess. They were not mainstream. But with this one double album, they showed that they, or maybe Pete Townshend, more specifically, were THINKERS! They plunked this double album set down and suddenly, THEY were the mainstream. THEY were the band that counted. Suddenly THEY were the act everybody looked at and paid attention to.

It was a whirlwind year. From the release of this single early in the year, to the release of the album in May to Woodstock in August to the Fillmore concerts in the fall of '69.

We don't sell the same way anymore. Today we sell from the top down. The label goes around getting all the media outlets in cahoots, and then the product is SOLD to the public. Whereas in the sixties, we sold from the bottom UP! Decca, the Who's label, was a joke. They could just about ship the records.

Deejays at free format stations had to decide to play the tracks.

Listeners had to be motivated to purchase albums.

These same listeners had to go to the gig. And then, they SPREAD THE WORD!

And, over a period of time, over a period of albums, an act graduated to superstar status.

Maybe I love "Pinball Wizard" because of its use of old time stereo effects. With Pete's crashing electric coming in through the left speaker unexpectedly in the intro.

Then again, the initial acoustic guitar intro is riveting unto itself.

One might think the concept is juvenile. A comic book. But "Pinball Wizard" is a masterpiece. Like a great novel, you're drawn in. Through the tonality of Roger's voice. Through the changing dynamics. Through the change from the verse to the chorus.

And then the piece de resistance, with Pete and Roger trading vocals:

"How do you think he does it? I DON'T KNOW What makes him so good?"

Whew!

5. "I'm One"

I only wish Britney would tell the truth. Speak right to the camera and tell us she's fucked up.

That she was so busy trying to make it, she had no childhood.

That she'd like to have relationships, have sex, but the WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING!

That she's just a little girl. She doesn't know what she's doing. Why does everybody come down on her so hard?

But her handlers all tell her this is ANATHEMA!!! That this would KILL HER CAREER!

I disagree. It would humanize her. It might SAVE her career. Or at least her life.

I mean there's only one Cher. I don't think there's room for another.

Then again, maybe Britney just isn't as intelligent as Pete Townshend.

"Every year is the same And I feel it again I'm a loser - no chance to win Leaves start falling Comedown is calling Loneliness starts sinking in"

I judge time in four year increments. Like college.

In four years, I got a diploma. What have I accomplished in the LAST four years??

And then the school year begins again. The leaves change. It comes earlier every year. Am I making forward progress?

I'm fifty one. On one hand, fifty's the new forty. But, fifty's OLD! I have friends with kids OUT of college and I never started a family.

I can't start a family. I'm on a MISSION! It takes all my time. If I get sidetracked, I'll never get there.

Then again, will I get there ANYWAY??

And the loneliness, it can KILL YOU!

Then again, I can't say I've been so lonely recently.

Then again, it's one thing to go to dinner, hang out and have some laughs, and quite another to lie in bed entangled with a member of the opposite sex.

"But I'm one I am one And I can see That this is me And I will be You'll all see I'm the one"

If you don't think I believe this, you're just not reading. I wouldn't DO IT if I didn't think I was the one.

Oh, I've got something to prove. Just like Jimmy in "Quadrophenia". I don't want to be an outcast. I want to be part of the center. Then again, you get older and you realize there really IS no center. And proving you're the one, is that what it's ABOUT??

"Where do you get Those blue blue jeans Faded patched secret so tight Where do you get That walk oh so lean Your shoes and your shirts All just right"

That's the mark of a great song. ALL the verses are good.

Maybe you were the popular kid in high school.

I was not. I envied those in the clique. Laughing as they walked through the halls. Like members of a secret club. You hated them for it, but you craved ADMISSION! But even if you imitated them, it didn't work for you. Made you want to throw off your clothes, lay down on your bed and cry.

You might not hear all this emotion in the original take of this song on "Quadrophenia". But listen to Pete's acoustic version from "Deep End Live". It's intimate, honest, and...life-affirming.

6. "A Little Is Enough"

This brings tears to my eyes. This is the best me.

The nature of my life is girls come on to me.

And I need that. Because I'm too shy and feel too inadequate to come on to them.

They've got some fantasy. They mix what I write with their idea of a distant male, whom they can conquer.

They don't realize that if they put the key in the lock, and it turns, I'm totally OPEN, I'm ALIVE!!!

Oh, believe me, not everybody can open the lock. But it happens. And then when I completely open up, thrust off any coy charisma, I suddenly lose power. Having suddenly achieved their goal, they now question, do they want me? This dude who seemed so unapproachable, but is now totally there?? HERE!!!!

Love is a dream. It's unforeseen. It comes when you least expect it.

You're just going through the motions, and suddenly YOU'RE IN PLAY!

And that's what the intro of "A Little Is Enough" is like.

It sounds like dawn on a Pacific Island beach. Just you, alone, contemplating the landscape. Another day, just like the previous ones. But, the music now sounds a little bit different. It's got hope, it's got EXCITEMENT! And when Pete's classic thrashing riff comes in, you're at attention, you're AWAKE!

"They say that love often passes in a second And you can never catch it up"

Actually, I find it's longer than that. A few hours.

I receive a signal. They're INTO ME!

It's a vibe. This isn't the average conversation.

And having had no anticipation, with nothing at risk, I'M MY BEST SELF!!! Oh, I'm cracking jokes, staring into their eyes, playfully rubbing up against them. And when they start whispering in my ear, I know it. I've made a connection. I'm ALIVE!

But that was one moment. One night. WHAT NOW???

I want more.

Sometimes the signals continue to be clear. And, in those cases, you give your key to the woman and have her move in.

But usually it's a lot more confusing. Maybe THEY'RE freaked out by the intimacy. Maybe they don't really handle intimacy that well. Maybe they're involved with somebody else. They pull back. They send conflicting signals. What am I supposed to DO???

"Just like a sailor heading into the sea There's a gale blowing in my face The high winds scare me but I need the breeze And I can't head for any other place Life would seem so easy on the other tack But even a hurricane won't turn me back You might be an island On the distant horizon But the little I see Looks like heaven to me I don't care if the ocean gets rough Just a little is enough"

I USED to be this person. I would try to effect a result. I would take ACTION!

But it never seemed to work. And, if I've got to fight so hard, is this person really worth it? I mean I want a partner, not a CONQUEST!

Then again, there are those memories. Of that initial connection.

"Common sense'd tell me not to try'n continue But I'm after a piece of that diamond in you So keep an eye open My spirit ain't broken Your love's so incredible Your body so edible You give me an overdose of love A little is enough"

I'm warning you. The two of you. Or maybe it's THREE! I haven't given up. I still remember those evenings, those moments of connection. I know you can't get them anyplace else. I know if you dig what I deliver, you can only get it from me. You bring out the best part of me. With you I'm alive. I'm waiting. For you to get past your anxiety. To realize. As Rickie Lee Jones sang, we belong together.

7. "Pure & Easy"

For a long time most people didn't know this track.

But eventually, the Who's unreleased version was released. Eventually it was contained in enough compilations and remasters for most people to have been exposed to it.

But that take with Roger singing on it...that ain't got the magic. No, you want the version from "Who Came First", Pete's first solo album from '72.

Roger sings with his throat wide open. He's the LEAD SINGER!

Whereas on the "Who Came First" version Pete sounds like a second grade soloist. All quiet and hesitant. Or a member of the sixth grade chorus. He doesn't miss any notes, but he's not OVERPOWERING YOU!

This is a magical track. It could have been on the soundtrack of "Willy Wonka". I could write all day, but it would not convey the combination of otherworldliness and intimacy it has.

Still, to focus on two KILLER elements...

There's the ending. A low key RAVE UP! A series of rounds. Shifting from electric to acoustic, like Led Zeppelin, like Boston's "Long Time".

And then the middle section...

"We all know success when we all find our own dream And our love is enough to knock down any wall And the future's been seen as men try to realize The simple secret of the note in us all"

I just found my own dream writing about "A Little Is Enough". Testifying about what I feel inside.

I write a lot of hate, but that's just to combat the heinous activities of the greedy amoral powermongering moneygrubbers.

I believe what Bob Dylan said. That each of us has his own special gift.

If only we lived in a country of compassion. But with a President speaking to God and doing what he thinks is right the whole TENOR of the nation is off-kilter.

8. "The Seeker"

It was hard for Pete to follow up "Tommy".

Legend has it that he created the ultimately scrapped "Lifehouse".

But what we ultimately got were "Live At Leeds" and this double-sided single. "The Seeker" and "Join Together".

Both of these new tracks got some airplay. But neither got any TRACTION! Even by 1970, rock radio had become solidified, somewhat CALCIFIED! Singles were PASSE! If there was no album to promote, why spin individual tracks?

So, somehow, "The Seeker" has been overlooked. Unjustly.

Or maybe it just took time to understand it.

The sixties were the opposite of the nineties. They were a time of SELF-EXPLORATION!

Sure, people wanted to have fun. But not mindlessly.

They wanted to do LSD, but initially for the INSIGHT! Whereas today everything is in service to the high. People want to get high, dance and fuck. So, you end up with mindless heroes like Jessica Simpson instead of anarchists like Grace Slick and life and emotional limit-testers like Janis Joplin.

The guitar work is stellar in "The Seeker". There's the sound of "Who's Next".

And the track has a certain forward momentum. It's almost a march.

But the most important element of "The Seeker" is the lyrics.

A lot of those seeking in the sixties told us they found the ANSWERS!

There was the aforementioned LSD in San Francisco. The Beatles had the Maharishi. But the Who, they were an arms-crossed lot. They weren't about to be fooled. They kicked the tires, they QUESTIONED!

And they seemed to come up with the answer that although we were all looking, we were all lost. The supposed gurus didn't have the answers either.

"I asked Bobby Dylan I asked the Beatles I asked Timothy Leary But he couldn't help me either"

Flummoxed by all this soul-searching, Pete seemed to say GET OFF IT! Life was an adventure. Live it. Find your own answers. Nobody's got more expertise on life than you do.

"I'm looking for me You're looking for you We're looking at each other And we don't know what to do"

9. "The Real Me"

John Entwistle remixed the original vinyl soundtrack to "Quadrophenia". The best rock movie EVER!

And, as you can guess, his mix emphasized his bass. But hearing his mix, I finally GOT IT!

Oh, "The Real Me" is powerful in its original incarnation.

There's an opening track to "Quadrophenia", entitled "I'm The Sea". Unfortunately, being enamored of synthesizers, Pete SYNTHESIZED the sea instead of going down to Brighton and setting up his tape recorder. And, what he got is one step away from reality.

And this overture is nowhere near as good as the one for "Tommy".

But then we get the CRASH of "The Real Me".

Listening to "The Real Me" you can understand why the Who blew every other act off the stage at that VH1 9/11 tribute concert at Madison Square Garden. You see, in "The Real Me" the band is like a finely tuned automobile. A POWERFUL automobile. Not one that can only go straight, like a Corvette. Not one that's temperamental, like a Ferrari. Something definitely English. Like an Aston Martin. Understated, but when you turn it on, you're BLOWN AWAY!!!

For those of you who never saw Keith Moon, listen to this track. That's only one guy. You'd sit there MESMERIZED! How could one man make all that SOUND!

And Roger's emoting in the same way he did in "We're Not Gonna Take It".

And Pete's thrashing, doing the windmill, but it's just a sideshow, because everybody else is wailing.

And the true sideshow, the man who didn't even MOVE, John Entwistle, he's playing fucking LEADS on his bass.

Now I never gave a good listen to the "Quadrophenia" soundtrack on CD. I don't know if it's got the same mix as the vinyl edition. Then again, every iteration of "Exile On Main Street" sounds different. The vocals on the vinyl are so deep in the mix. And you can hear them on the Columbia CD, and on the Virgin CD, you'd never know that in the original release they'd been buried.

So, I'm not going to tell you to go out and try to hear the original vinyl movie soundtrack.

But I will tell you there was no better bass player than John Entwistle. Fucking idiot for o.d.'ing on cocaine. Still, he was supremely talented.

As for the lyrics...

This is rock and roll. Completely misunderstood. Ignored by your ex-girlfriend. Down and out. But instead of cocooning, letting your anger out at the level of 11!!! Making all the fuckheads NOTICE YOU!!!

10. "Eminence Front"

I can hear you...WHERE'S BABA O'RILEY??

Shit, I don't want to say anything negative about that track. Still, I think this one is just a bit better. It's the otherworldly mood, the tonality. If it weren't on such a mediocre album, it would get the props it deserves. Still, rock radio played the shit out of this when it was released.

Nobody does epic quite like Pete Townshend. Somehow, when he does it it doesn't sound BOMBASTIC!!

Maybe to truly get it you've got to listen to the live take. The one now included as a bonus track on "It's Hard". It's like a freight train. With the piano sitting on top of the track and the synth UNDERNEATH, running on diesel fumes. This is headbanging music for INTELLIGENT listeners. Or those on horse tranquilizers. Really, listen to this take before you wonder how I could have left off the ode to teenage wasteland.

Or maybe it's just that I've heard "Baby O'Riley" too damn much. And, unlike "Won't Get Fooled Again", it doesn't have the part where Roger comes back in and SCREAMS!!!!

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