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Who, The

The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Its core lineup consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered one of the most influential rock bands of the 20th century, and have sold over 100 million records worldwide. Their contributions to rock music include the development of the Marshall Stack, large public address systems, the use of synthesisers, Entwistle's and Moon's influential playing styles, Townshend's feedback and power chord guitar technique, and the development of the rock opera. They are cited as an influence by many hard rock, punk, power pop and mod bands. The Who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

The Who developed from an earlier group, the Detours, and established themselves as part of the pop art and mod movements, featuring auto-destructive art by destroying guitars and drums on stage. Their first single as the Who, "I Can't Explain" (1965), reached the UK top ten, and was followed by a string of hit singles including "My Generation" (1965), "Substitute" (1966) and "Happy Jack" (1966). In 1967, they performed at the Monterey Pop Festival and released "I Can See for Miles", their only US top-ten single. The group's 1969 concept album Tommy included the single "Pinball Wizard" and was a critical and commercial success.

Further festival appearances at Woodstock and the Isle of Wight, along with the concert album Live at Leeds (1970), established their reputation as a respected rock act. The success put pressure on lead songwriter Townshend, and the follow-up to Tommy, Lifehouse, was abandoned. Songs from the project made up Who's Next (1971), including the hits "Won't Get Fooled Again", "Baba O'Riley", and "Behind Blue Eyes". The group released another concept album, Quadrophenia (1973), as a celebration of their mod roots, and oversaw the film adaptation of Tommy (1975). They continued to tour to large audiences before semi-retiring from live performances at the end of 1976. The release of Who Are You (1978) was overshadowed by Moon's death shortly after.

Kenney Jones replaced Moon and the group resumed touring, and released a film adaptation of Quadrophenia and the retrospective documentary The Kids Are Alright. After Townshend became weary of the group, they split in 1983. The Who occasionally re-formed for live appearances such as Live Aid in 1985, a 25th-anniversary tour in 1989 and a tour of Quadrophenia in 1996–1997. A full reunion began in 1999, with drummer Zak Starkey. After Entwistle's death in 2002, plans for a new album were delayed until 2006, with Endless Wire. Since Entwistle's death, the Who have continued to perform and tour, most commonly with Starkey on drums, Pino Palladino on bass, and Pete's brother Simon Townshend on second guitar and backing vocals. In 2019, the group released the album Who and toured with a symphony orchestra.

Birth and Death Data: Born Founded 1964

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1957 - 1972

Roles Represented in DAHR: Musical group

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 26-50 of 90 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca 119568 11/10/1967 Early morning, cold taxi Who, The Musical group  
Decca 119569 11/10/1967 Spotted Henry Who, The Musical group  
Decca 119570 11/10/1967 I'm a boy Who, The Musical group  
Decca 119571 11/10/1967 Someone's coming Who, The Musical group  
Decca 119572 11/10/1967 Relax Who, The Musical group  
Decca 119641 11/29/1967 Silas Stingy Who, The Musical group  
Decca 119642 11/29/1967 Sunrise Who, The Musical group  
Decca 119643 11/29/1967 Rael Who, The Musical group  
Decca 119977 2/23/1968 Call me lightning Who, The Musical group  
Decca 119978 2/23/1968 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Who, The Musical group  
Decca 120562 7/9/1968 Magic bus Who, The Musical group  
Decca 120563 7/9/1968 Someone's coming Who, The Musical group  
Decca 121165 2/18/1969 Pinball wizard Who, The Musical group  
Decca 121166 2/18/1969 Dogs part two Who, The Musical group  
Decca 121447 1968-1969 Overture Who, The Musical group  
Decca 121448 1968-1969 It's a boy Who, The Musical group  
Decca 121449 1968-1969 You didn't hear it Who, The Musical group  
Decca 121450 1968-1969 Amazing journey Who, The Musical group  
Decca 121451 1968-1969 Sparks Who, The Musical group  
Decca 121452 1968-1969 Christmas Who, The Musical group  
Decca 121453 1968-1969 Cousin Kevin Who, The Musical group  
Decca 121454 1968-1969 The acid queen Who, The Musical group  
Decca 121455 1968-1969 Underture Who, The Musical group  
Decca 121456 1968-1969 Do you think it's alright Who, The Musical group  
Decca 121457 1968-1969 Fiddle about ; Pinball wizard Who, The Musical group  
(Results 26-50 of 90 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Who, The," accessed April 26, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/350776.

Who, The. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 26, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/350776.

"Who, The." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 26 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/350776

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