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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 1-25 of 90 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca 115396 11/11/1964 I can't explain Who, The Musical group  
Decca 115397 11/11/1964 Bald headed woman Who, The Musical group  
Decca 116038 1965 I don't mind Who, The Musical group  
Decca 116039 1965 Heat wave Who, The Musical group  
Decca 116040 1965 Daddy Rolling Stone Who, The Musical group  
Decca 116041 1965 Lubie come back home Who, The Musical group  
Decca 116042 1965 Out in the street (you're going to know me) Who, The Musical group  
Decca 116043 1965 Please, please, please Who, The Musical group  
Decca 116044 1965 I'm a man Who, The Musical group  
Decca 116045 1965 Leaving here Who, The Musical group  
Decca 116046 1965 Motoring Who, The Musical group  
Decca 116047 1965 Anytime you want me Who, The Musical group  
Decca 116048 5/3/1965 Shout and shimmy Who, The Musical group  
Decca 116049 5/3/1965 Anyway, anyhow, anywhere Who, The Musical group  
Decca 116915 approximately 12/1/1965-1/31/1966 Instant party Who, The Musical group  
Decca 117178 3/29/1966 Instant party mixture Who, The Musical group  
Decca 117179 3/29/1966 Circles Who, The Musical group  
Decca 119443 10/10/1967 Bone dry Who, The Musical group  
Decca 119518 10/18/1967 I can see for miles Who, The Musical group  
Decca 119562 11/10/1967 (Armenia city) In the sky Who, The Musical group  
Decca 119563 11/10/1967 Heinz baked beans Who, The Musical group  
Decca 119564 11/10/1967 Odorano Who, The Musical group  
Decca 119565 11/10/1967 Tattoo Who, The Musical group  
Decca 119566 11/10/1967 Our love was, is Who, The Musical group  
Decca 119567 11/10/1967 I can't reach you Who, The Musical group  
(Results 1-25 of 90 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Who, The," accessed March 28, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/350776.

Who, The. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/350776.

"Who, The." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 28 March 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

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

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