Who Must Change

Rip It Up, Issue 16, 1 October 1978, Page 12

Who Must Change

Who Are You The Who Poly dor In all fairness, I ought to state my prejudices now. My favourite Who albums are Who's Next and Quadrophenia most of Tommy brings me out in hives.

I suspect that those fans whose tastes incline the same way as mine will love this record. Those who are looking for My Generation Part VI or another Tommy are pretty much out of luck. You will probably fit in with that portion of the press in Britain which has taken Who Are You as a sign of collective senility on the part of the band a sign that they can’t get up and do it even one more time. However, that attitude begs tne question of whether they have any intention of trying. The album kicks off with Townshend’s state-, ment about those knockers "New! Song”. He says, “I write the same old song with a few new lines, and everybody wants to cheer it. . .” Townshend at least is determined not to end up like some of his contemporaries, eternallyYecycling the same old song (despite what some of his audience might want). The rest of the record seems to be an attempt to live up to the promise of its opener. There are obvious innovations throughout. John Entwistle contributes three songs out of the nine here, and at times he makes startling departures from his usual 707 bass style. Keith Moon also has times when his playing is unrecognisable as the Moon of old sharp and crisp where once he might have been florid. Townshend returns to synthesiser adding touches which link Who Are You closely to

Quadrophenia. He also displays a remarkable advance in piano technique over his previous forays. His playing on "Guitar and Pen” is especially accomplished showing out as well as Rod Argent’s contribution to the title track. Even his guitar playing shows touches not visible on previous Who albums: he verges on jazz stylings in “Music Must Change”, for example. Roger Daltry is in many ways the least convincing performer on the album: in fact both Entwistle on “905”! and Townshend on “Guitar and Pen” turn in vocal performances which, while less grand’ and technically impressive than Daltry’s, have the humanity that seems to have drained from his voice a little. In some ways he is the performer who maintains the strongest links with the old Who. The album closes with Townshend holding forth on the subject which has obsessed him for two years or more punks. While so many are

acknowledging him as the source of the English New Wave, he is still canny enough not to be tempted into an imitation of his twenty-one year-old self. “Who are You” is something for the punks to aim at, not something for them to feel at home with. It combines all the advances made on the record boiled down into one song with everyone turning in a performance unmatched since "Won’t Get Fooled Again”. Keith Moon doesn’t need an epitaph but I still feel glad that his last record with the Who should be this good.

Francis Stark