Why did The Who break up?

I dont remember all the details, but Townshend was easily 5x more wealthy than his bandmates, and didnt need or want to be a gerbil on the Rock n Roll gerbil wheel anymore.......ie tour, record, tour some more

His artistic interests expanded to many other areas, in particular publishing, and was involved in non rock n roll presentations of his music, which it could stand up to. So you are Pete, with all the money you ever need, and a thousand and one artistic possibilities, and you find yourself listening to Daltry bitch about Kenny Jones!

I also believe and have read, that many of the subsequent "final" tours were agreed to by Pete partially because his friends and bandmates were going broke, especially Entwistle. (I think Roger was, and still is, doing pretty good, but nowhere near Pete's level)

 

I've thought that since Blondie appeared on Saturday Night Live with Clem wearing a Moon style target shirt. I recall that his was bouncing around when they finished a particularly hard hitting version of Dreaming, and he just reminded me so much of Keith.

 

Agree, these were financial tours to help his mates.

 

Why did Pete continue after Entwistle died?

 

He claims the wheels were in motion with the crew depending on their paycheque for the tour that was to start a couple days later (and I'm sure with insurance issues) it had to go on.

At this point I think Pete accepts the only way he could play to crowds that would justify him being on the road is the use the brand name

 

I think he felt this way for a long, long time. The Quad doc I watched showed Pete reading the break up letter which he wrote in 1973. He said he never sent it and looked sad that he hadn't.

 

Ledsox, yes, it seems that Pete was looking to get out as early as '73. He get an artistic shot in the arm when Keith died and the sudden popularity, mainstream popularity, of The Who. Cover of TIME, Newsweek, People Magazine. He/they treated the band as a viable CURRENT act through the last gig of the UK/European 1981 tour. Look at the set lists and how many tracks from WHO ARE YOU and FACE DANCES were played. Then, in November 1981, Pete cleaned up, and by the time he hooked up with Entwistle/Daltrey/Jones/Bundrick to rehearse/record IT'S HARD, they were already rehearsing with another guitarist. Hence, the "final album/farewell tour" of 1982. Some good gigs, some gigs that Pete sleepwalked through.

Subsequent tours, as folks have written above, done for the money for bandmates (especially).

 

Those albums were terrible. I think I heard that Roger may have said that Pete saved all the best songs for his albums and gave the band the rest.

 

Again: my comment was a joke. Thought it was obvious enough that it didn't need an emoticon!

 

No friend. I got your comment. Just adding my own. Happy Holidays.

 

I think it's Hard is underrated and a significant improvement on its predecessor. But then I think Townshend is on a very hot streak around this time and even his lesser songs from this time are strong.

 

Yes, that's right. The Who's tours from the 90s and early 00s were done because John Entwistle needed the money.

 

For the record, Bundrick was out in May 1981

 

I love The Who.

Geezer reminiscence alert!

I missed-out on seeing the group in their early prime. Back in 1968 they played at a teen club called The Jaguar in St. Charles, Illinois, a neighboring town. My older sister and her boyfriend were planning to go and I talked them (and my parents) into letting 14-year old me tag along. But Jessie and Jimmy weren't getting along that night so we drove around for a couple of hours, me fuming in the back seat while they argued with each other in the front seat, occasionally pausing to tell me to "shut up" when I suggested we follow-through on the evening's plan. We never got to St. Charles and it remains a huge rock 'n roll regret.

Here's a photo from the gig:

and a link to a reminiscence from someone who was there, along with more cool photos:
http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/gear/misc/jaguar_19680810.html

If I'd been a couple years older I would have seen quite a few bands in that quiet town along the Fox River:


I did manage to see The Who at Chicago's Auditorium Theater a year or two later. They did Tommy and all that... a great concert. I also saw them in the fall of 1975 in Paris, but they didn't do a single song from Quadrophenia. That didn't bother me too much, but some of my buds were really disappointed.

End of Geezer reminiscence.

 

Cry If You Want is My Generation 17 years later.

Kenney Jones wasn't the drummer he was back in the 60's. Listen to The Faces stuff. I can hear why they picked him but in the 80's he doesn't play like he did in the 60's. So many opinions in their thread I share. I love talking about stuff like this with friends. I could easily have a conversation with a friend that sounded just like this thread. One fact I didn't see was Townshend paid Jones's part of the Warners money to release them from the contract. Also, Who's Last was supposed to be a career-spanning live album but that idea was turned down by MCA.

 

"Most thankless job ever taken in rock and roll". Can be a thread of its own. answer: Kenny jones?

 

I imagine that Townshend, Daltrey, and Entwistle auditioned a good many drummers to replace Moon, and Jones seemed the most suited. I doubt he played that much different in the 60's and 70's than when The Who selected him. He was the right man for the job, at the time.

 

I held off on mentioning that because iirc, there was talk of a career spanning live album when 30yrs of Max RNB boxset was released in 1993. Wasn't sure about your assessment of Who's Last.

 

He was a totally logical choice; the Small Faces were Mod compadres and Kenny had stadium level success with The Faces... it would have been very difficult to bring in an unknown player. Pete was great friends with Ronnie Lane so I'm sure Jones was something of a friend too.

 

I don't recall where I read it but I do remember this was about Who's Last.

 

Kenney Jones recording association with The Who dates back to 1975- Tommy Soundtrack. I don't recall there being anyone else considered other than Kenney in 1979.

 

Not just immediately after, but the decade after....The Who toured with The Small Faces in 1968.

 

WHO'S LAST was supposed to Side One Fillmore East '68 tracks, Sides Two/Three Philadelphia '79 tracks and Side Four 1982 tracks. I don't have the track list in front of me.

re: drummers, no auditions, as Kenney Jones was the only choice.

 

By the time of Moon's death, the Who were a deeply damaged band well beyond its prime creative years, as evidenced by Who Are You, which had its high points but also an uncharacteristic number of clinkers. Jones joined a sinking ship, to replace an irreplaceable member of a group that, reluctantly led by its creative member, was already just going through the motions. The song was over.
It's nice that, as a result of the group nevertheless continuing, many of you younger members got a chance to see the Who live, but they were a shadow of their former selves. As for the subsequent albums, they continued the downward spiral, evidenced by the later set lists, which understandably emphasized the earlier catalog over current product.

 

Actually, there was an audition at Shepperton studios in 1979. However, there was only one drummer - Kenney.

(Well, two if you count Pete)