John Lennon's Coolness to Pete Townshend

John was just at the Rock & Roll Circus, maybe he remembered it. Just like any other of their half hearted jams from that time, hard to tell.

 

They played it because the title was suggested by the events of the day

 

And the lyrics may well reflect Lennon's assumption about how permanent George's departure would be:
"Soon be home..."

 

I thought John and Pete "hung out" with Eric Clapton and Brian Epstein and listened to the Strawberry Fields Forever/Penny Land acetate before it was released.

 

agreed- however i quickly stopped listening when the vile screeching started.

 

You can here them singing "We'll soon be home" almost right from the start of the Beatles" version, they don't do the whole song and it is a mess.

 

So who is the George that John refers to when he says " Okay, George, take it" at the minute 30 mark? Martin?

 

Most likely typical Lennon humor.

 

I think the most obvious example of this would have to be The Yardbirds, as their records sounded so puny!

 

I have to hand it to Pete, Lennon had McCartney, Jagger had Richards, but Pete had to pretty much come up with ideas on his own in a band that didn't always get along, for that I take my hat off to Mr. Townshend.

 

And not bashful about sharing that opinion. Not surprising that he'd rub other egomaniacs the wrong way.

 

Me, too . . . if the Who are garage rock.

I'll also take flat/off-key singing . . . if that's flat/off-key singing (re the comment two below the garage rock comment)

 

You've probably heard it, but if not, see if you can find "Lost Woman" on YouTube. It is from Roger the Engineer, aka Over Under Sideways Down. Probably the best recording of their rave-up approach. Mono has the edge, but the stereo sounds great too. The drumming and bass playing are phenomenal.

 

Not quite so, your not giving Entwistle enough credit.

 

I read Pete's comments as almost entirely a reaction to the interviewer suggesting that Paul and/or the Beatles were "Rock & Roll".
He's got a point doesn't he? Were the Beatles "rock & roll"? That depends on the definition of what you think (or Pete thinks) it is.
So what if the Beatles were a Pop band? Is that some kind of insult? Paul IS a bit shallow, and did record a bunch of crap, is it
sacrosanct to bring this up? Yes, the Beatles are brilliant, but so what if Pete wants to define them as not in the genre of Rock & Roll?
Pete obviously has an opinion about what a rock musician is, since he defines himself as one, and who he considers
as important to the genre.

 

was listening to Howard Kaylan talk about meeting john and he was just kind of a d*** to some of his Turtle bandmates, I think that's just his mo, I love my rock stars to be d***s though, most of my favorites are (jazz too (-

 

It's complete rubbish!
As one critic said, there was no left until the Beatles created a center.
The Stones, The Kinks and The Who walked thru a door opened by the Beatles-----there's no denying the timeline.

Whether it's rock or pop could be subjective----but, to me, that is also complete rubbish!

To put the band that created Revolver (and offered quite a few innovations before that) in the same category as Herman and the Hermits is insane.
Tom Petty, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley---found their missions in life, by their own accoutns, after seeing the Ed Sullivan appearance----they weren't inspired to become Hermans and the Hermits-----not with I Saw Her Standing There and that close up of George's Gretsch or Lennon's smirk, his stance, his attitude----not rock and roll?

If you insist on putting the Beatles in the pop category before 1965 you could make a case (and I wouldn't fully agree), anyone putting the Beatles in the strictly pop category after 1965 is deaf, bitter or taking the piss!

Is Pete gonna tell me Revolver had zero influence on the recording of Are You Experienced? (we all know how Pete felt when he first saw Jimi-----or did he, at some point, **** on him too?---I would not be surprised!)

 

Yes. John was being sarcastic. George had quit earlier in the day (possibly even involving a punch-up between John and George), so John was making a joke.

 

I think we have to take comments like that with a grain of salt. At the time that comment was made, EVERYONE was being compared to the Fab Four, and that must have irked more than one. As for Pete's comment, it's funny because the Who's stereo versions were done the same way - as was everyone else's during the early-to-mid sixties.

 

Agree, well put, especially regarding the timeline, as I posted earlier, the touring and recording Beatles had retired by the time The Who hit their stride in those areas.

Also, many would (correctly) argue that the Beatles best rock was performed before they even recorded a song.

Dismissing Little Richard as a great rock force is also a convenient way by Pete to eliminate the piano element from the Beatle's rock repitoire.

That being said, Pete and The Who were great and I'm a fan.

 

I think Pete makes some good points, and I don't get all upset that Pete doesn't praise The Beatles as the end-all be-all of music groups. He has his opinions, as we all do. Despite The Fabs growing up on the first wave of rock and roll artists, I've always considered The Beatles as far more of a pop group than a rock and roll band, albeit a very good pop group. I do agree Tbe Stones as being rock and roll.

 

Well I think Pete credits The Beatles for him being a songwriter and influencing a whole generation of British songwriters. There is a You Tube video where Pete is stating this. There are other comments where Pete in other interviews stating the Beatles were in influence on him especially hearing "Eleanor Rigby" and the first time hearing George Harrison playing a 12 string guitar.

 

The Beatles were a rock band but they were more versatile musically than The Who. Interesting listening to "Taxman" or "Come Together" and it would appear The Beatles were more adapt playing funk rock music or getting a grove than The Who IMO. A couple of the songs on The White Album dare I say rock harder than anything The Who did prior?

By the way I like The Who but Pete was always a bit dismissive and angry towards his peers.

 

I knew someone was going to respond with that...... That is very true and I do agree Entwistle is under credited.