Decisive · Sixties Classic & Psych
The Who
London four-piece from Shepherd’s Bush. Power-chord singles (My Generation), Townshend concept albums (Tommy, Who’s Next, Quadrophenia), and documented live extremes—Monterey 1967 beside Hendrix, Moon’s drum explosion on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.
Landmark
My Generation · 1965
Stutter vocal, feedback, Entwistle bass solo on a 1965 single.
Opened
Power-chord singles and concept albums in one classic lineup; Monterey and Smothers Brothers as live landmarks.
01 / 06
Detours to Moon
Shepherd’s Bush, 1962: Townshend, Daltrey, Entwistle, and Doug Sandom as The Detours. April 1964: Sandom left; Keith Moon joined. A High Numbers single came first; the name The Who stuck (used briefly before Sandom left). Live sets built on volume and wreckage—Townshend’s guitar smashing began accidentally; Moon’s drum destruction was planned. I Can’t Explain and My Generation (1965) were the first major hits.
02 / 06
Monterey and Smothers Brothers
In June 1967 the band played Monterey Pop and overshadowed everyone except Jimi Hendrix. Three months later on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, Moon detonated his drum kit; guest Bette Davis was stunned, and Townshend’s tinnitus began. The same year’s Sell Out album yielded I Can See for Miles, a UK/US Top 10 single.
03 / 06
Tommy to Who’s Next
Tommy (1969) told a deaf, dumb, and blind pinball-wizard story across a double album; Top 5 UK/US, status locked after Woodstock. Live at Leeds (1970) captured the live power. Who’s Next (1971) used leftover Lifehouse material—their only UK #1 album—from Baba O’Riley through Won’t Get Fooled Again. Quadrophenia (1973) was another ambitious narrative; live staging often failed. It later fed a 1979 film and Green Day’s American Idiot.
04 / 06
After Moon
Who Are You arrived in 1978; Moon then died from an overdose of medication prescribed for alcoholism. Kenney Jones (ex-Faces) joined for Face Dances (1981) and It’s Hard (1982). Townshend paused the band that year. 1989 reunion tours added Bundrick, Simon Townshend, and Simon Phillips. Zak Starkey later played drums. Entwistle died in 2002 before a US tour; Pino Palladino took bass. Endless Wire (2006) was the first new studio album in 24 years.
05 / 06
My Generation
1965 single. Daltrey stutter vocal, feedback, Entwistle bass solo. Core mid-60s mod/beat reference for the classic four.
06 / 06
Won't Get Fooled Again
From Who’s Next (1971). Organ/sequencer opening into power-chord sections; Lifehouse remnant. Same album as Baba O’Riley.
01 / 06
Detours to Moon
Classic four · 1964–1978
Lineup versions
Classic four
Peak1964–1978
Through Who Are You; Moon died 1978. Includes Monterey, Tommy, Who’s Next.
- Roger DaltreyVocals
- Pete TownshendGuitar
- John EntwistleBass
- Keith MoonDrums
Kenney Jones years
1978–1982
Face Dances and It’s Hard; Townshend paused the band in 1982.
- Roger DaltreyVocals
- Pete TownshendGuitar
- John EntwistleBass
- Kenney JonesDrums
Quotes
“They kicked down the door of rock 'n' roll and left a few scraps for the rest of us.”
— Eddie Vedder · Rolling Stone (as cited in Rock Chronicles)
“Keith played the drums like a lead instrument. We arranged around that.”
— Pete Townshend, 1971 · Archive interview excerpt
Scenes
| Year | Track | On stage | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | My Generation1965 single; Daltrey stutter vocal, feedback, Entwistle bass solo. Early instrument-smashing reputation around the same period. | Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle, Keith Moon | |
| 1967 | I Can See for MilesFrom The Who Sell Out; UK/US Top 10. Same year: Monterey Pop and the Smothers Brothers drum explosion. | Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle, Keith Moon | |
| 1969 | Pinball WizardFrom Tommy; UK/US Top 5 album. Woodstock performance helped lock the album’s status. | Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle, Keith Moon | |
| 1971 | Won't Get Fooled AgainFrom Who’s Next (only UK #1 album); organ/sequencer into power chords. Remnants of the abandoned Lifehouse project. | Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle, Keith Moon |