Emerging from the mid-1960s R&B mod scene with furious teenage anthems like 'My Generation', The Who were the wildest, angriest and loudest kids on the block. And in spite of Townshend's most famous line - 'hope I die before I get old' - and unlike so many of their rivals, The Who lived to forge more mature works in the late 1960s and the 1970s with the phenomenal success of their pioneering rock opera, Tommy, their revered song collection Who's Next and Townshend's mod masterpiece Quadrophenia.

The Who: The History of My Generation is the complete unofficial illustrated history of the legendary classic rock band, starting from their debut album in 1965.

More than just a biography or discography, this work is a thoroughly detailed guide to every known recording of the legendary British rock band The Who--their entire range, from their early hits of the 1960s through the ambitious concept works to their later successes. Many previously uncovered facts are incorporated into the text, and the author has been able to glean exclusive information from The Who's archives. Unrealized Who projects are discussed and analyzed for the first time in print. Finally, the work contains a discography of CDs and an exhaustive appendix of every known Who song.

'A definitive tome for both Who fans and newcomers alike’ ***** Q Magazine Pete Townshend was once asked how he prepared himself for The Who’s violent live performances. His answer? ‘Pretend you’re in a war.’ For a band as prone to furious infighting as it was notorious for acts of ‘auto-destructive art’ this could have served as a motto. Between 1964 and 1969 The Who released some of the most dramatic and confrontational music of the decade, including ‘I Can’t Explain’, ‘My Generation’ and ‘I Can See For Miles’. This was a body of work driven by bitter rivalry, black humour and dark childhood secrets, but it also held up a mirror to a society in transition. Now, acclaimed rock biographer Mark Blake goes in search of its inspiration to present a unique perspective on both The Who and the sixties. From their breakthrough as Mod figureheads to the rise and fall of psychedelia, he reveals how The Who, in their explorations of sex, drugs, spirituality and class, refracted the growing turbulence of the time. He also lays bare the colourful but crucial role played by their managers, Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp. And – in the uneasy alliance between art-school experimentation and working-class ambition – he locates the motor of the Swinging Sixties. As the decade closed, with The Who performing Tommy in front of 500,000 people at the Woodstock Festival, the ‘rock opera’ was born. In retrospect, it was the crowning achievement of a band who had already embraced pop art and the concept album; who had pioneered the power chord and the guitar smash; and who had embodied – more so than any of their peers – the guiding spirit of the age: war.

The frontman of one of the greatest bands of all time tells the story of his rise from nothing to rock 'n' roll megastar, and his wild journey as the voice of The Who. “It’s taken me three years to unpack the events of my life, to remember who did what when and why, to separate the myths from the reality, to unravel what really happened at the Holiday Inn on Keith Moon’s 21st birthday,” says Roger Daltrey, the powerhouse vocalist of The Who. The result of this introspection is a remarkable memoir, instantly captivating, funny and frank, chock-full of well-earned wisdom and one-of-a-kind anecdotes from a raucous life that spans a tumultuous time of change in Britain and America. Born during the air bombing of London in 1944, Daltrey fought his way (literally) through school and poverty and began to assemble the band that would become The Who while working at a sheet metal factory in 1961. In Daltrey’s voice, the familiar stories—how they got into smashing up their kit, the infighting, Keith Moon’s antics—take on a new, intimate life. Also here is the creative journey through the unforgettable hits including My Generation, Substitute, Pinball Wizard, and the great albums, Who’s Next, Tommy, and Quadrophenia. Amidst all the music and mayhem, the drugs, the premature deaths, the ruined hotel rooms, Roger is our perfect narrator, remaining sober (relatively) and observant and determined to make The Who bigger and bigger. Not only his personal story, this is the definitive biography of The Who.

In the ideal follow-up to his stunning Caldecott Honor book Alphabet City, Stephen T. Johnson turns his talents towards numbers. Wordless spreads featuring impressively photo-realistic paintings of New York City invite readers both young and old to search for the numbers zero through twenty-one hidden in the images. From a sweeping 4 found in the span of an urban bridge to the 13 of a faded crosswalk, this is an intriguing new way to think about numbers and the world around you.

(FAQ). Fifty years after Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, and Keith Moon made their first ruckus together onstage, the world is still fascinated with its greatest rock-and-roll band. Whether their music is popping up in TV commercials and the various incarnations of CSI or the remaining members are performing at the Super Bowl, the Olympics, or multitudinous charity events, the Who have never faded away. Yet while such artists as the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Led Zeppelin have been pored over, flipped on their backs, and examined from every imaginable angle, the Who remain somewhat mysterious. Questions persist. Who were their most important influences, and which other bands were their most loyal followers? Did they really create the very first rock opera? What were their most important collaborations, gigs, solo projects, and phases? Where do they stand on politics, religion, and philanthropy? The answers to these questions don't amount to mere trivia but create a clearer portrait of the enigma that is the Who. Whether they were Mods or punk pioneers, rock Wagners, or a gang of guitar-smashing thugs, the Who are a band beyond categorization or comparison, a band that constantly poses new questions and The Who FAQ digs deep to find the answers.

Formed in 1964 and still going strong in 2020, The Who are one of the most popular and enduring bands in the history of rock. The legendary debut album My Generation and a string of hit singles paved the way for Live At Leeds, hailed as the best live rock album of all time, and the best-selling Who’s Next. Powered by the phenomenal rhythm section of Keith Moon and John Entwistle, they earned a reputation as a premier live act and pioneered festival and arena performances. The rock operas Tommy and Quadrophenia took popular music into uncharted territories and both albums inspired hit films. Despite regular infighting, break ups and the death of two key members, the band continued into the 21st century with the well- received Endless Wire album and original members Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend stage spectacular live shows to this day. This book examines each one of the band’s studio albums, including the Who released in 2019. Tracing the band’s long and diverse history, the book also examines non-album tracks as well as compilations, live albums and soundtracks. All this makes this book the most comprehensive guide to The Who yet published, essential reading whether the reader is a diehard fan or someone curious to see what lies beyond Tommy. Geoffrey Feakes is an author and music journalist. His first book The Moody Blues On Track was published in 2019. He has been a writer for the Dutch Progressive Rock Page since 2005 with hundreds of reviews and interviews to his credit. In 2017, his seven-part Symphony To Synths, which explores the relationship between progressive rock and classical music, was published online. His first Who concert was at the Sundown in Edmonton, London in December 1973. He lives in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, UK.

The Who were one of the most memorable and influential of the 1960s British Invasion bands—memorable because of their loudness and because they destroyed instruments during performances, and influential because of their success in crafting “Power Pop” singles like “My Generation” and “I Can See for Miles,” long-playing albums Live at Leeds and Who’s Next, and the “rock operas” Tommy and Quadrophenia. The themes that principal songwriter Pete Townshend imparted into The Who’s music drew upon the group’s mostly working-class London upbringings and early Mod audiences: frustration, angst, irony, and a youthful inclination to lash out. Like some of his rock and roll contemporaries, Townshend was also affected by religious ideas coming from India and the existential dread he felt about the possibility of nuclear war. During a career that spanned three decades, The Who gave their fans and rock critics a lot to think about. The remarkable depth and breadth of The Who’s music and their story as one of the most exciting and provocative rock bands over the last half-century are the subjects of the philosophical explorations in this collection.