Pete Townshend reportedly working on a new album
The Who’s guitarist, vocalist and bandleader, Pete Townshend, is reportedly writing a solo album. Pink Floyd bassist Guy Pratt issued a photo of Townshend in the studio, with the caption: “To say the last couple of days recording has been beyond magical would be an understatement”.
Townshend’s most recent offerings as a solo songwriter were released in 2015. Fans were offered the chance to explore new songs when ‘Guantanamo’ and ‘How Can I Help You’ were added as bonus tracks on the compilation album Truancy: The Very Best Of Pete Townshend.
Townshend enjoyed his greatest success as a solo artist when he released Empty Glass in the early 1980s. Bolstered by the success of ‘Let My Love Open the Door’, Townshend enjoyed his profile as a solo artist but later rejoined The Who in time for Live Aid in 1985.
Townshend’s primary port of call still appears to be The Who, the rock group he has steered with vocalist Roger Daltrey since the 1960s. The Who’s most recent effort Who was released in 2019. Daltrey has suggested that this could be the last one, because there isn’t a “market” for albums anymore.
Townshend, however, says he needs the studio to be creative. “You know, it’s been OK for me,” he told Rolling Stone about his experiences with Lockdown. “I love being in my studio and I love working and I hate being on the road, away from home. And so I was happy for six months. But now, like everybody, I kind of yearn to be free and to see people. I miss people very much, and even fans, and even journalists.”
The Who have been reduced to two members since 2002. This bifurcation of the band stemmed from John Entwistle’s death in 2002. Kenny Jones was the last musician to join the band on an official basis, but he was asked to leave the group during the late 1980s. Jones filled in for drummer Keith Moon, who died in 1978. The Who have toured with a collection of high profile drummers, most notably Zak Starkey, but none have been hired on an official basis.
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