Two bands from the 1980s that Pete Townshend hated
When we talk about the guitarists we love, we tend to discuss how different instrumentalists displayed the same qualities. We talk about the chords and melody, the shredding and soloing, how those musicians perfected their unique style, and then discuss which of those specific styles we like the best. That can’t happen with every guitar player, though, as what Pete Townshend did for rock music was so unique and remains so firmly in its own lane that it’s borderline impossible to compare him to others.
There was some creative confusion in the early days of The Who. Sure, the band were good, and each member could hold their own, but it was tough for them to work out what kind of music they wanted to make and how they wanted to be perceived by others. It wasn’t until Townshend started delving into the world of concept albums that the band found their feet.
After releasing The Who Sells Out, it became clear to the band that they had to divert from just making singles and start making much broader music. In other words, they made concept albums with an overriding narrative, songs from different characters’ points of view, and, as a testament to Townsend, a great deal of instrumental versatility.
“With us being a singles band, it was wearing thin. Pete was getting worn down, sort’ve frazzled,” recalled Roger Daltrey, “Having to come up with hit singles all the time, that’s the hard bit of the music industry. But coming up with music? That was much easier. Well, I don’t know about easier… It was more artistically attractive to [Townshend].”
Townshend had a great deal of range, so it makes sense that he was excited about making long concept albums, as they allowed him to tap into his different playing styles. As someone willing to explore other artistic styles, Townshend had a clear view of the artists he liked and those he didn’t. He had to listen to a range of styles of music to invoke the proper emotion in his guitar sound when it came to writing songs for various characters. As a result of his wide listening, he discovered a lot of bands whose music he wasn’t overly keen on. However, it was one thing not to like a band’s music but another thing entirely to be compared to them.
When The Who released Tommy, they had unprecedented interest, and fans from the US and the UK were excited to listen to them and see the band live. To express that emotion, they compared The Who to two bands, both of which Townshend had listened to and both of which he didn’t like.
“Just after Woodstock, The Who had a big revival of interest in Tommy,” he said, “A lot of people used to come and see us. In Britain it was, ‘You are our favourite group with Deep Purple’. I used to go, ‘Huh?’ And over here it used to be, ‘You are our favourite group with Ten Years After’. And both groups I hate!”
He continued, “I hated their music. It was very hard to live with in a way that we were being lumped in with these very heavy metal bands. I think it was because Ritchie Blackmore used to sort of bash his guitar on his head.”
