“As relevant now”: The two songs Keith Moon described as favourites
Trying to neatly describe Keith Moon is like trying to describe a tornado; The Who drummer was a force of nature who completely redefined the world of rock and roll drumming. In fact, it was his wild personality that gave rise to the idea that drummers are always the most anarchic members of any band. Although his unpredictable and occasionally dangerous nature often caused trouble for the band, his equally energetic drumming style helped to make The Who a defining group of Britain’s swinging sixties period.
Moon was always happiest when behind a drum kit. The vital importance of drummers is often overlooked when discussing rock and roll history, but the infectious stylings of the Wembley-born musician turned an entire generation of music fans onto the power that a rhythm section holds. What’s more, Moon was a poster boy of individualism, always operating by his own means and desires, regardless of expectations or, as the case often was, consequences. Even when he briefly flirted with a solo career, the drummer consistently subverted expectations.
There comes a point in the lifetime of any successful band where the members think about going solo. During the early 1970s, each member of The Who began to work on solo records, although they remained together as a band. While Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend witnessed modest successes with their solo records, and John Entwistle’s was fairly commendable, Keith Moon waited a little longer to create his first and only solo album, Two Sides of the Moon.
Released in 1975, months prior to The Who By Numbers, Moon’s solo record did not feature any songwriting efforts from the drummer himself. While he had written a handful of tracks for The Who over the years, like ‘I Need You’ or ‘Cobwebs and Strange’, Two Sides of the Moon was made up of cover songs. “I didn’t feel the need to write any songs for the album,” he told Melody Maker in 1975. “Everybody else seemed to put down what I felt [was] a damn sight better than what I could’ve done.”
Featuring appearances from the likes of Spencer Davis, Joe Walsh, Harry Nilsson, and Ringo Starr, among many others, Moon’s solo record was certainly a collaborative affair. The track listing itself is made up of songs that the drummer resonated with, including works originally recorded by the likes of The Beatles, Ricky Nelson, and The Beach Boys. “There are songs that I listened to and liked and wanted to work with,” the drummer shared.
“I like all the songs for different reasons,” he continued. “There’s a lot of light and shade on the albums. I like the rock and roll tunes because it’s rock and roll, and the ballads because they’re ballads. I’m really knocked out by the album. I don’t think I could have done it any better.”
Two songs, in particular, stood out to Moon as favourites from the album. “I recorded ‘Don’t Worry Baby’ because it’s one of my all-time favourites. It’s as relevant today as when it was written,” he shared, heaping praise onto The Beach Boys’ 1964 track. Originally released as the B-side to ‘I Get Around’, the Brian Wilson classic is certainly among his finest songwriting efforts.
The other song that Moon was hellbent on recording was The Beatles’ emotive masterpiece, ‘In My Life’, from Rubber Soul. “I did ‘In My Life’ because it’s a great song,” Moon said. “KRTH (LA’s oldies but goodies station) played it, and it was the first time I’d heard it on the radio in years. It seemed to have gotten lost and I thought I’d take a different approach to it, doing it the way which suits my voice best and the way I thought it should be sung.” Luckily, Moon had an actual Beatle on hand in the form of Ringo Starr to aid him in covering the track.
While Moon’s solo album might seem a bit of an oddity, particularly when compared to his bandmates’ respective solo projects, Two Sides of the Moon reflects the drummer’s keen and deeply rooted interest in music and songwriting. The anarchic persona of Keith Moon often overshadows his genuine musical talent and skill, so that solo album exists as a sign that the drummer was so much more than an amphetamine-fueled inferno of chaos.
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