Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend are two of the most iconic rockers in the history of rock and roll. As the face of the classic rock band, The Who, Roger and Pete have rocked their way to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Lead singer Roger Daltrey is known for his powerful, dynamic vocals that can rock you a mile away. Pete Townshend is the six-string-shredder of The Who, famous for his windmill strumming technique. While Roger has a not too shabby acting career, and Pete is a fantastic story writer, both will always be remembered for their unbelievable musical talents. However, Daltrey and Townshend are much more than violent, instrument-smashing rock stars, for they have proven themselves to be brilliant songwriters. These members of The Who, especially Pete Townshend, have been recognized as musical geniuses with the ability to blow people’s minds with their song-writing abilities.
The Who, originally called the Detours, was introduced to the world in 1965 and would eventually be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Most of this success would be a result of Pete Townshend’s amazing song writing ability. Pete Townshend was born May 19, 1945 in London England. He grew up in the same neighborhood as his lead singer, Roger Daltrey. While he got into music and guitar playing as a teenager, Pete also went through a terrible childhood experience, believing he had been molested as a boy. This horrifying event, however, may have actually benefitted the band in their pursuit to reach the Hall of Fame. Though it did cause Townshend a life of troubles, Pete’s molestation may have been his inspiration to write one of his most famous projects, Tommy. Tommy was an unbelievable Rock Opera that shocked everybody in the world of music and sent The Who skyrocketing to the top of the charts in England and the U.S. Tommy singlehandedly revealed Townshend and The Who to be one of the most genius artists in history. Later, Townshend wrote another Rock project called Quadrophenia in 1973. Another incredible musical masterpiece, Quadrophenia secured Townshend’s spot amongst the best writers of all time. The success of these two rock operas did not end here. Tommy and Quadrophenia had been so successful that they were later turned into plays and films. Rock Operas were not The Who’s only claims to fame. The Who also had great success with their singles. Townshend, Daltrey, and The Who wrote chart-topping singles such as “I can see for Miles,” “My Generation,” “Who Are You,” and many more songs. While Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend are the only two surviving band members from The Who, the band still has a large fan base 45 years later and has withstood the test of time. The collection of all of the band’s hits, operas, immortality, and overall success has earned them a spot at the table of the greatest song writers in history.
The Who was not like any other rock band. They went beyond everyone’s imagination and accomplished feats that the average mind could never think of. While the band did include one of the most powerful vocalists of all time, a great guitar player, an incredible drummer, and a smooth bass player, it is clear that the mass of talent was not the reason for the Who’s overall success. To write such an abundance of hit songs, a band must have a musical genius. To write entire rock operas, a band must have much more. The Who found such a person in Pete Townshend. After an unbelievable 45 year musical career full of unbelievable accomplishments, any rocker would agree that The Who and Pete Townshend are among the best writers in music history. In conclusion, it is clear that The Who’s great success rode on the genius of Pete Townshend, rather than the raw talent of the band.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Pictures of Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend
Roger Daltrey
Roger and Pete
Pete townshend
Roger DaltreyBehind Blue Eyes
The Who-Behind Blue Eyes
No one knows what its like Consonance +2
To be the bad man Alliteration +2
To be the sad man Assonance +2
Behind blue eyes Imagery +2
No one knows what its like Consonance +2
To be hated
To be fated
To telling only lies Alliteration +2
But my dreams Ambiguity +3
They arent as empty
As my conscience seems to be
I have hours, only lonely Characterization +3
My love is vengeance Metaphor +5
Thats never free
No one knows what its like
To feel these feelings Alliteration +2
Like I do
And I blame you Ambiguity +3
No one bites back as hard Alliteration +2
On their anger
None of my pain and woe
Can show through
But my dreams Ambiguity +3
They arent as empty
As my conscience seems to be
I have hours, only lonely Characterization +3
My love is vengeance Metaphor +5
Thats never free
When my fist clenches, crack it open Alliteration +2
Before I use it and lose my cool Assonance +2
When I smile, tell me some bad news
Before I laugh and act like a fool
If I swallow anything evil
Put your finger down my throat
If I shiver, please give me a blanket
Keep me warm, let me wear your coat Alliteration +2
No one knows what its like Consonance +2
To be the bad man Alliteration +2
To be the sad man Assonance +2
Behind blue eyes Imagery +2
Sophisticated Rhyme Scheme +5
Pervasive Mood +5
Social Relevance +5
Motif +5
Alliteration +2
Consonance +2
Assonance +2
Ambiguity +3
Characterization +3
Metaphor +5
Imagery +2
Emotionally Evocative +3
Expansive Range +5
Baseline: 50
Total: 97
No one knows what its like Consonance +2
To be the bad man Alliteration +2
To be the sad man Assonance +2
Behind blue eyes Imagery +2
No one knows what its like Consonance +2
To be hated
To be fated
To telling only lies Alliteration +2
But my dreams Ambiguity +3
They arent as empty
As my conscience seems to be
I have hours, only lonely Characterization +3
My love is vengeance Metaphor +5
Thats never free
No one knows what its like
To feel these feelings Alliteration +2
Like I do
And I blame you Ambiguity +3
No one bites back as hard Alliteration +2
On their anger
None of my pain and woe
Can show through
But my dreams Ambiguity +3
They arent as empty
As my conscience seems to be
I have hours, only lonely Characterization +3
My love is vengeance Metaphor +5
Thats never free
When my fist clenches, crack it open Alliteration +2
Before I use it and lose my cool Assonance +2
When I smile, tell me some bad news
Before I laugh and act like a fool
If I swallow anything evil
Put your finger down my throat
If I shiver, please give me a blanket
Keep me warm, let me wear your coat Alliteration +2
No one knows what its like Consonance +2
To be the bad man Alliteration +2
To be the sad man Assonance +2
Behind blue eyes Imagery +2
Sophisticated Rhyme Scheme +5
Pervasive Mood +5
Social Relevance +5
Motif +5
Alliteration +2
Consonance +2
Assonance +2
Ambiguity +3
Characterization +3
Metaphor +5
Imagery +2
Emotionally Evocative +3
Expansive Range +5
Baseline: 50
Total: 97
Timeline
Timeline:
March 1, 1944: Roger Daltrey was born.
October 9, 1944: John Entwistle was born.
May 19, 1945: Pete Townshend was born.
August 23, 1946: Keith Moon was born.
October 29, 1965: The Who release “My Generation.”
October 28, 1967: The Who hit #9 with “I Can See For Miles”.
June 6, 1969: ‘Tommy’, the Who’s rock opera, hits #2 in the UK and #4 in the US.
June 7, 1969: The Who’s ‘Tommy’, a double-album rock opera, debuts on U.S. charts.
AUGUST 15-17, 1969: The year 1969 was the year of the rock festival. The largest was the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, held on the weekend of August 15-17 in the tiny town of Bethel, in upstate New York. An estimated crowd of 450,000 attended the event, which featured everyone from Jimi Hendrix and Joe Cocker, to Arlo Guthrie, the Jefferson Airplane, the Who, Janis Joplin, Sly and the Family Stone, Ravi Shankar and Country Joe McDonald.
November 28, 1970: The Who hits #12 in the US with “See Me, Feel Me” from ‘Tommy’.
November 12, 1973: The Who hits #2 with ‘Quadrophenia’.
December 29, 1973: The Who hit #76 in the US with “Love Reign O’er Me” from their rock opera ‘Quadrophenia’.
September 7, 1978: Keith Moon of the Who dies of an overdose of the drug prescribed to control his alcoholism.
October 4, 1978: The Who hit #14 with “Who Are You”.
May 9, 1981: The Who hit #18 with “You Better You Bet”
March 1, 1982: Pete Townshend, Stevie Nicks, Mick Jagger, Adam Ant, Pat Benatar, the Police and David Bowie kick off the “I Want My MTV” advertising campaign.
October 29, 1982: The Who hits #28 with “Athena”.
1990: The Who are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
June 27, 2002: John Entwistle of the Who dies of a heart attack in Las Vegas, NV.
March 1, 1944: Roger Daltrey was born.
October 9, 1944: John Entwistle was born.
May 19, 1945: Pete Townshend was born.
August 23, 1946: Keith Moon was born.
October 29, 1965: The Who release “My Generation.”
October 28, 1967: The Who hit #9 with “I Can See For Miles”.
June 6, 1969: ‘Tommy’, the Who’s rock opera, hits #2 in the UK and #4 in the US.
June 7, 1969: The Who’s ‘Tommy’, a double-album rock opera, debuts on U.S. charts.
AUGUST 15-17, 1969: The year 1969 was the year of the rock festival. The largest was the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, held on the weekend of August 15-17 in the tiny town of Bethel, in upstate New York. An estimated crowd of 450,000 attended the event, which featured everyone from Jimi Hendrix and Joe Cocker, to Arlo Guthrie, the Jefferson Airplane, the Who, Janis Joplin, Sly and the Family Stone, Ravi Shankar and Country Joe McDonald.
November 28, 1970: The Who hits #12 in the US with “See Me, Feel Me” from ‘Tommy’.
November 12, 1973: The Who hits #2 with ‘Quadrophenia’.
December 29, 1973: The Who hit #76 in the US with “Love Reign O’er Me” from their rock opera ‘Quadrophenia’.
September 7, 1978: Keith Moon of the Who dies of an overdose of the drug prescribed to control his alcoholism.
October 4, 1978: The Who hit #14 with “Who Are You”.
May 9, 1981: The Who hit #18 with “You Better You Bet”
March 1, 1982: Pete Townshend, Stevie Nicks, Mick Jagger, Adam Ant, Pat Benatar, the Police and David Bowie kick off the “I Want My MTV” advertising campaign.
October 29, 1982: The Who hits #28 with “Athena”.
1990: The Who are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
June 27, 2002: John Entwistle of the Who dies of a heart attack in Las Vegas, NV.
Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend
Interesting Facts:
Roger Daltrey:
-Roger Harry Daltrey was born March 1, 1944 in Hammersmith, London, England.
-Founded The Who, originally called "the Detours" in 1963 after leaving Acton County Grammar School.
-Daltrey had a successful solo career, starting in 1973, in addition to his career with The Who.
-Roger also established a small stage and acting career performing in such films as Tommy (1975) and McVicar (1980). *He also acted as a criminal in CSI.
-Grew up in the same neighborhood as Pete Townshend.
-Worked as sheet metal working during day and played guitar for the detours before the famous lineup was formed. He was temporarily kicked out of the band in 1965 after releasing their first album because he flushed Keith Moon's (drummer) drugs down the toilet.
Pete Townshend:
-Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend was born May 19, 1945 in London, England.
-Played banjo and guitar for various bands in the early 1960s before joining the Who.
-Townshend was the genius behind the Who's songwriting, writing many of their hit singles and writing entire rock operas, such as Tommy.
-Two of Pete Townshend's rock operas, Tommy and Quadrophenia, were later turned into plays and films.
-Pete Townshend also had a very successful solo career starting in 1972.
-In addition to songwriting, Townshend published a book of short stories, Horse's Neck, in 1985 and the play Life house in 2001.
-In 2003, Pete Townshend was arrested for possessing child pornography. He explained that he had only accessed such websites to do research for his autobiography because he had been sexually abused as a boy. While no charges were filed, he was still required to register as a sex offender.
Roger Daltrey:
-Roger Harry Daltrey was born March 1, 1944 in Hammersmith, London, England.
-Founded The Who, originally called "the Detours" in 1963 after leaving Acton County Grammar School.
-Daltrey had a successful solo career, starting in 1973, in addition to his career with The Who.
-Roger also established a small stage and acting career performing in such films as Tommy (1975) and McVicar (1980). *He also acted as a criminal in CSI.
-Grew up in the same neighborhood as Pete Townshend.
-Worked as sheet metal working during day and played guitar for the detours before the famous lineup was formed. He was temporarily kicked out of the band in 1965 after releasing their first album because he flushed Keith Moon's (drummer) drugs down the toilet.
Pete Townshend:
-Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend was born May 19, 1945 in London, England.
-Played banjo and guitar for various bands in the early 1960s before joining the Who.
-Townshend was the genius behind the Who's songwriting, writing many of their hit singles and writing entire rock operas, such as Tommy.
-Two of Pete Townshend's rock operas, Tommy and Quadrophenia, were later turned into plays and films.
-Pete Townshend also had a very successful solo career starting in 1972.
-In addition to songwriting, Townshend published a book of short stories, Horse's Neck, in 1985 and the play Life house in 2001.
-In 2003, Pete Townshend was arrested for possessing child pornography. He explained that he had only accessed such websites to do research for his autobiography because he had been sexually abused as a boy. While no charges were filed, he was still required to register as a sex offender.
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