Music Review: The Who - Live at The Isle of Wight Festival 1970
Published November 30, 2006
Throughout the ages, humanity has struggled to find the answers to great philosophical questions in the hopes of making sense of the universe. Although there are no absolute truths, many take a firm position in their beliefs to create order and meaning in the universe, which serves a dual purpose of providing comfort and keeping the abyss at bay. Responses to three of the most important define who a person is. They are: What is the meaning of life? Is there a supreme being? Who’s the greatest rock and roll band of all time? This DVD may make a case for all three.
On August 30, 1970 at 2 am, The Who played a very compelling set in front of 600,000 people at the third, and what was the last for over 30 years, Isle of Wight Festival. The legendary quartet was at the peak of its powers and all four contributed to the band’s greatness. The focal point was Pete Townsend, guitarist and main songwriter, whose tales of teenage strife have struck a chord with many a young man over the decades. He is a talented musician who, even with all the accolades bestowed on him, doesn’t get his full due. While not as flashy a player as Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen or as proficient as Eric Clapton and David Gilmour, very few equaled the number of popular rock guitar riffs he created.
The stories of angst and anger Townsend detailed were given voice by Roger Daltrey, who belted out the tunes that evening through a lion’s mane of curly blond locks. Bassist John Entwistle, who was dressed in a skeleton costume, stood almost motionless. His fingers delivered surprisingly strong bass lines considering how lightly he tickled the strings. Keith Moon was such a force that he played lead drums. He was a sight to see as he played with such reckless abandon. It’s surprising when he doesn’t lose his way within a song. His wild antics are an obvious model for the Muppet, Animal. From this performance alone you can see the influence The Who had on heavy metal and punk rock.
- Music Review: The Who - Live at The Isle of Wight Festival 1970
- Published: November 30, 2006
- Type: Review
- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: Classic Rock and Oldies, Music: Live Concerts, Music: Video, Video: Music
- Writer: El Bicho
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I'll bite. In no particular order, for different reasons, and not necessarily my twelve all-time favorites:
The Beatles
The Rolling Stones
The Who
Pink Floyd
The Velvet Underground
The Grateful Dead
Led Zeppelin
The Ramones
The Cure
U2
R.E.M.
Metallica
Many deserve demigod status for signifigant contributions to the art form.
Lots in common here:
The Big Three:
The Beatles
The Rolling Stones
The Who
The Next Three:
Led Zeppelin
Mott the Hoople
Free
America the Beautiful:
Aerosmith
Cheap Trick
Lynyrd Skynyrd
America - The Great Unwashed:
The Velvet Underground
Alice Cooper
The Doors
Classic rock bands only here - nothing contemporary, and no solo artists w/backing (i.e., Bruce S & the E Street Band). Aw heck, amybe this is a pointless exercise - you're right EB - there's lots of others whose contributions are too important to ignore by limiting the list to twelve.
I had Skynyrd to get some Southern feel and hell, for Freebird alone, but took them out. Replaced them went with R.E.M. since they were from the area and came out of the college/alternative scene.
The Doors are close to the top, and I would put them in my top 12. Maybe another album or two would have sealed the deal. They were in my honorable mentions along with Aerosmith, but the list would have been way too long. Your namesake was close as well.
I almost took The Beatles off the list because I see them more as a pop band, back before the term became an insult, rather than rock.
How come you don't write about music, VH?
Thanx for your encouragement. Actually, I've been busy with a music project for just over two years now, and it just wrapped up a couple of weeks ago. So, first, I'm taking a bit of a rest, and then I'm going to consider my options hopefully before New Year's. I used to write a bimonthly regular column in a local musician's publication years ago, and maybe it's time I cleaned off the rust, which as you know, never sleeps.
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I'm old enough to know there is no such thing as the World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band. Even that guitar slinger from that other WGRNR Band, Whatsisname Richards-something-or-other, has said, "On any given night, ANY band can be the world's greatest rock 'n' roll band."
BUT - IF there was such a thing, THE WHO definitley would be in the running for all the reasons listed in the article above and more. Frankly, I think they've been underrated for a long time, and maybe this DVD will go a long way towards restoring them back on the Rock and Roll equivalent of Mount Olympus with the other Rock Gods.... and who are those deities? Pick twelve, and let the ceremonies begin.