141-560: Christopher Thomas Stamp (7 July 1942 – 24 November 2012) was a British music producer and manager known for co-managing and producing such musical acts as the Who and Jimi Hendrix in the 1960s and 1970s and co-founding the now defunct Track Records . He later became a psychodrama therapist based in New York State . Born into a working-class family, Stamp was raised in London 's East End and
282-402: A brain haemorrhage while at his mother's London home. Stamp's drug and alcohol use continued, and in 1987 he entered a drug rehabilitation programme; the experience helped to inspire Stamp to assist others with their addictions and he began to study experiential therapies, including psychodrama . Chris Stamp continued to work on Who-related projects and to give interviews about his forays into
423-536: A pop art group and thus viewed advertising as an artform; they recorded a wide variety of radio advertisements, such as for canned milkshakes and the American Cancer Society , in defiance of the rising anti-consumerist ethos of the hippie counterculture. Townshend stated, "We don't change offstage. We live pop art." Later that year, Lambert and Stamp formed a record label, Track Records , with distribution by Polydor . As well as signing Hendrix, Track became
564-527: A psychedelic experience , although Hendrix described it as a love song. It was included as the opening track in the North American edition of the Experience's debut album, Are You Experienced (1967). "Purple Haze" is one of Hendrix's best-known songs and appears on many Hendrix compilation albums. The song featured regularly in concerts and each of Hendrix's group configurations issued live recordings. It
705-699: A psychodrama therapist and addiction counsellor . Trained at the Psychodrama Institute of New York and the Hudson Valley Psychodrama Institute, he was a Licensed Mental Health Counsellor (LMHC), a Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counsellor (CASAC), a Certified Experiential Therapist (CET), and an Auricular Acupuncture Detox Specialist (ADS). He worked as a consultant for the Freedom Institute in New York City and kept
846-503: A whip on stage, and occasionally leapt into the crowd; Moon threw drumsticks into the air mid-beat; Townshend mimed machine-gunning the crowd with his guitar while jumping on stage and playing guitar with a fast arm-windmilling motion, or stood with his arms aloft allowing his guitar to produce feedback in a posture dubbed "the Bird Man". Meaden was replaced as manager by two filmmakers, Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp . They were looking for
987-433: A "purplish haze" which has a disorienting effect on the inhabitants. An early handwritten draft by Hendrix, titled "Purple Haze – Jesus Saves", uses dream-like imagery where the sense of direction and time is distorted. In an interview on January 28, 1967, before the song was completed, Hendrix was asked how he wrote songs; he responded, "I dream a lot and I put my dreams down as songs. I wrote one called 'First Look Around
1128-408: A 2005 interview, Roger Daltrey stated the following about Tommy : We thought, at least it's dangerous. And we were under the wing of two great managers – Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp. They made us believe that if we made it dangerous it would work. It was a period when the record industry was growing so fast and the business couldn't keep up. Bands were leading the way; it was driven by the art and not
1269-412: A G 5 (G–X–G–G–D–G) is sometimes played with the major third (B) being muted on the fifth string and replaced by the open third string (G). Redding follows the chord changes mostly by playing the root with occasional passing notes , while Mitchell heightens the tension with drum flourishes that accentuate Hendrix's vocal and guitar. Biographer David Henderson describes Hendrix's guitar tone as "at
1410-611: A contrast to the themes on Tommy . The tour included their second appearance at the Isle of Wight Festival . A record attendance in England which the Guinness Book of Records estimated at between 600,000 and 700,000 people, the Who began their set at 2:00 A.M. on Sunday 30 August. Tommy secured the Who's future, and made them millionaires. The group reacted in different ways – Daltrey and Entwistle lived comfortably, Townshend
1551-623: A feature of the Who's live set. By late 1964, the Who were becoming popular in London's Marquee Club , and a rave review of their live act appeared in Melody Maker . Lambert and Stamp attracted the attention of the American producer Shel Talmy , who had produced the Kinks . Townshend had written a song, " I Can't Explain ", that deliberately sounded like the Kinks to attract Talmy's attention. Talmy saw
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#17329016507151692-482: A follow-up, Townshend insisted that the Who take a lengthy break, as they had not stopped touring since the band started. There was no group activity until May 1972, when they started working on a proposed new album, Rock Is Dead—Long Live Rock! , but, unhappy with the recordings, abandoned the sessions. Tensions began to emerge as Townshend believed Daltrey just wanted a money-making band and Daltrey thought Townshend's projects were getting pretentious. Moon's behaviour
1833-551: A gig having been on the Ready Steady Go! set with the Beach Boys ' Bruce Johnston . During "My Generation", Townshend attacked Moon with his guitar; Moon suffered a black eye and bruises, and he and Entwistle left the band, but changed their minds and rejoined a week later. Moon kept looking for other work, and Jeff Beck had him play drums on his song " Beck's Bolero " (with Page, John Paul Jones and Nicky Hopkins ) because he
1974-443: A girl was attempting to use voodoo to trap him and he became ill. Shapiro believes that this is reflected in most of the first two verses: Purple haze all around, don't know if I'm coming up or down Am I happy or in misery, whatever it is that girl put a spell on me Many fans and the press interpret the song as referring to a psychedelic experience due to lines such as "purple haze all in my brain" and " 'scuse me while I kiss
2115-557: A guitarist, Daltrey on rhythm guitar, Entwistle on bass, Harry Wilson on drums, and Colin Dawson on vocals. The band played instrumentals by the Shadows and the Ventures , and a variety of pop and trad jazz covers. Daltrey was considered the leader and, according to Townshend, "ran things the way he wanted them". Wilson was fired in mid-1962 and replaced by Doug Sandom , though he was older than
2256-565: A lead instrument, playing melodies. In February 1964, the Detours became aware of the group Johnny Devlin and the Detours, and changed their name. Townshend and his house-mate Richard Barnes spent a night considering names, focusing on a theme of joke announcements, including "No One" and "the Group". Townshend preferred "the Hair", and Barnes liked "the Who" because it "had a pop punch". Daltrey chose "the Who"
2397-461: A lot of weight, though Daltrey later said, "even at his worst, Keith Moon was amazing." Recording of Who Are You started in January 1978. Daltrey clashed with Johns over the production of his vocals, and Moon's drumming was so poor that Daltrey and Entwistle considered firing him. Moon's playing improved, but on one track, "Music Must Change", he was replaced as he could not play in 6/8 time. In May,
2538-453: A peak. After the 1976 tour, Townshend took most of the following year off to spend time with his family. He discovered that former Beatles and Rolling Stones manager Allen Klein had bought a stake in his publishing company. A settlement was reached, but Townshend was upset and disillusioned that Klein had attempted to take ownership of his songs. Townshend went to the Speakeasy where he met
2679-476: A private practice in East Hampton, New York . Stamp died of cancer on 24 November 2012 at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. He was survived by his wife of 33 years, Calixte, his daughters Rosie and Amie, his sons-in-law Edmund and Nicholas and several grandchildren; Betsy, Thomas, Gracie, Evie, Esmé and Maggie as well as his elder brother Terence , younger brothers Richard and John, and sister Lynette. He
2820-552: A roadie. The next single, " My Generation ", followed in October. Townshend had written it as a slow blues, but after several abortive attempts, it was turned into a more powerful song with a bass solo from Entwistle. The song used gimmicks such as a vocal stutter to simulate the speech of a mod on amphetamines , and two key changes . Townshend insisted in interviews that the lyrics "Hope I die before I get old" were not meant to be taken literally. Peaking at No. 2, "My Generation"
2961-461: A series of promotional television interviews, and Entwistle worked on the soundtrack for The Kids Are Alright . On 6 September, Moon attended a party held by Paul McCartney to celebrate Buddy Holly 's birthday. Returning to his flat, Moon took 32 tablets of clomethiazole which had been prescribed to combat his alcohol withdrawal . He passed out the following morning and was discovered dead later that day. Purple Haze " Purple Haze "
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#17329016507153102-457: A short European tour , the remainder of 1972 was spent working on an orchestral version of Tommy with Lou Reizner . By 1973, the Who turned to recording the album Quadrophenia about mod and its subculture, set against clashes with Rockers in early 1960s Britain. The story is about a boy named Jimmy, who undergoes a personality crisis, and his relationship with his family, friends and mod culture. The music features four themes, reflecting
3243-400: A short promotional movie for The Who in 1964 which they would sometimes show at the Who's live performances, before the band would take to the stage. Drawing from their filmmaking backgrounds, the duo also began to focus on the Who's stage show. They sent the band for lessons on how to apply stage makeup, and began to insist that the band have control of its own stage lighting during shows, which
3384-579: A short show without any major responsibilities. After the Hermits tour, the Who recorded their next single, " I Can See for Miles ", which Townshend had written in 1966 but had avoided recording until he was sure it could be produced well. Townshend called it "the ultimate Who record", and was disappointed it reached only No. 10 in the UK. It became their best selling single in the US, reaching No. 9. The group toured
3525-474: A star-studded cast, including the band members. David Essex auditioned for the title role, but the band persuaded Daltrey to take it. The cast included Ann-Margret , Oliver Reed , Eric Clapton , Tina Turner , Elton John and Jack Nicholson . Townshend and Entwistle worked on the soundtrack for most of the year, handling the bulk of the instrumentation. Moon had moved to Los Angeles, so they used session drummers, including Kenney Jones (who would later join
3666-484: A straightforward pop band and enjoyed drugs and practical jokes. They bonded with Moon, who was excited to learn that cherry bombs were legal to purchase in Alabama. Moon acquired a reputation of destroying hotel rooms while on tour, with a particular interest in blowing up toilets. Entwistle said the first cherry bomb they tried "blew a hole in the suitcase and the chair". Moon recalled his first attempt to flush one down
3807-625: A young, unsigned rock group that they could make a film about, and had seen the band at the Railway Hotel in Wealdstone , which had become a regular venue for them. Lambert related to Townshend and his art school background, and encouraged him to write songs. In August, Lambert and Stamp made a promotional film featuring the group and their audience at the Railway. The band changed their set towards soul, rhythm and blues and Motown covers, and created
3948-534: Is a song written by Jimi Hendrix and released as the second single by the Jimi Hendrix Experience on March 17, 1967, in the United Kingdom. The song features his inventive guitar playing, which uses the signature Hendrix chord and a mix of blues and Eastern modalities, shaped by novel sound processing techniques. Because of ambiguities in the lyrics, listeners often interpret the song as referring to
4089-543: Is about a girl who has an affair while her lover is away, but is ultimately forgiven. The album was titled A Quick One ( Happy Jack in the US), and reached No. 4 in the UK charts. It was followed in 1967 by the UK Top 5 single " Pictures of Lily ". By 1966, Ready Steady Go! had ended, the mod movement was becoming unfashionable, and the Who found themselves in competition on the London circuit with groups including Cream and
4230-521: Is the group's highest-charting single in the UK. The debut album My Generation was released in late 1965. Among original material by Townshend, including the title track and " The Kids Are Alright ", the album has several James Brown covers from the session earlier that year that Daltrey favoured. After My Generation , the Who fell out with Talmy, which meant an abrupt end to their recording contract. The resulting legal acrimony resulted in Talmy holding
4371-492: Is write a lot of mythical scenes. You know, like the history of the wars on Neptune. So far, only a crumpled single sheet of ruled yellow tablet paper is on exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and does not include any of the lyrics used in the Experience song. Chandler admitted that in the early stages, he helped Hendrix shape the songs and lyrics to radio single length. Biographer Keith Shadwick comments that although much of
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4512-569: The BBC , as one of the best live rock albums of all time. The Tommy tour included shows in European opera houses and saw the Who become the first rock act to play at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. In March the Who released the UK top 20 hit " The Seeker ", continuing a theme of issuing singles separate to albums. Townshend wrote the song to commemorate the common man, as
4653-647: The British Phonographic Industry awarded "Purple Haze" its Gold certification, signifying sales of over 400,000. For the American single, Reprise Records paired the song with " The Wind Cries Mary ". It was released on June 19, 1967, the day following the Experience's performance at the Monterey Pop Festival . The single entered the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart on August 26, where it spent eight weeks and reached number 65. "Purple Haze"
4794-480: The Marshall stack , large public address systems , the use of synthesizers , Entwistle's and Moon's influential playing styles, Townshend's feedback and power chord guitar technique, and the development of the rock opera . They are cited as an influence by many hard rock , punk , power pop and mod bands. The Who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. The Who evolved from an earlier group,
4935-505: The Monterey Pop Festival and released " I Can See for Miles ", their only US top-ten single. The group's 1969 concept album Tommy included the single " Pinball Wizard " and was a critical and commercial success. Further festival appearances at Woodstock and the Isle of Wight , along with the concert album Live at Leeds (1970), established their reputation as a respected rock act. The success put pressure on lead songwriter Townshend, and
5076-559: The West End of London . The group experienced a difficult time when touring Denmark in September, which culminated in Daltrey throwing Moon's amphetamines down the toilet and assaulting him. Immediately on returning to Britain, Daltrey was sacked, but was reinstated on the condition that the group became a democracy without his dominant leadership. At this time, the group enlisted Richard Cole as
5217-410: The hippie movement, and thought their violent stage act would stand in sharp contrast to the peaceful atmosphere of the festival. Hendrix was also on the bill, and was also going to smash his guitar on stage. Townshend verbally abused Hendrix and accused him of stealing his act, and the pair argued about who should go on stage first, with the Who winning the argument. The Who brought hired equipment to
5358-450: The pitch ) and panning to create novel effects. The guitar solo features the first use of the Octavia guitar effects unit. Acoustical and electronics engineer Roger Mayer developed the unit with input from Hendrix. The Octavia doubles the frequency of the sound it is fed, essentially adding an upper octave. In interviews, Hendrix usually gave different answers about the development of
5499-401: The "100 Greatest Guitar Tracks Ever!" The song placed at number two on Rolling Stone magazine's "100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time" list, which noted that the song "unveiled a new guitar language charged with spiritual hunger and the poetry possible in electricity and studio technology". It also appeared at number 17 on the magazine's " 500 Greatest Songs of All Time " list in 2004, with
5640-427: The "Hendrix chord" by guitarists and was used primarily in rhythm and blues and jazz before Hendrix helped popularize it. He also used an unconventional fingering technique for the G and A chords. Because Hendrix used his thumb to fret the roots of the G and A chords on the sixth string, his fingers were left in a position to create different chord voicings . Instead of the usual G barre chord (G–D–G–B–D–G),
5781-491: The 10 greatest Jimi Hendrix songs. Many musicians have recorded their interpretations of the song, making it one of Hendrix's most covered songs. Dion DiMucci included an acoustic version with strings on his 1968 comeback album Dion . Released as a single in 1969, it appeared at number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100, which was two positions higher than Hendrix' single in 1967. In Canada, where Hendrix's single did not reach
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5922-685: The B-side, " Instant Party ", and the single was withdrawn. A new B-side, "Waltz for a Pig", was recorded by the Graham Bond Organisation under the pseudonym "the Who Orchestra". In 1966 the Who released " I'm a Boy ", about a boy dressed as a girl, taken from an abortive collection of songs called Quads ; " Happy Jack "; and an EP, Ready Steady Who , that tied in with their regular appearances on Ready Steady Go! The group continued to have conflict; on 20 May, Moon and Entwistle were late to
6063-431: The B-side, "Bald Headed Woman". "I Can't Explain" became popular with pirate radio stations such as Radio Caroline . Pirate radio was important for bands as there were no commercial radio stations in the UK and BBC Radio played little pop music. The group gained further exposure when they appeared on the television programme Ready Steady Go! Lambert and Stamp were tasked with finding "typical teens", and invited
6204-492: The Corner' and another called 'The Purple Haze,' which was about a dream I had that I was walking under the sea." He later expressed frustration that he was unable to more fully develop his ideas for the song: You know the song we had named 'Purple Haze'? [It] had about a thousand, thousand words ... I had it all written out. It was about going through, through this land. This mythical ... because that's what I like to do
6345-404: The Detours, and established themselves as part of the pop art and mod movements , featuring auto-destructive art by destroying guitars and drums on stage. Their first single as the Who, " I Can't Explain " (1965), reached the UK top ten, and was followed by a string of hit singles including " My Generation " (1965), " Substitute " and " Happy Jack " (both 1966). In 1967, they performed at
6486-520: The Hits". He also sat on the advisory board of the John Entwistle Foundation, formed in honour of The Who's bass guitarist. In 2014, an American documentary film was made about Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp entitled, Lambert & Stamp . It was produced and directed by James D. Cooper. It had its world premiere at 2014 Sundance Film Festival on 20 January 2014. Until his death Stamp worked as
6627-499: The Jimi Hendrix Experience . Lambert and Stamp realised that commercial success in the US was paramount to the group's future, and arranged a deal with promoter Frank Barsalona for a short package tour in New York. The group's performances, which still involved smashing guitars and kicking over drums, were well received, and led to their first major US appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival . The group, especially Moon, were not fond of
6768-534: The Railway Hotel (no longer standing) in Harrow and Wealdstone . At that time the band was known as The High Numbers. Stamp and Lambert's contrasting personalities and backgrounds also made an impression on the band; in a 1972 Rolling Stone article Keith Moon said that the two men "were...are...as incongruous a team as [The Who] are". Lambert was an Oxford graduate and the son of noted composer Constant Lambert ; he spoke proper and high-class English. In contrast, Stamp
6909-495: The Sex Pistols ' Steve Jones and Paul Cook , fans of the Who. After leaving, he passed out in a doorway, where a policeman said he would not be arrested if he could stand and walk. The events inspired the title track of the next album, Who Are You . The group reconvened in September 1977, but Townshend announced there would be no live performances for the immediate future, a decision that Daltrey endorsed. By this point, Moon
7050-466: The Sky , Cornerstones: 1967–1970 , The Ultimate Experience , Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix , Voodoo Child: The Jimi Hendrix Collection , and The Singles Collection . An alternative version recorded at the same time, but with different vocal and guitar overdubs, is the first song on The Jimi Hendrix Experience 2000 box set. Live recordings of "Purple Haze" as performed by each of
7191-456: The Sun ", " Red House ", and "Remember". In the middle of December, producer Chas Chandler heard Hendrix toying around with a new guitar riff. "I heard him playing it at the flat and was knocked out. I told him to keep working on that, saying, 'That's the next single! ' " Chandler claimed that after some more urging, Hendrix wrote the rest of "Purple Haze" in the dressing room of a London club during
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#17329016507157332-438: The UK and No. 4 in the US. " Baba O'Riley " and " Won't Get Fooled Again " are early examples of synthesizer use in rock, featuring keyboard sounds generated in real time by a Lowrey organ ; on "Won't Get Fooled Again", it was further processed through a VCS3 synthesizer. The synthesizer intro to "Baba O'Riley" was programmed based on Meher Baba's vital stats, and the track featured a violin solo by Dave Arbus . The album
7473-426: The UK record chart. "Hey Joe" was not a Hendrix composition – it was written by Billy Roberts and recorded by several groups prior to the Experience. Hendrix commented, "That record isn't us. The next one's gonna be different. We're working on an LP which will mainly be our stuff." The group recorded several demos of original material at studios in London, including "Can You See Me", " Foxy Lady ", " Third Stone from
7614-453: The US again with Eric Burdon and the Animals , including an appearance on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour , miming to "I Can See For Miles" and "My Generation". Moon bribed a stage hand to put explosives in his drum kit, who loaded it with ten times the expected quantity. The resulting detonation threw Moon off his drum riser and his arm was cut by a flying piece of a cymbal. Townshend's hair
7755-649: The US later that month, where Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times described the Who as "the Greatest Show on Earth". The tour was slightly disrupted at the Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on 12 December when Moon passed out over his kit after overdosing on brandy and barbiturates. He recovered and completed the gig, playing to his usual strength. After touring Who's Next , and needing time to write
7896-549: The Who are now the band against which all others are to be judged." Daltrey had significantly improved as a singer, and set a template for rock singers in the 1970s by growing his hair long and wearing open shirts on stage. Townshend had taken to wearing a boiler suit and Doctor Martens shoes. In August, the Who performed at the Woodstock Festival , despite being reluctant and demanding $ 13,000 up front. The group were scheduled to appear on Saturday night, 16 August, but
8037-414: The Who filmed another performance at Shepperton Sound Studios for The Kids Are Alright . This performance was strong, and several tracks were used in the film. It was the last gig Moon performed with the Who. The album was released on 18 August, and became their biggest and fastest seller to date, peaking at No. 6 in the UK and No. 2 in the US. Instead of touring, Daltrey, Townshend and Moon did
8178-554: The Who have continued to perform and tour, most commonly with Starkey on drums, Pino Palladino on bass, and Pete's brother Simon Townshend on second guitar and backing vocals. In 2019, the group released the album Who and toured with a symphony orchestra. The founding members of the Who, Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend and John Entwistle , grew up in Acton, London and went to Acton County Grammar School . Townshend's father, Cliff , played saxophone and his mother, Betty, had sung in
8319-400: The Who were widely considered one of the best and most popular live rock bands; Chris Charlesworth described their concerts as "leading to a kind of rock nirvana that most bands can only dream about". They decided a live album would help demonstrate how different the sound at their gigs was to Tommy , and set about listening to the hours of recordings they had accumulated. Townshend baulked at
8460-482: The Who's royalties. By 1975 Stamp and Lambert were ousted by the band in favour of manager Bill Curbishley , and the pair relocated to New York City to produce American R&B / soul group Labelle . Track Records continued with releases by Shakin Stevens and The Heartbreakers but folded in 1978. Following the demise of Track Records, Stamp remained in New York, but Kit Lambert had moved to Italy , dying in 1981 of
8601-521: The Who). Elton John used his own band for "Pinball Wizard". Filming was from April until August. 1500 extras appeared in the "Pinball Wizard" sequence. The film premiered on 18 March 1975 to a standing ovation. Townshend was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score . Tommy was shown at the 1975 Cannes Film Festival , but not in the main competition. It won the award for Rock Movie of
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#17329016507158742-728: The Year in the First Annual Rock Music Awards and generated over $ 2 million in its first month. The soundtrack reached number two on the Billboard charts. Work on Tommy took up most of 1974, and live performances by the Who were restricted to a show in May at the Valley , the home of Charlton Athletic , in front of 80,000 fans, and a few dates at Madison Square Garden in June. Towards
8883-413: The accompanying single, "Pinball Wizard", a début performance at Ronnie Scott's , and a tour , playing most of the new album live. Tommy sold 200,000 copies in the US in its first two weeks, and was a critical success, Life saying, "for sheer power, invention and brilliance of performance, Tommy outstrips anything which has ever come out of a recording studio". Melody Maker declared: "Surely
9024-403: The afternoon of December 26, 1966, before a gig. In several interviews, Hendrix spoke about writing the song, but did not mention where or when he wrote it. The Experience began recording "Purple Haze" on January 11, 1967, at De Lane Lea Studios in London. According to drummer Mitch Mitchell , he and bassist Noel Redding learned the song in the studio: "Hendrix came in and kind of hummed us
9165-592: The band as a support act. The Detours were influenced by the bands they supported, including Screaming Lord Sutch , Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers , Shane Fenton and the Fentones , and Johnny Kidd and the Pirates . The Detours were particularly interested in the Pirates as they also only had one guitarist, Mick Green , who inspired Townshend to combine rhythm and lead guitar in his style. Entwistle's bass became more of
9306-503: The band should never be underestimated. The duo made a move to acquire the High Numbers from their manager Peter Meaden ; Lambert had learned from The Beatles ' attorney David Jacobs that the band's contract with their previous manager was legally invalid. In effect, Meaden had no legal claim to the band and in 1964 he accepted a buyout for relinquishing control to Stamp and Lambert. By autumn of that same year Stamp and Lambert convinced
9447-448: The band to change their name back to The Who (a name they were using prior to Meaden's management) and began to focus on the band's Mod image. The band managers also encouraged the band's early Mod look and also encouraged the band to include more blues and James Brown and Motown covers in their sets – since this was the sound most enjoyed by the Mod crowd. The new band managers also shot
9588-448: The band. "Sally Simpson" is about a fan who tried to climb on stage at a gig by the Doors that they attended and " Pinball Wizard " was written so that New York Times journalist Nik Cohn , a pinball enthusiast, would give the album a good review. Townshend later said, "I wanted the story of Tommy to have several levels ... a rock singles level and a bigger concept level", containing
9729-468: The business. Now it's driven by the business. Stamp and Lambert profited well from the music business and were living the lifestyles of the rock stars they managed, which (as Stamp would later admit) also included heavy consumption of drugs: "We were out to lunch, no doubt about that," he said. As the 1970s progressed, the members of The Who were beset by many physical and emotional setbacks, and Lambert's drug use also became so heavy that he began dipping into
9870-478: The charts at number 39 on Record Mirror and at number 43 on Melody Maker . It peaked at number three and spent 14 weeks on the chart. During March 1967, several performances of "Purple Haze" were filmed to promote the song and used for television programs, such as Beat-Club , Dee Time , and Top of the Pops . Live performances were also broadcast on German NDR and BBC Radio 's Saturday Club . In 2022,
10011-588: The charts, Dion's version reached number 72. Also with a new arrangement, the Cure recorded it for the various artist's Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix in 1993. Their rendition reached number two on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks alternative rock chart. "Purple Haze" has achieved an unusual level of interest among classical musicians. The Meridian Arts Ensemble , the Hampton String Quartet , and Nigel Kennedy have recorded their interpretations and
10152-478: The comment that "it launched not one but two revolutions: late-Sixties psychedelia and the unprecedented genius of Jimi Hendrix". It was re-ranked to number 250 on the 2021 edition of the list. Author and music critic Dave Marsh called it the "debut single of the Album Rock Era ". In 1995, "Purple Haze" was included as one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 's "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll". NPR named
10293-537: The commitment of the group prevented him from releasing solo material. The next album, The Who by Numbers , had introspective songs from Townshend that dealt with disillusionment such as "However Much I Booze" and "How Many Friends"; they resembled his later solo work. Entwistle's "Success Story" gave a humorous look at the music industry, and " Squeeze Box " was a hit single. The group toured from October, playing little new material and few Quadrophenia numbers, and reintroducing several from Tommy . The American leg of
10434-419: The complexity may have been sacrificed, it resulted in verses that are "simple, focused and striking". After its release, Hendrix offered another explanation: "He [the song's protagonist] likes this girl so much, that he doesn't know what [state] he's in, ya know. A sort of daze, I suppose. That's what the song is all about." This draws on an experience Hendrix had while still in New York, where he felt that
10575-406: The conventional techniques used by the Experience to record previous songs, Chandler decided to try out new effects and sounds for "Purple Haze". He enhanced background sounds (some contributed by Redding) by playing them back through headphones, which were moved around the recording microphone, creating "a weird echo". Chandler also used sped-up guitar parts recorded at half-speed (which also raises
10716-519: The country; Prime Minister John Gorton sent a telegram to the Who telling them never to return to Australia. The Who would not return to Australia again until 2004. They continued to tour across the US and Canada during the first half of the year. By 1968, the Who had started to attract attention in the underground press . Townshend had stopped using drugs and became interested in the teachings of Meher Baba . In August, he gave an interview to Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner describing in detail
10857-486: The demands of the music; added to this issue, tour rehearsals had been interrupted due to an argument that culminated in Daltrey punching Townshend and knocking him out cold. At a gig in Newcastle, the tapes completely malfunctioned, and an enraged Townshend dragged sound-man Bob Pridden on-stage, screamed at him, kicked all the amps over and partially destroyed the backing tapes. The show was abandoned for an "oldies" set, at
10998-671: The different Hendrix lineups have been released. These include Live at Monterey (the Experience), Live at Woodstock (Gypsy Sun and Rainbows), Live at the Fillmore East (Band of Gypsys), and Live at Berkeley (the Cry of Love touring group). Additional live recordings with the Experience appear on Winterland (2011 Billboard number 49 album) and Miami Pop Festival (2013 Billboard number 39 album). In March 2005, Q magazine ranked "Purple Haze" at number one in its list of
11139-592: The drumming and, according to Sandom, Townshend immediately turned on him and threatened to fire him if his playing did not immediately improve. Sandom left in disgust, but was persuaded to lend his kit to any potential stand-ins or replacements. Sandom and Townshend did not speak to each other again for 14 years. During a gig with a stand-in drummer in late April at the Oldfield, the band first met Keith Moon. Moon grew up in Wembley , and had been drumming in bands since 1961. He
11280-451: The end of 1976. The release of Who Are You (1978) was overshadowed by Moon's death shortly after. Kenney Jones replaced Moon and the group resumed touring, and released a film adaptation of Quadrophenia and the retrospective documentary The Kids Are Alright (both 1979). The band embarked on the It's Hard Tour in support of their 1982 album, It's Hard . After Townshend became weary of
11421-450: The end of the year, the group released the out-takes album Odds & Sods , which featured several songs from the aborted Lifehouse project. In 1975, Daltrey and Townshend disagreed about the band's future and criticised each other via interviews in the music paper New Musical Express . Daltrey was grateful that the Who had saved him from a career as a sheet-metal worker and was unhappy at Townshend not playing well; Townshend felt
11562-560: The end of which Townshend smashed his guitar and Moon kicked over his drumkit. The Independent described this gig as one of the worst of all time. The US tour started on 20 November at the Cow Palace in Daly City, California ; Moon passed out during "Won't Get Fooled Again" and during " Magic Bus ". Townshend asked the audience, "Can anyone play the drums? – I mean somebody good." An audience member, Scot Halpin , filled in for
11703-657: The entertainment division of the Royal Air Force during World War II, and both supported their son's interest in rock and roll . Townshend and Entwistle became friends in their second year of Acton County, and formed a trad jazz group; Entwistle also played French horn in the Middlesex Schools' Symphony Orchestra. Both were interested in rock, and Townshend particularly admired Cliff Richard 's début single, " Move It ". Entwistle moved to guitar, but struggled with it due to his large fingers, and moved to bass on hearing
11844-422: The festival ran late and they did not take to the stage until 5 am on Sunday; they played most of Tommy . During their performance, Yippie leader Abbie Hoffman interrupted the set to give a political speech about the arrest of John Sinclair ; Townshend kicked him off stage, shouting: "Fuck off my fucking stage!" During " See Me, Feel Me ", the sun rose almost as if on cue; Entwistle later said, "God
11985-415: The festival; Hendrix shipped over his regular touring gear from Britain, including a full Marshall stack . According to biographer Tony Fletcher , Hendrix sounded "so much better than the Who it was embarrassing". The Who's appearance at Monterey gave them recognition in the US, and "Happy Jack" reached the top 30. The group followed Monterey with a US tour supporting Herman's Hermits . The Hermits were
12126-456: The follow-up to Tommy , Lifehouse , was abandoned. Songs from the project made up the album Who's Next (1971), including the hits " Won't Get Fooled Again ", " Baba O'Riley ", and " Behind Blue Eyes ". The group released another concept album, Quadrophenia (1973), as a celebration of their mod roots, and oversaw the film adaptation of Tommy (1975). They continued to tour to large audiences before semi-retiring from live performances at
12267-463: The four personalities of the Who. Townshend played multi-tracked synthesizers, and Entwistle played several overdubbed horn parts. By the time the album was being recorded, relationships between the band and Lambert and Stamp had broken down irreparably, and Bill Curbishley replaced them. The album reached No. 2 in both the UK and US. The Quadrophenia tour started in Stoke on Trent in October and
12408-600: The group in rehearsals and was impressed. He signed them to his production company, and sold the recording to the US arm of Decca Records , which meant that the group's early singles were released in Britain on Brunswick Records , one of UK Decca's labels for US artists. "I Can't Explain" was recorded in early November 1964 at Pye Studios in Marble Arch with the Ivy League on backing vocals, and Jimmy Page played fuzz guitar on
12549-715: The group to release a solo album, Smash Your Head Against the Wall , in May 1971. Recording at the Record Plant in New York City in March 1971 was abandoned when Lambert's addiction to hard drugs interfered with his ability to produce. The group restarted with Glyn Johns in April. The album was mostly Lifehouse material, with one unrelated song by Entwistle, " My Wife ", and was released as Who's Next in August. The album reached No. 1 in
12690-481: The group would be ideal to represent the growing mod movement in Britain which involved fashion, scooters and music genres such as rhythm and blues , soul and modern jazz . He renamed the group the High Numbers, dressed them up in mod clothes, secured a second, more favourable audition with Fontana and wrote the lyrics for both sides of their single " Zoot Suit"/"I'm the Face " to appeal to mods. The tune for "Zoot Suit"
12831-686: The group's regular audience from the Goldhawk Social Club. Enthusiastic reception on television and regular airplay on pirate radio helped the single slowly climb the charts in early 1965 until it reached the top 10. In early 1965, the Who made their first appearance on the television music show, Top of the Pops , at the BBC 's Dickenson Road Studios in Manchester , with "I Can't Explain". The follow-up single, " Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere ", by Townshend and Daltrey, features guitar noises such as pick sliding , toggle switching and feedback , which
12972-401: The group, they split in 1983. The Who occasionally re-formed for live appearances such as Live Aid in 1985, a 25th-anniversary tour in 1989 with Simon Phillips on drums and a tour of Quadrophenia in 1996–1997. A full reunion began in 1999, with drummer Zak Starkey . After Entwistle's death in 2002, plans for a new album were delayed until 2006, with Endless Wire . Since Entwistle's death,
13113-422: The guitar work of Duane Eddy . He was unable to afford a bass and built one at home. After Acton County, Townshend attended Ealing Art College , a move he later described as profoundly influential on the course of the Who. Daltrey, who was in the year above, had moved to Acton from Shepherd's Bush , a more working-class area. He had trouble fitting in at the school, and discovered gangs and rock and roll. He
13254-586: The imprint for all the Who's UK output until the mid-1970s. The group started 1968 by touring Australia and New Zealand with the Small Faces . The groups had trouble with the local authorities and the New Zealand Truth called them "unwashed, foul-smelling, booze-swilling no-hopers". After an incident that took place on a flight to Sydney , the band were briefly arrested in Melbourne and then forced to leave
13395-597: The label released its first single, " Purple Haze ", followed by their first album, Are You Experienced . Track Records went on to profit from hit singles such as " Fire " by the band The Crazy World of Arthur Brown , which reached No. 1 in the UK and Canada and No. 2 on the US Billboard charts , as well as " Eight Miles High " by The Byrds , which reached No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. Stamp and Lambert also helped launch The Who's seminal rock opera Tommy . During
13536-488: The larger story. Poised effectively between the twin intoxicants of drugs and desire, they could be interpreted to the listener's taste". In concert, Hendrix sometimes substituted lyrics for comic effect; " 'scuse me while I kiss the sky" was rendered " 'scuse me while I kiss this guy" (while gesturing towards Mitchell), " 'scuse me while I kiss that policeman" (at a near riot in Los Angeles), or " 'scuse me while I fuck
13677-406: The music business. He provided liner notes for the 1995 re-release of The Who's 1966 album A Quick One , and provided a foreword to the 2005 re-release of The Who biography Anyway Anyhow Anywhere: The Complete Chronicle of the Who 1958-1978 . In 2005, he also gave an informal presentation at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of their programme "From Songwriters to Soundmen: The People Behind
13818-825: The next morning. By the time the Detours had become the Who, they had already found regular gigs, including at the Oldfield Hotel in Greenford, the White Hart Hotel in Acton, the Goldhawk Social Club in Shepherd's Bush, and the Notre Dame Hall in Leicester Square. They had also replaced Druce as manager with Helmut Gorden, with whom they secured an audition with Chris Parmeinter for Fontana Records . Parmeinter found problems with
13959-449: The pair came to share a flat in west London, and in 1963 Lambert convinced Stamp that the two should direct their own film about the burgeoning British rock scene."Our idea was to find a group that somehow represented the emerging ideas of our time. They would be rebellious, anarchistic and uniquely different from the established English pop scene," said Stamp. Stamp and Lambert met the members of The Who during one of their performances at
14100-454: The plot of a new album project and its relationship to Baba's teachings. The album went through several names during recording, including Deaf Dumb and Blind Boy and Amazing Journey ; Townshend settled on Tommy for the album about the life of a deaf, dumb and blind boy, and his attempt to communicate with others. Some songs, such as "Welcome" and "Amazing Journey", were inspired by Baba's teaching, and others came from observations within
14241-595: The process because Chandler felt that it was more efficient for him and Hendrix to do it alone. To get a better quality recording, Chandler took the four-track tape recorded at De Lane Lea to Olympic Studios for overdubbing (although Hendrix had worked with eight-track recording in the US, it was not yet available in the UK). At Olympic, they were assigned Eddie Kramer , who, as a sound engineer, played an important role in subsequent Hendrix recordings. Hendrix added new vocals and guitar parts between February 3 and 8, 1967. Unlike
14382-416: The project was never broadcast. The Who had not released an album in over a year, and had not completed the recording of Tommy , which continued well into 1969, interspersed with gigs at weekends. Lambert was a key figure in keeping the group focused and getting the album completed, and typed up a script to help them understand the story and how the songs fitted together. The album was released in May with
14523-605: The prospect of doing so, and demanded that all the tapes be burned. Instead, they booked two shows, one in Leeds on 14 February, and one in Hull the following day, with the intention of recording a live album. Technical problems from the Hull gig resulted in the Leeds gig being used, which became Live at Leeds . The album is viewed by several critics including The Independent , The Telegraph and
14664-577: The range of the guitar" and, according to Shadwick, "gives the impression that the guitar notes are flying off into the ether." On March 17, 1967, "Purple Haze" was released in the UK as the first single on Track Records . Another Hendrix composition, the R&;B -influenced "51st Anniversary" was included as the B-side . Paul McCartney , who was an early Hendrix supporter, gave the record an enthusiastic pre-release review in Melody Maker . The single entered
14805-491: The razor edge of distort". However, individual notes are still clear, as well as the harmonically more complex chords, even with the use of extreme overdrive for the time. The tension is maintained until the guitar solo, which "arrives as something of a release rather than a further racking up of the atmosphere." It is also when Hendrix first introduces the Octavia, coupled with a Fuzz Face distortion unit. Whitehill describes
14946-425: The respective octaves. Mitchell on drums comes in for the third measure, when Hendrix introduces the riff that piqued Chandler's interest, and Redding continues playing the octaves in E. After the riff, the verse sections begin, which Shadwick describe as "simplicity itself, consisting of just three chords": E7 ♯ 9, G, and A. The E7 ♯ 9, or dominant seventh sharp ninth chord, has come to be called
15087-446: The rest of the band, married, and a more proficient musician, having been playing semi-professionally for two years. Dawson left after frequently arguing with Daltrey and was briefly replaced by Gabby Connolly, before Daltrey moved to lead vocals. Townshend, with Entwistle's encouragement, became the sole guitarist. Through Townshend's mother, the group obtained a management contract with local promoter Robert Druce, who started booking
15228-497: The rest of the show. After a show in Montreal , the band (except for Daltrey, who retired to bed early) caused so much damage to their hotel room, including destroying an antique painting and ramming a marble table through a wall, that federal law enforcement arrested them. By 1974, work had begun in earnest on a Tommy film . Stigwood suggested Ken Russell as director, whose previous work Townshend had admired. The film featured
15369-412: The riff and showed Noel the chords and the changes. I listened to it and we went, 'OK, let's do it.' We got it on the third take as I recall." The basic track was recorded in four hours, according to Chandler. Multitrack recording technology allowed engineers to record and complete additional parts on the final master. After the basic track was finished, Chandler explained that he and Hendrix developed
15510-475: The rights to the master tapes, which prevented the album from being reissued until 2002. The Who were signed to Robert Stigwood 's label, Reaction, and released " Substitute ". Townshend said he wrote the song about identity crisis, and as a parody of the Rolling Stones 's " 19th Nervous Breakdown ". It was the first single to feature him playing an acoustic twelve-string guitar . Talmy took legal action over
15651-473: The sky" (during a downpour in Seattle). Music critic William Ruhlmann describes "Purple Haze" as having "relentlessly driving, if relatively slow-paced underlying music, which provides a good platform for some of Hendrix's inventive guitar playing". Beginning with its dissonant opening and heavy use of distortion , Hendrix's techniques "all contributed to the dirty, raw, metallic, [and] angular sounds" heard in
15792-448: The sky". However, Hendrix and those closest to him never discussed any connection between psychedelic drugs and the song, although Shapiro admits that, at the time, to do so would have been "professional suicide". Chandler, who claimed he was present when Hendrix wrote it, later denied suggestions that Hendrix did so while under the influence of psychedelics. Commenting on the lyrics, Shadwick concludes "the music [was allowed] to tell
15933-450: The slogan "Maximum R&B". In June 1964, during a performance at the Railway, Townshend accidentally broke the head of his guitar on the low ceiling of the stage. Angered by the audience's laughter, he smashed the instrument on the stage, then picked up another guitar and continued the show. The following week, the audience were keen to see a repeat of the event. Moon obliged by kicking his drum kit over, and auto-destructive art became
16074-576: The solo as "almost sound[ing] likes he's playing a blues raga. He starts out playing in the Mixolydian mode and then he goes right into the blues side. The Octavia has the effect of a sitar, kind of like Ravi Shankar meets B.B. King." During the song's outro, the guitar part recorded at 7½ inches per second (ips) played back at 15 ips, is combined with the Octavia, further extending the guitar's upper frequency range. Henderson describes it as "an uncanny piercing tone that takes off, Eastern-sounding beyond
16215-418: The song to its list of the "100 Most Important American Musical Works of the 20th Century" in 2000. In 2000, it was given a Grammy Hall of Fame Award , which "honor[s] recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance". In 2020, Far Out ranked the song number one on their list of the 20 greatest Jimi Hendrix songs, and in 2021, American Songwriter ranked the song number two on their list of
16356-420: The song's lyrics. Biographer Harry Shapiro points out that "Purple Haze" is most likely "a pot-pourri of ideas" which Hendrix developed over time. As a fan of science fiction, he frequently incorporated its imagery in his songwriting. Hendrix read Night of Light , a 1966 novel by Philip José Farmer , that expanded on a short story published in 1957. In the story set on a distant planet, sunspots produce
16497-407: The song, according to Shapiro. The intro consists of the melodic interval of a tritone or diminished (sometimes called flattened ) fifth . Historically, this dissonant interval has been referred to as diabolus in musica (literally "Devil in music"). It is sounded during the first two measures by Hendrix playing a B ♭ on guitar against an E played by Redding on bass, followed by
16638-522: The song: With 'Purple Haze', Hendrix and I were striving for a sound and just kept going back in [to the studio], two hours at a time, trying to achieve it. It wasn't like we were there for days on end. We recorded it, and then Hendrix and I would be sitting at home saying, 'Let's try that.' Then we would go in for an hour or two. That's how it was in those days. However long it took to record one specific idea, that's how long we would book. We kept going in and out. Redding and Mitchell were not included in
16779-520: The spiritual message he wanted as well as being entertaining. The album was projected for a Christmas 1968 release but recording stalled after Townshend decided to make a double album to cover the story in sufficient depth. By the end of the year, 18 months of touring had led to a well-rehearsed and tight live band, which was evident when they performed "A Quick One While He's Away" at The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus television special. The Stones considered their own performance lacklustre, and
16920-461: The toilet: "[A]ll that porcelain flying through the air was quite unforgettable. I never realised dynamite was so powerful." After a gig in Flint, Michigan on Moon's 21st birthday on 23 August 1967, the entourage caused $ 24,000 of damage at the hotel, and Moon knocked out one of his front teeth. Daltrey later said that the tour brought the band closer, and as the support act, they could turn up and perform
17061-653: The tour began in Houston to a crowd of 18,000 at The Summit Arena , and was supported by Toots and the Maytals . On 6 December 1975, the Who set the record for largest indoor concert at the Pontiac Silverdome , attended by 78,000. On 31 May 1976, they played a second concert at the Valley which was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's loudest concert at over 120 dB. Townshend had become fed up of touring but Entwistle considered live performance to be at
17202-443: The whole of America had gone mad." A more enjoyable appearance came a few weeks later at the 1969 Isle of Wight Festival in England, which Townshend described as "a great concert for" the band. According to Townshend, at the end of the Isle of Wight gig the field was covered in rubbish left by fans (which the band's roadies helped to clear up), which inspired the line "teenage wasteland" from their single " Baba O'Riley ". By 1970,
17343-472: Was "Misery" by the Dynamics , and "I'm the Face" borrowed from Slim Harpo 's "I Got Love If You Want It". Although Meaden tried to promote the single, it failed to reach the top 50 and the band reverted to calling themselves the Who. The group – none of whom played their instruments conventionally – began to improve their stage image; Daltrey started using his microphone cable as
17484-525: Was "trying to get Keith out of the Who". To alleviate financial pressure on the band, Lambert arranged a song-writing deal which required each member to write two songs for the next album. Entwistle contributed " Boris the Spider " and "Whiskey Man" and found a niche role as second songwriter. The band found they needed to fill an extra ten minutes, and Lambert encouraged Townshend to write a longer piece, " A Quick One, While He's Away ". The suite of song fragments
17625-404: Was 70 years old. The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey , guitarist Pete Townshend , bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon . They are considered one of the most influential rock bands of the 20th century. Their contributions to rock music include the development of
17766-562: Was a critical and commercial success, and has been certified 3× platinum by the RIAA . The Who continued to issue Lifehouse -related material over the next few years, including the singles " Let's See Action ", " Join Together " and " Relay ". The band went back on tour, and "Baba O' Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again" became live favourites. In November they performed at the newly opened Rainbow Theatre in London for three nights, continuing in
17907-559: Was becoming increasingly destructive and problematic through excessive drinking and drugs use, and a desire to party and tour. Daltrey performed an audit of the group's finances and discovered that Lambert and Stamp had not kept sufficient records. He believed them to be no longer effective managers, which Townshend and Moon disputed. The painful dissolution of the managerial and personal relationships are recounted in James D. Cooper's 2014 retrospective documentary, Lambert & Stamp . Following
18048-404: Was booked for a series of experimental concerts. Townshend approached the gigs with optimism; the rest of the band were just happy to be gigging again. Eventually, the others complained to Townshend that the project was too complicated and they should simply record another album. Things deteriorated until Townshend had a nervous breakdown and abandoned Lifehouse . Entwistle was the first member of
18189-465: Was embarrassed at his wealth, which he felt was at odds with Meher Baba's ideals, and Moon spent frivolously. During the latter part of 1970, Townshend plotted a follow-up Tommy : Lifehouse , which was to be a multi-media project symbolising the relationship between an artist and his audience. He developed ideas in his home studio, creating layers of synthesizers, and the Young Vic theatre in London
18330-423: Was expelled at 15 and found work on a building site. In 1959 he started the Detours, the band that was to evolve into the Who. The band played professional gigs, such as corporate and wedding functions, and Daltrey kept a close eye on the finances as well as the music. Daltrey spotted Entwistle by chance on the street carrying a bass and recruited him into the Detours. In mid-1961, Entwistle suggested Townshend as
18471-417: Was five years younger, the son of a tug-boatman, and Keith Moon described Stamp as speaking "in nearly unintelligible East London cockney ". Roger Daltrey said the following about the pair: Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp were the fifth and sixth members of The Who: Kit, with his outrageous behaviour and ideas on how to manipulate the media, and Chris, the expert in cool, menace, and scams! Their contribution to
18612-406: Was immediately beset with problems. Daltrey resisted Townshend's wish to add Joe Cocker 's keyboardist Chris Stainton (who played on the album) to the touring band. As a compromise, Townshend assembled the keyboard and synthesizer parts on backing tapes, as such a strategy had been successful with "Baba O'Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again". The technology was not sophisticated enough to deal with
18753-412: Was included as the opening track on the American release of Are You Experienced on August 23, 1967. Because of the song's airplay on underground FM radio , the album became more popular than Hendrix's singles. One of Hendrix's most popular songs, "Purple Haze" appears on numerous compilation albums. Some of these include Smash Hits , The Essential Jimi Hendrix , The Singles Album , Kiss
18894-519: Was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and is included on lists of the greatest guitar songs, including at number two by Rolling Stone and number one by Q magazine. In 2004 and 2010, the former ranked it at number 17 on its “ The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time ” list, re-ranking it to number 250 in the 2021 edition. By January 5, 1967, the Jimi Hendrix Experience's first single, " Hey Joe ", backed with " Stone Free ", had peaked at number six on
19035-442: Was one of six children. Their father, Thomas Stamp, was a tugboat captain, and their mother was Ethel (née Perrott). Actor Terence Stamp is his older brother. Stamp started out as a filmmaker and met business partner and collaborator Kit Lambert while working at Shepperton Film Studios as an assistant director—they both worked on such films as I Could Go On Singing , The L-Shaped Room and Of Human Bondage . Eventually
19176-575: Was our lighting man". At the end, Townshend threw his guitar into the audience. The set was professionally recorded and filmed, and portions appear on the Woodstock film , The Old Grey Whistle Test and The Kids Are Alright . Woodstock has been regarded as culturally significant, but the Who were critical of the event. Roadie John "Wiggie" Wolff, who arranged the band's payment, described it as "a shambles". Daltrey declared it as "the worst gig [they] ever played" and Townshend said, "I thought
19317-594: Was performing with a semi-professional band called the Beachcombers, and wanted to play full-time. Moon played a few songs with the group, breaking a bass drum pedal and tearing a drum skin. The band were impressed with his energy and enthusiasm, and offered him the job. Moon performed with the Beachcombers a few more times, but dates clashed and he chose to devote himself to The Who. The Beachcombers auditioned Sandom, but were unimpressed and did not ask him to join. The Who changed managers to Peter Meaden . He decided that
19458-518: Was singed and his left ear left ringing, and a camera and studio monitor were destroyed. The next album was The Who Sell Out – a concept album paying tribute to pirate radio, which had been outlawed in August 1967 by the Marine Broadcasting Offences Act 1967 . It included humorous jingles and mock commercials between songs, a mini rock opera called "Rael", and "I Can See For Miles". The Who declared themselves
19599-466: Was so unconventional that it was initially rejected by the US arm of Decca. The single reached the top 10 in the UK and was used as the theme song to Ready Steady Go! The transition to a hit-making band with original material, encouraged by Lambert, did not sit well with Daltrey, and a recording session of R&B covers went unreleased. The Who were not close friends either, apart from Moon and Entwistle, who enjoyed visiting nightclubs together in
19740-529: Was so unhealthy that the Who conceded it would be difficult for him to cope with touring. The only gig that year was an informal show on 15 December at the Gaumont State Cinema in Kilburn , London, filmed for the documentary The Kids Are Alright . The band had not played for 14 months, and their performance was so weak that the footage was unused. Moon's playing was particularly lackluster and he had gained
19881-466: Was virtually unheard of at the time. On occasion, Stamp and Lambert even became part of the act themselves; during one performance in 1966 they lit and tossed fire bombs onto the stage as the band played. By late 1966, with two hit albums by The Who under their belts, Stamp and Lambert established their own record label. The following year they signed artist Jimi Hendrix and founded Track Record Records, eventually known simply as just Track Records . Soon
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