In an era of the most remarkable rock bands. One band eclipsed them all live. It is the reason Rush exists. U2 ‘s favorite band. The Who live are the greatest rock act in history. No disrespect to the Dead, the Stones Springsteen Deep Purple or Led Zeppelin. Skynyrd. Allman Bros, Fleetwood Mac(awesome) Queen Paul McCartney or Elton John. All royalty. But there was one band that rose above all. The Alpha. The Omega. The Who
The Dead don't deserve any recognition, so why include them? People who like ( follow) them are those who could eat unflavored oatmeal for YEARS on end, and not even notice that they are missing FLAVORS.
@@davidrudolph5594 , I simply disagree; they may be talented on their instruments, but there is very little variety in their songs. You are welcome to criticize bands that I like if you want to, because I don't get offended.
I've seen all but 2 of the bands you list, and IMO the Who are what you say they are. They are just the abscolute shit. The secret sauce is John Entwistle. If he was in your band, the rest of the band would have to flat out suck for your band to not be great. News flash - the rest of John Entwistle's band did not suck.
Pete Townshend has said some scientists told him Keith's hand speed was physiologically impossible - muscles can't move that fast. If you go to 3:01 that burst of speed is so fast it's blurred on film, which is 22 frames per second. So that's more than 22 beats per second, which is faster than muscles can twitch. I think he must have learned how to multiply his speed by bouncing the sticks. It's too bad no one ever filmed him on high speed film. (full disclosure: I got a master's degree in muscle and joint physiology). He also did some crazy stick tricks, like bouncing a stick off the snares, spinning 25 feet in the air, and catching it. Not many drummers could put on a show like that.
I've watched all the greats and love em all but Ive come to the conclusion Keith is the best rock drummer. Especially listening to his isolated drum tracks. Most inventive fills and phenomenal live. My goal in life is to play Amazing Journey right one time before I die😂
Excellent. What we're all seeing here is the early birth of the Rock Opera incubating in the mind of Pete Townsend. The concept of multiple songs and themes being constructed as interlocking units that could tell stories beyond the capability of the two and a half minute radio song. That mind - and that band - would soon unleash Tommy on an unexpecting world.
My favorite part of this song is the part where they chant the word 'cello' because the record company wouldn't pay for an actual cello player to perform that section like the band wanted.
That’s such a great story. I never knew that. It reminds of the story of the song “Handyman” by Jimmy Jones. A flute player never showed up for the recording, so the co-writer of the song whistled the flute part.
@@keef7224 For a while I thought they were saying 'Jello' then maybe 'bellow'. Neither of which make any sense. I was pleasantly surprised to find out the truth in a random article one day, actually made me enjoy the song even more.
@@grennmanalieshi Perhaps it’s just a different sound coming from them than you’re used to? It’s rumored that the Stones prevented this song from being more well-known. Something else to add to my sweet and sour feelings for the Stones. What most of our intentions were in requesting this was for the A’s to watch a live Who performance. It was their live shows that helped catapult them into stardom. Anyway, I feel your comment might have been better left on the main thread instead of under mine, as I am extremely fond of this performance.
At the start of the ‘you’re forgiven’ section, they’re singing Cello Cello Cello. They wanted cellos on the record but couldn’t afford them so sang it instead.
They sure did, considering the number of names that were there such as the Stones, Tull, Lennon, Clapton, Taj Mahal, nobody other than The Who really performed well.
@@nickfisher432 The thing is, back then you had no media to market it. You saw it live or when it reaired. This was 1967,68 I believe. You can find it in it’s complete form in The Who’s movie “The Kids Are Alright” movie from 197(9?) The Who and the Stones were always on friendly terms. Keith & Ringo were drinking buddies but I don’t think that Pete saying that The Beatles sounded “flippin lousy” endeared him to rest of the band.
@@ianbrooke6342 Taj Mahal and The Dirty Mac are probably the best performances other than The Who. The problem with Jethro Tull's performance is that, while Ian Anderson is live, the band isn't -- they're just miming to the recording. But even then it's still pretty good -- and interesting to see Tony Iommi on guitar even though he's not live.
The Rolling Stones rock ‘n’ roll circus never actually aired on TV as planned. Rumor is that the stones canceled it themselves because The Who we’re just back from their American tour, fired up this energy, and blew everyone else out of the water. Don’t know how true that is but it was one of the best performances in the show.
This is the "Kids are Alright" version. There's a version on youtube released only a few years ago: same sound, but different camera angles that end up being much better. In there you can see Townshend trip on Moon's cymbal mic stand, the mic hits Moon, Townshend reorients it, all without either missing a lick. You can also see better when Townshend runs into his own mic and pushes it it down, then lifts it with his nose and sing, again without missing a lick (only the nose part is visible here). Better views of Moon's water (or was it beer?) on the snare stunt. Overall more energetic. I've included the link because it is freakin awesome, a great thing made a tad better. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RJv2-_--EY4.html
@@samcook1545 - I think it was more that the Rolling Stones were also very unhappy with their own performance, they were tired, listless and Brian Jones was a shell of the musician he used to be, by then. Though, maybe it wouldn't have been as obvious without the juxtaposition.
YESSSSS! Fantastic film created by a fan, backed by the Who and put together way before MTV, with full song knock-out performances throughout from early '60's to '78....best rock film ever made!
So glad you did this one. The Who stole the thunder form the Stones and Dirty Mac - I especially loved Keith's water stunt. Definitely one of the seminal moments of rock music.
Y, The Who had just gotten off of a tour so they were tight and smokin' hot. This is such a great showcase for their classic sound and what they were capable of. I get why this was never a hit, it's all over the place. But what a ride. Love this clip.
Definitely watch “The Kids are Alright” movie. There’s a great story about “Won’t Get Fooled Again”. The producer of the movie came up after the concert being filmed (for the documentary) was supposed to be done. He wanted a definitive “WGFA” and would they do it? There was a lot of swearing as only the English can do it, and they went out on stage LIVID PISSED OFF. They were BRILLIANT.
Roger Daltrey has said that even though he was the lead singer he had to do something onstage to draw attention to himself, to compete with the visual antics of Townshend & Moon. Thus the swinging of the mike was born.
So great, it’s wonderful you guys did this one! Amazing performance by The Who. One of the reasons The Stones did not want to release the Rock And Roll Circus was due to The Who absolutely blowing everybody else off the stage.
I believe the Stones were also not pleased with their own performance because they had arrived a few hours before the filming and were working on very little sleep (and probably hung over). I can’t recall all the details, but I think their reluctance to release the footage was more about their unacceptable performance than The Who’s performance. But maybe I’m wrong?
He played everything on that bass, just like Keith did on drums...rhythm, lyrics, notes, everything! It took four guys to attempt to recreate what he did when he died at the start of their 2002 tour. Roger said at their first show several days later at the Gorge in eastern WA that they had to continue with the tour and were terribly honored that us fans all showed up anyway...his words about John were so heartfelt he had ALL of us in tears. I'll never forget it. RIP John and Keith. Long live the Who!!!!
@@michaelgray4964 Very different, except Entwistle and Squire both had that amazing, electric storm tone, as if their bass strings were live wires buzzing and sparking away. In that way they were similar enough that I always compare them.
@@terryanngallagher3605 Wow, that actually gave me chills! Great you were able to experience that first hand! Epic concert tale!! ;) Thanks for sharing!
@@terryanngallagher3605 A group of us came down from Vancouver for that show. We had been in the pub for jam night either the day of or the day after the news dropped and were all bummed that John was gone and figured the tour was going to be cancelled. That ended up being one of the most fired performances from them that I've seen since the first time on the '89 reunion...Pete smashing his guitar at the end of Won't Get Fooled Again in pure frustration, despair and rage is something I never thought I'd see him do and it's a memory I'll cherish 'til the day I die, in spite of the circumstance that brought it about. I also remember somebody farted on stage and the audience laughing and Roger (I think) saying "joke's on you, the wind is blowing it your way!" or to that effect, lol.... I've got the mp3's, been a long time since I listened. Great Setlist, Amazing Night! Disc1 01 I Can't Explain 02 Substitute 03 Any Way, Anyhow, Anywhere 04 Who Are You 05 Another Tricky Day 06 Relay 07 Bargain 08 Baba O'riley 09 Eminence Front 10 Sea And Sand 11 5-15 12 Love, Reign O'er Me Disc2 13 Behind Blue Eyes 14 You Better, You Bet 15 The Kids Are Alright 16 My Generation 17 Won't Get Fooled Again 18 Pinball Wizard 19 Amazing Journey 20 Sparks 21 See Me, Feel Me-Listening To You
I feel so blessed to have seen this incredible band way back in the days sitting in the second row during the Quadrophenia tour. Unbelievable to see them live and in their prime. And to top it off Lynyrd Skynyrd was the opening act.
This was the beginning of The Who’s dominance of live performances for the next several years. They supposedly embarrassed the Stones by this gig. Check out Woodstock, Isle of Wight or Tanglewood for some of their best recordings or the epic Live at Leeds album.
The mike swing is Daltrey’s gimmick . He often tells the story about deliberately hitting a heckler in the crowd at a concert and breaking the guy’s nose.
The guy was in a violent gang, cut Roger's head with a carefully aimed coin first, so deserved the retribution! In the mid-'60's Roger had needed something to do with his hands and started twirling the mic with great precision!
Keith wanted his drum kit in front, but of course, that couldn't happen, so he did all he could to upstage everyone else! He couldn't sing well at all, but tried to anyway!
@@Itelkner They never let him, ever. He has a great gravelly voice for Uncle Ernie in the film Tommy...and he can do falsetto on Barbara Ann, but can't do melody or harmony no matter how he tries. He never had a microphone on tour or on records...he lip syncs!
@@terryanngallagher3605 He appears to be singing right at the start of this video unless he's lip-synching.The harmony sounds like it could be 4-part; it sounds pretty full. I don't hear one bad one screwing it up
“Keith Moon is being an absolute lunatic…” standard Moon moves- I wish you could have seen the band live! Although they were still great after his death, the party never really was the same.
And this performance by the Who is why the Rolling Stones Rock N Roll Circus film or soundtrack wasn't officially released by the Stones until many years later. Mick felt that The Who had blown away their own performance that night.
Sitting next to that clown was Brian Jones. The main reason that this show was not released for nearly 30 years was the Stones were far from impressed that The Who completely blew them off the stage. More live Who please! "See Me, Feel Me" from Woodstock would be a great place to go next.
You DEFINITELY need to react to The Who performing "Young Man Blues" live at the Isle of Wight in 1970. It has at least as much energy as this performance of A Quick One, but they also have a larger stage where you get to see why The Who are often considered the greatest live rock and roll band of all time, especially in the 1969 - 1972 era.
The Who are my absolute fav band. Loved them since their inception and blessed to have seen them live at least 8 times since 1971. Five times with Moon!! Worked for MCA records in SF, their label, in the 70's and was able to watch them on stage at their Day On The Green show. Saw all the greats of that era multiple times. But no one, no one had the stage energy, dynamics and rocked out like The Who! MUST SEE entire 1970 Isle of Wight show they did to 600,000! Great production and camera work!
The Who was the most exciting live band ever, not just for their incredible musical assault on the ears, but for the unmatched visuals and energy on stage. Listen and react to the album "Live at Leeds" which for my money is still the best live album ever made.
Live at Leeds is not only what might be considered the Who’s best live concert but sets the benchmark for what a live rock concert should be. Epic on so many fronts and always needs to be played LOUD.
@@loosilu True, there are some moments on Live at Hull that are even better than Leeds. But there were a few "warts" in the Hull performance so they went with the flawless Leeds gig and released it as Live at Leeds.
Second concert I ever saw was The Who in 1973. We walked out and just looked at each other and KNEW: that was it. That was the greatest concert we'll ever see, period. It was. No matter how great the band or the show, nothing...ever...got near the power and fury and grace of that concert. The Who is the greatest live band in the world.
I first saw them in 1968. Same thing. No band ever came close live. As a live act the Who were untouchable. And much of their greatness had to do with Moon. Never has a drummer added so much to a band's stage presence. So grateful this performance was preserved. The Stones may have shot themselves in the foot that night. Thank God they didn't burn the tapes.
If you haven't watched their infamous performance of My Generation on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Show, then that should be the next stop on your rock and roll journey.
I'm a Who fan and I've known the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus wasn't officially released for several decades because the Rolling Stones knew their performance at that gig was sub-par to The Who. But I would encourage everyone to go and watch the Rolling Stones performing "You Can't Always Get What You Want" at the Rock and Roll Circus gig! Mick Jagger was a complete bad-ass in that performance! When I was young I used to play the "this band is better than that band" game. But as I've grown older I've learned I am so lucky to have been born in the period of time when I got to see all of these rock legends live! They are ALL great. Are the Stones better than The Who? Is The Who better than the Stones? Who cares, they're all great!
Never saw this vid before, never heard the song. What a jaw-dropping performance! When you add up the Who's playing style, instrumental/vocal talent, lyrics, compositions, performance, showmanship, Who's Next and Quadrophenia, innovation, passion, daring and original PUNK ATTITUDE, they were the total package, the supreme rock band.
I saw this performance in the Kids Are Alright when I was 13 (in 1980) and it was what set me over the top. I wasn’t going to take no for an answer from my parents, I was going to be a drummer! I listened to this song over and over. 41 years later this performance still rocks like few others. Great review gentleman!
Pete Townshend is a genius. I have always been a massive Who fan but in my early teens I did not know what to make of this. This footage was not seen for years and watching it I can see just how brilliant it is.
The amount of power and energy that four geezers from west London had on stage is incomparable. They didn't have fancy light shows or big screens or pyrotechnics - they didn't need it. They just had two massive stacks of amps - and Keith Moon.
The Rolling Stones' Rock n' Roll Circus was meant to be a Christmas special on BBC. It was a great showcase for live performances by the Stones (of course!), John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Jethro Tull, among others. Filmed in 1968, it was not released publicly until 1986. One reason the Rolling Stones didn't release it was because they were upstaged by The Who.
The Rolling Stones Rock 'n' Roll Circus also includes a performance by a group called the Dirty Mac which features John Lennon and Eric Clapton on guitars, Keith Richards on bass, and Mitch Mitchell (Jimi Hendrix Experience) on drums performing Yer Blues. There is also a performance by Jethro Tull whose original lead guitarist had recently quit; the initial replacement had already decided he did not want to stay with Jethro Tull, but Ian Anderson talked him into at appearing for The Rock 'n' Roll Circus. That guitarist's name was Tony Iommi, and left Tull to return to his other band Earth, who later changed their name to Black Sabbath.
Supposedly they were looking a for a new band to introduce at the show. They were trying to decide between two pretty unknown bands and decided to go with Jethro Tull. The other new, unknown band they decided was a bit too heavy for everyone's taste. It was Led Zeppelin.
Actually December 1968. At this same show, Lennon, Clapton, Keith Richards, and Mitch Mitchell played as a one time group called the Dirty Mac, which is great until Yoko shows up. Jagger and Townshend actually turned down Zeppelin for this show in favor of Jethro Tull.
The whole concert is an amazing record of this time, in terms of those gathered. Rolling Stones wouldn’t become ‘the Greatest Rock & Roll band’ until Mick Taylor joins a few months later & they go on a studio & live run from 69-74 that’s tops for me. Anytime we get The Who or The Stones on this channel is a must watch! 🔥
I have seen them seven times. That show was far and away the best. Caught ZZ Top on the Tres Hombres tour with Freddie King. That's up there. I'd probably put Genesis with Peter Gabriel in there somewhere too. "Selling England by the Pound" tour.
Stones catalogue from Beggars Banquet to Exile on Main Street is second to none. I agree @Simon Hudson, Mick Taylor was the secret sauce. His technically clean style perfectly complemented Keith’s grittier work.
Of course is it MANDATORY to react to The Who performing Won't Get Fooled Again live at Shepperton Studios. It's the version they recorded for The Kids Are Alright movie but it is probably their greatest live performance, even though it was Keith Moon's last performance.
The Shepperton Studios videos of "Won't Get Fooled Again" and "Who Are You" are great quality captures of their high-energy live performances. Some great behind the scenes of all 4 joking around during recording too. Kieth Moon going full Gonzo with headphones taped on to keep them on his head. This session is as good as when I saw them in their prime.
I think that this is just your 2nd reaction to pre-Tommy Who, and there's more great stuff to check out from the early days. I would do "I Can See for Miles" next, but you also need to hear, at a minimum, "Substitute" and "The Kids Are Alright". If you want to do an early Who poll, you could include those 3 songs, along with either "I Can't Explain" or "Pictures of Lily".
YES - "Substitute" is so pre-punk the Sex Pistols used to cover it, but "I Can See Fro Miles" should be the next studio track. Of course, if they track "Live At Leeds" we could hear "Substitute" live along with "Young Man Blues"
Keith's work on I Can See For Miles and Happy Jack caught my attention at age 15 and made me want to be a drummer....too bad there were almost zero role models for female drummers in the mid-'60's!
The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus was filmed over 2 nights in December, 1968 intended for broadcast on the BBC.Mick felt the Who blew the Stones off the stage so the program sat on the shelf for 20 years or so when it was released on VHS. What a magnificent revelation it was! You need to watch that entire show! Taj Mahal really rocks it!
After folowing your channel for almost 2 years and being Patreon for over a year and a half you FINALLY reacted to a song that this 55 year old rock fan had NOT heard before either studio or live...kudos....
This live version is one the Who's greatest moments. Blew everyone off the stage at the Rolling Stones' Rock and Roll Circus. The Stones were merely OK that day, and the Who were so much better that the TV special was shelved and the recordings weren't available for years. I think this showed up the first time in the great 1979 documentary "The Kids Are Alright," which is must-see for anyone interested in the Who.
Right, now imagine that intensity, with a few more years playing live under their belt and now you have to try Live at Isle of Wight. 2hrs of insanity fighting to be the lead. Best live band evee
It’s The Rolling Stones Rock n Roll Circus. It was shelved over a decade. Word was the Stones were disappointed their performance. Some wanted The Who (who were fresh off a tour n in great form) to buy it n call it The Who’s RnR Circus. . (Lennon n Yoko are there n he played Yer Blues in one of the first supergroups!)
This was their first "mini-opera," and served as writing practice for Pete to expand into the epic productions that were Tommy and Quadrophenia (as well as the failed "Lifehouse" project from which the album Who's Next was salvaged). If you want to see more of them live, there are so many great choices, but I think you'd particularly enjoy their Shepperton Studios concert, doing tracks like "Baba O'Reilly" and "Won't Get Fooled Again." How good were The Who live? I saw them twice, the first time when they still had Entwistle on bass. I got into a car accident on the drive home and totalled my car. STILL WORTH IT.
The original idea for the concert was going to include the Small Faces, the Rolling Stones, and the Who, and the concept of a circus was first thought up between Mick Jagger, Pete Townshend, and Ronnie Lane. It was meant to be aired on the BBC, but instead the Rolling Stones withheld it. The Rolling Stones contended they did so because of their substandard performance, clearly exhausted after 15 hours (and some indulgence in drugs). There is also the fact that this was Brian Jones' last appearance with the Rolling Stones; he drowned some seven months later while the film was being edited. Some speculate that another reason for not releasing the film was that the Who, who were fresh off a concert tour, seemingly upstaged the Stones on their own production. Led Zeppelin was considered for inclusion but the idea was dropped. The show was not released commercially until 1996. Wikipedia
Led Zeppelin was totally a band by Dec 1968 in fact Led Zeppelin 1 was already recorded and they had done a tour of the UK in October so i'm sure that word was already spreading about this new band. Jethro Tull were not a well known band at the time either and got invited so i'm sure they at least thought about inviting Led Zeppelin. Imagine a show with the Who the Stones John Lennon, Eric Clapton and Led Zeppelin.
Lots of iconic rock stars in audience including John Lennon.. I seem to remember John on stage with Eric Clapton playing “Yer Blues”, from the White Album 💿 on this night.
Live Who!!!! 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 Y’all have to watch The Who perform at Woodstock. The whole set is amazing, but “See Me, Feel Me” is just unbelievable. By the time The Who finally hit the stage at dawn, they were tired and strung out from an inadvertent acid-trip after drinking spiked coffee. The crowd was tired, too. They had just seen Sly and the Family Stone perform, and the energy from that show left them absolutely spent. And despite all of that and the fact that Pete’s guitar was out of tune, the resulting performance was a near-religious experience that summoned the sunrise. John Entwistle said that God was their lighting man. Pete Townshend played so hard that his fingers bled. It was the performance of a lifetime.
Top recommendations would be Won't Get Fooled Again at Shepperton Studios 1978 and See Me Feel Me at Woodstock 1969, both of which are included in the movie The Kids Are Alright, which would be a great one to watch in total on Patreon. Some other notable performances are Summertime Blues at Woodstock, Young Man Blues at the Isle of Wight, Love Reign o'er Me at Shea Stadium 1982 (Townshend plays a gorgeous guitar solo) and Won't Get Fooled Again at a Madison Square Garden benefit for first responders of 9/11.
Kit Lambert asked Pete to write a ten-minute song. Pete said it was impossible, rock songs were then traditionally 2:50 minutes, tops, in order to get played on the radio. So Kit said, "Ok, write a song made up of three 2:50-minute songs." This was the result, and led to the rock opera becoming a thing with "Tommy," of course, which they played at Woodstock the next year and again stole the show, blowing away half a million people after waiting 9 hours to get onstage at dawn, furious that someone had spiked their tea with acid! First saw them live in summer of '71 and went deaf for a day! Nearly died in a crush in '75 when the crowd rushed the stage in Anaheim stadium but stayed anyway, deciding it was worth it for the show! I then saw them another ten times through 2016, including '02 a few days following John's death. (It took 4 guys to simulate what he did on his bass.) Long live the Who!!!
Everytime I see this clip, it brings me great joy and I laugh out loud. The Who comes across as a band auditioning a new song for an event or festival. So lively ...it goes everywhere!!! :D
This was composed by Townsend prior to Tommy, and he sometimes referred to it as the “mini opera.” Also, that falsetto coming out of Entwistle always makes me smile, as his natural voice is a bass/bassoon.
This performance alone makes it worth buying the dvd “The Rolling Stones Rock And Roll Circus”. It was supposed to be a one time television special, and it had the Stones, Jethro Tull (with Tony Iommi on guitar), Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithful, The Dirty Mac (a one time performance with John Lennon, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, and Mitch Mitchell). The audience was by invitation only: you had to be a member of the Stones U.K. fan club. This was Brian Jones’ last public performance, this was filmed on December 11, 1968 and he drowned in his pool in July 3, 1969. The Stones didn’t release this show until 1996. The dvd is great because it has a lot of bonus material.