Customer Reviews

The Who: Wire & Glass - Six Songs from a Mini-Opera

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

First thing's first, this new material from the Who probably isn't going to make me dump my copies of Quadrophenia (my favorite Who album) and Who's Next (the best Who album). That said, Wire & Glass is pretty damn good. The musical approach echoes the classic Who sound (see Quadrophenia), but it never comes off as a re-hash. Consequently, I haven't been able to get it out of my head.

Townshend's songs have a kick to them that I haven't felt much since his 1985 album White City (1989's Who reunion song "Dig" from the Iron Man being a rare exception), and then there's Daltrey. I remember a critic commenting on how much better Daltrey is when singing Townshend's songs. It's not just that the songs are better, he himself just sounds more engaged.

Wire & Glass is identified as being songs from a "mini opera", with most if the songs being under two-minutes each leading up to the longer closing piece "Mirror Door," another Townshend tribute to the power of music.

Typically I dislike songs that name check singer after singer, but somehow this one works. I'm sure some of it has to do with the appreciation of the miracle of Townshend's and Daltrey's survival after so many years, but there's more to it than that. Again, it comes back to energy and engagement. "Mirror Door" has drive and kick and something harder to define.

I suppose emotion is the closest description I can manage. You can feel Townshend's love of what he's doing coming through in Daltrey's delivery, and the end result is so much more than the sum of its parts. And that, despite the absence of Keith Moon and John Entwistle, is how I know that this is truly the Who. Welcome back.

I love The Who...seen them in many incarnations...including "The Two" that they are now. That being said, I will give this review based on what I hear on this cd...not how much I love this band.

The cd single announcement at amazon basically said that this single is snippets from songs from an upcoming cd. I believe that is incorrect...as these short tunes are part of one complete short rock opera. The idea that this was song samples at first stopped me from wanting this, but then I decided to go for it (I'm a fan...I just had to).

Now as to realities...I cannot pinpoint it, but my best observation is to take the best of Face Dances and mix that with the worst of Quadrophenia, mixed with the basic Townsend solo demos..and this is the sound you get. Not bad...not always "the Who" but when it is, it works.

Instrumentations are well, but I do miss the distinctive bass of John "The Ox" Entwistle...Palladino does a fine job as any pro could here, but does not add or make any reminder of the traditional Who sound (to this cd's detriment).

Finally...Roger's voice. Like me, Roger is getting older...his voice sounds of the strain of toomany "yeaaaaah's" during "Wont' Get Fooled Again." Not only is Roger's voice raspy/hoarse, but the deep gravely bass is at a point where the listener will recognize the heights to which it will not go again.

As a Who fan, I gave this a 4, if I was not this would be a2.5-3.0. The Who is awesome, and we should enjoy them how they are today, but for the uninitiated...beware this is not the classic band from the top 40.

I must have listened to these songs a couple of dozen times by now (8/3/06) and I'm truly astonished how well they hold up. Pete's production is spot-on and Roger sounds terific, too. Nice to hear a more typical Pino Palladino sound here; he's just the right bassist for The Who in the absence of The Ox. Pete's guitar playing is energetic, as always, and the acoustic-electric mix is quite effective. I'm really looking forward to hearing the rest of this when the complete album is available. BRAVO!!!

It was just Pete and Roger, with Pete on acoustic guitar. For those of us long time fans who are still mourning Keith and John, this was appropriate and touching; it acknowledged what was lost, but also showed the strength of what remains. They performed a new song: "Man in a Purple Dress." It was fantastic -- a great song, with meaningful lyrics that reflect this troubling time. Art of this caliber after all these years! -- an artist can only survive if he remains relevant and truthful, otherwise, he just belongs in a museum or enshrined in yet another "Greatest Hits" compilation -- with new work like this, they still have full Who Attitude and renew themselves as vital contemporary artists. Pete was like an old lion, who will *never* lose his teeth or his ability to use them, and Roger showed that he still has the best pipes of them all, and has the heart and guts to sing the song of an older man with the same power he brought to the best of the Who's earlier work. I will cherish the memory of this performance, alongside the wonderful memories I have of seeing them perform Tommy, Who's Next, and Quadrophrenia. I can't WAIT for the full release of Wire and Glass to come out....

There's good news and bad news on this release. The good news is that the material is excellent. There's more life in it than there was in most of what was found on both "Face Dances" and "It's Hard". The bad news is that a couple of key elements aren't what they should or could be.

[Roger] Daltrey has been saying their best work is coming and he may be right. The longer this CD is here the more frequently it's finding it's way to the CD player. Townshend's gift for melody is as strong as it ever was. The best of his work has always challenged the listener while remaining melodically accessible. His ability to intertwine multiple musical threads into single songs while staying within a framework has always set his work apart from much of the pop world and it continues to do so. Every snippet here contains one solid musical thread and a variation on that thread that's close to solid enough be written into a song on its own merits. The only complete song presented (Mirror Door") shows several variations on the central idea along with one unrelated idea that fits the song like a glove. The first two thirds of the first idea is given three times before the final part of it is shown. That's just one example of what's going on. It's things like this that keep Townshend's work interesting and concise. It's also what's going to insure that his songs are played long after all of us are gone.

There are problems. Daltrey can't roar like the golden Rock God of old. It's not that he can't sing anymore--he can. And he can do it well. But when he tries to roar he croaks. There's no need for it. His voice is deeper and thicker and has acquired a touch of gravel with age. Some of the old high notes are elusive but he's still capable of enormous volume without having to scream. He should work with that. Some of the songs on this release show the clear powerful voice of the mature Roger but some fall into the scream of the past (and become the frog of the present). His work on "Mirror Door", "Pick Up the Peace" and "Sound Round" is generally good. His singing on "We Got a Hit" leaves something to be desired.

There's also no doubt this crew is missing both Zak Starkey and the late John Entwistle. Zak Starkey is his own man and not an imitation of Keith Moon but he was explosive (and just unconventional enough) to evoke comparisons to the departed drummer. He also worked well enough with both Townshend and Entwistle to restore much of the drive that was lost when Moon died. Entwistle was in a class by himself. His ability to find the musical core of Townshend's songs and turn it into raw energy while retaining their lyricism and musicality was unique. Pino Palladino (bass) and Peter Huntington (drums) are both excellent players but they sound like any one of a number of excellent, but entirely conventional rhythm sections found in the musical world. Their work lacks that singular drive and inner surge unique to the Who.

The mix falls short of what it aspires to as well. It's not bad and the complaints about the vocals being buried in it are off base. The sound here is much closer to a "live" sound than what's the norm for studio releases. On many of those the vocals tend to be placed at the top with the instruments pushed into the background. That's not the way it works. On stage, in live performance of material from any genre, the sound from the instruments surrounds the singer. They're in the middle of it and the sound reflects that. The sound is set to do the same thing on this release. That part of things works well. The problem is that it lacks dynamic range. Nothing really "jumps out" the way it could. Bob Pridden (the Who's sound man almost forever at this point) mixed the "Blues to the Bush" set. He also mixed the Royal Albert Hall DVD which has superb sound. He's listed as an Assistant Producer here but the sound probably would have been sharper had he mixed it.

But these complaints are falling by the wayside with each listen. This isn't really the Who anymore but there's nothing else to call it. Yes, some of the ingredients are missing and the mix seems a little flat the first few times around. But (and this is a huge "but"), everything about it sounds more "right" each time it's played. The mix is right. Daltrey's voice sounds like the only one that should touch that should touch the songs. Townshend's guitar work sounds like it's coming from one of the world's truly essential players. The material has the passion of old and the maturity of the present.

It's the Who.

To all the crybabies who are complaining that they spent 12 bucks on 11 minutes of music, learn to read about the product before you buy! Do you always just dive in and complain later?

Just read the product description above for all you need to know about this EP sampler. There is no surprise. Why do magazines review it even if it isn't a whole album? Because it's NEW music being reviewed. If you feel like a sucker then that's on you. Nobody was trying to rip you off.

And stop complaining about the cost of 12 dollars. If you don't buy from the first website or store that you come to then you can find it, like I did, for a very reasonable $7.99, with free shipping.

Now, that out of the way I am happy to say that this EP just quenched my thirst for the new album that is coming this October. The new music so far sounds like vintage Who with Pete's songwriting sharp and his guitar playing tight as ever. Roger on vocals sounds strong and sure. I am happy beyond words that these men are releasing new music after so many years, and it sounds vital and will satisfy the Who fan in all of us.

The EP is a sampler of the mini-opera that will be included on the new album. And in my opinion, it's soundin' great! This was simply intensified after seeing Roger and Pete perform a new acoustic song on Letterman's show a few nights ago. It was riviting, simply a brilliant performance.

So in conclusion if you want to hear what the new album will sound like then get this EP. If you can hold out for the album then all the better. I, for one, am happy I bought this and will gladly buy the new album, too.

A band of 60 year old men aren't supposed to rock. A band that's lost two of it's pillars shouldn't be energized, particularly when their last two studio albums, with only one of those pillars missing (albeit a massive pillar), fell far below par. A songwriter who, in his mid to late 30's, questioned his ability to write for a band and then insisted for decades that he could no longer write for that band, should not be able to now write songs that fit brilliantly into that band's catalog. The Who's Wire and Glass should have been tepid affair that would make fans longingly remember even the lesser works in the Who's back catalog.

Instead, every song on Wire and Glass rocks and bristles with a passion and energy reminiscent of the Who in their prime. Wire and Glass is the best Who album since Who Are You, and maybe even since Who By Numbers or Quadrophenia. (Who Are You was great, but marred slightly by the effects of alcohol abuse on Keith's considerable skills.) Even songs where Pete sings lead in an unfamiliar dark voice (thereby leaving Pete as the only original Who member playing on that song) sound like the Who. Ironically, now, after many years and the death of two key members, Pete seems at home with writing, playing and producing for the Who.

Roger's voice is great, but has lost some of it's majesty. OTOH, it's picked up a gravelly quality that suits it well on some of the material.

Pino and Peter (Zak's temporary fill-in for this effort) aren't John and Keith, but they effectively channel their spirit, generating energy while avoiding flat and lame copying. (Zak, who I expect will drum on the rest of the forthcoming album, can also effectively channel Keith without copying.)

Wire and Glass deserves massive airplay on every rock station in the nation. Unfortunately, the mass media machine is more corporate than ever, and has lost any guts or soul that it may have ever had. The machine will never attempt to sell the works of men in their 60's to the youth oriented culture. Too bad, because the kids will miss the fun.

Who would have thought The Who (Pete Townshend) still had music this good in him? No, this isn't The Who in their glory days. This album doesn't have the magic of their classic period. But it comes so CLOSE at times, that it boggles the mind. When last we heard from Pete, album wise, he released the mostly lame "Psychoderelict." A handful of good tunes helped that album, but a lot of filler, pointless dialogue, and murky production hurt that album. The album often sounded like Pete was asleep.

Here, though, the band roars from the beginning to the end. The different songs are good, and very strong, as far as I can tell. The melodies are top notch townshend, the instrumental hooks are well thought out, but not immediately captivating. The music is written by two men in their 60's, and it shows. The music doesn't have the intense vitality of early Who.

But why should it? After all, all Who albums represent the band at that point in their life. Even It's Hard, a fairly bad album, at least represents the poor state of mind the band was in at the time. It illustrates quite clearly, especially compared to Pete's masterpiece All The Best Cowboys, that he didn't really care about The Who any more. None of them did.

And even though their tours have been electricfying the last couple of years, the stale smell of "oldies revival" hung over them. With this release, though, they are making vital music again. is it going to change the world? No: they did that in their 20's. But it accurately reflects their state of mind. It rocks when it needs to (quite well!) and its mellow when it needs to be (and quite well. In fact, the mellow parts are probably the best produced sections.) It's a clearly thought out, well written rock opera. It's good music. Pete hasn't lost it.

It's a slow grower, but it really gets under your skin after awhile. It may not be worth the 13 dollars (11 minutes, are you kidding?) but the album, if it is as good as this, will be a return to former powers not seen since bob dylan's "time out of mind." I'm so anxious.

I've been a fan since 1974 and never imagined that 32 years later I would still be buying new Who cds - and that the first listen would bring tears of joy to my eyes. Thank you Pete, thank you Roger, (thank you John, thank you Keith) for making the world a better place - you've still got it! The full length cd is being released on Halloween and they are touring the States this Fall. Go buy the full length cd and go see a show or two - I know I am.

Wow, this is so much better than I was expecting. It's about time The Who returned to "rock opera"-inspired pieces. That's where I feel their greatest works have come from. Even Who's Next was salvaged from the ashes of a rock opera called Lifehouse. Wire & Glass just hammers the point home. This is spectacular stuff.

This EP sounds like classic hard rock Who. The drummer, Peter Huntington, is obviously channeling Keith Moon. Pino's nimble basslines recall the adventurous bottom end spirit of John Entwistle. Roger Daltrey is in magnificent voice, a little rough around the edges, which just makes it sound even more rock 'n' roll: Raw and edgy. And Pete's guitar is in full Who mode, from electric power chords to arpeggios to acoustic flourishes. What a joy to hear.

The Who haven't sounded this definitively Who in the studio since 1973, with the sole exceptions of "Who Are You" and their "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" cover. It's so good to have them back. Thank you Pete and Roger!