Here is a link to AMAZON UK to get this superb publication at the best price:
“…I Sing My Heart Out To The Infinite Sea…” - FAQ by THE WHO
There's a point in time when yet another book about a
classic Rock band is about as welcome as fart in a spacesuit. And when this
374-page oversized paperback came stuffed through my letterbox - I was a bit
concerned at first. But have no fear - this is a fabulous collection and I
haven't enjoyed a read this much - in years.
First of all - as a tome about The Who - it's best described
as a sort of "Odds And Sods" compilation but in book form - a
gathering together of bits and pieces of insider information that make up a
'bigger picture' of the band.
Take Chapter 5 - which is called Sound Round - it deals with
Producers and Sound Men - fascinating insights into legendary names like Shel
Talmy, Glyn Johns, Kim Lambert and even Barry Gray. Chapter 22 is called
"Hit The Stage" so you get important concerts and knowledgeable info
about what happened at them and why and the consequences to the band and even
fans. Chapter 18 is called "All Mixed Up" which tells what's been
remixed and remastered - and where - fabulous stuff about the different
variants of "Magic Bus" or the 7" single edits. Chapter 12 is
called "I'm The Snappiest Dresser" and goes into The Who and mod
styling.
Chapter 15 is genius - plotting the Rock Opera via Ogdens
Nut Gone Flake in 1967 and SF Sorrow in 1968 through to Tommy in 1969 and of
course the wonderful 1973 double-album Quadrophenia. Chapter 14 is called Wish
You Were Here and is a potted International Discography. Chapter 4 is Meet The
New Boss discussing their managers across the decades - Helmet Gorden, Pete
Meadon, Chris Stamp, Mike Shaw and others. Chapter 23 is called I Used To
Follow You and goes into their influences and British contemporaries like The
Kinks and The Small Faces. And I love the chapter on underrated tunes - like
Townshend and Daltrey's impassioned singing on "The Song Is Over"
that ends Side 1 of "Who's Next". There's stuff about who the band
sessioned with (solo included) - who their heirs are - The Who as Punk Pioneers
- reoccurring themes through their music - the album artwork and who did it -
the singles that failed and why - foreign singles - stunning European EPs - The
Who on TV and Film - Unrecorded songs and Lost Tapes (Lifehouse etc) - there's chapters
about girlfriends and wives and friends of the band who kept them sane and out
of prison. The only real let down (if you could call it that) is the absence of
colour in the superb 7" Single. EP and Album covers that dot the text page
after page - but I suspect costs would have been astronomical for such a thing.
You have to say that this is a clever take - all the weird
and wonderful titbits about this most iconic of bands and their solo careers
put together in one place. It would have taken years of research and author
MIKE SEGRETTO also doesn't take that creepy reverential stance - he names the
bad - and often gets very witty about the good and even the ridiculous (which
surrounded The Who a lot).
As you can imagine all of this makes for a blindingly great
read.
I love THE WHO - just looking at them urinating on that
Obelisk of Concrete on the front cover of 1971's "Who's Next" gets me
a bit wet in the trouser area too.
If you're a fan - you will need to own it. If you're just
curious - then treat yourself. And don't be too surprised if you find yourself
chuckling of an evening with your glass of warm milk and reading glasses on -
breaking admiring smiles at the sheer audacious snotty British genius of it
all.
THE WHO folks - accept no substitute. God bless 'em and
their battered instruments...
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PS: If you're interested in 1970's Rock - here is a link to my new book which is available to buy on AMAZON as a Kindle Download: SOUNDS GOOD: Exceptional CD Remasters
1970's Rock & Pop
