The Who - Who's Next. Released 31 July 1971

The Who’s fifth album is one of those carved-in-stone landmarks that the rock canon doesn’t allow you to bad-mouth. It was pretty radical for its day. It still sounds fantastic and fresh today. There’s not much that isn’t thrilling about Won’t Get Fooled Again and Baba O’Riley, which howl and kick like they were born yesterday.

Like many near-masterpieces, it wasn’t meant to turn out like it did. Pete Townshend had one of his ‘futuristic rock opera’ ideas, and recordings began on a work called Lifehouse. It wouldn’t gel, so The Who made the most of the random songs that did. Upon release in 1971 it blew away critics and fans alike, bar a few Who diehards who thought larking around with things called synthesizers and modified keyboards was, like, selling out.  Glyn Johns had replaced Kit Lambert as producer. Still, the sleeve wasn’t exactly bland, picturing the foursome pissing on a slagheap. (Other contenders for the cover had included a group of obese naked women and a shot of Keith Moon in black lingerie).

Baba O’Riley makes a spectacular opener, its hypnotic drone disrupted by power chords that are parachuted in off the backs of meteorites. Dave Arbus’ subtle then frantic viola solo raises it another gear. There has rarely been a more durably evocative refrain than “teenage wasteland”. As ever, Daltrey’s ragged voice brings humanity to Townshend’s over-thinking. Moon is typically hyperactive: any drummer playing like this today would be ordered to rein it in. Bargain floats on the tension between acoustic guitar and the brave new synth. Like most of the album, it’s melodramatic without – as with later Who – fattening into pomposity. The Song is Over oozes poignancy and Getting in Tune and Going Mobile are simply great songs. Behind Blue Eyes is a soul-searching ballad which bursts into belligerence, reflective then urgent.

The climactic (and how) Won’t Get Fooled Again stretches itself and chews its restraints until it becomes much more than a riff and a scream. It’s on fire. In “meet the new boss, same as the old boss” it nailed the bleeding heart of protest-pop. Who’s Next is The Who’s best.

Never Say Die! 1978

Black Sabbath – Never Say Die!

Autumn and Winter for me is the season of Butler, Iommi, Osbourne and Ward.  Their music symbolises the atmosphere of a changing season and the drawing of darker evenings. A lot has probably to do with the ‘Black Sabbath’ debut cover showing a grainy Autumnal scene.  However I have been listening to the lesser of the eight Ozzy fronted studio albums of late whilst walking through darkened woods and forgotten paths and thus have reappraised them.  Of course when I talk about the lesser albums I refer to 1978s ‘Never Say Die!’ and 1976s ‘Technical Ecstasy’.  To my mind ‘Sabotage’ and ‘Sabbath Bloody Sabbath’ are two of the greatest albums of all time with the first four not far behind.

Well ‘Never Say Die’ is a fantastic album.  The title track was the last song that I ritually listened to when I was about to head out to the disco (of all places) at the weekends (for courting females of course) when I was 16 - 19 years old.  It’s pumped up testosterone driven mania filled one with the confidence to take on the world back in 1986 – 89, and remember this was the ‘Thrash’ years, so there was plenty of testosterone driven mania to be found in my album collection during that period.

What makes this album so special on reappraisal is its diversity.  I love diversity in music and this has it all.

On a track by track basis my views are as follows:

Side One (As of the original Vinyl)

Never Say Die – Classic, simple catchy powerful song.  This hits the right spot.  It’s what Rock ‘n Roll is all about.  There is a confidence and aggression to this song.

Johnny Blade – Keyboards at the start followed by a driving drum pattern and another speedy riff.  It’s the drums on this track that make it.  In fact I love the drum sound on this album.  They are really to the foreground, but again different rhythms in each song.  The diversity factor again.  Ozzys’ vocals to me are urgent and unusual.

Junior’s Eyes – One of the more unusual tracks.  Drums fade in along with Geezer’s swinging Bass.  This track has a Jazz feel with Iommi’s wah wah sounding guitar.  The chorus (if it can be called a typical chorus), is heavy and powerful.  Iommi has a lot of interesting guitar overdubs on this track which adds to the atmosphere.  It’s what I love about Sabbath, the creation of atmosphere.

Hard Road – Iommi riff, overdubbed vocals.  This has to be the most upbeat and optimistic sounding songs on the album.  Not in the pop sense.  Slightly  ‘Quo’ overdubbed like vocal sound.  However this is not a pop song.  If you are feeling down listen to this.

Side Two – if side one did not cheer you up well?

Shock Wave – The shape of things to come.  This reminds me of the style applied to some of the tracks of ‘Heaven and Hell’.  One of the weaker tracks.  A simple riff, melody and vocal.  However gets interesting towards the end with a slightly left turn doomy riff with plenty of band participation ‘ohohohoing’.

Air Dance – The albums real curveball.  I love it.  A Sabbathian progressive rock song.  Starts with a driven melody followed by again jazz rhythms and piano.  Iommi captures some real atmospheric guitar and delicate solos.  The vocals and lyrics reflective and emotional.  To my ears an unappreciated classic.  Towards the end it heads for undisputed elements of jazz in every sense.

Over To You – Again similar to

Hard Road

in that it has an optimistic feel to it.  The chorus includes some elaborate piano.  Fantastic melody and vocal from Ozzy.  Similar feel to ‘Sabbath Bloody Sabbath’s’ ‘Looking for Today’.  This song again drips with emotion and atmosphere.  This however is no light weight song.

Breakout – An instrumental – Has a swing feel to it.  Warning contains brass instruments and some jazz saxophone.  Another curveball – Doom laden jazz?

Swinging the Chain – A doomy riff by Iommi within a very low mix.  Another odd sounding track with Ward singing?  Again one of the weaker tracks.

The conclusion is that this album, as diverse as it is, is a better attempt than ‘Technical Ecstasy’. It has an upfront sound, clear guitar and drum mix, however given the context of the band situation at this time; it is an interesting, diverse, atmospheric and challenging piece of music.  One interesting fact is that the cover for ‘Rainbow’s’ ‘Difficult to Cure’ album was meant to be for this album.

Listen without Prejudice, with headphones, whilst walking at dusk in a lonely Autumnal forest.

The Triumph of Death

The Triumph of Death is an oil painting on panel, painted c. 1562 by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. It is in the Museo del Prado in Madrid.

The painting is a panoramic landscape of death: the sky in the distance is blackened by smoke from burning cities and the sea is littered with shipwrecks. Armies of skeletons advance on the hapless living, who either flee in terror or try vainly to fight back. Skeletons kill people in a variety of ways – slitting throats, hanging, drowning, and even hunting with skeletal dogs. In the foreground, skeletons haul a wagon full of skulls, and ring the bell that signifies the death knell of the world. A fool plays the lute while a skeleton behind him plays along; a starving dog nibbles at the face of a child; a cross sits lonely and impotent in the center of the painting. People are herded into a trap decorated with crosses, while a skeleton on horseback slaughters people with a scythe. The painting depicts people of different social backgrounds – from peasants and soldiers to nobles and even a king and a cardinal – being taken by death indiscriminately.

The painting shows aspects of everyday European life in the mid-sixteenth century. Clothes are clearly depicted, as are pastimes such as playing cards. It shows objects such as musical instruments, an early mechanical clock, scenes including a funeral service, and a common method of execution for sixteenth-century criminals: being lashed to a cartwheel mounted on a vertical pole.

Darkness, Rain, River and Forest

I have just returned from a one and a half hour long walk in the rain, in solitude, in the dark, along one of my most contented places.  Minnowburn and the Lagan.  It may seem strange to wander along a rain soaked path, alongside a river on a mild winter's night, however for me it clears my head, refreshes me in the sense that the days worries are subjected to the back of one's mind.  It alerts the senses from sight (adjusting to the dark), smell (the aromas of the last embers of Autumn life decaying), touch (rain applying itself upon my face revitalising skin), sound (music, the river and the percussion of rain).  All this subjects me to my well being.  It is something that I recommend, however not on my route.