The Who

There's no easy way to be free

Defying gravity

Two Republican spectacles played out today, one on the floor of the House of Representatives (see ya, Kev), another in a New York City courtroom (thanks for the limited gag order, Judge Engoron).

This tweet from John Harwood sums up succinctly and elegantly how every news outlet should discuss the current state of play in American politics from here on in (and, quite honestly, should have been framing it for the last seven years—at least):

There were times during Nancy Pelosi’s tenure as Speaker when she was working with similarly narrow margins. And yet, not only did she never face the kind of humiliating recall her unworthy successor just experienced, she actually kept her caucus unified and managed to pass meaningful legislation.

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Soon-to-be Speaker of the House Hakeem Jeffries did all of us proud today so, in honor of the kick-ass performance by Democrats—holding the line and exposing House Republicans for the undisciplined, anti-government thugs they are—I wanted to post a couple of tunes from my favorite band of all time: The Who. It feels like a night to turn it up to 11.

The truth is, picking only two of their songs for Twofer Tuesday is an impossible task—I could literally include the entirety of Quadrophenia—so, let’s just call this the first installment of many.

The Who were at their absolute height as one of the greatest bands on the planet in the early 70s—a place cemented by the release, in succession, of arguably their three greatest albums: Tommy in 1969, Who’s Next in 1971, and, especially, Quadrophenia in 1973.

I wasn’t always interested in The Who. This is probably because, along with Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Rock of the Westies, Genesis’ The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, and whatever that interminable Emerson, Lake, and Palmer album was, my brother listened to Who’s Next so incessantly it’s amazing I ever came to be able to listen to The Who at all.

And I didn’t for a long time. Then, junior year, I transferred to boarding school. In addition to current must-listen albums by Berlin, The Pretenders, The Go-Gos, and Joe Jackson, CSN and Who By Numbers were also in heavy circulation. I already loved Pete Townshend—Empty Glass had been released the year before—and, after listening to Who By Numbers, I loved The Who, as well.

The band had everything—from Pete Townshend’s prodigious and brilliant song-writing (plus his guitar-playing and singing), to Keith Moon’s miraculous drumming, John Entwhistle’s otherworldly bass, and Roger Daltry’s vocals.

Volume up!

While it’s impossible to pick a favorite track from Quadrophenia, it would be wrong not to include one. I could easily have chosen “Cut My Hair,” “5:15,” or “Dr. Jimmy,” but let’s start here:

BONUS TRACK

In honor of McCarthy, whose song is over.

The juxtaposition of the contemplative regret and the uplifting lyricism of this song get me every time.

What’s one of your favorite Who songs?