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THE WHO's PETE TOWNSHEND: 'We Sort Of Invented Heavy Metal'
Blabbermouth ^ | December 21, 2019 | N/A

Posted on 12/21/2019 8:04:34 PM PST by DoodleBob

In a new interview with the Toronto Sun, THE WHO guitarist Pete Townshend said that fans shouldn't be surprised that the band's first new album in 13 years, "Who", bears little resemblance to THE WHO in terms of that classic ferocious rock sound. "It doesn't sound like THE WHO from those early heavy metal years," he explained. "We sort of invented heavy metal with [our first live album] 'Live At Leeds' [1970]. We were copied by so many bands, principally by LED ZEPPELIN — you know, heavy drums, heavy bass, heavy lead guitar and some of those bands, like Jimi Hendrix for example, did it far better than we did. CREAM, with Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker, they came along in '67, same year as Jimi Hendrix, and they kind of stole our mantle in a sense. So people who want to hear that old heavy metal sound, there are plenty of bands that can provide it. So it's not really what we can actually do today. Even if we wanted to, it was never high on my list of wishes."

Townshend told The Pulse Of Radio that THE WHO was among the most versatile bands of its era, and that its musical talent freed him to write material that frequently covered many different genres. "...THE WHO never gave me a clear brief," he explained. "They never said to me, 'We wanna be a comedy act,' but if I gave them comedy songs, they were brilliant at them. They never said to me, 'We wanna be a girl-friendly band,' but if I gave them a love song, they would do it brilliantly. They never said, 'We want to be a heavy metal group' — if I gave them a heavy metal song, they did it brilliantly.

(Excerpt) Read more at blabbermouth.net ...


TOPICS: History; Music/Entertainment
KEYWORDS: bargain; heavymetal; music; petertownsend; petetownsend; powerchord; thewho
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To: ping jockey
I recommend going back to 1841, especially at the 8:49 mark.
41 posted on 12/21/2019 8:31:04 PM PST by DoodleBob (Gravity's waiting period is about 9.8 m/s^2)
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

I’m with you. Black Sabbath were the ones. I still listen to their stuff.


42 posted on 12/21/2019 8:31:41 PM PST by certrtwngnut (4- Do something,,,,even if it's wrong.)
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To: mylife

Hey, I haven’t said a single word about buying stairways to heaven!


43 posted on 12/21/2019 8:32:27 PM PST by smvoice (I WILL NOT WEAR THE RIBBON.)
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To: DoodleBob

Just spent some time listening to some 60’s Rock-N-Roll instrumental songs like Wipe Out, Pipeline, Telstar, Apache etc.. they sounded like the roots of Heavy Metal to me.


44 posted on 12/21/2019 8:33:20 PM PST by fella ("As it was before Noah so shall it be again,")
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To: smvoice

OK then ;)


45 posted on 12/21/2019 8:33:46 PM PST by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: smvoice

OK then ;)


46 posted on 12/21/2019 8:33:46 PM PST by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

I think a case could be made for Iron Butterfly, Steppenwolf and Vanila Fudge’s contribution. Oh and the Mc5. Kick out the Jams..


47 posted on 12/21/2019 8:33:58 PM PST by bleach (If I agreed with you, we would both be wrong.)
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To: ClearCase_guy; mylife; FreedomPoster
Yeah, I don't know what he's saying there. His chronology is a little Bidenesque. lol

Looks like us original punk rockers are coming out of the shadows here. :)

Can ya see the real me? Can ya? Can ya?

48 posted on 12/21/2019 8:34:28 PM PST by TigersEye (This is the age of the death of reason.)
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To: TigersEye

Have to agree-The Who is more like a precursor to Punk-which I also like-Led Zeppelin, Cream-that is my idea of Heavy Metal-I jam to it on the way home from work all the time on the classic rock station (and I have the Mothership CD in the truck, along with some other favs)...


49 posted on 12/21/2019 8:34:30 PM PST by Texan5 ("You've got to saddle up your boys-you've got to draw a hard line"...)
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To: DoodleBob

Live at Leeds and Live at the Isle of White are very heavy for sure. But I give the title to Black Sabbath. The first six Sabbath albums might be the heaviest ever.

Freegards


50 posted on 12/21/2019 8:35:35 PM PST by Ransomed
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To: fella

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=agent+range+mr+moto&&view=detail&mid=D629C907249F1ECE09D7D629C907249F1ECE09D7&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dagent%2Brange%2Bmr%2Bmoto%26FORM%3DHDRSC3


51 posted on 12/21/2019 8:36:05 PM PST by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: mylife

;)! The only song more OVERPLAYED and annoying is FELIZ NAVIDAD! BOTH of them seem to never end! And I absolutely love LZ. Just not that song!


52 posted on 12/21/2019 8:37:12 PM PST by smvoice (I WILL NOT WEAR THE RIBBON.)
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To: Texan5
Led Zeppelin, Cream-that is my idea of Heavy Metal

Yep, that's my idea of the original Heavy Metal along with Black Sabbath which I nearly blew my pathetic speakers out with circa '71-'73.

53 posted on 12/21/2019 8:37:46 PM PST by TigersEye (This is the age of the death of reason.)
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To: DoodleBob

The Who started Heavy Metal? Townsend must be in the early stages of dementia, LOL


54 posted on 12/21/2019 8:38:34 PM PST by txnativegop (The political left, Mankinds intellectual hemlock)
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To: DoodleBob

It was The Kinks in ‘64, followed by “Shapes Of Things” 1966 by the Yardbirds and Jeff Beck’s tube amps.

Then came Blue Cheer in ‘67.

Black Sabbath invented loud schlock for Seconal addicts.


55 posted on 12/21/2019 8:38:42 PM PST by TTFlyer
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To: ping jockey
Even Led Zeppelin conceded that Black Sabbath invented it.

We are talking about heavy metal, not contemporary rock music in which Led Zeppelin may have had a hand in creating. But the harder, edgier version of rock, which is heavy metal, belongs to Black Sabbath.

56 posted on 12/21/2019 8:40:07 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist
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To: smvoice

Feliz Navidad!


57 posted on 12/21/2019 8:41:26 PM PST by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: fella

Ventures!


58 posted on 12/21/2019 8:41:48 PM PST by MV=PY (The Magic Question: Who's paying for it?)
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To: smvoice

I’d have to give JimRob $10 for the bandwidth I’d consume. Let’s just say that their performance of Won’t Get Fooled Again at the Concert for New York may be the single greatest moment in the history of rock.


59 posted on 12/21/2019 8:41:53 PM PST by DoodleBob (Gravity's waiting period is about 9.8 m/s^2)
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To: ping jockey

Not sure I totally agree with that, but thanks for turning me on to Link Wray who I didn’t know existed with the exeption I’d heard “Rumble” before.


60 posted on 12/21/2019 8:41:58 PM PST by Eddie01
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