The Who: Who's For Tennis?

Certainly prefer it to Direct Hits or Magic Bus On Tour.

 

Wouldn't That Be Nice?

 

Micky Dolenz, Olivia Newton-John, Keith Moon, and Mark Volman at a Celebrity Tennis match in the 1970s.

 

Why do I get the feeling that these were actually just fake stereo mixes?

 

Because fake stereo mixes are a feeling.

 

Just some thoughts upon re-listening to a lot of this material being discussed here.

"Now I'm a Farmer" -- I know the Odds & Sods version was recorded in 1970, but this is very much in the "Dogs" mold; it seems like it should have been the natural b-side to that single. I'm really curious if the Who ever completed that initial 1968 version or not. Could certain parts of this song (Pete's two vocal segments and the "when you grow what I grow" part) hail from the earlier session? It does sound like they could have been spliced in there Smiley Smile style.

"Goin' Fishin'" -- Speaking of Smiley Smile, Pete says he was influenced by that record when it came to the organ sounds on this little gem. Smiley is one of my all time favorite records, so its cool to think that Pete was enjoying it at the time to the point where it affected his own work. I can see how this one wasn't quite right for the Who though. I imagine some others might have balked at a song that was partially sung from the perspective of a fish, although seeing what ultimately became Tommy, who knows?

"Politician" -- This one should absolutely have been released, or at least recorded by the Who. Might have even worked on Tommy. It's crazy that Townshend was writing so many great songs at the time that something as good as this could just be ferreted aside. I would think most other bands of their ilk would have killed for a song like this. Lyrically there's some similarities here to "The Seeker" and "I Don't Even Know Myself"-- songs that probably manifested themselves around the time of Tommy or shortly thereafter. "Politician", however, is surprisingly optimistic considering what a downer a lot of Townshend's lyrics were.

"Melancholia" -- Ahh, there's the pessimism we all know and love. Not much to say about this other than that it's brilliant--wonderful guitar riff, fine singing from Rog, amazing imagery ("the kids have picked most all the flowers" harks back to "Happy Jack"). I want to call attention to the bridge of this song. Townshend sets the listener up perfectly with the sing-songy "the sun is shining" harmony refrain, sounding not unlike much of the uber-cheery pop music one would still hear on the radio in 1967, before the protagonist answers back with a lone, plaintive "but not for me". This part perfectly demonstrates what it's like to feel as though you're the only sad person in a world filled with artificial cheer.

 

"Glow Girl" -- Yet another in a string of lost classics. This has always been one of my favorite Who songs. Apart from the beautiful melody, the part that sticks out for me here is the jam at the end. Similar to the ending of "Melancholia", there's a very loose, rugged sort of interplay heard here between Pete, John and Keith that harks back to the "A Quick One" days that would start to evolve into something else around the time of Tommy and Live at Leeds. What's really cool is the way the pick scratches, a novelty effect in the hands of a lesser player, become absolutely integral to the song's arrangement just as any regular note would. It really does give the impression of an airplane going down.

"Little Billy" -- If I remember correctly, Pete says something during the Fillmore East gig that the audience can expect to hear this song on the radio soon, so this was obviously to be a single. I guess we'll never know what happened with the Cancer Society to prevent this one from coming out, but my god is this one catchy song. Pete was just on fire with the melodies at this point. I don't know why he's so down on this period of the Who? I guess they weren't making a lot of money at the time and were having a hard go of it trying to come up with a hit single, but come on that is not the fault of the songs when they're as good as this! In two minutes and change we're introduced to the world of Little Billy, another one of Townshend's outcasts, a la Happy Jack or the boy from I'm a Boy. No one else in pop was coming up with all of these awesome characters. Well actually there was one other guy doing it, but that was John Entwistle! Characters like Little Billy and Silas Stingy were like the sixties' equivalent of Garbage Pail Kids.

"Faith in Something Bigger" -- Okay say what you will of the lyrics, but this is one sturdy melody. Some of the Who's best multi-part harmony vocals on display here. Definitely a Beach Boys presence if not a direct influence-- I think Pet Sounds was still huge in England at the time. I know Pete said he wasn't a fan, but come on. I hear what Pete's saying about about the guitar solo here, but it's tasteful... understated. It could have just as easily been one of Entwistle's horn lines. The bridge on this track is absolute perfection, and I like the fade-out with Moon's drums going around the kit.

 

Well, if Fang were here he'd say it's because you're a $&*!!@! who likes to #$*@#!! small animals. But I'd say it's most likely because you are correct.

It's interesting that six of the tracks mentioned on his list there appeared on the early 80's vinyl boots Who the **** and Jai Baba For Pete's Sake. I wonder if the surface noise he's hearing is because his tape was sourced from those boots, rather than from acetates?

 

This was posted around the same time:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The current "official" versions of "I Can See For Miles" are as follows (with
common source, noted...)

1) Mono single version (original single, mono Sell Out)
2) Common stereo version (original Sell Out CD, most any greatest hits CD)

3) Remixed stereo version (New Sell Out--speed corrected)
4) Extra Bass mono version (The Who Singles--Polydor)
5) Kids Are Alright version (redubbed vocal track---less separation--original
VINYL album, OR Polydor CD. The MCA CD has the common version...)
6) 1989 Live version (Join Together)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bolding mine.

 

I assumed it was because they must have found it a little too morbid of a song even if it was meant to condemn smoking. It centers around a fat kid who might be fat, but he was more healthy than the kids smoking cigarettes. Well, the fat kid thing might have put them off there, but the real clincher is that he then has to look after the orphans of all of the parents who kicked the bucket early because they got cancer.

I can't help but think that once they heard the song, they said, "Hmm... maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. Can we call Herman's Hermits instead?"

 

I get where you are coming from on this statement, especially on the songwriting side of things, but I always thought that there was a really specific sound to this and the original recording of "I Don't Even Know Myself"... which can also be heard on the other tracks recorded right at this time, but since these 2 in particular have those breakdown verses ("I don't mind if you try, once in a while" and "The right thing to say... isn't..." etc.)

And that kind of feel seems to start right around "Dogs" in 1968. I believe I read a long time ago that "Now I'm a Farmer" was actually written at that time and Pete mentioning they were going to record it soon... so maybe although mostly recorded in 1970 it originated in 1968.

 

http://books.google.com/books?id=Ac... little billy american cancer society&f=false

Scroll down to "One of the more unusual"

 

So...Andy Neill just mentioned that a backing track of Now I'm A Farmer was supposedly recorded at Advision in May '68, and that perhaps it served as the basis for the later work done at Eel Pie in 1970. I initially scoffed at the idea, but now I think he may be on to something. As far as I can tell, the drums on *all* of the other EP tracks (Naked Eye, Postcard, Water, and the original version of I Don't Even Know Myself) were recorded in stereo. Yet the drums on Now I'm A Farmer appear to be mono, just like the other Advision tracks. Plus Nicky Hopkins apparently played on (at least) Dogs, and the piano on Now I'm A Farmer sounds like it could be Hopkins. The piano on "Farmer" does seem a bit more advanced than was typical for Townshend.

Thus, it seems probable that the basic track of the recording we already know *is* the '68 attempt. Thoughts?

 

I think you're onto something. The piano part is typical of Nicky's style. It sounds identical to his piano work on Jefferson Airplane's Volunteers.

 

Moon's drumming style sounds more circa 1970 than May, 1968 though... although he might have re-recorded the drums in 1970?

 

I don't think it was intended to be a single, but used as part of a public-service announcement. Besides the subject matter, the length of the song was probably a factor in its rejection for that purpose. They were probably hoping for just some sort of "don't smoke" chorus, not a complicated narrative that couldn't be edited without becoming incomprehensible.

 

Yeah, I agree with this. Moon's drumming style is usually pretty easy to spot by era, as it changed and progressed (and then regressed) over his time with the band. And I think it does sound more 1970ish on Farmer.

 

No, that's the thing, if the drums were recorded in 1970, they likely would have been in stereo.

But, on the other hand, the toms do seem to be more pronounced than the tracks from Advision, so...hmm.

 

Let's all do it!

 

Yeah, it is tricky. Do you happen to know how many tracks they had available at Advision vs. Eel Pie 1970? Was it 4 vs. -8 or -16? Also, was the bit where Pete sings solo an insert?

 

Both studios were 8-track at the respective times.

No clue about the Pete solo bit.

 

Ok, if both were 8-tracks I don't think there was room to record the drums in stereo. For example:

Track 1 - Drums
Track 2 - Bass guitar
Track 3 - Roger vocals
Track 4 - Pete vocals
Track 5 - Piano
Track 6 - Electric guitar ('high' guitar leads)
Track 7 - Acoustic guitar
Track 8 - Electric guitar (rhythm)

Sounds like a couple insert pieces as well, when Pete begins his solo vocal 'farmer' part at roughly 2:05 and at app. 3:09 when Pete's vocal begins with "It's alarming how charming...".

Just a thought - any ideas? And my caveat is that I've had a couple beers to celebrate St. Patrick's day

 

It would probably be 2 tracks for all vocals (Roger mostly single-tracked, with some double-tracking, Pete double-tracked).

The lead guitar fills could conceivably be on one of the vocal tracks.

Listening now, I don't think slow/solo bits are inserts. At 3:09 Pete's vocals start before the drums/bass/rhythm guitar stop. That is, there's overlap there. Plus the acoustic guitar and piano seem to continue through.

 

Listen right at the point Pete sings 'larming' (right after the 'a' in 'alarming') - sounds like a break to me and the whole tone/EQ changes (notable on the cymbals which are bright earlier in the song and have lost the high-end in this segment). And if that's John singing 'when you grow what I grow' that potentially would be another track, very easy to do if the piece was an insert as an open track would be available.