The Who
A Quick One

"As a boy, I played a lot of bowling and the way I threw the ball towards the pins

greatly influenced me when I picked up the guitar."

(Pete Townshend 1965)

After the release of their first album, the Who - despite the acclaim - went through a period of increasing internal conflicts due to the clash between Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey over the group's leadership. At the same time, there was a controversy between the group's manager Shel Talmy of Decca Records and Kit Lambert, who, along with Chris Stamp, not only immediately recognized the guitarist's potential, but also led to the breakup of the contract with the British major. The sales of the debut album failed to compensate for the band's financial deficit, partly due to their irreverent habit of destroying instruments at the end of each show.

The music of the Who serves as a backdrop (and why not, as a protagonist) to those stories of rivalry where the "elegant" mods and the "proletarian" rockers dominate a dichotomous reality in which young people are united by the same malaise; a firm desire for change and self-discovery that occurs through the passive movement of the herd, dodging possible social deception, and which the music of the four manages to express effectively. About a year later, for the recording of new songs, the preference was still for the IBC Studios on Upper Regent Street in London, and for the realization of the recordings, Daltrey, Townshend, Entwistle, and Moon—considering the unfortunate financial situation—contributed a substantial amount of 500 pounds. And to top it off, the eternal dispute between Daltrey and Townshend regarding who should assume the leading role within the group certainly did not help matters.

The opening of "Run Run Run" reflects the perfect combination of certain blues rock sounds and Beatlesque flavors that blend and mix ad hoc. Townshend's writing continues with "So Sad About Us", where vocal melodies prevail, along with that natural and penetrating chord progression that showcases the guitarist's growing creative streak. The attempt to draw inspiration from diversification for the group's artistic path is also evident in producer Kit Lambert's suggestion to include songs by Daltrey, Entwistle, and Moon. "See My Way" is born from the tenacity of Daltrey's compositional vein, which, more than a hybrid attempt at psychedelic ambitions, fails to be. Significantly better is "I Need You" (a clear homage to the Beatles), with which Moon manages to convey freshness and quirkiness that will always distinguish his way of being. But the silver palm certainly goes to the meek Entwistle, with "Boris The Spider"—built on a frightening bass line where the sticky singing enunciates a comic horror irony (Now he’s dropped on to the floor - Heading for the bedroom door - Maybe he’s as scared as me - Where's he gone now, I can't see - Boris the spider).

Upon first listening to the album, it's normal to initially notice a lack of stylistic continuity. The absence of a central theme does not, however, detract from the pleasant impression of being, yes, faced with a collection of songs that reveal a brilliant self-esteem mixed with extraordinary creative talent. It's for this reason that one happily moves from the western atmosphere present in "Don't Look Away" to the pop-soul attempt of "Whiskey Man" (Entwistle), imagining themselves a lucky spectator to the endless chases between the musical stop-and-go of Townshend's guitar and Moon's instinctive and genuine drumming in "Cobwebs And Strange", finally rejoicing in a more dynamic version of "Heat Wave" made famous in 1963 by Martha And The Vandellas. Confronted with the title track, or rather "A Quick One, While He’s Away", one is fortunate to hear the group tackle an early example of a collage of various songs, almost as if wanting to represent a nascent attempt by the band to break free from the limits imposed by the song format. Thus, in order, "Her Man's Gone", "Crying Town", "We Have A Remedy", "Ivor The Engine Driver", "Soon Be Home", and "You Are Forgiven" are the six songs through which an ironic representation of betrayal takes shape; the fusion of a cappella fragments seasoned with a personal way of reproducing and exploring the paths of rock 'n' roll subtly irradiated by blurred images able to free the mind from inhibitions.

 The group's intention is evident in embarking on a different musical path from their debut, where they elegantly distance themselves from rhythm and blues and rock 'n' roll in the strict sense, leaning towards a new and preparatory journey for the immediate future to come. An album that represents much more of a group effort and, at the production level, could perhaps have been more, without affecting the expressive ability that from here onwards has earned the group the profitable reputation of the loudest band on the planet.

[For the second album as well, America enjoyed a new title "Happy Jack", as the term "sveltina" could have offended public morality. "Heatwave" makes way for "Happy Jack" placed right after "Cobwebs And Strange". The reissue of the CD for the thirtieth anniversary is surely a real treat that's hard to resist, given the inclusion of an additional ten tracks. (Semi)hidden recordings give us the opportunity to fully explore the vast universe of the Who: from the reprise of the famous eponymous soundtrack of the evergreeen TV series "Batman" to the Beach Boys classic "Barbara Ann", not to mention lesser-known b sides but equally worthy previously unreleased unearthed for the delight of those who long awaited their rightful exhumation].