The Who
A Quick One

1966, "A Quick One", or the return of the Mods guitar smashers... even though this time there's something more.

They were never real Mods, even if "My Generation" was the Mods' anthem. They were never even Hippies, "Too angry to be Hippies", Pete recalled. Were they ever subservient to the system and record labels? No, no...

The Who were simply themselves, that's for sure. This album is the proof, besides being a great calling card for their future. Putting the LP on the turntable (or the CD in the CD player, as you prefer :-P), you're immediately immersed in the midst of Swinging London, riding a lambretta full of lights and mirrors, perhaps in the company of a pretty blonde, strictly with short hair.

"Run Run Run" is overwhelming, you can feel that Pete really knows what he's doing with pen and guitar. "Boris The Spider" is one of the first demonstrations of how Entwistle's taste for dark macabre, combined with excellent aggressive bass riffs, can bring to life small masterpieces like this song. We proceed with a wild "I Need You", written by the crazy Moon The Loon; the drumming in this track is impressive... just try listening to the chorus at a high volume... it will seem like Moon is banging cymbals directly into your brain... really crazy.
"Whiskey Man" is yet another great piece written by Entwistle. The story goes that the Who's producer, Kit Lambert, suggested to the group to write at least two songs each. Roger was the only one who didn't strictly adhere to the request, writing only the short "See My Way". "Heat Wave" is still pop rock mods for disco (and by disco, I don't mean those abominable things we find on the outskirts today).

"Cobwebs and Strange" is an exceptional song that manages to be at once ingenious, innovative, catchy, and virtuous; its author, Moon, beats like never before on the snare and bass drum, and only by listening can one understand how that man managed to replace the Charleston at concerts for a Crash... "Don't Look Away" is again excellent pop written by master Pete Townshend; in this song, you can really notice the backing vocals sung by Pete and John, which are a fundamental component of many Who songs. "So Sad About Us" is the usual soup; a delicious soup, which I would feed on 365 days a year, in the morning and in the evening.
Precision, Anger, Power, Inventiveness, Innovation, Adaptation... in a word Who. And what does Pete do if there is still too much space on the LP? A Mini Opera, naturally!

He takes Kit Lambert's proposal seriously and creates a small rock opera of 9 minutes consisting of many little songs: "A Quick One, While He's Away". In itself, the opera is not a masterpiece, but it's the idea that is premature and very original for its time. To fully appreciate this little opera, you have to hear the version from "Live At Leeds" of '70... another opportunity to admire how this group was capable of interpreting and enhancing each of its tracks Live, all by improvising.
The lyrics are, as always, original and decidedly scandalous... in the United States, the album was released under the name "Happy Jack" also for this reason... "The fling" of the girl with the Train Driver Ivor just didn't sit well with the record executives. Other note-worthy features in this mini-opera are Moon's "tick-tocking" with the sticks on the side of the Tom and the "Cello Cello Cello" choruses replacing the real instrument, which due to its high costs was not available in the studio during recording.

John Entwistle's final vocal performance while singing "You Are Forgiven..." is also excellent. The '95 remastering adds 10 more songs... all very catchy. The cover of "Batman" and "Barbara Ann" (the latter performed to please Moon, who was a fan of the Beach Boys and Surf Music) is beautiful, as well as the psychedelic "Disguises" and the harrowing "Doctor Doctor". Fun "My Generation" with the attack of "Land Of Hope And Glory".
An album recommended for everyone... very far from the Hard Rock of "Who's Next" and the Prog of "Tommy", but not for this is it secondary. If we want to divide the Who into musical periods, this album best represents (with 100% presence of the Who factor) the first Mod period.

Excellent, 5 Stars.