“Take it easy on the young man
They ain’t got nothin’ in the world these days
I said they ain’t got nothin’!
They got sweet fuck-all!”
The first track off the renowned Live at Leeds — the opening notes of what could possibly be the greatest live rock album of all time. And yes, that means that I’d take Live at Leeds over Frampton Comes Alive. Though the album has being through various reissues, the original LP remains the most representative of The Who’s absolute insanity. I remember picking up the record at a garage sale for, surely, no greater than 2 dollars when I was twelve or thirteen. I fear that the live performances of The Who are often clouded by their wacky stage antics, including but not limited to smashed guitars and exploding bass drums. While The Who were still recording, Live at Leeds was the first and only live album they released: no distractions, pure sound.
“Young Man Blues” was originally written and performed by Mose Allison, whose music went on to inspire the Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, The Yardbirds — you name it. “Young Man Blues,” as performed by The Who, stands out on the album because it showcases the individual personalities of the members, together summing up to one hell of a show. I’ll start with the most obvious. Keith Moon is and will always be the wildest drummer to ever grace a stage: the man practically goes through epileptic fits when you hand him a pair of sticks. Listen to those fills: the speed at which Keith produces improv variability in his drumming is positively mind-boggling. Does he ever play the same sequence of toms twice? John Entwistle stands out next: like George Harrison, Entwistle is the unsung hero of The Who. Though his bass hides in the background, it is the most technically impressive component of the band. Townshend is undoubtedly the frontman, the attitude of the band. And Daltrey is intelligent about his sparing vocals: people saw The Who live for their musicianship (and insanity), and Daltrey knows that his voice is better used as an instrument than as a distraction from the band’s sound. Crank this one to 11.
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