Sv Yr Idlz #2

As any good Intellectual Propster will tell you, I have a fondness for obvious classic rock, and this has come from, through a long series of twistedly boring events, my frequent listening to classic rock radio. One of the staples of this format is and has always been The Who. But these gents have never quite appealed to my tastes, they were always a little overrrated. They weren't really a punk band or a garage band or an arena band. And it's not that a band should fit into a tight category, it's just that, you gradually figure out what your strengths and weaknesses are, you figure what you do best and go with it. And to note, some bands find constant reinvention what they do best, though not the band in question here today. Even more so than lack of identity, though, I have been bothered by Roger Daltrey's voice. It is always just a little too polished and precise, especially as the band moved into the later 70s.

Well, but wait, you knew this was coming...One day a month or so ago I found myself listening, really listening, to the song "Magic Bus." I used to really hate this song when I was younger and would sneak into my sister's room and take her cds and one of them was a Who greatest hits. It was just too weird for tween chuckchuck. "THIS IS NOT GARAGE ROCK! THIS IS NOT PUNK ROCK! WHAT IS THIS!" But more recently it dawned on me just what brilliance had been in my hands.

"Magic Bus," as it turns out, is a conversational piece, some weirdo rock. The Who work best when utilizing the voices of all the members, not just Roger Daltrey. John Entwistle and Pete Townsend mastered eerie falsettos to strongly counteract the professional polish of the lead singer. Here the call-and-response of the singers doesn't really have anything to do with the content of the song (or at least I can't figure out who speaks to whom about what)but who cares during the "I want it I want it" "you caaaaaaannnnn't have it" portions!?! Anyway, top that off with the offbeat drumming and the song serves as a reminder that The Who were at their best when they were weird and letting it all hang out, not trying to start a mod riot or appropriate R&B for fey British chaps.

So yeah, this is not garage rock, this is not punk rock, this is weirdo rock and I love it. So choke on it tween chuckchuck!