The Who - Amazing Journey

Not quite ready to f-f-f-f-fade away

The Who’s first major “documentary”, 1979’s The Kids Are Alright, was a frustratingly disjointed compendium of archive clips with little or no insight from the band. Thankfully, Amazing Journey finds Daltrey and Townshend opening up to the cameras, celebrating their past and bearing its scars.

It’s all here, from 1964 footage of The High Numbers at a mod night in the Railway Hotel, Wealdstone, to the genesis of the gear-smashing antics; from Daltrey claiming he only found his true voice on Tommy, to the madness of constant touring; from the ambition of Townshend’s “towering triumph” Quadrophenia, to the devastation of Keith Moon’s near-inevitable early death; from the late 90s reunion tours hauling John Entwistle out of debt, to The Ox’s passing and the “love” that belatedly blossomed between the surviving players.

Cleverly presenting the chapters like tracks on an imaginary double vinyl album, this contextualises The Who and reminds us just how pioneering they were. The booze, drugs and fisticuffs are chronicled without any diluting sheen of hindsight, and the overall tone is extraordinarily honest. Pete and Rodge own up to their errors, while bigging themselves up as one of the greatest rock outfits ever. Who are we to argue?

Universal | tbc

Reviewed by Terry Staunton
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