The Who By Numbers
by Steve Grantley & Alan G Parker

The band who refuse to f-f-f-ffade away

Not, as the title might first suggest, a study just of The Who’s 1975 album of the same name, but an overview of the band’s whole recorded output, the songs providing signposts to their often fractious time together. And while there’s little in the way of information not already out there, the authors’ enthusiasm for the music burns across every page.

Having trawled vast archives of print and film (the 2007 documentary Amazing Journey would appear to have been a godsend), Grantley & Parker offer an intriguing patchwork of the group’s career, with professional triumphs and personal setbacks sharing equal space. The early years paint a picture of an industry out to fleece all-comers, though even when catapulted to superstar status and in control of their own destiny the band seem compelled to undermine their own fortunes.

The music that never was is also covered in detail, with Pete Townshend’s ambitious Lifehouse project collapsing when its creator struggled to explain the concept to the rest of the band and their management. Even the successes don’t escape criticism (to this day Roger Daltery remains unhappy with the vocal mix on Quadrophenia), while the deaths of Keith Moon and John Entwistle appear to reignite the surviving members to carry on with renewed determination.

3 stars 3 stars 3 stars

ISBN 9781095139262, 285 pages

Reviewed by Terry Staunton
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