November 27, 2019

Chemical foes: How a strange relationship of Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend made for a good album and a tour

A great article in the Rolling Stone about Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend how they can't stand each other but still have a tour together and have even made an album. The record, called 'Who' and only the second album from the band in 37 years, was recorded without the two ever being in the same room. They didn't even talk to each other - they communicated through their individual personal producers (both with the first name David). Being on stage was no different - "whenever one of them hit the other’s magnetic field, they bounced away. They never made eye contact". Yet, neither the tour nor the album suffer - "show was way better than it had any right to be”, and "Daltrey’s weary vocals, particularly on the back half [of the album], are marvelous, and Townshend’s ability to write an anthemic earworm remains intact".