Midweek Pick-Me-Up: I Can’t Explain
It’s only Tuesday, and it’s already been a long week. But here’s a look at the Who’s rockin’ first single, from 1965:
Keith Moon would be about 18 here, and the others just a couple of years older.
Pete Townshend described “I Can’t Explain” as “straightforward Kinks-copying,” and that pretty much covers it, though Ray and the boys would’ve done a song like this both faster and louder in those days. The Who were not an especially attractive group of young men, but, as you can see in the video, they look just like the boys in the crowd (and are there any girls in the crowd)?
Dressing the mod part, both clothes and haircuts, was very much part of the marketing for the Who in the early days, and that working-class flash was part of the reason their reputation in the ’60s was a lot tougher than their music ever was. “My Generation” aside, the Who spent their first several years essentially doing novelty songs and sort of proto-prog things like “Armenia, City in the Sky” and the “Rael” songs. Some of it’s interesting, and some of it’s great — but the Who’s real prime, both artistically and as a touring band, was in the ’70s.
Categories: Sweet Emotion
1 Comment »
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February 3rd, 2010 at 5:44 pm
I really enjoyed this one Bridey, it’s been ages since I’ve seen this video and the song itself is fun. What got me was the dancing, or attempt at it. I didn’t see any girls, maybe it was a Frat party?
It was fun though, thanks for the blog!