The Who- Endless Wire (Universal Republic)
review by Jim Clark

Track Listing

1. Fragments
2. 2. A Man In A Purple Dress
3. Mike Post Theme
4. In The Ether
5. Black Widow’s Eyes
6. Two Thousand Years
7. God Speaks Of Marty Robbins
8. It’s Not Enough
9. You Stand By Me

Wire & Glass:
10. Sound Round
11. Pick Up The Peace
12. Unholy Trinity
13. Trilby’s Piano
14. Endless Wire
15. Fragments Of Fragments
16. We Got A Hit
17. They Made My Dream Come True
18. Mirror Door
19. Tea & Theatre

 

 

 

It's been the year of the dinosaur. 2006 has brought new releases from Pink Floyd's David Gilmour (in addition to a tour from his former bandmate, Roger Waters), the Kinks Ray Davies and Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham as well as Bob Seger and Tom Petty. With the year drawing to a close, one of the oldest dinosaurs has resurfaced after a 24-year recording break.

Following 1982's It's Hard, the Who disbanded. Even though they’ve toured rather frequently since then, they never managed to get into the studio to record a full-length follow-up. Now, only writer/guitarist Pete Townshend and lead singer Roger Daltrey remain from the original quartet. But on Endless Wire, the duo shines as Townshend’s songwriting is in top form and Daltrey gives Townshend’s lyrics an excellent voice.

Endless Wire is divided into two very distinct sections – the first half of the disc features nine normal songs while the second is Townshend’s mini-opera “Wire & Glass,” 10 tracks all linked together a la Tommy. For the “song” part of the disc, there are quite a few highlights. “A Man in a Purple Dress” features only acoustic guitar backing Daltrey’s vocals. A tale of religious hypocrisy as well as one of a British legal system where judges put on robes and wigs to pass sentence on others, Townshend said this track was inspired by Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. Considering Townshend’s legal problems a few years back, this tune definitely has an autobiographical feel – “How dare you be the one to assess/Me in this God-forsaken mess/You, a man in a purple dress.”

For a song driven by mostly acoustic instrumentation (and Townshend on drums), “Mike Post Theme” actually rocks pretty hard. The chorus is quite catchy and always provides a chuckle when Daltrey sings “If there really is a God, we should get laid today.”

Townshend takes over the vocals on “In The Ether,” backed solely by piano and gentle acoustic guitar. His vocal delivery here is much like Tom Waits, giving the song a very unusual feel.

“Black Widow’s Eyes” is a tale of Stockholm Syndrome, relating a survivor’s story from the 2004 Belsan Massacre where terrorists killed 186 school students after taking them hostage. Townshend’s vocal on the chorus is simply chilling.

“It’s Not Enough” is one of the few rockers during the first part of Endless Wire, and as a result of this, it stands out. After so many acoustic tunes, it is very welcome to hear Townshend’s jagged electric playing.

And of mention is the album’s opening number, “Fragments,” a tune that boasts a synth part very reminiscent of the band’s classic “Baba O’Riley.”

While the songs in the first half are definitely solid, it’s the “Wire & Glass” part that dominates Endless Wire. Many of the tracks that comprise this “mini-opera” were released as a single over the summer. But without all of the parts being in place, that single seemed largely disjointed. Now complete, “Wire & Glass” works much better, even though some of the fragments still seem too short. In addition to the “Baba O’Riley” synth part that starts off the disc, “Wire & Glass” has the most vintage Who feel to it as it’s structured in much the same style as classics Tommy or Quadrophenia. I won’t speak about the individual parts because it is really necessary to listen to them all together.

Endless Wire is not perfect as it does miss having a solid rhythm section. While Pino Palladino does a very admirable job of stepping into the late John Entwistle’s shoes, the drumming lacking the spontaneity of Keith Moon’s explosiveness. Unfortunately, Zak Starkey, who has toured with the band for a number of years now, had prior commitments with Oasis and was only available to appear on one track. That said, Townshend’s writing is largely able to overcome this. And the result is a modern Who classic, one of the best releases of 2006.


marillion- happiness is the road
tilt- million dollar wound
mickey simmonds- the seven colours of emptiness
ukz- radiation
pain of salvation - scarsick
icon- icon II, icon live
the pineapple thief- tightly unwound
planet p project- levittown (go out dancing part II)
nosound- lightdark
dengue fever- venus on earth
art of all- morgan
marillion- somewhere else
abigails ghost- selling insincerity
blackfield- blackfield II
damien rice- 9
the who- endless wire
the beach boys- good vibrations
the pineapple thief- little man
the killers- sam's town
tom petty- highway companion
hem- funnel cloud
emm gryner- the summer of high hopes
jeremy enigk- world waits
razorlight- razorlight
gps- window to the soul
iron maiden- a matter of life and death
thom yorke- the eraser
richard butler- richard butler
the flaming lips- at war with the mystics
ray davies- other people's live
david gilmour- on an island
nosound- sol29
jackson browne- running on empty 5.1
neal morse- ?
king crimson- 21st century guide to king crimson
shriekback- cormorant
depeche mode- playing the angel
pallas- the dreams of men
my morning jacket- z
riverside- second life syndrome
roger waters- ca ira
various artists- backs against the wall
riverside- out of myself
sigur ros- takk
killers- hot fuss
queen + paul rodgers- return of the champions
journey- generations
yes- the word is live
emmylou harris- heartaches & highways
van der graaf generator- remaster series
rob dickinson- fresh wine for the horses
annie- anniemal
dredg- catch without arms
foo fighters- in your honor
dream theater- octavarium
belle and sebastian- push barman to open old wounds
the go-betweens- oceans apart
porcupine tree- up the downstair (remaster 2005)
coldplay- x & y
nine inch nails- with teeth
aimee mann- the forgotten arm
van der graaf generator- present
christopher o'riley- hold me to this
glen phillips- winter pays for summer
new order- waiting for the siren's call
ben folds- songs for silverman
john doe- forever hasn't happened yet
trashcan sinatras- fez
adrian belew- side one
kaki king - legs to make us longer
longview- mercury
stereophonics- language. sex. violence. other?
for against- echelons
over the rhine- drunkard's prayer
kathleen edwards- back to me
kasabian- kasabian
porcupine tree- deadwing
the wedding present- take fountain
super furry animals - songbook
arena- pepper's ghost
snow patrol- final straw
rpwl- world through my eyes
tori amos- the beekeeper
kino- picture
monarch- the grandeur that was rome
spocks beard- octane
the wonder stuff- escape from rubbish island
richard barbieri- things buried
the pineapple thief- 12 stories down
the pineapple thief- 8 days later
the innoncence mission- now the day is over
zero 7- when it falls
pain of salvation- be
california guitar trio- white water
jelly jam- 2
tim bowness- my hotel year
van halen- the best of both worlds
glen burtnik- welcome to hollywood
charlie mars- charlie mars
porcupine tree- voyage 34 (2004 remaster)
saint etienne- travel edition
lanterna- highways review
hellboys- cha cha with the hellboys review
persona non grata- the fine art of living review
tegan and sara- so jealous review
guadalcanal diary- 2x4 reissue review
voices in the wire- signals in transmission review
roger waters- to kill a child/ leaving beirut review
luna- rendezvous review
jim white- drill a hole in that substrate and tell me what you see review
the drive-by truckers- the dirty south review
the blue nile - high review
lovedrug- pretend you're alive review
twilight singers- she loves you review
keane- hope and fears review
winds- the imaginary direction of time review
kristeen young- x review
asia- silent nation review
macha- forget tomorrow review
crystal method- legion of boom dvd-audio review
kevin moore- ghost book review
marillion- don't hurt yourself singles review
attrition- dante's kitchen review
rush- feedback review
tortoise- it's all around you review
division of laura lee- does not compute review
peccatum- lost in reverie review
iq- dark matter review
bass communion- ghosts on magnetic tape review
the push stars- paint the town review
virgin black- elegant... and dying review
marillion- marbles review
the streets- a grand don't come for free review
the veils- the runaway found review
all about eve- let me go home review
john young band- live review
mary lou lord- baby blue review
the divine comedy- absent friends review
pink floyd- the final cut (2004 remaster) review
prot-kaw- before became after review
jeffrey gaines live review
mocean worker- enter the mowo review
starsailor- silence is easy review
pineapple thief- variations review
lloyd cole- music in a foreign language review
david sylvian- blemish review
spock's beard- feel euphoria eview
guy manning- press pack sampler review
magellan- impossible figures review
the tangent- the music that died alone review
john gorka- live from grace church photos and review
hothouse flowers- into your heart review
charlotte martin- on your shore review
rasputina- frustration plantation review
stellastarr*- stellastarr* review
vast- nude review
sparks- lil' beethoven review
the damnwells- bastards of the beat review
dave gahan- paper monsters review
king crimson- power to believe review
fish- field of crows review
porcupine tree- in absentia dvd-audio review
new model army- great expectations review
antimatter- unreleased 1998 - 2003 review
catie curtis: dreaming in romance languages review
the gathering- sleepy buildings review
twilight singers play blackberry belle review
vienna teng- warm strangers review
opeth- lamentations dvd review
courtney love- america's sweetheart review
blackfield review
anathema- a natural disaster review
nearfest 2003 coverage
neal morse solo photos- metuchen, nj
porcupine tree broadcast
alpha- stargazing review
david sylvian at the tla
emm gryner at the point
barry andrews at the tin angel
tweaker:2 am wakeup call review
cure- join the dots review
fish live from the tla with john wesley
spearhead- everyone deserves music review
miles hunt (wonderstuff) live

full archives coming soon!

 



Studio M Live
818 North Market St, Suite 2R
Wilmington, DE 19801
302.475.9880

 

 

 
Copyright © 1997-2004 Studio M Live, Inc. All rights reserved. All content on studiomlive.com is owned by Studio M Live and may not be reproduced without written permission. Please contact us if you have any questions regarding this policy. If you are looking for Custom Injection Molding you are at the wrong site, and should really be at Applied Tech Products.