Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
It could have been all so different, a moment of loss could have ended the time prematurely of one of the biggest and finest bands to come out of England, and arguably whilst missed, no one would have blamed Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, and John Entwistle is they had called it a day in the wake of Keith Moon’s tragic death.
It was more of a loss than some onlookers could probably comprehend, and unlike some groups, the loss of one member, any member of The Who, was like losing a limb, the body may still be productive, but it really isn’t going to be the same ever again.
To step in to the shoes of Keith Moon was going to be an enormous task, and one that was going to grind against the bone, for whilst there will always be technically brilliant drummers, it was the sheer exuberance, dare it be said the madness of the musician that would be impossible to challenge and lay down a pattern of their own making.
Then there is Kenney Jones, once of Small Faces, a man to whom respect is unequal, not Keith Moon, but a man not afraid to be himself, and in the light of Pete Townshend’s determined stance of carrying on, a message carried to the press the day after his friend’s passing, the limelight was shifted from the exuberant and volatile to the perfect sense of timing that Jones had within him.
Two albums were produced during Kenney Jones time with the band, and a remarkably telling live album, Whos’ Last, which captured the idealism at a time when there was a thought that the band would no longer tour the United States.
The great thing about The Who is that there is an abundance of live recordings captured, that have been stored, and even now there is a sense that events such as the band’s gig at Charlton Athletic’s ground could find its way to vinyl or cd in the way that the much anticipated Live At Shea Stadium 1982 recording has found its way to the modern audience’s ears.
The speciality of this album’s release comes in the knowledge that it would be the last one to involve Kenney Jones, and whilst it was a shame for the followers of the group that they would once more await a replacement, and by definition another visit to the country as The Who stepped back from the limelight until persuaded to be part of Live Aid in London, the history provided by this album is testament to the significance of maintain a presence in the face of tragic adversity.
It could be argued that Kenney Jones was on a hiding to nothing as he stepped into the drum arrangements of Keith Moon, but Live At Shea Stadium 1982 is an appreciation of his time at the skins and cymbals, and whilst its telling that few of the songs off It’s Hard and Face Dances make the setlist, including the strange omission of You Better You Bet, the fluid nature of Kenney Jones performance was one to admire, and in tracks such as Baba O’ Riley, The Punk and The Godfather, Won’t Get Fooled Again, and the lesser played Tattoo, the beat of the band finds a renewed state of optimism.
An album perhaps for the collector and vinyl historian alike, one that the already established fan will take to…all there is to ask of th band now though is to officially release Live at The Valley.
Ian D. Hall