Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
As with the enormously in-depth posthumous box set that covered the solo career of his band mate John Entwistle, the output of guitarist and main songwriter of The Who, Pete Townshend comes under the glorious scrutiny of the fan and listener alike in his own comprehensive collected edition, The Studio Albums.
A larger output awaits the listener than was on The Ox Box Set, and whilst both are accomplished feats of musical heritage and passion, there is perhaps more of a reveal of the man behind the Mod outlook and penetrating eyes as the eight cds unfold in time’s gaze, an uninhibited detail covering the life of a person who shaped a part of the 60’s and Generation X’s outlook, and one that sat comfortably against the pop hype initially offered in bands such as The Rolling Stones and The Beatles.
As with John Entwistle’s respectful reintroduction to the minds of the crowd, the boxset will have some suggest that The Who were a classic example of the sum of the parts, good individually, but need the classic foursome to be together to bring out the best in each; and in some ways that could be true, certainly the general public will readily identify singles and albums such as the outstanding Quadrophenia as illustrations of the spirit of the band; and yet as the albums flow from Pete Townshend’s own mind, as the inspiration across the generations and years grow more confident, there is a beauty and style that burns brightly.
From the initial 1972 debut solo album of Who Came First and through the ages to the modern rock opera/cinematic feel of Psycoderelict, and its unexpected music only version which only adds remarkable tension to the story that unfolds and which arguably can be seen to bookend Pete Townshend’s solo career with a flourish, and within those albums in between, including Empty Glass, and All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes, what the spiritual legend of the Mod movement shows is a kinship with music that few possess, he doesn’t just frame a mood, he personalises it, he gives it his own breath and insists that it lives.
Pete Townshend: The Studio Albums is a library of emotions captured on disc, and a model of rock security driven by the perception and truth of experience; a representative of what a concept can bring to the masses.
Ian D. Hall