The Who

After a long period of relative inactivity, the Who return with a dramatic, growling new release. The album begins with a set of grizzled rockers and laments -- the bombastic "Mike Post Theme" and "God Speaks, of Marty Robbins," respectively -- much of which brims with Townshend and Daltry's portentous soul-searching. But the second half, a 10-song miniature rock opera, has the most interesting writing, the best being the title track. Though unlikely to be among the Who's greatest, Endless Wire is their finest collection in some time -- more than 24 years, to be exact.

When Roger Daltrey sang "My Generation" at the second of the Who's New York shows in
September, the line that jumped out at me was not the infamous "Hope I die before I get
old" but the "fuck you" upfront -- "People try and put us down/Just because we get
around." The Who now playing that song every night are only half the legend that
recorded it forty-one years ago: Daltrey and guitarist-songwriter Pete Townshe... More >