British Beat Groups of the 1960s
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Book Review: Classic Rock Albums- The Who Meaty, Beaty, Big & Bouncy |
November 1999 |
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This is the third book in the Classic Albums series to be reviewed by Making
Time. Previous reviews have covered Disraeli Gears and Abbey Road/Let It Be.
However, this book is somewhat different as Meaty, Beaty, Big & Bouncy is
not a classic album in the same way as the others. Rather than being a
standalone album, Meaty, Beaty, Big & Bouncy is a greatest hits compilation,
a marvelous one at that. It covers the early Who singles during the 1960s and so
it should be viewed more as a classic collection of great singles rather than as an
album. John Perry takes a different approach to writing this book compared with the previous two mentioned. He takes each song in turn, deconstructing it to cover its origin, its musical style, etc. The fact that John Perry is a guitarist himself (with the Only Ones) shows in this deconstruction. Disraeli Gears had read more as a history of Cream while Abbey Road/ Let It Be was more like a diary of the Beatles final recording sessions. As such this is a guide to the singles released when the Who were primarily a singles band. This all changed with Tommy. The group had not only discovered a "new" musical style with the opera format, and even the importance of albums, but the Who's single sales in the UK, the principal audience at that time, were falling. This time also marked the watershed between a lack of success and immense sales in the USA. To some extent, Meaty, Beaty, Big & Bouncy was intended to introduce the newly-discovered US audience to the Who's back catalogue. There is an immense level of detail about each of the songs. This shows not only meticulous research but also highlights the fact that the author, John Perry, is clearly a huge fan. Each of the songs is placed into context. Unlike a straightforward album, these songs cover about six years of the group's career from the first single, I Can't Explain, to super-stardom with Pinball Wizard. For this reason, there are changes in the context of the songs as the group matures as does Pete Townshend's songwriting. The background covers not just the songs themselves but also how the group was progressing. mp, October 1999 |
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Details |
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Published in 1998 by Schirmer Books ISBN: 0-02-864773-4 |
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Last Updated: 31 October 1999
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