In the mid ’90s, Entwistle assembled the John Entwistle Band, with producer Steve Luongo on drums, guitarist Godfrey Townsend, and keyboardist Gordon Cotton. The band was to have retired following a farewell tour in 1982, but demand for a reunion led to another tour in ’89. Entwistle, meanwhile, recorded another solo album, Too Late The Hero, which reached number 71 on the U.S. The Who kicked out two albums in the early ’80s (1981’s Face Dances and 1982’s It’s Hard). The wind, however, was knocked out of the band’s sails early in the tour, when 11 fans were trampled to death before a concert in Cincinnati in December, 1979. Though his solo career never garnered much interest in the U.S., it helped him focus on music despite the fact that the Who was on shakey ground Townshend had suffered a nervous breakdown early in the decade, Daltrey pursued acting and a solo career, and Moon moved into the party fast lane that would claim his life in 1978.ĭespite a uniform feeling that the band wouldn’t really exist after’s Moon’s passing, the Who toured in support of Who Are You, which was released just a few months before the drummer’s death. Two cases in point are “Boris the Spider,” from the band’s second album ( A Quick One) and “My Wife,” from Who’s Next.įrom 1971 to 1973, Entwistle, discouraged by certain bandmates’ falling victim to the trappings of rock stardom, released three solo albums and toured with his band, Ox. Where Townshend proved to be the cynic, the rebel, the conceptualist, Entwistle’s bizarre, often dark sense of humor lent further contrast. The Who was unique in that way: Townshend’s guitar was often the base that Moon and Entwistle would “solo” over.Īnd amid the pandemonium that was a Who concert – Townshend’s windmilling and power-posing, Moon’s run-amock drumming style, and Daltrey’s frontman posturing – Entwistle developed a trademark standstill style that contrasted visually as he laid down complex fills and countermelodies that fit perfectly.Įntwistle also wrote many noteworthy Who songs. For many reasons (like keeping up with Townshend’s taste for 100-watt amp stacks) he tended to play extremely loud and complex parts to compensate for the absence of a rhythm guitar. Guitarist Pete Townshend joined soon thereafter, then drummer Keith Moon, and the band evolved from The Detours to The High Numbers and finally The Who, and they started recording in 1964.įrom early on, The Who, being a single-guitar band, relied heavily on Entwistle to keep the music rolling. One day, as he strode down the street, homemade bass under his arm, he was approached by a neighborhood chap named Roger Daltrey, who invited him to join a band. But few of them were willing to take on the newfangled electric bass guitar, not only because the role was deemed secondary, but also because in England at the time, decent-quality basses were nearly impossible to come by.ĭespite being just 14 years old, Entwistle quickly took on double duty as bass player and bass builder, not bothering to learn guitar first. Yet another member of his generation swept up in the skiffle revival of the 1950s, Entwistle was smart enough to see that guitar players in his hometown were a dime a dozen. But Entwistle changed that situation dramatically, developing not only a unique style and establishing the stereotype of the rock-solid, unmoving bassist, but also evolving a tapping multi-hand approach to bass playing.Ī musically curious young man, John Alex Entwistle was born in Chiswick, London, in 1944, and as a schoolboy, learned to play piano and French Horn (which he would use throughout his time in the Who). Some would argue there is none higher.īefore Entwistle, the role of the bassist was nebulous the average listener didn’t pay much mind to bass notes or their placement. Pop music lovers – especially those with an ear tuned to gear and how it’s used – know that John Entwistle ranks as one of the most influential bassists in the history of rock and roll. John Entwistle with a Stratus Graphite bass.
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