The 500 - #170 - Live At Leeds - The Who

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

---

Album: #170
Album Title: Live At Leeds

Artist: The Who

Genre: Rock, Hard Rock

Recorded: University of Leeds Refectory, West Yorkshire, England

Released: May, 1970

My age at release: 4
How familiar was I with it before this week: Very well

Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #327. dropping 157 spots
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Magic Bus

Album cover for Live At Leeds by The Who.

Well documented in this blog series is the first Rush record I purchased – their 1976 live release, All The World's A Stage. I bought it when visiting my dad in my future hometown of London, Ontario, during March Break in 1980. It was a job change and dad was setting up house in advance of the family move from Kingsville on the shore of Lake Erie.

Album cover for All The World's A Stage -- Rush.

In order to listen to this double record, I coaxed an attendant at the Central Library to allow me to borrow headphones and use a music listening booth. What I heard, blew my fourteen-year-old mind. How could three musicians create such a big, full sound? I understood that studio recordings could be enhanced with layers of multiple tracks for guitars, bass, vocals and drums, but this was a live recording...by a trio! Additionally, there were moments when the three of them seemed to be soloing at the same time, effortlessly switching between complex time signatures and melodic phrases. This was not straightforward 4/4 time rock and roll – at the time I thought of it as "orchestral rock" or "symphonic metal"?

Rush performing live in 1976.

Not surprisingly, Rush players Geddy Lee (bass/vocals), Alex Lifeson (guitars) and Neil Peart (drums) have cited several bands on The 500 as influencing their sound -- chief among them is The Who. In a July, 2020, article in Rolling Stone Magazine, Lee named The Who’s John Entwistle as the greatest rock bass guitarist of all time, saying:

"He was one of the first gods to me. Gods of rock. [Laughs] Ever since I first heard (The Who's) My Generation, it was like, “Who is that?” His was a name I needed to know."

It's easy to spot the influence on Rush when you listen to The Who's 1970 record Live At Leeds. It is equally hard to imagine that The Who’s four members made such a heavy, complex sound. Throughout Live At Leeds and much of The Who’s classic catalogue, Entwistle's bass work is riveting. One of his nicknames, Thunderfingers, is apropos Those digits of his dance up and down the fretboard with purpose and confident melodic authority. He is a master of the oft-overlooked instrument.

Entwistle in 1970.

Throughout their careers with The Who and Rush respectively, Entwistle and Lee were not content to serve as simple rhythmic bricklayers. Instead, they played their instruments more actively, finding engaging melodies that supported the piece while making it far more interesting. There’s truth in the observation that Lee and Entwistle play the bass as if it is the lead instrument. Perhaps, unsurprisingly, both began as guitar players and played trumpet in school. Their understanding of melody and counter-melody certainly informed their songwriting and bass playing.

John Entwistle surrounded by his many bass guitars.

It was at my high school friend Brent Murray's home that I first heard Live From Leeds. We were likely skipping school and hanging around at his mom's apartment while she worked. I was gobsmacked. It sounded so raw and real, as if I was standing in the crowd at the Refectory (cafeteria) at Leeds University in West Yorkshire on February 14, 1970, when the concert was recorded.

A 2019 picture of the small stage in the Refectory at Leeds University.

The extended version of the song Magic Bus, which concludes the record, remains one of my favourite Who performances, so it was an easy choice for adding it to my personal, ever-growing, 500 Playlist. However, Entwistle has called Magic Bus one of his least favourite songs to play because the bass part is so simple –  for the most part, a single note (a low A) played repeatedly. Conversely, Who guitarist Peter Townsend has termed it a favourite because of the rhythm. The song Such is the fate for even the greatest rock bassist. It was a staple of their live performances for decades. Alas, sometimes, even the greatest rock bassist of all time has to accept the role as a rhythmic bricklayer for the benefit of the band.