The 500 - #96 - Tommy - The Who

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by New York-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.

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Album: #96

Album Title: Tommy

Artist: The Who

Genre: Rock, Hard Rock, Acoustic Rock, Acoustic Folk, Psychedelic, Art Rock

Recorded: IBC and Morgan Studios, London, England

Released: May, 1969

My age at release: Three

How familiar was I with it before this week: Very

Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #190 - dropping 94 spots

Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Overture/It's A Boy

There is so much I could write about this amazing record. It is, without a doubt, my favourite from The Who's catalogue. It accompanied me for much of the drive on my first road trip from London to Calgary in 1988. It was also one of the first three CD's I purchased in 1985 when, as an early adopter of this technology, I spent an outrageous sum ($500 ...$1500 adjusted for inflation) on my first CD player. However, if you will indulge me, I'd like to share a lengthy tale. I think the juice is worth the squeeze on this one and I promise to be brief next week.  

The Technics SL-XP7.

In the late 1990s, I became friends with a group of local musicians who also shared a love of hockey. Every Wednesday night, we  would gather at a local rink for an hour of shinny. Post game, we'd head back downtown where some of the players, or a group of our musician friends, would be performing at a local club or bar. It was a unique blend of hockey and music that became one of the highlights of my week.

Farquharson Arena - home of Wednesday night shinny in the '90s.

Late one December, the group's organizer, a talented singer, songwriter and musician named Dave Merritt (well known from the musical projects Adam West and The Golden Seals), arranged a road trip to Toronto. Our mission was to play an exhibition game against a team of hockey-playing musicians from Toronto's Parkdale neighbourhood. Among their ranks was musician and author Dave Bidini of the Rheostatics, at the time one of Canada's most respected alternative rock bands. I had seen the Rheostatics open for The Tragically Hip a few years earlier and had been a fan for several years, so the opportunity to share the ice with Bidini and his teammates was especially exciting.

Four releases from The Golden Seals - Check them out at their website.

Unfortunately, the timing worked against us. The game took place just days after Christmas, and holiday commitments left us scrambling to assemble a full roster. In the end, we managed to bring only nine skaters, including our goaltender, Oscar "Porchee" Macedo. By comparison, our opponents, the Morningstars, rolled onto the ice with a full bench and a noticeably higher skill level.

(Fun Fact: The Morningstars take their name from Dale Morningstar, founding member of The Dinner Is Ruined, an avant-garde rock band active in the ‘90s. Dale also co-founded The Gas Station Recording Studio, which has been called "the hub of the Canadian Indie Rock sound". Morningstar has produced records from well known Canadian artists that include Gord Downie (The Tragically Hip), The Barenaked Ladies, hHead, Thrush Hermits and The Cowboy Junkies.)

Dale Morningstar at the 2025 Toronto Folk Festival.

Despite the odds, we held our own. Much of that was thanks to the aforementioned Oscar Macedo who turned in a remarkable performance between the pipes. When the final buzzer sounded, we had lost just 5-2, a result that felt far more honourable than the circumstances suggested, and we gladly accepted an invitation to join them for beers and burgers, post-skate. I even have a short, grainy video I pieced together shortly after the event. (I used to think it was good footage on my small, '90s computer monitor -- alas, technology proves otherwise).

Team photos, post game, December 1999. Morningstars
at top, our ragtag squad at the bottom.

More importantly, that game served as my introduction to the Hockey Association of the Arts (HAA). The organization brought together musicians, artists, actors, writers, road crew members, and other creative professionals who happened to love hockey as much as their chosen craft. Supported in part by the monthly music and arts magazine Exclaim!, the HAA fostered a community in which creativity and competition coexisted in equal measure.

What began as a post-Christmas road trip eventually opened the door to an annual sojourn, every Easter weekend, to participate in the three-day Exclaim! Hockey Summit of the Arts. My team, The London Fog, even won the B-Division trophy in our first tournament in 2000, defeating the Ottawa Songbird Millionaires 4-3.

The London Fog at our third Summit (2003). I am front row, far right.

Each evening of the tournament, after the hockey playing was done, the teams (numbering more than 20 and from coast-to-coast by 2004) gathered at a Toronto drinking establishment for the Hootennany. Every team was  required to put together a half-hour set of music for the crowd. At first, it was just a big jam. The professional musicians with whom I played let me bring my sax on stage to toot along with them, typically just following the bass line with the four or five notes that I knew worked in key. We performed old rock standards, including Little Richard's Good Golly Ms. Molly, a rockabilly version of Creep by Radiohead, as well as Brand New Cadillac and, of course, London Calling from The Clash.

Some footage from our 2002 tournament we hosted in London is here.

Pucks promoting the 2026 Hockey Summit of the Arts event.

However, as is often the case with creative types, the performances at the Hootenanny became increasingly elaborate with each passing year. What started as a handful of musicians sharing a few songs after hockey gradually evolved into a full-blown spectacle. Teams arrived in costume, complete with entrance music, props and choreographed routines. The bar was being raised every Easter weekend, and we knew it was time for the London Fog to up the ante -- and in 2007, we took our first shot.

Tournament favourites Chart Attack Hack recapture 80s hair metal at the Hootenany.

The good news was that talent was never our problem. Our roster was absolutely stacked with gifted musicians and singers. What we needed was the right idea, something memorable that would entertain the crowd and reflect our team's personality. Several ideas were pitched, and I was thrilled when the group embraced my suggestion to rewrite a selection of songs from Tommy, The Who's legendary rock opera, and transform them into a hockey-themed tribute to our team and the tournament.

The concept gave us another opportunity as well. We wanted to recognize Tom Goodwin, a member of the Morningstars and one of the tireless volunteers who helped organize and coordinate the Hockey Summit of the Arts year after year. Tom was one of those behind-the-scenes people whose efforts made the entire event possible, and weaving him into the performance felt like a fitting thank you. It also helped me craft our closing number. He became the titular "Tommy" in our mini-rock-opera.

Our goalie, and bass player Oscar (r) with Tom Goodwin.

I could hardly believe my good fortune. They had always supported my enthusiastic, though, decidedly average saxophone playing.  By entrusting me to rewrite lyrics to songs from one of rock's most celebrated albums, plus letting me play a little backup guitar, and even sing the final number, I felt like I was attending a rock and roll summer camp.

Performing with The Fog at a 2010 Hootennany. I look
much cooler in stills than I sound live.

Prior to our performance, we took to the ice on Saturday afternoon for a game against the Ottawa team we had defeated six years earlier. Since both teams had already been eliminated from playoff contention, the game was little more than a friendly exhibition.

Ottawa Songbird Millionaires (early 2000s).

Somehow, over a 'few' beers the previous night, my pal, and coach, Steve "Lumpy" Sullivan concocted a scheme to entertain the unsuspecting referees and tournament crowd at the start of the following day’s game. The moment the puck was dropped, every player on both starting lineups would collapse to the ice...as though having been shot. Then, our keeper, Oscar, would skate out of his crease for a breakaway. I think we enjoyed the charade more than the bemused crowd...but we did get some laughs and some cheers.

Wisely, I asked a friend to film the stunt, the video can be seen here.

That night, for our "mini-opera," we performed four songs from the album. We opened exactly as Tommy does, with the Overture and It's a Boy. 

We followed with Drinking Wizards, a parody of one of The Who's biggest hits, Pinball Wizard, featuring Vince Braca on lead vocals.  Oscar then took over singing duties for a comedic version of Uncle Ernie, which we cheekily retitled Stumble About.  We did tend to lean into our tendency to enjoy our share of cocktails on those weekends.

Oscar performing Stumble About at the Hootenanny, the 
"multi-media" presentation behind him.

Finally, we closed with Tommy, Can You Hear Me? and We're Not Gonna Take It, the album's powerful concluding tracks. For the finale, however, we put our own spin on the song's famous refrain, replacing it with the heartfelt message, "We just want to thank you." As the small audience sang along (we were booked early and few people were in attendance), dozens of photos of Tom Goodwin filled the screen, creating a touching tribute made possible by the secret and gracious contributions of his family. I have footage of these performances somewhere, but couldn't track them down for this blog. When I do, I'll post them.

Label from the single, We're Not Gonna Take It.

The Fog played its "last" game in April, 2011. By that point, most of us were  in our late-40s with a few members in their 50s. We still played pick-up hockey in non-competitive beer leagues (much the way the team began), but our days of late-night carousing coupled with multiple competitive hockey games are behind us.

Fittingly, for The Fog’s final game in 2011 we organized a shinny match against friends of the team and played on a Saturday afternoon in London. It didn't feel like "the last game" at the time and, maybe, it won't be. But if it was our swan song, I will take a boatload of memories into hockey retirement. 

A photo from our "last" game. April 23, 2011

Thanks for indulging me with this extra long, nostalgic post. Next week, we'll leave dressing rooms, power chords and rock-operas behind, but dive into a little psychedelia with Miles Davis, as he charts the unknown edges of jazz with his 1970 record, Bitches Brew.

The 500 - #384 - A Quick One - 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's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

Album # 384

Album Title: A Quick One
Artist: The Who
Genre: Rock
Recorded: IBC, Regent and Pye Studios (London, England)
Released: December, 1966
My age at release: 1 - My Guest Blogger was not born yet
How familiar was I with it before this week: Somewhat
Song I am putting on my Spotify: So Sad About Us

This week I welcome guest blogger Steve Crew. Steve and I have been friends for about 25 years. However, we would later realize that our time in high school briefly overlapped and we were in the school band together. Steve is a professional musician and multi-instrumentalist. However, he is best known around the London, Ontario, music scene as a drummer for The Rizdales. 

Steve Crew - behind his kit at  a Rizdale's show

There have been many nights when I've been able to corner him at the bar (often between sets with one of his many bands) to talk hockey and music. I distinctly remember an evening in 1999. I had just seen the Wes Craven movie Rushmore and was enraptured by the soundtrack to the film. 

Rushmore Soundtrack (1988)

When I saw Steve, I asked him if he knew The Who song that was in the film - I think I referred to it as, "You Are Forgiven". Without skipping a beat he said: "It's A Quick One". When I saw this record coming up on The 500, I knew I had to reach out to Steve and ask him if he was willing to share his knowledge as a guest blogger. Fortunately, he agreed. Enjoy.

A little background: The Who are a rock band formed in 1964 in London, England. Their classic line-up was Roger Daltry (lead vocals), Pete Townsend (guitar, secondary lead vocals, principle song writer), John Entwistle (bass and vocals) and Keith Moon (drummer). The Who achieved quick success in the UK and North America, capitalizing on the Mod and pop art sub-cultures. They gained notoriety when they destroyed their instruments on stage at the end of performances. They were, however, more than a "stunt-act". Their talent as musicians was recognized quickly by music critics and fans. They quickly became one of the biggest bands in the world.

The Who: A Quick One album cover (1966)

As it turns out, you shouldn’t judge the album you're about to review based on a casual background listen.

“This isn’t their best showing, is it?” I said to my girlfriend.

A few days and several listens later, my impression changed. “Hey wait, I forgot how amazing this record is!”

Even as a Who fan, this wouldn’t be my first pick. It might not even be my second or third. It’s an important record, though. Released in 1966, A Quick One is The Who’s sophomore effort. It’s exciting, it’s pivotal for band’s future, and it’s LOUD.

By this point the band were already established in North America. Their 1965 debut album included huge hits, The Kids Are Alright and My Generation. This new record was a departure from that Maximum R ’n’ B formula. To make it even weirder, each member wrote material and sang on least one track.

The Who - (left to right) - Daltry, Entwistle, Townsend, Moon 

Let’s start with the hits.

Happy Jack Is about an old-timer that Townsend and his friends would incessantly tease when they were young. It’s a song that showcases The Who’s signature style: Loud-Quiet-Loud. We get the power and force from the backing trio as they hit the instrumental sections. Then, just as quickly, they rein it in when the verse returns.

It’s exciting to hear something so loud and frenetic one moment, and subdued and balanced the next. To me, this is what The Who is all about. Worth noting, this song is not on the original UK release. In its place was a pretty bang up cover of Martha & the Vandals Heat Wave.

Boris the Spider. This is what you get when two bass players get drunk and come up with human names for animals. John Entwhistle and Rolling Stones’ bassist, Bill Wyman, were out for a night on the town and this song was the result.

The subject matter and John’s demonic voice in the chorus give this song its screwball quality. It’s reminiscent of something you might hear on Dr Demento. That aside, it’s a bona fide fan favourite that gets its share of play on rock radio. 

Drummer’s note: check out the late snare drum hit at 1:40. Maybe Mr. Moon thought the song was over or he lost the grip on his stick. But hey, it’s Keith. Perhaps he’s just playing “behind the beat.”

Next: 

Three tracks don’t fit the standard Who “rock radio” designation. For both diehard and casual fans, these songs deserve regular rotation.

Run Run Run has the classic mod-pop Who sound and it’s a great start to the album. With its jangly guitar, sweet vocals, and a catchy chorus, it’s really the sound of the times. A perfect song for ‘66.

So Sad About Us gives us a peek into the band’s future sound. For me, this is the gem on the record. It’s melodic, powerful, and it has harmonies for days. The push and pull of the rhythm section, Roger Daltry feeding those lead vocals, and that amazing chiming guitar are the straight-up goods!

Whiskey Man is John Entwistle’s second number on the record. It tells the tale of a man with an imaginary friend who loves to drink. The production (hello French horn!) and song structure give it a feel reminiscent of The Beatle's Rubber Soul record. This is my choice for best song on the first side.

Alright, it’s time to talk about Keith Moon

When I first started drumming, Keith was one of my top influences. There was so much fun, power, and passion in his drumming. I couldn’t get enough of it. Not surprisingly, there was always room for a Moon-style drum-fill in my playing.

Keith wrote two songs for this record and sang lead vocals on one of them. The first is the instrumental, Cobwebs and Strange. Horns, flutes, and marching drums give it a carnival feel, and every band member plays a wind instrument throughout. Check it out here.

The main reason for this number? A drum solo! Keith’s maniacal playing takes centre stage as each segment quickens to a frantic pace. The speed and accuracy of Pete Townsend’s right hand strumming is pretty amazing too. This is easily one of the most bizarre songs The Who ever recorded.

I Need You, Keith’s second track on the record, illustrates his love of surf music. The drums are incredibly loud, with as much presence as Moon’s lead vocal.

Finally, a bit about the album’s title track

At a whopping nine minutes, A Quick One is a tale of loss, infidelity, and redemption in six parts. It is Townsend’s first attempt at mini rock opera. He actually wanted cellos for the finale, but producer Kit Lambert, said they couldn’t afford them. You can actually hear the band singing “cello, cello, cello” in place of the real thing.

The song was groundbreaking for its time. It challenged the conventions of what a rock song could be, and led the way to era-defining records, Tommy and Quadrophenia, which appear on The 500 list at #96 and #267 respectively

For me, the perfect version of A Quick One is from The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, a concert organized by the Rolling Stones in 1968. 

Promotional Poster for Rock and Roll Circus film

The Who, fresh off a concert tour of their own, unleashed their seemingly reckless power, then effortlessly dialed it all back. Worth checking this out to see the true essence of the band on full display.

And that, my friends, is The Who, A Quick One. Enjoy!