THE WHO: Concert Memories from the Classic Years 1964-1976

What did it feel like to be there? The author of this book has hit on an exciting and inspirational answer: ask the people who really were there at the time, and use their words and snaps alongside the work of professional photographers to create as much of an immersive experience as possible. This book has been praised by Who guitarist Pete Townshend himself as affording insights into his own complex persona and the rollercoaster career of the band that gave the world Tommy and Quadrophenia as well as numerous memorable songs such as "Pinball Wizard" and "I Can See for Miles". Audiences loved their auto-destructive act, with Townshend smashing his guitars and Keith Moon his drums, sometimes continuing the rampage back in their hotel rooms. It was a statement of the immediacy of life and art central to Mod culture, though aficionados disagree as to whether The Who were true Mods. Craig Patterson was in the audience at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco in 1967: "Their live version of 'A Quick One' was absolutely savage compared with the version on the LP. We had read about the smoke bombs and destruction of instruments, but there's nothing like witnessing it up close and personal". Craig's grainy photos from near the stage are very authentic. At Monterey, Ann Elizabeth Carroll saw Brian Jones ("he was just so beautiful") and Jimi Hendrix, while The Who "were almost too intense for me and for... the atmosphere of that weekend". Fillmore East, New York, in 1969 saw the famous incident when Townshend refused to evacuate the theatre for a fire, and at Woodstock in 1969 Rick Fitzrandolph got some photos of his favourite band, although "I had no idea it would be an iconic cultural event". Rick's photos of Townshend at Buffalo in 1975 are equal to those of professional photographers, while Bob Grunditz comments "The Who's playing was stellar, and the way they held the stage was equally amazing". 304pp, stunning photos in black and white and colour.