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65th out of 381 books
—
570 voters
Before I Get Old: The Story of the Who
by
Dave Marsh
Written at the request of Pete Townshend and endorsed by the rest of the band, this in-depth history of The Who took author Dave Marsh three years to research and write. Complete with photographs, it covers the group’s origins and meteoric rise to fame, reveals inside information on the personalities and lives of the band members, and documents the relationships, drugs, de...more
Paperback, 546 pages
Published
September 16th 2003
by Plexus Publishing
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Rock good! Thinking bad!
Unquestionably the WHO were one of the top five rock and roll bands of all time. There never was a lead singer as tough and sexy as Roger Daltry. Or a songwriter as sensitive and thoughtful as Pete Townsend who could also play guitar almost on an Eric Clapton/Jimi Hendrix level. Keith Moon was the most colorful rock drummer of all time, and John Entwistle went beyond the "silent bassplayer" archetype to write some of the Who's funniest and darkest songs, like "Boris The...more
Unquestionably the WHO were one of the top five rock and roll bands of all time. There never was a lead singer as tough and sexy as Roger Daltry. Or a songwriter as sensitive and thoughtful as Pete Townsend who could also play guitar almost on an Eric Clapton/Jimi Hendrix level. Keith Moon was the most colorful rock drummer of all time, and John Entwistle went beyond the "silent bassplayer" archetype to write some of the Who's funniest and darkest songs, like "Boris The...more
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"Before I Get Old" tells the story of the Who, and ultimately the story of rock n roll's development in the sixties and downfall in the seventies, as the disconnect between bands and audiences grew and rock n roll became more of a spectator sport than something personal between band and audience.
Marsh focuses on Pete Townshend, which is appropriate, as he was the main songwriter, and more or less leader, of the band. Townshend's musings, frequently contradictory, confusing, and vague, could fill...more
Marsh focuses on Pete Townshend, which is appropriate, as he was the main songwriter, and more or less leader, of the band. Townshend's musings, frequently contradictory, confusing, and vague, could fill...more
As much as I looked forward to reading this at the time, I would up incredibly disappointed. The scope of the book remains mainly during the Who's early days, and it primarily focuses on Pete Townshend. The Who was made up of some pretty interesting characters besides Townshend, in particular drummer Keith Moon. Most of the bands story is told pretty quickly, following the release of Tommy. Considering the amount of material the band released in the 70's, the amount of time spent on it is minima...more
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In the early 80s, when I was just a mere pup, I caught the Who's Farewell Show at Toronto on HBO. That, and a mention of them on WKRP in Cincinnatti, spurred me to snag this book, which is extraordinarily well written as a piece of critical reportage with the full cooperation of the band. While some might fault it for ending with the final show of the farewell tour, the stuff which followed - countless"reunions" even as half the band was dead; the dicey "Endless Wire" CD; Townsend's perversions...more
The definitive biography on the group. Dave Marsh takes some side trips and explains some social phenomena necessary to understanding much of the Who's work, such as pirate radio, mods and British conformity, Mehrer Baba and others. Occasionally Marsh's opinions interfere with his appreciation of the Who's work, but this is actually something of a benefit; it never becomes a hagiography (unlike his Springsteen bio). The timeline extends through 1983 and gives the band's final two albums, sans Ke...more
I'm a bit biased in my five star rating of this book, being as huge a Who fan as I am. Nevertheless, I do believe that this book deserves all five stars in spite of its faults.
Dave Marsh's biography on The Who is often seen as the definitive Who text, though some would argue in greater favor of Richard Barnes's Maximum R B. Where Richard Barnes tends to focus a great deal more on Pete Townshend than the rest of the band in his account (and quite naturally, as he was and remains good friends with...more
Dave Marsh's biography on The Who is often seen as the definitive Who text, though some would argue in greater favor of Richard Barnes's Maximum R B. Where Richard Barnes tends to focus a great deal more on Pete Townshend than the rest of the band in his account (and quite naturally, as he was and remains good friends with...more
Talk about an epiphany.
On the day “Quadrophenia” was released, me and Coop hauled ass up to Dearborn Music and both plunked down what we thought at the time was long green (probably about $6.99 each) for our own personal copies, then raced back to my house, went up to my room, locked the door, opened a window, fired one up, slit the shrink wrap, and powered up my old Marantz receiver, Dual turntable, and Advent speakers. About halfway through Side 2, Coop looked up at me, his eyes glazed over l...more
On the day “Quadrophenia” was released, me and Coop hauled ass up to Dearborn Music and both plunked down what we thought at the time was long green (probably about $6.99 each) for our own personal copies, then raced back to my house, went up to my room, locked the door, opened a window, fired one up, slit the shrink wrap, and powered up my old Marantz receiver, Dual turntable, and Advent speakers. About halfway through Side 2, Coop looked up at me, his eyes glazed over l...more
The first edition of this came into my hands on Christmas day 1983, back when the Who still mattered. I read it all day and walked away thinking I needed a life. Not that it's not a good book---it's the best Who bio you'll find. But I read it at a stage where I was ready to give up a lot of my adolescence, and, alas, my reverence for Townshend/Daltrey/ Entwistle/Moon was fading because my tastes were changing. (I was also outraged that I paid $15---FIFTEEN FRIGGIN DOLLARS---to see them at the Po...more
Apr 18, 2007
Niko Taylor
is currently reading it
For anyone who's talked to me about music recently, you know I've been on a huge Who kick. Well, I've finally got my hands on a reputable Who biography (Marsh also wrote the excellent Springsteen bio Born to Run).
What have I learned so far? Well, apparently Pete Townshend was inspired to write his own songs in earnest after hearing Bob Dylan's 1964 album Another Side of Bob Dylan. In particular, he was blown away by the song All I Really Want to Do, because it wasn't teen pop, it wasn't folk, it...more
What have I learned so far? Well, apparently Pete Townshend was inspired to write his own songs in earnest after hearing Bob Dylan's 1964 album Another Side of Bob Dylan. In particular, he was blown away by the song All I Really Want to Do, because it wasn't teen pop, it wasn't folk, it...more
Marsh gets a little too hypercritical for my liking of the best band there ever was (outside of The Beatles), but good history of The Who, especially the early years.
Simply put, I think Dave Marsh did a terrific job on this biography. After I read it, I didn't feel the need to read any other bio on the band.
Dave Marsh is a self-important hack, which unfortunately is the main thing that comes across in this far-too-lengthy book.
This is the definitive story of the Who from there very beginning through about 1980-1981.
One of the cool things that Dave Marsh does in this is to explain English youth subculture in the 60's, especially the Mods, and how the Who became popular with that group. He also explores the individual members of the band, filling out some nice to know facts about them. There is also a lot said about the dynamics in the group as well as a lot of time spend examining the songs that make this the worlds g...more
One of the cool things that Dave Marsh does in this is to explain English youth subculture in the 60's, especially the Mods, and how the Who became popular with that group. He also explores the individual members of the band, filling out some nice to know facts about them. There is also a lot said about the dynamics in the group as well as a lot of time spend examining the songs that make this the worlds g...more
I read the first publication of this, the one written in 1983.
Sometimes pretentious and maybe a bit too obsessive with Pete Townshend, rock critic Dave Marsh still paints an interesting protrait on how four thugs from Shepherds Bush became the ultimate kick ass rock and roll band.
Whatever made The Who exciting and relevant can't be gleaned from this book. Marsh sucks the joy right out of it.
Lots of good info.
A great read for any fan of rock music and the Who. Lots of great stories and insight into the music and it's inspiration.
I read almost all of this as an eighth grader to do my big research project that year. I chose to research Pete Townshend. I took it out from the library many times to reread certain parts until I found my own copy while in college. I learned the majority of my Who knowledge from this book.
Can't remember much about this as I read it so long ago, but I would recommend for Who fans new and old as a well researched fairly exhaustive look at The Who's career.
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Jun 03, 2013
Gunther Ramysen
marked it as to-read
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“Daltrey was by all accounts the toughest man in the Who; maybe the toughest man in London. Filled with blue collar attitude, he strutted around the stage, screaming out the rage of a century of London's dead end lives, roaring like a young lion trapped in a decadent, dying England. Townsend wrote prettily, daydreaming foolishly individualistic dreams of artistic expression, but it was Roger's sledghammer voice that smashed the skulls of the enemy.”
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