January 1967

New music releases: The Doors - The Doors; More of The Monkees - The Monkees; "There's a Kind of Hush" - Herman's Hermits; "Ruby Tuesday" - The Rolling Stones

The Who's first show for the year is on the 6th at the Marine Ballroom in Morecambe, all except for Pete who doesn't make it. The Who's management claim it is another car accident on the M1. The truth is that Pete is on his third acid trip and sensing correctly that he is in no shape to drive, instead goes to the UFO Club to see The Pink Floyd. He takes Eric Clapton with him the next night specifically to check out Syd Barrett.

On the 7th, Disc magazine starts a four-part "Who Are The Who?" series starting with Roger.

It may not be appearing on U.S. charts but Cash Box reports that 17% of polled U.S. radio stations have added "I'm a Boy" to their playlist.

On the 11th, The Who mime to "Happy Jack" for a broadcast of Top Of The Pops the following day. BBC records show The Who are paid £84 for their appearance. After the show, Pete and Eric Clapton catch Jimi Hendrix's set at the Bag O'Nails club. The following night they both attend his next show at the 7½ Club.

One more date in the U.K. for The Who follows at Festival Hall in Kirkby-in-Ashfield on the 13th before they fly off to Hamburg, Germany on the 15th to perform on the TV show Beat Club. They mime to "I'm a Boy," "Heat Wave" and "Happy Jack" and the first song is later released on the Who's Better Who's Best video.

On the 14th, Melody Maker has the interview "Pop think in: Pete Townshend." Pete thinks about "Good Vibrations" ("My reaction was: 'Oh it's cleverly made bits of tape all stuck together.'"), smashing guitars ("I smash guitars because I like them. I usually smash a guitar when it's at its best."), and the Beatles ("They are basically my main source of inspiration--and everyone else's for that matter.")

The Who Fan Club Newsletter reveals that The Who now have U.S. live performance representation with Premier Talent.

Manfred Mann release their album Soul Of Mann featuring a jazz cover of "My Generation."

Sometime during this month, Pete and The Who's manager Kit Lambert are invited to John Lennon's house to listen to and critique The Beatles' soon-to-be-released song "Strawberry Fields Forever". Whether or not Pete is critical to John Lennon's face, he shortly afterwards tells New Musical Express: "I believe pop music should be like the TV - something you can turn on or off and shouldn't disturb the mind. Eventually these people are going to go too far and leave the rest of the world behind. It's very hard to like 'Strawberry Fields Forever' for simply what it is. Some artists are becoming musically unapproachable." Much later he will change his mind and declare the song The Beatles' best.

On the 17th, The Who are recorded live at The Playhouse for BBC's radio programme Saturday Club. The tunes supplied are "Happy Jack," "Run, Run, Run," "Boris The Spider," "See My Way", "Don't Look Away" and "So Sad About Us". Pete is also interviewed. The show airs on the 21st.

On the 18th, The Who perform at the Orchid Ballroom in Putney. The 21st was to have been The Who's first performance at Leeds University, but this time Pete actually has car trouble when he runs out of gas on the A1. Determined not to miss the show, Pete attempts to trade his guitar for gas. By the time he finally makes it to Leeds, it is too late.

Also on the 21st, "Happy Jack" reaches its U.K. peak at #3. Meanwhile Keith Moon's marriage is completely covered up in an article in Disc and Music Echo. Keith claims to live alone except for a Labrador puppy. On the same day, Billboard reports it is at #2 in The Netherlands. In Sweden, both "Happy Jack" and "La La La Lies" enter the Tio i Topp charts on this date. The former will reach #5, the latter #7. On the 24th, "Happy Jack" also appears on Sweden's Kvällstoppen sales chart where it will peak at #8.

On the 21st Cash Box reports from Japan:"The Who especially are coming into popularity here with 'I'm A Boy' (Polydor) attracting the attention of both critics and fans. The tune is surely destined to be come a smash hit."

On the 25th, The Who are at the Kingsway Theatre in Hadleigh, Essex supported by The Roulettes, Sound Around, the She Trinity, and the Sovereigns. The set for the show: "I Can't Explain," "So Sad About Us," "Barbara Ann," "Run Run Run," "Don't Look Away," "Substitute," "I'm A Boy," "Happy Jack" and "My Generation." The next night sees them at The Locarno Ballroom in Bristol. The Who have their biggest sell-out up to that time at this venue. Locked-out fans trash cars in the parking lot including Roger's new sports car.

On the 28th, New Musical Express prints the article: "After Monkees, big Who tv series?" about a supposed deal to create a Monkees-like TV show starring The Who. That night sees The Who performing at Tofts Club in Folkestone.

Also on the 28th, more Who business news. Billboard reports Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp are setting up a public relations firm with Nancy Lewis. They will handle U.K. publicity for The Who, The Merseys and touring Motown acts. Meanwhile Disc and Music Echo gives the details of the absorbtion of Robert Stigwood's Organization by Beatle manager Brian Epstein's NEMS Enterprises. Stigwood will still manage tour dates for The Who, Cream and other acts as joint managing director.

On the 29th, Disc and Music Echo, that had been interviewing all the members of The Who, finally gets to Pete who they catch in a particularly foul mood. He claims he helped John write his two songs for A Quick One, calls Roger's "See My Way" "a load of rubbish", claims he's the group's spokesman "because the others have said nothing worth printing", and calls the group's fans "stupid."

That night, The Who play at the Saville Theatre in London. The opening act is The Koobas followed by The Jimi Hendrix Experience. John Lennon and Paul McCartney watch from Brian Epstein's private box. In their first match up, reviewers say Hendrix's show tops The Who's. Part of this is because Hendrix ends his set by smashing his guitar and amplifiers, leaving The Who with no climax to their set. Pete walks out and says, "Well, we're not going to top that. You lot might as well go home now." The Who's set does have two surprises. John smashes toy robots walking across the stage, and the mini-opera "A Quick One While He's Away" has its live premiere.

The Who finish the month on the 31st performing at the Palais Des Danse in Ilford, Essex.

February 1967

New music releases: "Happy Together" - The Turtles; How Great Thou Art - Elvis Presley; Surrealistic Pillow - Jefferson Airplane; "Sweet Soul Music" - Arthur Conley

On the 1st, The Who appear on Scene on Granada television. Also on the show is politician Quintin Hogg who had represented Shel Talmy in the previous year's lawsuit.

On the 1st, Swedish Television airs part one of a Popside special showing The Who recording "Bucket T." On the 5th, "Bucket T" backed with "So Sad About Us" is released in Sweden and the popularity of the Popside program sends the single to #1. It is The Who's biggest hit in that country. "Bucket T" is also released as a single backed with "Run Run Run" in Norway and Denmark.

Meanwhile The Who hit the ballrooms and other venues of England. The 2nd sees them at the Locarno Ballroom in Coventry, the 4th at The Birdcage in Portsmouth and the 5th at The Waterfront in Southampton.

On the 4th, in Melody Maker, John now has his chance to do blind ratings of singles. He does not make many friends, with ratings ranging from "take it off!" to just tolerable. These include Petula Clark's "This Is My Song", Donovan's "Mellow Yellow", and Herman's Hermit's "There's a Kind of Hush". On the same day New Musical Express prints the article: "Who are mellower fellows now". It's an interview with Keith.

Also on the 4th, Billboard notes The Rovin' Kind's cover of "My Generation" as a new release it picks for the Top 100 (it does not chart).

The next day (5th), the tabloid News Of The World runs an exposé called "Pop Stars and Drugs - Facts That Will Shock You." The article claims that The Moody Blues hosted parties at which Pete and Ginger Baker openly took LSD. Mick Jagger, also named in the article, says he will bring a libel suit against the newspaper.

On the evening of the 5th, Jimi Hendrix and Pete go to see Eric Clapton performing with Cream at the Saville Theatre, London.

On the 7th, "La La La Lies" enters Sweden's Kvällstoppen sales chart, peaking at #17.

On the 10th, Roger not only misses The Who's show at the Gaiety Ballroom in Grimsby but also part of the ballroom's glass ceiling falling on the band during their set. On the 11th, the reunited band plays the Royal Links Pavillion in Cromer with The Money Spiders and Alex Wilson's Sect opening.

On the 12th, at The Who's performance of the Starlite Ballroom in Greenford, Who soundman Bob Pridden is approached by Peter Butler looking for work with the band. He will later be redubbed "Dougal" by Pete after the dog puppet on The Magic Roundabout and become Keith's "minder" and majordomo until the mid-1970's.

That same evening the police, at the instigation of News Of The World, raid Keith Richard's home. He and Mick Jagger are arrested under the Dangerous Drugs Act. Throughtout the raid, Richard's stereo is playing The Who's A Quick One LP.

On the 13th is the publication of the first half of an interview with Pete in International Times. The second half is published on the 27th. In it he discusses the art of auto-destruction and his ability to make social comments through pop songs.

Pete tells Beat Instrumental he is working on a full-length rock opera. Pete: "It takes place in the year 1999, when China is breaking out and is about to take over the world. The hero loses his wife and decides to go and live in this tiny country, which is about to be overrun by the Chinese. The hero goes through hundreds of situations, and there is music for each. He goes out in a boat and gets shipwrecked, he has a bad nightmare, and so on." Pete never finishes the work and part of it is subsequently released as "Rael" on The Who Sell Out but the publication of this article fires the pistol in the race for someone to be the first to actually put out a full-length "rock opera".

Who manager Chris Stamp moves The Who's New York business office into the same building housing Premier Talent on the 17th. The head of the agency, Frank Barsalona, had turned down The Who the year before, mistakenly thinking they were the clients of lawyer Allen Klein. Stamp takes advantage of Barsalona's absence on vacation to get his partner, Dick Freedberg to sign The Who. Barsalona, on his return, finds local disc jockey Murray The K desperate to book his lead client, Mitch Ryder, for his upcoming Easter extravaganza. Barsalona, hoping to either get rid of Murray or find a booking for this British band with which he is now saddled, demands he take The Who as well. Murray agrees to the price.

On the 18th, Billboard reports that "Happy Jack" has hit #4 on the Norway charts.

Also on the 18th, Cash Box lists the album The Who as opening on the Danish charts at #5. This compilation album of early Who tracks, not released in the U.K. or U.S., becomes much-sought by fans for containing what will be for decades the only true stereo mixes of the songs "Don't Look Away" and "Whiskey Man".

On the 23rd, The Who begin a tour of Italy performing at the Palazzetto dello Sport in Turin. This is followed by two shows on the 24th at the Palazzetto dello Sport in Bologna. On the 25th, they proceed to the Palalido in Milan for two shows and end at a music fest with eight other acts at the Palazzo dello Sport in Rome where the second show is cancelled due to poor ticket sales. A 10:30pm show at The Piper Club in Rome is squeezed in. The opening act through the tour is the English expatriate group The Primitives. The Who will not return to Italy for over five years.

On the 25th, Melody Maker reports that The Who will make their first trip to the United States on March 23rd to play the Murray The K shows in New York.The Who's return to the U.K. on the 27th and rehearsals at the Saville Theatre in London are shot by a German television crew for the documentary Die jungen Nachtwandler - London Unter 21. Just before this they film Pete in his Wardour Street apartment performing his new song "Glittering Girl" for Who managers Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp.

March 1967

New music releases: Greatest Hits - Patsy Cline; Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits - Bob Dylan; Velvet Underground & Nico - Velvet Underground; "Somethin' Stupid" - Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra

On the 1st, "Happy Jack" peaks at #4 on the German charts. It is The Who's biggest singles hit in that country.

On the 2nd, David Magnus photographs fan Carole-Anne spending the day with John before attending that night's Marquee Club show.

That night's show is videotaped for the German TV special Beat Club auß London. The Who's performance of "So Sad About Us" is later released on the video 30 Years Of Maximum R&B and the climatic "My Generation" on the video Who's Better Who's Best. Other acts performing that night at the Marquee are The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers, Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band and the Smoke. The special airs in Germany on the 11th. After the show members of the Canadian band The Guess Who, in the audience for the show, meet up with The Who. The Guess Who suggest The Who change their name to avoid confusion. John tells them to bugger off. From this point on, whenever the two bands are in the same town during tours, they call each other on the phone and tell them to "bugger off!"

Back to the local tours for the lads. The 4th sees them at the California Ballroom in Dunstable supported by David Essex and Mood Indigo. On the 10th they play the Town Hall in Wem, Shropshire. On the 11th, they go to Wem Town Hall in Shropshire (support S.O.S. and Motivation), then on the 13th for a "Rag Rave" at Granby Hall in Leicester with support The Alan Price Set, Zoot Money and Dick Morrissey.

"A Quick One While He's Away (part 1)" backed with "A Quick One While He's Away (part 2)" and "So Sad About Us" is released in Sweden. It reaches #19 there.

On the 16th, Who managers Kit Lambert (right) and Chris Stamp (left) hold a press conference announcing the launch of their label Track Records. Michael Caine, Chris' brother actor Terence Stamp, Jean Shrimpton and Simon and Garfunkel attend and colour footage of The Who, The Jimi Hendrix Experience and John's Children is shown.

The Who squeeze in two more shows before their U.S. trip, playing an Arts Ball at the University of Exeter with The Mike Cotton Sound on the 17th and the Forum Cinema in Devonport on the 18th.

On the 18th, "Happy Jack" backed with "Whiskey Man" is finally released in the U.S. It becomes The Who's first stateside hit, reaching #24 in the Billboard charts and #13 in Cash Box.

Also on the 18th, New Musical Express prints a Track Records press release that says The Who plan to release a series of EP's on Track.

And again on the 18th, Lambert and Stamp release the first record on their label Track Records. Oddly enough, it isn't a Who record, but rather "Purple Haze" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience. It goes all the way to #3.

On the 21st, The Who en masse finally arrive in the United States; New York City to be exact, and move into the Drake Hotel. A young American photographer, Linda Eastman, photographs them. She is lucky to have caught them. Keith and John's sky-high room-service bills cause them to move over the next two weeks into two other hotels and ends with Pete sleeping on somebody's couch.

On the 23rd, The Who attend the dress rehearsal for the Murray the K shows. The stage hands think something has gone horribly wrong at the end of The Who's set, then applaud after they realize The Who's equipment-destroying is part of their act.

On the 24th, The Barron Knights release their single "Lazy Fat People," a song written for them by Pete and secretly concerning Allan Klein.

Also on the 24th, Jeff Beck releases his first solo single "Hi Ho Silver Lining." The b-side, "Beck's Bolero," features Keith on drums from the time in 1966 when he was considering leaving The Who. Pete, out clubbing with Keith, becomes very upset when he hears the track and Keith confesses to playing on it.

On the 25th, The Who make their U.S. debut as part of Murray The K's Easter Show at the R.K.O. 58th Street Theater in New York. Also performing are Wilson Pickett, the Blues Project, Jim & Jean, the Chicago Loop, Mandala and for this night, Phil Ochs. The Who have their "Happy Jack" promo film projected behind them as they play for at least the first night.

On the 27th, Simon and Garfunkel are on the bill. Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels join the cast that night and stay for the remainder of the shows. The Blues Magoos join on the 28th. These are the shows that Keith Moon would later describe as "one and a half minutes of 'Can't Explain,' one and a half minutes of 'My Generation,' smash your guitar and run off." And they did it five times a day, from 10:15am to just before midnight, for nine days. Total pay: $5000.

April 1967

New music releases: "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell; "Respect" - Aretha Franklin; "Light My Fire" - The Doors; "Little Bit O' Soul" - The Music Explosion

On the 1st, 2nd and 3rd The Who perform their last three days of shows as part of Murray The K's Easter show. The 1st and 2nd shows are at the R.K.O. 58th Street Theater in New York and the 3rd is at the Fox Theater in Brooklyn. After the last show Eric Clapton of the group Cream plans to have a food fight with dozens of eggs and sacks of flour. However, when Murray the K hears about it, he forbids it, so Clapton uses the ingredients to make a thick paste and puts it down every drain he can find in the hotel where he and the Who are staying. Pete's shower backs up and floods his room.

Also on the 1st, Billboard lists "Happy Jack" hitting its German chart peak at #3.

On the 4th, The Who fly back to London and on the 5th go into IBC Studios in London for another recording of "Pictures Of Lily" plus John's song "Doctor Doctor." Additional sessions over the next two days of recording take place at Pye Studio No. 2 where The Who are filmed by ORTF French television.

On the 6th, Richard Goldstein writes a lengthy article in The Village Voice on The Who's March 28th Murray the K show. He concentrates on the group's interaction with backstage groupies and the "shtick" of their instrument smashing. Of The Who's sound he writes, "Theirs is a toy music, with massive drumming and a vocal that sounds as though somebody's batteries need changing."

On the 7th, mono mixes of "Pictures of Lily" and "Doctor Doctor" are prepared for single release.

Later that day, after Roger is interviewed for BBC's German service, The Who, minus a tardy Keith, fly to Essen, Germany with their Track Records' up-and-coming act John's Children (featuring Marc Bolan on guitar) to serve as opening act. Also accompanying them are Pete's friends Richard Stanley and Chris Morphet, hired to shoot promotional footage of the German tour.

On the 8th, is a Billboard article: "Who in U.S. to show what, how they play." It contains a photo of The Who with Decca Records executives from their March 21 presser.

Also on the 8th, Cash Box says that The Who Sings My Generation has recently been released in Brazil.

Keith having finally caught up, the Who begin their German tour on the 8th at the Meistersingerhalle in Nurnberg. The tour continues to the Thalia Theater in Wuppertal (9th), the Jaguar Club in Herford (10th) and the Rheinhalle in Dusseldorf (11th).

Violence breaks out before the show on the 11th as Roger has to rescue Keith from some local toughs who want to slam his head through a car window. The toughs show up at the show that evening and Keith and Pete show them what for by chucking their instruments at them.

Also on the 11th, "A Quick One While He's Away (parts 1 and 2)" enters the Swedish Kvällstoppen sales chart, peaking at #20.

Violence continues on the show for the 12th at Friedrich-Ebert Halle in Ludwigshaven-am-Rhein but not during the Who's set. This time it's during John's Children's performance as they provoke a riot and almost close the entire show down. John's Children's equipment is confiscated by German authorities and they are quickly deported. The Who, irritated by their antics and their act that left feathers all over the stage, are secretly grateful.

The next day the Who get a beer buzz visiting the Löwenbräu Brewery in Munich. They are photographed raising a pint by Dezo Hoffman. Hoffman also shoots promotional photos of The Who "playing" in the woods while Stanley and Morphet film their antics.

Filming continues that night (13th) at the Circus Krone-Bau in Munich. Footage of John sitting on his amps while the Who perform is used in the concluding credits of The Kids Are Alright. The following night (14th), the Who play Münsterland Halle in Münster.

On the 15th, Derek Johnson gets a sneak listen to The Who's new single in New Musical Express: "It's a job to get your teeth into the melody at the outset, but the frequently repeated chorus has a quick-to-register tune that you'll all be whistling before long. It's extremely well harmonised, employing falsettos and counterpoint with discretion and subtlety. Add to this The Who's inevitable rumbling, reverberating beat and you've got a disc that's intriguing to say the least. A certain hit!"

Also on the 15th, Billboard reports "Happy Jack" has hit its peak in New Zealand at #7.Cash Box reports "Happy Jack" will shortly be released in Japan and list the Swedish EP of A Quick One WHile He's Away as a new release in that country.

The 15th sees the Who at the Rhein-Main Halle in Wiesbaden (15th) followed by a double date day on the 16th starting at the Oberschwabenhalle in Ravensburg followed by the Donauhalle in Ulm.

On the 19th, The Who appear on Beat Club to lip-sync to "Pictures Of Lily." A clip of the performance later appears in The Kids Are Alright and in its entirety on the video Who's Better Who's Best. While The Who are on stage, 6,000 DM are stolen from their dressing room.

The Who fly back to England on the 20th and on the 21st, they play an arts festival at The Dome in Brighton along with Cream and The Merseys. In Pete's later recounting of this evening: ""...I drove Eric Clapton and Gustav Metzger...down to Brighton Pavilion where we were playing with Cream; Gustav was doing the lightshow...though he was pleased to have been such a powerful influence he tried to explain that according to his thesis I faced a dilemma; I was supposed to boycott the new commercial pop form itself, attack the very process that allowed me such creative expression, not contribute to it.."

On the 21st, "Pictures Of Lily" backed with "Doctor, Doctor" comes out in the U.K. as The Who's first release on their managers' Track Records label. Melody Maker's review calls it, "...a rollicking, rhythmic Pete Townshend composition with a beautiful lyric and his usual cynical edge...Marvelous, muscular music." Despite controversy over the song lyrics' implication of masturbation, the single reaches #4 in the U.K. charts.

On the 22nd, Melody Maker announces that The Who have been signed to support Herman's Hermits on a U.S. tour that summer. In the meantime, The Who will go back in the studio on the 26th and 28th to record more tracks for their next album to be called "Who's Lily?" One track they list as already recorded is Pete's "Glittering Girl" that will not be officially released until 1995.

On the 22nd, Cash Box reports that 29% of polled U.S. radio stations have "Happy Jack" in their playlist.

On the same day, Cash Box reviews the new U.S. Decca release of The Who's second album, re-titled Happy Jack. "Heatwave" is dropped for the title track and, unlike the mono-only British release, several of the tracks are in true stereo. Cash Box calls it "Strong listening all the way through." To celebrate the release TRO, The Who's U.S. song publisher, announces the publication of a special multicolor sheet music edition of the title single.

The Who play the The Pavillion in Bath on the 24th then go to the Town Hall in High Wycombe on the 25th. On the 26th they tape a mime job of "Pictures Of Lily" for the following night's Top Of The Pops.

During the next week, possibly on the 26th and 28th as stated above, The Who go into De Lane Lea Studios, London to record a planned instrumental-only EP. "Hall of the Mountain King" and "Instrumental-No Title" are recorded and later mixed but unreleased at the time. "Hall of the Mountain King" will come out in 1995 on the revamped The Who Sell Out while "Instrumental-No Title," after appearances under various titles on many bootlegs, will finally be officially released in 2009 as "Sodding About" on The Who Sell Out: Deluxe Edition. It is also possible that The Who record their promos for Coca-Cola during this session.

On the 28th, "Magic Bus" is released. Based on Pete's 1965-66 demo, The Pudding release the first recording of Pete's composition on Decca (U.K.) Records. It does not chart. The Who record their version a year later.

Also on the 28th, Peter Watkins' movie Privilege has its world premiere at the Warner Theatre in Leicester Square. Pete is not listed among the celebrities that attend the premiere but does make reference to the movie at the time. The plot, which might seem familiar to Who fans, concerns a pop star in the near future who is manipulated into becoming a messiah figure and is ultimately rejected by his followers.

On the 29th, Pete is a special guest at the "14-Hour Technicolour Dream," a benefit for the underground newspaper International Times, at the Ally Pally (Alexandra Palace) in London. Pete films and records this acid-drenched musical spectacular scouting for new acts for Track Records and discovers a wild new singer named Arthur Brown (Brown says this happened at the UFO Club). He signs up the singer, telling him his discovery makes up for losing the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band to Liberty Records. Pete also plans to have Arthur Brown play Rael in his new rock opera.

The next day The Who travel to Helsinki for their only concert in Finland until 2007. The show takes place at the Ice Hall. Footage of their arrival at the Helsinki airport and a clip of that night's performance of "Substitute" appears on the Thirty Years Of Maximum R&B video.

May 1967

New music releases: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles; Are You Experienced - The Jimi Hendrix Experience; Headquarters - The Monkees; "Windy" - The Association

During the week of the 1st, the U.S. Army radio program The In Sound broadcasts a short interview with Pete. The program is later mentioned in a "commercial" on The Who Sell Out.

The Who continue their Scandinavian tour playing the Njardhallen in Oslo (2nd), the Lorensbergsparken Cirkus in Gothenburg, Sweden (3rd), the Masshallen in Norrkoping and the Rigoletto in Jonkoping, Sweden, both on the 4th, the Sporthallen in Eskilstuna (5th), the Kungliga Tennishallen in Stockholm (6th), and the Sommarlust in Kristianstad and the MFF-Stadion in Malmo, both on the 7th.

At the Eskilstuna The Who are forced to perform on a small stage meters above the heads of the audience. Pete cuts the set to five songs in protest. The performance in Malmo sparks a "fan-crush" as attendees rush the stage during the opening song "Substitute," only to be shoved back by police. At least 20 fans have to be carried out, some unconscious. The Who will not return to Sweden for five years.

On the 3rd, The Who's manager Kit Lambert sends a telegram to the Monterey Pop Festival organizers telling them The Who have agreed to perform there in exchange for six 1st-class plane tickets. The Who, along with Jimi Hendrix, had been recommended for the festival by Paul McCartney during a U.S. visit the month before.

Meanwhile, Kit Lambert tells Disc and Music Echo in their issue of the 6th that the idea floated in January to star The Who in a TV series to be the British answer to The Monkees is dead. "Really, the production costs did not warrant such a series."

In the same issue, Pete tears into Sir William Carron, president of the Amalgamated Engineering Union, who claimed rock stars did little work to earn their pay. Pete refutes the charge forcefully but the magazine brings forward Pete's admission that the stress of his job had brought him close to killing himself. "I know I did have a complete mental blackout once. I just couldn't sort out anything, I couldn't write songs, I had a thoroughly miserable 24 hours and came close to the point of suicide."

The Who fly back to London from their Scandinavian tour on the 8th. During the period right after their return, they record Keith's song "Girl's Eyes" at Sound Techniques, Ltd. In Kensington and Dave "Cy" Langston's song "Early Morning Cold Taxi" at CBS Studios in London. The latter song is credited to Langston/Daltrey as they were then trying to form a songwriting partnership.

On the 12th, Coca-Cola London registers receipt of two spots from MRM Productions. They are filmed commercials to be used in promoting a tie-in between Coca-Cola and Biba's Boutique in Piccadilly. The music for both spots is performed by The Who and is not officially released by the band until the mid-1990's as "Things Go Better With Coke" and "Coke After Coke".

On the 13th, "Pictures of Lily" enters Sweden's Tio i Topp charts where it will peak at #3. It is not as popular on the Kvällstoppen charts where it premiers on the 23rd and peaks at #11.

Also on the 13th, Jimi Hendrix weighs in on "Pictures of Lily" in Disc and Music Echo: "What can you say about a song like the Who's? Ridiculous, man, I don't know! The ring of that guitar is so pretty. So's the harmony and the drums. Everything happens in such a way that it's arranged perfectly. Should be a big smash."

On the 15th, Paul McCartney is hanging out with Keith Moon and Eric Burdon at the Bag O'Nails club in London. The young American photographer of The Who's March visit to New York, Linda Eastman, is there and Paul meets her for the first time. Two years later they will be married. Since Keith and Linda had met two months before, could Keith have been the one who pointed her out to Paul?

On the 17th, Pete records an interview for the BBC overseas radio programme Dateline London then The Who pre-tape a Top Of The Pops insert miming to "Pictures Of Lily." From there they travel to Stevenage to play the Locarno Ballroom. Backstage, John expresses his opinion of a "well-known bandleader" by punching his picture on the wall. He breaks his finger. Despite the injury, The Who manage to honor a commitment to play the next night at the Locarno Ballroom in Bristol.

"Lily isn't pornographic, say Who" is the headline in New Musical Express on the 20th. Pete defends The Who's new single "Pictures of Lily." Meanwhile, in Melody Maker is an interview with Keith called "The economy-size, family-pack Who - for U.S. consumption."

On the 20th, The Who travel to Brussels where they mime to "Happy Jack" on the set of a "Texas town" for the RTB Network of Belgium. It will air on the 30th on RTB's program Vibrato. Later on the evening of the 20th, The Who are one of the acts at the Third Annual Wolu Festival.

Also on the 20th, "Pictures of Lily" hits its U.K. chart peak at #4.

"Pictures" is also a hot topic in the issue of Disc and Music Echo on the 20th with Ray Davies stepping up to defend the song from being dirty. "I'm sure Pete Townshend would be most upset if he was told 'Pictures of Lily' was a dirty song." Roger is a little more coy in an interview in the same issue: "I suppose the words are a bit dodgy. Perhaps we just see how close to the wind we can sail -- without actually getting banned."

On the 21st, the footage of The Who in studio recording "Pictures of Lily" is broadcast in France on ORTF's program Bouton Rouge.

The Who do get in a curtailed recording session starting on the 23rd through the 28th. John, despite his injury, does manage to record the horn parts for "Someone's Coming" and The Who record the "Great Shakes" commercial with Keith promoting the homemade milkshake concoction. On the 24th, they record a fast-paced studio recording of "Summertime Blues" that is not released until 2009. It has been surmised that the recording was intended for the A-side of a single.

On the evening of the 24th, Roger and Pete attend the Procol Harum show at The Speakeasy along with all four Beatles, Cat Stevens, and Eric Burdon.

They may bypass the mirrors but on the 25th, The Who's management pour on the smoke for the upcoming U.S. tour. They purchase "1 Case containing 1 Gross Y.2. Smoke Generators" from Brock's Crystal Palace Fireworks, Ltd.

Pete rates new singles in Disc and Music Echo of the 27th. It's thumbs up for The Kinks' "Waterloo Sunset" and Lulu's "The Boat That I Row", but thumbs down for The Beach Boys' "Then I Kissed Her", The Supremes' "The Happening" and Jeff Beck's "Hi-Ho Silver Lining." In the same issue, John Lennon takes a moment from promoting Sgt. Pepper's to defend "Pictures of Lily": "Who ARE these people who think it's pornography? I'd like to meet them all and shake it out of their tiny minds, man."

On the 27th The Who play one of their weirdest dates, the Oxford Pembroke College May Ball. They are expected to play dance music but most of the prom goers spend the evening with their hands over their ears as first Cream and then The Who attack them with a sonic assault. Pete's guitar is stolen after the show.

On the 28th, The Who go to CBS Studios, London and record backing tracks for "I Can See For Miles," "Armenia City In The Sky" and the U.S. single version of "Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand." However, further recording is cancelled after Keith collapses from a rupture in his stomach wall caused by throwing his drum kit around at the show the previous night. He is taken to St. George's hospital for an operation. John's broken finger combined with Keith's rupture effectively scuttles the attempt to finish the "Who's Lily?" album in time for a summer release.

The next day The Who fly off to Scotland minus their usual drummer. A friend of Roger's, Julian Covey of The Machine, sits in as they perform that night at the Locarno Ballroom in Glasgow. It is believed that this date is one of the few that featured a live performance of Pete's new rock opera "Rael."

June 1967

New music releases: "Brown Eyed Girl" - Van Morrison; Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 - Johnny Cash; "White Rabbit" - Jefferson Airplane; "Come Back When You Grow Up" - Bobby Vee and The Strangers

On the 2nd, Keith Moon attends the final night's concert of The Monkees at Wembley Empire Pool and irritates the Monkees' fans by screaming "We Want the Who!" There are no hard feelings from the band as Keith, along with Pete Townshend, are guests at The Monkees' farewell party at the Speakeasy. George Harrison, Brian Jones, and Jeff Beck are among the other attendees.

In the issue of Disc and Music Echo of the 3rd, Pete gives his first impressions of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band: "It's terrific, and fantastic value for money, with the free gifts and things! The trouble was, I heard it first on Radio London, and apart from all the jingles they kept putting in, it sounded like a very bad recording. I think that must have put a lot of people off, because I've never met so many mixed reactions about a record before. The Beatles are trying to see how deep they can get into their music without losing public interest. It's obviously going to disappoint a lot of people, but to me it's pretty fantastic. The idea of running all the tracks together and making a show out of it is something we've wanted to do, and I hope a lot of groups will follow the example. The two tracks that instantly hit me were 'With a Little Help from My Friends' -- Ringo's voice is ridiculous -- and 'A Day in the Life'."

The Who continue touring on the 3rd with Chris Townson sitting in for Keith Moon who had ruptured his stomach muscles during recording at the end of May. The first stop is the Floral Hall in Southport. Scheduled shows on the 4th at the Guildhall in Southampton and again at the Top Rank Suite in Swansea on the 5th are cancelled.

Instead, on the 4th, Pete attends a farewell party in London for U.S. performer Mitch Ryder. Jeff Beck and John's Children also attend. Keith is discharged from hospital on the same day.

On the 5th, Kit Lambert creates mono mixes of "I Can't Reach You", "Relax", "Glittering Girl" "Instrumental - No Title" a/k/a "Soddin' About", and the backing tracks of the earliest version of "Rael" and probably "Our Love Was".

On the 7th, two other tracks destined for long shelf lives are mixed in 4-track by Kit Lambert at CBS Studios, London. Cy Langston's "Early Morning Cold Taxi" and Keith's "Girl's Eyes" will not be officially released for twenty-seven more years although, along with "Soddin' About", they will supplement many a Who bootleg.

The Who begin their Ireland tour on the 8th with two shows at the Ulster Hall in Belfast. Chris Townson is still on drums for this and the next day's show at the Golden Slipper Ballroom in Magilligan County, Derry. By the time The Who return to play Ireland, only Pete and Roger will be left in the group.

In New Musical Express of the 10th, Danny Boyce outs himself as the "well-known bandleader" whose picture John punched, breaking his finger, on May 17. Mr. Boyce has great fun feigning sympathy: "Why should these young geniuses be hemmed in by conventional restrictions. Just because they left our dressing room like a pig sty, there was no need for some of the remarks made by the people who had to clean it up. Luckily there is a happy ending to this near disaster, as our directors have now decreed that in future all photographs of bandleaders will be unmounted, and a box of wooly toys will be left in the dressing room on guest nights, in order to minimize the risk of further injury to the country's musical talent."

That evening, The Who stop by Pete's father's old venue, The Palace Ballroom, on the Isle of Man. Kit Lambert tells Melody Maker, "We hope Keith should be able to do some light drumming in about a week's time, but until then all recording sessions have been postponed."

On the same day the U.S. Army radio show The In Sound plays a second spot from Pete and "Happy Jack" is played.

On the 12th, Keith goes against doctor's orders and climbs back into the drummer's seat for the Christ's College Summer Ball in Cambridge. He still has staples in his stomach holding his rupture together. The supporting acts are The Moody Blues, Georgie Fame and French singer Francoise Hardy.

Also on the 12th, Willi Nolte releases a German-language version of "Happy Jack" as a single in Germany.

On the 13th, The Who fly back to the U.S. Pete, violating one of the main rules of rock 'n roll touring, brings his girlfriend Karen Astley along for the trip. They and the rest of The Who go to The Roostertail in Detroit where they and Mitch Ryder are guests of honor. John: "We drank several bottles of wine very quickly in the next two hours. The suckling pig arrived, an apple stuck in its mouth, and remained untouched... a charred centerpiece for our bottle-cluttered table. Mitch mumbled something appropriately meaningless as his head fell into his salad plate."

On the 14th, The Who play their first headlining show in the U.S. at the Fifth Dimension Club in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Prior to the show, the promoter is sent out to score crystal meth for the band.

On the 15th, another headlining show, this time a "Special Benefit Show" for the Mount Prospect Junior Women's Club at The Cellar in Arlington Heights, Illinois. H.P. Lovecraft, the band not the writer, opens.

On the 16th, The Who make it to the West Coast playing the Fillmore in San Francisco. After years of abuse from promoters, Pete is stunned when the Fillmore's Bill Graham treats The Who as serious artists deserving of respect, an approach that earns him The Who's lifelong friendship and loyalty. What also throws The Who is that they are expected to put on concert-length shows when they only have 20-25 minutes prepared. They rehearse in their hotel rooms trying to come up with more songs for their set.

The opening act is supposed to be Loading Zone but they cancel at the last minute and are replaced by a new local band in their first public appearance, the Santana Blues Band, who will later shorten their name to Santana. Both The Who and The Santana Blues Band play The Fillmore on the 17th as well.

On the afternoon of the 17th, Pete and Karen take a stroll at Hippie Ground Zero, the intersection of Haight and Ashbury Streets in San Francisco. He later reports it "very, very commercial."

On the 18th, The Who perform at The Monterey International Pop Festival in Monterey, California. Pete confronts Jimi Hendrix before the show and demands The Who hit the stage before he does since Hendrix will also smash his guitar. If they follow him the crowd will think The Who are stealing Hendrix's act even though they were the ones who originated it. Hendrix plays his guitar and coolly ignores Pete. John Phillips of The Mamas and The Papas finally decides it with a coin toss.

The Who will play first but despite this, The Who face another disadvantage Hendrix does not. Their penny-pinching managers have sent them to the festival with rented equipment and amplifiers incapable of conveying the power of their act. Their performance is spotty but no one forgets the ending of "My Generation" with Pete and Keith engaging in a riotous instrument bust-up captured by D.A. Pennebaker's cameras and later featured in the movies Monterey Pop and The Kids Are Alright.

After the show The Who hang out with Mama Cass who ply them with the best of the Bay Area's hallucinogens. Hendrix sets his guitar on fire and smashes it leading Cass to tell Pete, "He's stealing your act!" Pete replies, "No, he's not stealing my act, he's doing my act."

On the 20th, The Who begin their long flight back to London. As Keith is going to swallow a new drug, STP, he was given at the festival, Pete doses himself as well. The result is a long and terrifying trip. It takes almost a week for the drug to completely wear off, leading Pete to permanently swear off psychedelic drugs.

On the 21st Ralph Gleason, early rock critic and co-founder of the Monterey festival, denounces The Who in the San Francisco Chronicle: "This decadent, destructive, cynical ending (they use the same amplifier to hit on every show and smash a special cheap guitar) is really a Roman Circus spectacle and has nothing at all to do with music. In fact, it is really anti-music and disgraceful."

This month "The Spanish Beatles", Los Brincos, release their single "Lola"/"The Train". Legend has it that Pete hears the flipside and brings a plagarism lawsuit due to the B-side's resemblance to "Substitute".

On the 23rd, John marries his childhood sweetheart Allison Wise, the future inspiration for "My Wife," at Acton Congregational Church. This makes him the third member of The Who to get married, but the first of which the public is made aware. Roger and Keith's marriages are still kept secret. Afterwards John and Allison sail off for a honeymoon on the Queen Elizabeth.

On the 24th, "Pictures Of Lily" backed with "Doctor Doctor" is released in the U.S. The lyrics cause most radio stations to balk at playing it, so it peaks at #51 in Billboard and #60 in Cash Box. In the more liberal Netherlands, "Pictures of Lily" reaches #2 on this date.

On the evening of the 24th, NEMS employees are sent out to scour the local celebrity hangouts for extras to participate in the next day's live broadcast of The Beatles performing "All You Need Is Love" on a worldwide television show called Our World. Tony Bramwell finds Keith in The Speakeasy amusing himself by tossing peanuts at the other patrons. He tells Keith to be at Abbey Road's Studio One at 2pm the next day. On the 25th, Keith joins The Beatles, Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, Marianne Faithfull, Graham Nash and other pop stars. He sits to Ringo's left and only appears in the broadcast as a pair of hands playing drum brushes.

In the last week of the month Crawdaddy, a new U.S. publication dedicated to discussing the art of rock music, puts out its August issue featuring a long rave of The Who's Happy Jack album written by young rock critic Jon Landau. "Their music is them, and they don't have to defend it by coming on too arrogantly, or freaky, within the context of the music itself. They say what they have to say in a manner that is perfectly natural for them, and therein lies their magic and their charm. We would all do well to listen, and to learn."

Meanwhile The Rolling Stones are in crisis as on the 28th, Mick Jagger is found guilty of possession of four Benzedrine tablets he brought from Italy. They had been discovered in a police raid the previous February. He is remanded to jail for sentencing. Late that evening, Pete, Roger and Keith assemble at De Lane Lea Studios in London to record covers of "The Last Time" and "Under My Thumb." Pete plays both fuzz-laden lead guitar and bass for the absent John. Manager Chris Stamp films them recording the songs for use as a video. The video has yet to surface.

After the session, at 3am on the 29th, John receives a phone call aboard the Queen Elizabeth. Hearing the call is from London, he expects dire news about his family. Instead it is someone from Kit Lambert's office asking if The Who have his permission to record an emergency single without him. An angry John says The Who have his permission to put drugs in London's water supply if they want to and hangs up.

Later that day Keith and his wife Kim join a protest outside the News Of The World offices. The paper is well known to have been behind the Stones' drug bust in order to counter a threatened lawsuit for libel by Jagger. On the same day Keith Richard is found guilty for allowing his house to be used for the smoking of cannabis. Sentencing for both Jagger and Richard is held later that day. Jagger gets three months and Richard a year in jail.

On the 30th, Track Records rushes the double A-sided single "The Last Time" and "Under My Thumb" by The Who into record shops. Accompanying the single is this press release: "SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: The Who consider Mick Jagger & Keith Richard have been treated as scapegoats for the drug problem and as a protest against savage sentences imposed upon them at Chichester yesterday, The Who are issuing today the first of a series of Jagger/Richard songs to keep their work before the public until they are again free to record themselves."

Before the day is over both Jagger and Richard are released on bail during appeal. Widespread opposition to the severity of the sentences leads to the rescinding of both Jagger and Richard's jail terms. There are no other Stones-cover singles by The Who. This one peaks at #44 in the charts and is subsequently released in Europe and Japan. The U.S. release does not come until both tracks appear on Two's Missing 20 years later. Pete later says Jagger acknowledged The Who single by calling Pete "a real gentleman" with his usual sarcastic tone.

July 1967

New music releases: The Best of the Beach Boys, Vol. 2 - The Beach Boys; "The Letter" - The Box Tops; "All You Need Is Love" - The Beatles; "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" - Tom Jones

On the 2nd, Pete and Keith attend a party at The Speakeasy celebrating the last Monkees concert that evening in Wembley. Also present are Mike Nesmith, Mickey Dolenz, George Harrison, Patti Boyd, Brian Jones, Anita Pallenburg, Jeff Beck, Lulu, Spencer Davis, and Klaus Voorman.

On the 8th, Pete defends hippies from a letter attacking them written by Dave Dee in Disc and Music Echo: "There is something strangely repulsive about a clique such as the hippies, but when you meet them, as I did in San Francisco a few months ago, you find they are not really a clique at all. Hippies are basically timid withdrawn people, drop-outs who are trying to avoid the threat of being drafted into the army." Pete also describes himself as "a theoretical pacifist, which means that if I get roused by something I can quite easily rain blows on the person."

Around this time Pete, Roger and John are interviewed by WMCA-AM DJ Ed Baer for the Guard Scene radio show.

On the 13th, The Who begin their first North American tour opening for Herman's Hermits and The Blues Magoos at the Calgary Stampede Corral in Calgary, Alberta. It is also The Who's first show in Canada. Another first is that Keith Moon uses his new Premier drum kit emblazoned with the photos of nudes used to promote "Pictures Of Lily" and bearing the words "Keith Moon - Patent British Exploding Drummer." Keith is lucky to have made the show as he leaves his passport in his New York hotel room with his laundry. The passport is shipped to Seattle where the tour plane has to stop to pick it up on the way to the Vancouver show on the 17th.

On the 15th, Billboard reports that "Pictures of Lily" has reached #3 in the Australian charts. In the Netherlands, the song also reaches #3 in Muziek Expres's charts.

The Who continue opening for The Hermits at Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon (14th), Center Coliseum in Seattle (15th), Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento, California (16th), and the Agrodome in Vancouver (17th). While in Vancouver, Keith purchases a pet piranha that he keeps in the bathtub of the hotel room he shares with John. At that night's show Pete smashes his guitar so badly he finds he cannot repair it afterwards. A new one has to be purchased at their next stop in Salt Lake City, Utah, where The Who play on the 19th.

On the 16th, "Under My Thumb" by The Who peaks at #14 on the Radio London Top 40.

The tour continues on to the Oklahoma State Fair Arena in Oklahoma City (21st), Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston, Texas (22nd), and Dallas Memorial Auditorium (23rd). An audience recording of this show is later released as a bootleg.

On the 22nd, the Happy Jack LP reaches its U.S. peak at #67 in the Billboard charts.

On the 25th, The Who stop into the bar the Green Turtle in Baton Rouge and get on stage to jam a version of "My Generation" with a local band who were just out of high school. The band gives their New Orleans Saints jerseys to The Who for their next night's show at Redemptorist High School Football Stadium.

From there, The Who go to Garrett Coliseum in Montgomery, Alabama (28th), then the Auditorium in Birmingham, Alabama (29th). On the afternoon of this last show, Keith leaves the hotel, attracting the attention of some local toughs who shove the British "longhair" through a plate glass window.

Keith gives destruction as well as takes it, of course. During this part of the tour, Keith purchases boxfuls of powerful "cherry bomb" firecrackers. He warms up by tossing lit ones onto the highway in front of oncoming cars, then, learning they will explode even under water, starts flushing them down hotel toilets.

Meanwhile in England, pop radio is under threat. Before 1964 radio in the U.K. was completely controlled by the BBC except for some faint signals from the Continent. Starting Easter 1964 some entrepreneurs set up broadcasting stations on ships in the English Channel, beaming commercial radio and the latest pop singles to teenagers all over the British Isles. Many of the British Invasion groups, including The Who, get much of their airplay on illicit stations such as Radio London and Radio Caroline. A new law debated this month in the House of Lords will outlaw the so-called "pirate" stations. On the 27th, the BBC launches a new legal radio station, Radio One, seeking to take the place of the pirates.

The Who face their first competitor in the race to record the first rock opera. On the 28th, Keith West's single "Excerpt from a Teenage Opera" is released in the U.K. and becomes a surprise hit, peaking at #2.

Also on the 28th, the Dutch TV show Hoopla airs an interview with Pete they had recorded the previous month.

The last show of the month is at Bayfront Center in St. Petersburg, Florida (31st). After this last show Pete reunites with his old art school buddy Tom Wright, now a photographer at Silver Springs. Tom comes aboard to be The Who's official photographer for the rest of the tour. His introduction to life with The Who comes aboard the tour plane as it takes off from St. Petersburg. The father of a girl Keith had kept out all night the night before pursues the plane in a station wagon, firing a shotgun out the window.

August 1967

New music releases: "Never My Love" - The Association; Gentle on My Mind - Glen Campbell; The Byrds' Greatest Hits - The Byrds; Album 1700 - Peter, Paul & Mary

On the 1st, The Who leave their Holiday Inn rooms in Jackson, Mississippi to accompany Pete's friend and now official band photographer Tom Wright for a promotional shoot. Garbed in their stage outfits, the band strikes poses while Tom sets off smoke bombs for atmosphere.

That night at the Mississippi State Coliseum, The Who continue their tour opening for Herman's Hermits. In honor of their location, they do a one-time-only cover of Nancy Sinatra's hit song "Jackson." After the show, Tom takes Pete to a local doctor who stitches up his finger that he had sliced to the bone doing windmills. The doctor says Pete won't be able to play for a month. Pete replies that he'll just glue his pick to the bandage.

From there it's off to the Dane County Memorial Coliseum in Madison, Wisconsin (3rd), Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska (4th) and International Amphitheatre in Chicago (5th).

The 6th and 7th is spent in New York at Talentmasters Studio. Al Kooper joins The Who on organ to record two versions of "Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand." One is released on the B-side of the U.S. "I Can See For Miles" while the other remains in the vaults until the 1995 edition of The Who Sell Out. Also recorded is a studio version of "Summertime Blues," an organ overdub on "Relax" performed by Pete and new vocals to replace the guide vocals on "I Can See For Miles." One song that hasn't yet been released is "Bob Sings Soul," featuring a lead vocal by Bobby Pridden.

From the studio, The Who catch up with the Herman's Hermits tour at the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto (9th) followed by the Civic Center in Baltimore (11th) and the Convention Hall in Asbury Park, New Jersey (12th). Before the show Keith jumps off a pier into heavy surf and almost drowns.

On the 12th, Billboard reports that Atco is re-releasing "Substitute" backed with "Waltz For A Pig" to capitalize on The Who's tour. The 17 month-old single doesn't work as it again fails to hit the U.S. charts.

Back down the coast The Who play Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C (13th). Afterwards, Pete and John race to the nearby Ambassador to catch Jimi Hendrix's set. When Hendrix spies Pete and John in the audience, he launches into a cover of "I Can't Explain".

On the 14th, Radio London, "Big L", signs off permanently at 3pm due to the Marine Broadcasting Bill that goes into effect at Midnight. DJ Paul Kaye ends the show with The Beatles' "A Day in the Life", a track that was then banned on the BBC.

It's then on to the Rhode Island Auditorium in Providence (14th) and then fly down to Chattanooga, Tennessee. The flight turns into a nightmare as one of the plane's engines catches on fire. The plane nose-dives before righting and lands in Chattanooga on a foam-covered runway. Supposedly, Pete writes the song "Glow Girl" while waiting to land.

As soon as their hands stop shaking, The Who are sent up to Bradley's Barn studio in Nashville. On the 15th they record brass overdubs onto "Someone's Coming" and some vocal overdubs, possibly on "Our Love Was" and "Relax".

Meanwhile Beat Instrumental magazine begins running a column written by Keith in every month's issue until November.

On the 17th, The Who return to Chattanooga to perform at Memorial Auditorium. Also on the bill is Neil Diamond. Who manager Kit Lambert is that day at Columbia Recording Studio in Hollywood, California mixing the mono masters for "Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand" (U.S. single version), "Summertime Blues," "Someone's Coming", "Our Love Was", and "Relax."

On the 18th, The Who were supposed to play a headlining show at The Big Moose Showcase in Lorain, Ohio. It is canceled by Dick Clark, who didn't want The Who appearing near Cleveland so close to the Herman's Hermits date on the 31st.

On the 20th the tour makes a 2:30pm stop in Fargo, North Dakota and another show 235 miles away at 7:30pm in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Back across the border on the 21st to the New Edmonton Gardens in Edmonton, Alberta then on the 22nd to Winnipeg Arena in Manitoba. Finally the 23rd brings them to Atwood Stadium in Flint, Michigan.

During the afternoon of the 23rd Keith and The Who are photographed outside the Holiday Inn which is advertising the fact that Keith is this day 21 years old. Keith then stops by WTAC-AM to bring birthday cake to the local DJ's. The Who apparently get into a mood onstage that evening, describing Flint as a "dump" and cursing in front of the attending teenyboppers.

The night that follows the show becomes one of the most famous and notorious nights in The Who's history. Unfortunately the reality doesn't quite match the legend. Premier Drums and Decca Records provide a cake for a celebration of Keith's 21st birthday at the Holiday Inn. The revelries turn into a food fight with the cake and then extends to the parking lot as cars are sprayed with fire extinguisher foam. When a sheriff comes to stop the shenanigans, Keith slips on some of the cake (or, according to Tom Wright, falls off the diving board into an swimming pool surprisingly empty in the middle of August) and knocks out a tooth.

The sheriff takes Keith for emergency dental surgery accompanied by Pete and John. With time and imagination Keith amplifies this story into a full-scale bacchanalia highlighted by his deposit of a Cadillac into the hotel swimming pool and a lifetime ban on The Who's presence in Holiday Inns worldwide (if this happens it is quickly rescinded; The Who will stay at Holiday Inns on their 1968 tour). The only confirmed results are some cars with paint damage, a ruined carpet, and a $5000 bill (or $50,000 depending on the source) paid by Decca as a blanket coverage for damage.

The night of the 24th, a groggy Keith climbs back into the drum seat at the Civic Center Convention Hall in Philadelphia. The next night the tour is at the Kiel Opera House in St. Louis, Missouri followed by another double header on the 26th at Fort William Gardens, Fort William, Ontario and a night time concert at Duluth Arena in Duluth, Minnesota 200 miles away. Off to the east on the 27th to play the Music Hall in Cincinnati, Ohio then ping-ponging back to Sioux Falls Arena in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on the 28th. Get to the plane for a 1200-mile trip to play two shows at Municipal Auditorium in Atlanta (29th), then back on for another 1000 miles to the War Memorial Auditorium in Rochester, NY (30th). The month ends at the Public Music Hall in Cleveland, Ohio (31st). The last show features as opening act local band The Choir. Three of the members will later form a group highly influenced by the early Who, The Raspberries.

On the 27th, Beatles' manager Brian Epstein is found dead. One bit of the fallout is the dissolution of the merger of Epstein's Nems Enterprises Ltd. and the Robert Stigwood Organisation, cutting The Who loose from their business ties with the Beatles that had been inaugurated at the beginning of the year.

September 1967

New music releases: "What a Wonderful World" - Louis Armstrong; Strange Days - The Doors; "To Sir With Love" - Lulu; "Woman, Woman" - Gary Puckett & The Union Gap

The Summer Of Love winds down as The Who continue their North American tour opening for Herman's Hermits, playing the Indiana Fairgrounds Coliseum in Indianapolis on the 1st, followed by the Ohio State Fairgrounds in Columbus (2nd, 3rd and 4th). The early show on the 3rd is filmed by NBC-TV for a show called In Concert With Herman's Hermits. Unfortunately, The Who do not appear in the show.

On the 2nd, Billboard reports that Mayte Gaos of Mexico has recorded "Happy Jack" under the title "Jack el feliz".

As soon as their early show in Columbus is over on the 3rd, everyone hops on the plane to play an 8pm show at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, then back to Columbus for the next day's early show. Before one of these flights, The Blues Magoos' bass guitarist Ronnie Gilbert walks through what he thinks is an open glass door, severely injuring himself. The Blues Magoos drop out of the rest of the tour.

On the 5th, The Who get a short break before the end of the tour and head to Los Angeles, staying at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Their manager, Kit Lambert, spends his spare time tweaking "I Can See For Miles" and "Rael" at Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles.

On the 8th, Bill Kerby of the Los Angeles Free Press interviews Roger. Kerby says, "If I were an agent, I wouldn't book Jesus Christ doing a guest set with The Beatles to come on after The Who."

The Hermits' tour reconvenes at the Convention Center in Anaheim, California on the 8th where The Sundowners and The Strawberry Alarm Clock appear before The Who. Both Pete and John smash their instruments at this show. According to the NME: "Although Herman's Hermits were top-billed, their English brethren proved to be the top draw, as a large proportion of the audience left before the Hermits came on, and all but the youngest of those who stayed did so out of curiosity rather than idolatry." The tour winds up with a last show in Hawaii at the Honolulu International Center Arena. While there Keith tries to surf for the first and last time. He manages to stand up for a few seconds before falling off and getting hit in the head by the flying board.

On the 9th, in Melody Maker, Chris Welch rates seven guitarists and declares Pete's influence on other British rock groups "imponderable."

The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown's first single "Devil's Grip," is released in the U.K. on Track. It features an associate production credit for Pete.

On the 10th, The Who spend one last day at Gold Star Studios mixing "I Can See For Miles." A copy of the master is then quickly sent off to Decca Records.

While in Los Angeles, Tom Wright takes The Who in their psychedelic regalia to Griffith Park to shoot a series of promotional photos.

On the 15th, The Who tape their appearance on the U.S. variety show The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour at CBS Studios, Los Angeles. They mime to "I Can See For Miles" and a newly-recorded version of "My Generation" with a little scripted banter with host Tommy Smothers in between.

"My Generation" was to have concluded with an instrument smashing and the usual flashpots going off behind the amps but Keith bribes a stagehand into packing his bass drum with explosives. The explosion blows out the front of the drum kit directly into Pete's head, catching his hair on fire and permanently damaging his hearing. A cymbal knocked backward by the blast hits Keith in the arm, opening a gash. The entire melee airs on the 17th and later opens The Who's film The Kids Are Alright. This was The Who's only appearance on a major U.S. television variety show.

On their way back to England, The Who stop in Las Vegas. While there, Pete writes the song "Tattoo" as well as the unreleased tunes "Boats Are Coming In" and "Touring Inside U.S.", the latter featuring a quote of The Beach Boys' "Surfin' U.S.A."

On the 16th, Chris Stamp tells Disc magazine that Pete's new rock opera "Rael" will either be The Who's next single in Britain or will appear on the new album they plan to release in October.

On the 17th, The Who return to London after two months in North America. John borrows $100 to fly home first class. Two months of touring opening for Herman's Hermits paid The Who $40,000. By the time they return home they have burned through all that and are now $5000 in debt.

Now that they are home, Chris Stamp invites Pete to the Track Records office where Chris has put together a preliminary track list for The Who's first LP on the new label. Pete says it needs more songs "and more time away from Keith Moon and Holiday Inns to write them."

On the 18th, Decca releases "I Can See For Miles" backed with one of the August takes of "Mary Anne With The Shaky Hands." Decca gives the single a huge push, rushing it to stores to capitalize on the Smothers Brothers appearance and sending 250,000 color portraits of the band to radio stations. It becomes the biggest hit single of their career in the U.S. reaching #9 in the Billboard charts and #8 in Cash Box as well as hitting #1 on many regional charts.

In the issue of the 23rd, Disc and Music Echo interviews Kathleen Moon, Keith's mother; "Then you read all these stories about drugs, and so on. And that's a worry, too. But Keith is very sensible and has never given us a moment of trouble."

Cash Box reviews the new single on the 30th: "A solid, thumping, hard-driving, discotheque-styled rock stand, 'I Can See for Miles' should have no difficulty developing into a hot-selling item for the Who. Side is a real powerhouse and could prove to be their biggest outing to date." They also report that an Australian group, The Explosive Mind, have just released their debut single, a cover of "The Kids Are Alright".

October 1967

New music releases: A Christmas Album - Barbra Streisand; "Daydream Believer" - The Monkees; "The Bare Necessities" - Phil Harris; Camelot - Original Soundtrack

On the 2nd, mono master copies are made for "I Can See For Miles," "Armenia (City in the Sky)," "Early Morning Cold Taxi" and "Girl's Eyes." This mono mix of "I Can See For Miles" restores the opening power chord missing from the U.S. mix.

On the 4th, Pete writes in his diary: "After wasting a lot of precious time, I think it's time for a real shake up."

The Who begin the month rehearsing a new stage act at London's Saville Theatre. Starting on the 6th, the new set gets its out-of-town tryout on a three-day trek to Scotland. The 6th sees them at the Ballerina Ballroom in Nairn, the 7th at The Beach Ballroom in Aberdeen and the 8th at the Kinema Ballroom in Dunfermline.

During The Who's Scotland visit, they make a silent film intended to be used as video backing for a Who song appearance on television. They are shown performing, then taking a Bentley to the Scottish countryside that they must push, then chase as it rolls downhill. "Wiggy" Woolf pilots the runaway Bentley out of camera view.

On the 10th, The Who go into De Lane Lea Studios, London to record for BBC Radio One's show Top Gear (no connection to the later popular auto TV programme). It is the first time the BBC allow any musical act to record for them outside the BBC's own studios. Alternate versions of "Pictures Of Lily" (Pete on organ), "I Can See For Miles," (with heavy bass overdub), "Relax," "Our Love Was," "I Can't Reach You," "A Quick One While He's Away," and "Someone's Coming" are recorded along with new tracks "Summertime Blues" and "My Way." Also recorded are five jingles, two for Top Gear and three for Radio One using altered lyrics to "Happy Jack," "Boris The Spider" and "My Generation."

On the 11th, "Heinz Baked Beans," "Odorono," probably "Medac", a more complete version of the "Top Gear" promo song and several linking commercials are recorded at De Lane Lea. "Tattoo" is recorded on the 12th.

On the 13th, "I Can See For Miles" backed with "Someone's Coming" is released in Britain. Derek Johnson in New Musical Express calls it "less tuneful" than The Who's previous hits. Chris Welch in Melody Maker says: "In a town without end, with a moon that never sets, there is a fire burning. It is the fire of The Who, once thought diminished or dying, but obviously glowing with that renewed heat. Forget Happy Jack sitting in sand on the Isle of Man, this marathon epic of swearing cymbals and cursing guitars marks the return of The Who as a major freakout force. Recorded in America, it's a Pete Townshend composition filled with Townshend mystery and menace, and delivered by the emphatic Mr. Roger Daltrey. Nobody could deceive him because there is magic in his eyes and he can see for miles. And The Who are going to see their way back into the charts." Record Mirror says: "A first-rate Pete Townsend number...the idea is that the bloke can see for miles and know exactly when his girl is short on faithfulness. Tremendously tough guitar figures and powering percussion, but topped by a fairly soft vocal line. Great harmonies on the repetitive title theme. Flip: Rather more routine, I thought, but interesting." And Tony Palmer raves in The Observer: "The Who have a sensational new record out this week, 'I Can See For Miles'. It has all the rowdy exuberance that one always hopes their music will contain. Somehow their last few records, such as 'Pictures of Lily' and 'Happy Jack', have been just too clever, too self-consciously articulate. But now the Who's instinctive violence has broken loose with brilliant effect. Peter Townshend and his men have made as yet no great contribution to the development of pop music. They ignore the mystic east, seem not to have heard of the flower-gazing junkies of San Francisco, don't write meaningful words, have private lives that are totally devoid of public tittle-tattle. Yet to me they are the Sir William Walton of pop music - masters of the royal fireworks, giants of the occasional and the ceremonial...their music has a natural pageantry, a rich and gaudy display of shouting and stamping. They do what everyone else has been doing for years, but much better. A pounding ostinato bass is used to batter quite a simple lyrical motif into an endless stream of chordal frenzies; the lead guitar, meanwhile, screams away with a falling counterpoint of relentless fury, whilst Keith Moon, astride his 14 drums, gives a breathtaking demonstration of free rhythmic drumming. Each bar is subdivided into what sound like totally arbitrary divisions, which are thus continually unpredictable and always disturbing. It is positively Bartokian in its elemental excitement and, like the song itself, has the appearance, at least, of spontaneous outburst. All these elements are fused in a devastating ending. The singer, Roger Daltrey, has made his last appeal; the lead guitar is wailing like the entire Highland Pipe Band; the drummer is quiet; the music is screwed up a quarter-tone, and, all of a sudden, the bass guitar followed quickly by the drummer and singer comes roaring in at full tilt with the same ostinato bass that began the piece. It is a master stroke. Of its kind, the record is matchless."

Also on the 13th, Keith appears for the group on the pilot show of IBC's New Releases. He introduces the first airing of the Scotland Bentley movie (see above). The accompaniment is the new Who single "I Can See For Miles." Afterwards, according to Keith Altham, they travel back to London in Moon's Bentley, blasting Beatles songs played backwards.

On the 14th, Melody Maker runs an interview with Pete where he lauds U.S. audiences for the positive reception they gave The Who. Another article lists Keith among the "magnificent seven" of drummers. They note: "Somewhat nihilistic he doesn't like chatting about jazz and drum influences and probably beause of his unsophisticated approach has emerged with his own style, unfettered by pre-conceived ideas about what is 'right' and 'wrong' on drums."

On the 15th, The Who tape an appearance on the BBC1 TV show Twice A Fortnight miming to "I Can See For Miles" and "Mary Anne With The Shaky Hands." Director Tony Palmer chooses to shoot the band using constant, rapid zooming shots. This motion sickness-inducing performance airs on the 21st and is shown in the U.S. on American Bandstand on December 30th.

Sometime during the month, David Montgomery takes the photos for The Who Sell Out at 11b Edith Grove, Chelsea. John misses the session in which he is to sit in a bathtub filled with baked beans, so Roger has to take his place. The beans are freezing cold but Roger is game.

There is a brief mention of The Who in the first issue of Rolling Stone now on hipper newsstands.

On the 16th, mono masters are made of "Tattoo," "Odorono" and "Rael (1&2)." The ending is chopped off "Odorono", not to surface again until the 1995 The Who Sell Out reissue.

On the 20th, vocals for John "Speedy" Keen's "Armenia City In The Sky" and Pete's "Jaguar" are recorded at IBC Studio A, London. Keen and Daltrey handle the vocals on the former (with much studio effect work) and Pete and Keith sing "Jaguar." Also recorded is a full remake of "Rael". This version is deemed inadequate and it sits in the vaults until the 2009 The Who Sell Out - Deluxe Edition.

On the 21st, The Who head to Manchester to play the New Century Hall. The mini-opera "Rael," introduced to the set at the beginning of the month, is dropped after this show, never to be revived. Pete: "We played it on stage in Manchester and Scotland and everyone just looked at us with their mouths open - the complication was too much."

On the 22nd, The Who play two shows at the Saville Theatre in London preceded by Vanilla Fudge and Studio Six. Before the show Pete is interviewed on camera about illicit drugs by Australian director Peter Clifton. During the show, Pete plays a double-necked guitar and Keith wears a jester's outfit.

On the 24th, the final album version of "Mary Anne With The Shaky Hands" as well as all the interstitial "ads" for the album are recorded at De Lane Lea Studios in London. Also recorded this month is John's song "Silas Stingy" with Pete on organ at Kingsway Studio, London. With the exception of one track, this completes the recording of The Who Sell Out that had taken over five months.

On the 25th, The Who pre-record a mime job to "I Can See For Miles" for the BBC's Top of the Pops.

On the 26th, mono mixes of "Jaguar" and "Rael" are prepared for the upcoming album. It is at this point that the "Part 2" section of "Rael" is chopped off, not to return until the 1994 30 Years of Maximum R&B boxset.

On the 27th, Keith Altham reports in New Musical Express on a chaotic meeting at a recording studio attended by The Who and manager Kit Lambert. Pete describes The Who's singles prior to "I Can See For Miles" as "too flimsy, too poignant, too prissy. We wanted to do something that would be unexpected. Something that would demand something of the public."

The Who start the 28th making their last appearance on BBC radio's Saturday Club. They follow it by beginning a package tour of the U.K. with supporting acts Traffic, The Herd, The Marmalade and The Tremeloes. The Who play twelve songs during their first set at City Hall in Sheffield but, after the first show runs long, The Who's second set is cut short when the stage manager orders them offstage after three songs. Pete goes ballistic, smashing two speakers and The Herd's lighting gear. Roger tries to stop him and they begin to scuffle. When the stage manager tries to break it up, Pete grabs him by the throat and drags him offstage where he continues smashing things backstage.

Obviously word does not get around as the next night the stage manager at the Coventry Theatre drops the curtain on The Who's second set in the middle of their performance and pipes in the National Anthem. Pete again loses it, smashing his guitar, knocking over the amps, kicking out the footlights then hurling an amp at the head of the stage manager. A third night on the 30th at the City Hall in Newcastle is completed without interruption.

Also on the 30th, the quite different stereo mix of The Who Sell Out is created at De Lane Lea Studios in London. That evening Nederland 2 airs Vjoew featuring an interview with Pete conducted by John Peel. Pete plays an acetate of "Armenia City In The Sky," showing the artwork for the album and discussing the thematic advertising link.

November 1967

New music releases: Magical Mystery Tour - The Beatles; Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. - The Monkees; Disraeli Gears - Cream; By the Time I Get to Phoenix - Glen Campbell

On the 1st, The Who play the Empire Theatre in Liverpool as part of their package tour of the U.K.

The next day, the recording of The Who Sell Out is finally finished as Kit Lambert calls Pete in to IBC Studios in London to perform a solo number on acoustic guitar, "Sunrise." The track replaces the mock advertisement song "Jaguar" that will "grace, space, race" many a bootleg until its official release in 1994.

Also on the 2nd, The Who appear on Top Of The Pops miming to "I Can See For Miles." In a certain affront to their old Mod fans, The Who dress as rockers. On the 11th, they follow up it up with an appearance on BBC's Top Gear radio show.

The Who package tour picks up again on the 3rd at the Granada Cinema in Kingston-upon-Thames followed by the Granada Cinema in Walthamstow (4th). Backstage, Chris Morphet shoots 8mm film of The Who applying their stage makeup. A snippet is used in The Kids Are Alright. That night Pete has to borrow Herd guitarist Peter Frampton's guitar for his set. Miraculously, Frampton gets his guitar back intact. Disc and Music Echo later report that The Who along with The Tremeloes' Rick Westwood and The Herd's Gary Taylor jammed on old Shadows tunes at Walthamstow.

In the Melody Maker of the 4th, Pete writes in to answer a letter in the previous issue where a reader threatened to cancel his subscription because Pete was quoted as saying "Why does Arthur Brown have to dress up like a bloody twat? Why can't he just sing?" Pete: Just so ALL your Mailbag readers don't wet themselves... SORRY FOR... (a) Saying Arthur Brown was a twat and saying a horrid word too! (b) Being a Magnificent Seven Type guitarist. (c) Keith Moon who is so windy he's blown all the other Magnificent Six away. (d) All whimpering knockers who write to Mailbag "Whimper." (e) I'm not a Bonzo dog! So a hippy hi ho wow pow flower power slash mash what a gas go to hell slump England! (f) F. (g) Last two. (h) Next letter. (i) Next public appearance. (j) John Entwistle 'cos nobody every writes to the Melody Maker about him!-- PETE TOWNSHEND, The Who, London W1. P.S. That should last a good while!

The same issue also contains a report of The Who package tour from opening act The Herd's 17-year old lead singer, Peter Frampton: "The Who were last on and their act was cut to three numbers. Pete Townshend did his nut. But it was understandable because they lowered the curtain on him. Some of our lighting which was left on stage got broken. But he apologized later. Actually, I'm afraid to speak to him at the moment!"

The tour continues to the Theatre Royal in Nottingham (5th), the Town Hall in Birmingham (6th), the Granada Cinema in Kettering (8th), the Granada Cinema in Maidstone (9th), the Adelphi Cinema in Slough (10th), and the Imperial Ballroom in Nelson (11th).

On the 11th, Disc and Music Echo magazine catches up with Pete and finds him unapologetic about his onstage violence during the first part of the package tour in October. "It's a small paranoic thing that's built up in me over the years, and now I find I can't go to sleep unless I've smashed the gear up." In the same issue co-manager Chris Stamp says that The Who have been offered parts in scripts in Universal Pictures TV series including a part in an episode of Cimarron Strip. Very unfortunately, The Who do not have time for it during their short U.S. tour at the end of the year.

Also on the 11th, Billboard reports that The Who have signed a product endorsement contract with Vox and will use only Vox guitar and amps for the next five years in all public performances including radio, TV, movies and concerts. They record radio advertizements at the time that are not released commercially until 2021.

Also on the 11th, "I Can See For Miles" enters the Dutch charts where it will peak at #28. In Sweden both "I Can See For Miles" and "The Last Time" enter the Tio i Topp charts. Incredibly "The Last Time" will be the bigger hit peaking at #9 to "Miles'" #15.

On the 15th, The Who return to the U.S. for another tour. The 17th, sees them opening for The Buckinghams at the Shawnee Mission South High School in Overland Park, Kansas.

On the 17th, the scheduled release date for The Who Sell Out comes and goes after Odorono deodorant threatens to sue over their appearance on the album cover. Chris Stamp is sent out to negotiate with lawyers for all four of the products mentioned on the cover to get their permission to release.

On the 18th, "I Can See For Miles" reaches its chart peak in the U.K. at a disappointing #10. Pete, who thought the single an easy #1, is devastated and begins to feel he has lost the ability to write hit singles. Pete later said "I spat on the British record buyer".

Also on the 18th, The Who join the "Festival of Music" on the 18th at the Cow Palace in San Francisco with fellow acts The Association, the Everly Brothers, Eric Burdon and the New Animals, Sopwith Camel and the Sunshine Company. The Who are the curtain closers for the first half of the show. In the break between shows, Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner holds his first interview with Pete (printed in the Jan. 20, 1968 issue). Pete will become a near fixture in the magazine over the next decade, providing both lengthy interviews and articles.

The Festival then travels south to play the Hollywood Bowl on the 19th. After the show, stage manager Bobby Pridden is arrested for violating the fire laws with The Who's smoke bombs and flash charges.

On the 19th, The Who appear on tape on BBC's Top Gear radio show. It is The Who's last "session" for the BBC for over two years.

On the 20th, The Who Sell Out is cut and banded by Damon Lyon-Shaw at IBC Studio A.

On the 21st, The Who continue their U.S. tour, now as headliners, at the Civic Auditorium in Fargo, North Dakota with supporting act the Unbelievable Uglies. Excitement is high as "I Can See For Miles" has entered its fourth week at #1 in the local radio station's playlist. However, the Mayor of Fargo accuses the Who of inciting the teen audience with their instrument-destroying behavior and bans them from ever appearing there again.

On the 22nd they play Southfield High School in Southfield, Michigan. The opening act is The Amboy Dukes with Ted Nugent. That is followed by a dance at The New Barn on the Lions Delaware County Fairgrounds in Muncie, Indiana on the 23rd. Before the show of the 24th at The Swinging Gate in Fort Wayne, Indiana The Who go to local booking agent Linda Wren's home for Thanksgiving dinner.

On the 25th, The Who are back in New York as Billboard places "I Can See for Miles" at its peak chart position of #9. This will be the highest-placing single release in The Who's long career.

On the 25th and 26th The Who are playing The Village Theatre in New York City. The Vagrants, with guitarist Leslie West, and The Rich Kids open for them. On the recording of The Who's March 1968 recording from the same location, then the Fillmore East, Pete would recall people fighting over seats at these shows and dubs the Village Theater "a pisshole." "Relax" and "Tattoo" from the forthcoming The Who Sell Out LP are played along with "I Can See For Miles" which a local reporter describes as "a complete disaster" with "guitarist Townshend ranting a lot louder and flatter than he would have believed." It would soon be dropped from the live act, not to return to The Who's set until after Keith's death. Silent 8mm footage of one of these performances is shot by Who fan John Rubin and later included in the Who's Better Who's Best video.

On the 29th, it's back to high school as The Who play the Union Catholic High School Gymnasium in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. The supporting act is the Decoys. Admission is $2.50.

December 1967

New music releases: Axis: Bold As Love - The Jimi Hendrix Experience; "Sunshine of Your Love" - Cream; John Wesley Harding - Bob Dylan; "Simon Says" - 1910 Fruitgum Company

On the 1st, The Who end their first headlining tour of the U.S. playing the Long Island Arena in Commack, New York. Vanilla Fudge is the supporting act. On the 3rd, The Who fly back to London.

On the 2nd, Melody Maker rates the "Magnificent seven: songwriters." Pete is included with an emphasis on his mini-opera "A Quick One While He's Away."

On the 5th, Keith and his wife Kim attend the opening of The Beatles' clothing store The Apple Shop in London.

The Who were to have resumed touring Britain on the 6th at the Sky Line Ballroom in Hull but the date is canceled. The excuse given is that The Who have to return to America for a performance on The Ed Sullivan Show although this never happens.

This month's Hit Parader magazine carries an interview with Pete. He says that most live bands don't give audiences their money's worth and he wants The Who to change that.

"I Can See For Miles" peaks at &$35;19 in The Netherlands' Muzik Express magazine chart.

On the 15th, The Who Sell Out LP is released. Pete's tinkering driven by his dissatisfaction with some of the album's songs followed by the need to get permission from all the companies mentioned in the commercials is responsible for the delayed release. While getting the rights for the commercials, someone forgets to secure the rights for the Radio London jingles and a lawsuit erupts. Those who rush out to buy the first copies of the album in the U.K. find a psychedelic poster designed by Adrian George inside. Good condition original posters are now one of the most sought-after Who artifacts.

Melody Maker declares: "The Who drop out of everything that is supposedly fashionable and therefore valid in 1967's flowery year...On the whole, this album easily surpasses anything The Who have done before." They are one of the few to review it as Track Records forgets to send copies of the album to music reviewers. This and the late release damage the album's commercial chances and it peaks at #13 in the U.K. charts, failing to make the top ten as their two previous albums had done. In the U.S. it does a bit better, topping out at #48, nearly 20 numbers higher than Happy Jack. It will be another decade or more before this seeming pop throwaway is re-evaluated as one of 1967's greatest triumphs.

On the 16th, Eric Burdon & The Animals' song "Monterey" hits the U.S. charts. The Who are mentioned in the lyrics. On the same day, The Who are miming to "I Can See For Miles" for the pre-recorded Christmas edition of Top Of The Pops. The following day they mime to "Mary-Anne With The Shaky Hands" on the last episode of Twice A Fortnight.

Also on the 16th, Disc magazine has an interview with Who managers Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp where they discuss a planned Who film, a "black comedy," to be released the next year. There are also plans for a monthly Who comic book with The Who vs. their managers, "Mr. Sourpuss and Mr. Killjoy." Neither of these blue-sky ideas come to anything.

On the 18th, The Who perform at The Pavillion in Bath. Other dates are canceled, including an appearance on the 22nd at the Olympia in London as part of the "Christmas On Earth Continued" festival. The reason given in The Who Fan Club Newsletter is that Pete "cracked one of his fingers that week and couldn't play."

A couple of articles appear in and around the 30th. Pete discusses The Who Sell Out, BBC Radio One and hippies in Melody Maker.

On the 30th, The Who make one more concert stop at the Pier Pavillion in Hastings. That same day their October 15th performance of "I Can See For Miles" on Twice a Fortnight is aired in the U.S. on American Bandstand.

Got anything wrong?

E-mail me by clicking HERE