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Quadrophenia was on and my husband said, "I don't 'get' the Who." In that declaration I knew unequivocally there was just no hope, and so - well - I left.

el mejor bajista de todos los tiempos

The definition of a rock band.

As a bassist, I really wish I liked this band more (John Entwistle is easily one of the top 10 bassists of all times), but I'm just not crazy about their lyrics/singer/songwriting. Awesome band, less awesome front man, in my opinion.

Invented punk.

Great guitarrist. Great drummer. Great bassist. Great singer.

Far better than the Stones.

They should definitely be in the TOP 10.

What a strange, polarizing band. No band has moved or inspired me more, and I wish I could figure out how to explain to others (especially people my age and/or females) why I like them so much.

This band has no less than three substantially different phases all of which they did amazing things:

PHASE I (1964-1966): Became the definitive "mod" rockers, helped invent punk music ("My Generation"), helped invent noise rock, angry, rebellious, defiant, smashing guitars, high fashion.

PHASE II (1966-1970): The ultimate acid rockers, experimented with rich soundscapes and bellowing guitar tones. But they also did it with a wonderfully sense of humor, combining artsy British sentiments with the hippie theater of the time to produce hilarious critiques of capitalism/consumerism (The Who Sell Out), religion (Tommy), porn ("Pictures of Lily"), transgenderism/identity ("Tattoo", "I'm a Boy"), drugs & sex.

PHASE III (1970-1973): Pete becomes interested in songwriting, atmospheric/zen tonal writing, ultimately inspiring bands like U2 or Television through sweeping ballads, glorious anthems, and an investigation of what it means to be human. Most songs deal with Pete's futuristic "Lifehouse" society, at least until their ultimate soul-searching masterpiece "Quadrophenia" that can at least be likened to "Catcher in the Rye" or "Siddhartha" in importance.

(unfortunately, Pete loses his creative spark after this moment, resorting to bad new wave albums)

So there you go. Somehow this all gets squashed down to "classic rock." Not sure how.

One of the greatest bands of all time

The Who make their case for the all time greatest rock band because of the landmark Who's Next, the two amazing rock operas, a number of other very solid albums, including the legendary Live At Leeds, one of the most memorable live shows ever (including one of my favorite Super Bowl shows), and one of the most exciting ensembles in modern music.

Their overall body of work puts them just behind bands like the Beatles and Zeppelin, but they are in the conversation. Great band.

They were outstanding each by each, and the were fantastic as a band. It's hard to say such an influential song like my generation.