#160: The Who - My Generation (1965)

Matt Brune: It is hard for me to not write a dissertation on any aspect of The Who, so I will try to restrain myself from getting too distracted. When people think of The Who, this usually isn't the album that comes to mind. This album is the 1965 debut of four Mods hailing out of Shepherd's Bush. This colorful album of 13(?) tracks has a variety of the bands lesser known songs, several covers from noted black musicians from the States, and two of the best songs Pete Townshend see wrote: My Generation and The Kids Are Alright. Both of these tracks have had a significant impact on music then and now. Other swinging jams on this album include La-La-La Lies and It’s Not True, and the Good Is Gone. It would be a while and a couple albums before the band would achieve its place in music history for creating the first ever rock opera and becoming the icons they are now. But hey, they had to start somewhere.

Favorite Tracks: My Generation; The Kids Are Alright; It’s Not True


Emily: This album surprised me. A lot. You see, I thought I knew about The Who. They’re rock legends, punk before punk was even a thing. That sentiment really comes across in My Generation the song, so naturally I thought My Generation the album would be like that too. Boy, was I wrong – but not in a bad way. I was completely not expecting My Generation to be heavily influenced by R&B and pop. They even cover songs by James Brown and Bo Diddley. My Generation the song is pretty unique, perhaps the best sign of what came next for the band. While the rest of the album is more poppy and listener-friendly (for the time), My Generation is loud, fast, and aggressive – at least for 1965. It’s the best song on the album, and certainly the most important. Less than four minutes of music became a guiding influence for the rest of the band’s music – and without it, there may not have even been punk or hard rock. While I don’t think My Generation (the album…they really need to stop titling these things after important songs) truly encapsulates The Who’s genius as a band, as a debut it is certainly a sign of great things to come.

Favorite Tracks: My Generation; It’s Not True; I Don’t Mind

Zack: As far as I’m concerned, The Who are the first punk band. They practically pioneered youth rebellion way before Patti Smith’s legendary Horses album (which I still haven’t listened to, but hopefully soon!) or the Ramones and the Sex Pistols started being snotty. Hell, they were smashing guitars before bands like MC5 and the Stooges thought to be angry as well. Their most renowned track of “you can’t tell us what to do!” has got to be My Generation, a song which I don’t particularly like. The stuttering just kind of pisses me off. Luckily, this album has a few other generational potshots included, like the megahit The Kids Are Alright and the lesser known, A Legal Matter, bashing the traditional societal institution of marriage. Songs like these are where the Who are at their best. They throw in a few love ballads, more akin to the fellow British Invasion cohorts, which just seem to fall flat. The Who are very, very good at writing songs about how they hate authority telling them what to do or how to feel, but they just don’t seem to have much of a knack for expressing how they feel on their own. Who can blame them? They have as much energy as a megaton of dynamite, something that doesn’t translate to cutesy love songs all that well. The Who are a complex band. One day, they evolved into the group of guys that produced such high-brow concept albums as Tommy and The Who Sell Out. But, before that, they crafted a different legacy as a bunch of angry young guys who played louder and faster than many of their contemporaries. It’s an interesting starting point, considering their career arc, and one that invites the argument over which phase of the band’s development was better. But that’s an argument for another day. Until then, I’ll just say that My Generation kicks a whole slew of asses.

Favorite Tracks: I’m a Man; The Kids Are Alright; I Don’t Mind