(Credits: Far Out / Alamy)
Thu 23 October 2025 17:00, UK
“I suppose, you know, it’s goodbye,” said Pete Townshend as he addressed the crowd at The Who’s final show.
It was an emotional goodbye, which only took place a few months ago (at the time of writing), as the iconic band played their hearts out, letting the curtain fall on them one final time before properly calling it a day. Throughout their long and successful career, the band have managed to make a plethora of exciting music which has touched the hearts of listeners around the world.
“That’s what it is,” Townshend continued. “To what we know as The Who, it’s goodbye. What Roger and I will get up to next, who knows? If we last any longer, I’m sure we’ll get up to all kinds of mischief, we’ll do stuff together, I’m sure. Sharing some stuff, all kinds [of] bits and pieces. But for this kind of thing, it’s goodbye. And you were last!”
There was a lot that people liked about The Who, which contributed towards their success. Their live show was certainly a big factor in it. For instance, the band were always reluctant to do encores because they felt as though it encouraged bands not to leave their very best out there the first time around. When people watched The Who, they were watching the best version of them, nothing being held back for a cheeky, “We’re going now… No, we’re not!”
Equally, the band were always pretty hesitant to write solos and incorporated them into their music. They didn’t think the writing process should be a selfish one and felt as though by introducing elongated solos, band members were thinking of themselves more than they were thinking of the song as a whole.
“Drum solos are fucking boring. Any kind of solo is,” said Keith Moon. He was never one to mince his words when it came to passing down his expertise on music. “It detracts from the group identity.”
While the band’s live performance certainly played a big part in setting them apart from other bands at the time, it’s not the only factor that has contributed towards their success. Another massive element is the versatility which has always existed throughout their career. When you peruse The Who’s discography, there is no escaping the fact that, regardless of what you’re into, there really is something for everyone. If you want hard-hitting and exciting hits, you’ve got them. If you want complicated concept albums which draw on strange narratives and genuine emotion, you’ve got them. And unfortunately, if you want the odd spell of mediocrity, you’ve got that as well.
The truth is that, as one of the chief songwriters for The Who, there was nothing that Pete Townshend wanted more than to take his time with every single project he worked on; however, the music industry doesn’t often work that way. Instead, Townshend was forced to write and record music which would be published according to a strict schedule. It means that there are some records The Who have put out that Townshend doesn’t love, and one in particular that he called below The Who’s standards.
“[If] The Who were gonna wave their banner for standards, Odds & Sods would still have remained unreleased. Standards have got absolutely nothing to do with it,” Townshend concluded. “I feel that it’s the pressure at the front of your mind that…not necessarily your fans… but then, maybe your fans really are the most important people…are actually sitting twiddling their thumbs waiting for your next album.”
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