(Credits: Far Out / Alamy)
Sun 29 March 2026 15:00, UK
Dead wood was not a phrase that entered into the realm of The Who; each member of that archetypal four-piece provided an utterly essential aspect of their sound, which is perhaps why their output has never been quite the same since the deaths of both Keith Moon and John Entwistle.
Moon was the first to leave this mortal coil, tragically passing away in 1978 and leaving The Who with a rather uncertain future. After all, the amphetamine-fueled anarchy and adrenaline of the iconic percussionist formed the core backbone of The Who’s output and, in particular, their spectacular live shows. Nevertheless, in a move that could certainly be criticised, the band chose to march on without their fallen comrade, in doing so producing their two worst albums in Face Dances and It’s Hard – and that’s not up for debate.
Although The Who had largely retired from the studio by the time that Entwistle passed in 2002, his departure nevertheless left a colossal hole in the band’s performance. He might never have made the same spectacle of himself as his windmilling, six-stringed counterpart, but Entwistle provided a litany of iconic basslines to The Who over the decades, and his loss was virtually impossible for the band to overcome.
Even when Daltrey and Townshend sourced a replacement in the form of Pino Palladino – who, Daltrey once claimed to Classic Rock, “reflects enough of what John did” – there were still certain tracks that simply didn’t work without the distinctive sound of the band’s original bassist.
One such track was ‘Summertime Blues’, the iconic Eddie Cochran cover that had been a staple of The Who’s live shows going back to their early days in the 1960s. Giving the understated early rock and roll anthem a far more abrasive, uptempo rendering, the band’s take on the Cochran classic acted as an excellent encapsulation of their live appeal: energetic, revolutionary, and ear-piercingly loud.
A key part of the group’s cover was Entwistle’s bassline. Even in the original version, recorded all the way back in 1958, the Connie ‘Guybo’ Smith bassline was essential to the song’s teenage angst atmosphere, but Entwistle turned that spirit up to eleven. His energy as a performer was arguably more important to the band’s performances of the song than Daltrey’s wailing vocals. As if that wasn’t enough, Entwistle also sang the bass vocals on the track, too.
Despite being a lasting staple of their live shows and an undeniable stand-out from their transformative proto-metal masterpiece, Live At Leeds, the cover never quite worked within a studio setting. Perhaps there was simply something about the energy of the song in a live context that couldn’t be recaptured in the plush confines of a recording booth.
Either way, ‘Summertime Blues’ continued to be belted out by The Who on stages across the globe throughout their glory days.
Since Entwistle’s passing in 2002, though, the song has been a notable absence on the band’s setlists. Seemingly, Palladino, or even his replacement, Jon Button, could have had a pretty good stab at the track, but in the end, it would simply feel unnatural to hear The Who’s rendition of the track without that unmistakable John Entwistle sound punctuating its performance.
