59. The Who – My Generation

It would be so easy to start this review with a sniffy jab at Roger Daltrey’s “Hope I die before I get old” lyric seeing as (most of) the boys have promised to tour in 2015, but really it would be to miss the point. That line in “My Generation” was really an iconic moment of teenage rebellion in the vein of “Anarchy in the UK” and it still feels visceral 48 years later.

Listening to this album at first, it feels slightly tame, more concerned with capturing that swinging London rock sound than being truly experimental, and it’s only when you re-approach it that you notice just how advanced the likes of “The Kids are Alright” and “The Ox” are. It breaks off in surprising directions, and not all the tracks work (the cover of James Brown’s “Please Please Please” doesn’t add anything to the original), but it’s still surprisingly accomplished and a perfect snapshot of a growing musical revolution in its early days.