walking upstream…
The Who
sourcesRolling Stone (1968) · Wikipedia · uDiscoverMusic
Formed in London in 1964 out of the mod scene, The Who welded Pete Townshend's power-chord guitar and conceptual ambition to Roger Daltrey's frontman swagger, John Entwistle's lead-melodic bass, and Keith Moon's chaotic, lead-instrument drumming. Rising out of a hard-touring R&B covers apprenticeship, they turned amp-smashing stage destruction and rock operas like Tommy and Quadrophenia into arena-scale spectacle, becoming one of rock's most explosive and influential live acts.
the sound in question
1965
My GenerationThe Who
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Booker T & the M.G.'s1960s · Rhythm and blues / Soul / Funk / Instrumental rock / Soul jazz
Townshend has named this one directly: "The first record I remember was 'Green Onions' by Booker T. ... It was Steve Cropper who really turned me on to aggressive guitar playing." Cropper's terse, biting rhythm chording on the Stax instrumental gave Townshend a model for turning the guitar into a percussive, riff-driven engine rather than a lead-solo instrument.
listen: upstream & here
1962
Green OnionsBooker T & the M.G.'s
1965
I Can't ExplainThe Who
listen forPlay "Green Onions" next to The Who's breakthrough single "I Can't Explain": both ride on short, stabbing, palm-muted guitar chords locked tight to the drums — Cropper's cool Stax vamp sped up and roughened into Townshend's mod-pop attack.
Eddie Cochran1950s · Rock and Roll / Rockabilly
AllMusic's account of the band's formative years names Cochran, alongside James Brown and Booker T & the M.G.'s, as a core early influence on the Detours' sound. Cochran's "Summertime Blues" became a signature Who cover for their entire career — a repertoire staple from the club years through the 1970 Live at Leeds recording that turned it back into a hit single.
listen: upstream & heresource: AllMusic ↗
1958
Summertime BluesEddie Cochran
1970
Summertime BluesThe Who
listen forCompare Cochran's 1958 original to The Who's Live at Leeds version: the stop-start rhythm hits and the sneering, put-upon-teenager complaint are all Cochran's blueprint — The Who just blow it up to stadium scale with Entwistle's rumbling bass filling in for the vocal-group "bass voice" answers on the original.
James Brown1960s–70s · Funk / Soul / R&B
Before Townshend's songs took over, The Who (as the R&B-purist Detours/High Numbers) built their live set around James Brown, and their debut LP My Generation carries two Brown covers, "I Don't Mind" and "Please, Please, Please." Roger Daltrey has said his own singing voice started as pure mimicry of Brown's shouted delivery before Townshend's originals gave him something more personal to sing.
listen: upstream & heresource: Best Classic Bands ↗
1956
Please, Please, PleaseJames Brown
1965
Please, Please, PleaseThe Who
listen forCue up Brown's original "Please, Please, Please" and then The Who's cover from My Generation — listen for Daltrey chasing Brown's pleading, call-and-response shout rather than singing it smooth; it's the same desperate-repetition trick, just rougher and faster.