The Who

The Who is a rock band established in the sixties as a part of the British invasion. They were one of the edgier bands of the movement, like The Rolling Stones. The Who were instantly phenomenal worldwide, providing many different forms of rock. They were noted for their revolutionary film Tommy, about a child who witnesses his stepfather murder his father. He is told to forget about it and never to talk about it, but Tommy takes it to the extreme and becomes sensory unresponsive. Somehow, however, he becomes a "pinball wizard" and the best player of the game in the world. This film features many rock musicians of the time including Eric Clapton of Cream and Elton John. The Who had a notable influence on punk, including their tendency to destroy their instruments onstage. The Who would perform the 2010 Super Bowl halftime show. The Who have had many hit singles and bestselling albums, with many of their hits becoming classic rock staples. They famously performed at Woodstock and also performed at the Monterey Pop Festival. The Who contributed to the sixties hard rock sound known as "garage rock", named for the fact that most bands originated in their own garages (and the fact that most bands seemed to come and go with little if any success). Their song Boris the Spider is considered to be the first use of the "death growl". The hit Eminence Front attempted to adopt a more modern style, but is considered a deviation from their usual hard rock to a more pop style. Member Pete Townshend went on to have a successful solo career. Tommy is also noted as being the first "rock opera". Their song Who are You contains the word "fuck", which was censored for the radio version. In the popular cartoon Animaniacs, they were the main subject of the sketch Who's on Stage, based on the iconic Abbot and Costello comic sketch Who's on First. The sketch also began with a reference to The Who song See Me, Feel Me from the iconic album and rock opera Tommy. Member Kenney Jones also played for Faces. The song I'm a Boy is a remnant of another project about a world where parents could choose the gender of their children. Baba O'Riley is a remnant of a rock opera known as Lifehouse. Several other songs were also a part of that project, but it was eventually abandoned. The songs include Won't Get Fooled Again and Who Are You. A box set of the songs that were going to be a part of Lifehouse was released in 2000. You Better You Bet was one of the first videos ever shown on Music Television. Neo-progressive rock band Marillion has claimed The Who as an influence.