Review: The Who – Endless Wire

The Who

Endless Wire

(Universal)

At this point, the reformation of The Who is a no-brainer, they have come back more reliably than the tides, but why glance at a band whose best work lies three decades in the past? Because their best work is some of the best work of any rock artist, and I have always harbored a flicker of a hope that either they or the Rolling Stones would dig deep and make one more great record. This isn’t it, but it’s close. The opening track “Fragments” holds some nostalgic promise, echoing Pete Townsend’s solo at the opening of “Won’t Get Fooled Again” as does the opening of “Black Widow’s Eyes” with its classic Who desperado swagger and egotistical confessional. There are many great moments on the album: Townsend’s guitar showing a delicacy that hasn’t been present in years and Roger Daltrey’s voice standing tall as a weathered version of his younger days. It’s much better than either’s solo efforts over the years, and in fact better than either Face Dances or It’s Hard. But, like those albums, the songwriting falls a little flat and the melodies seemed phoned-in. Were this a new, unknown band, I’d be tempted to say they should listen to something besides their older brother’s Who records next time around. Still, given the throwaway nature of most classic reunion material, this is a reasonable success.