Roger & Them

Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who
(Universal DVD)

“Keith was a genius. John was a genius. I was certainly on the verge of it. And Roger sang.”-Pete Townshend, in Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who

Poor Roger Daltrey. A sensible, mortal man fronting a band of insanely talented - and just plain insane - immortals. No amount of microphone swinging, flowing golden locks, mohair or chest-baring can change the fact that he, while talented and charismatic, is the indisputable weak link in one of the most fearsome bands to ever take the stage.

Yet it is Daltrey who emerges as the poignant hero of the mod new DVD rock-doc Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who.

It was Daltrey we learn, who as a fight-loving young tuff in the Shepard’s Bush district of London, got the band together in the first place. And it is Daltrey who worked hardest to keep the band together through Keith Moon’s epic debauchery, John Entwhistle’s free-spending, coke-snorting, groupie-shagging, never-ending partying and Pete Townshend’s battles with genius, booze and egomania. It was Daltrey who fired Kenny Jones for his pedestrian drumming and replaced him with the much more Moon-like Zach Starkey (son of Ringo), leading the band into a stunning resurgance as a live act. And it’s Daltrey whom Townshend finally realizes he needs as much as Roger needs him, after years of dismissing him as an average talent. And while Roger may not be a musical genius like the others, without him there would be no Who to begin with.

If you’re a fan of the Who, your first question about Amazing Journey is probably “how could this possibly be better than The Kids Are Alright?” The answer is: it’s not. But as a linear biopic, it makes an excellent companion piece to The Kids Are Alright's performance clip-o-rama.

Amazing Journey tells the Who story through present-day interviews and archival footage worthy the DVD’s title. We see them as an R&B act the High Numbers, blowing through a cover of Martha & the Vandella's "Heat Wave." Six years later, they're blowing the minds of 600,000 at a 1970, 2am show at the Isle of Wight. The combination of Moon, easily rock's greatest drummer, Townshend using his white jumpsuit to full effect, Daltrey doing his darndest to keep up and Entwistle keeping the whole thing from completely falling apart, is absolutely thrilling to watch. As great as their music can be, they are even more incredible visually - as Amazing Journey (and the Kids are Alright) proves again and again.

The Isle of Wight show (also available on DVD), between Tommy and Who's Next, seems to be their absolute peak. From there the big-time rock money rolls in - and drug abuse and madness start to take their toll. It's the start of a long, slow decline.

By 2007, after Quadrophenia, Who Are You, countless farewell tours, the deaths of Moon and Entwhistle, it's just Pete and Roger, playing an acoustic set by themselves. As Amazing Journey makes clear, perhaps the most amazing thing about the Who's journey is not where they've been and who and what they've lost along the way. It's that 25 years after declaring "The End" on the cover of Rolling Stone, the two surviving members are still not quite ready to call it a day. Yet watching the heights they've reached again and again - from "Happy Jack" to "A Quick One (While He's Away)" to "Baba O'Reilly" to their raucous performance at the 9/11 benefit show at MSG - it's easy to understand why.

Trailer: Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who


MP3: The Who: "Amazing Journey/Sparks," Live at Leeds, 1970