"My Generation" was the lead single and the title track of The Who's debut album released in 1965. The song is how they announced themselves to the world. The Who were notorious for destroying their equipment at the end of their shows back in the sixties. This performance was from the Monterey International Pop Festival, a three-day music festival held in June of 1967 which featured legendary performances by Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Otis Redding, along with The Who and many others. The Who were trying to breakthrough to American audiences and wanted to introduce themselves in a manner that would never be forgotten; However, at this show they were in competition with Jimi Hendrix and he upped them by setting his guitar on fire at the end of his even more legendary performance of "Wild Thing". The festival kicked off what came to be called the Summer of Love, a social phenomenon in which tens of thousands of young people from across the United States -- called hippies or flower children -- came together in San Francisco in search of a more authentic lifestyle as well as music, drugs, and free-love. That cuts the story short, very short, but it marks the moment when the counterculture movement began to spread across the United States and around the world. The song "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" by Scott McKenzie was produced and released in May 1967 to promote the festival and Eric Burdon & The Animals wrote the song "Monterey" about it afterward and then released it as a single in 1968. A concert film called "Monterey Pop" was released in theaters in late 1968 with some success. The contemporary New York Times review of the movie contained a passage that may partially explain the destruction on stage: "The nicest thing about the movie is not its musical or nostalgic qualities, but the way it captures the pop musical willingness to hurl yourself into things, without all the What If (What if I can't? What if I make a fool of myself?) joy action-stopping self-consciousness of an earlier generation, a willingness that can somehow co-exist with the idea of cool." PS. Consider watching "Monterey Pop" before watching "Woodstock" as the Monterey festival inspired the Woodstock festival.
The who were unique in the rock genre, in addition to being pioneers, the song is from the year 1965 of their first lp "My Generation" They were ahead of their time, without a doubt.
The Who are a British rock band formed in London in 1964. They are considered one of the most influential rock bands of the 20th century & have sold over 100 million records worldwide. They have so many great songs such as "I Can't Explain", "The Kids Are Alright", "Substitute", "Happy Jack", "I Can See For Miles", "Boris The Spider", "Pictures Of Lily", "Magic Bus", Baba O'Riley, "Won't Get Fooled Again", "Pinball Wizard" etc.
The story I heard was that the manager of the band did not want to pay the huge freight charges for their drums and Marshall amps. So he ended up getting them Vox Beatle-like amps and they were so pissed off they just decided to obliterate the entire lot. 🤣
The sociological concept -- "the generation gap" -- is exactly your idea about subculture change and reaction with each subsequent generation. However, in some eras that gap is relatively small and unthreatening (aside from occasional eye-rolling!), while in others there is a lot wider gap, and that includes either/both non-violent/violent action that provokes armed responses. The 1960s was the widest gen-gap of the last century (at least in "West"), and The Who were one of many artists (Jimi Hendrix was another) that acted out aspects of the violent side of what hippies, African-origin, and LatinAm-origin peoples were being subjected to. Love&Peace
I (an aging Gen X-er) would say that in the West, that wider gap was also largely due (but not entirely) to McCarthyism and the reaction against it. The older generation rightly trusted the powers that be to get them through WW2, but unfortunately continued to trust them with dealing with the "Soviet threat of Communism." So, of course, it became a witch hunt. That's what the Boomers were reacting against. And because this is a Who video reaction, that's what Rock and Roll is really all about.
To really see The WHO at their best I would recommend you react to their appearance on The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus where they perform "A Quick One While He's Away'. It is a mini-opera, four songs that total about ten minutes, composed by Guitarist Pete Townshend. It is, I don't like this word but it is the only one for it, EPIC.
Some useless trivia for you: that Keith Moon fill at 2:17 is nearly beyond belief. His hands were so fast! Notice everyone gets camera time EXCEPT John Entwhistle (bass guitar). Oddly enough, Entwhistle was the anchor of songs like this so Townsend could be allowed to be more “theatrical.” At 2:29 Moon hits the snare so hard he snapped a drum stick. At 2:44 Roger sneaks a peek at Entwhistle which is a signal: “we are going ham here in the next few seconds…” Townsend supposedly got his signature “windmill” arm swing by trying to emulate Keith Richards (the Rolling Stones guitarist). The stage destruction “thing” evolved out of a rather mundane happening many gigs before this one where Townsend accidentally put the head of his guitar through a ceiling panel on a stage with little clearance (he could get quite flamboyant as you can tell). Townsend-who possessed a notorious temper-proceeded to tantrum and destroy his now broken guitar. The audience was stunned and amazed. So they made it a band “signature.” 2:47 Moon still playing with a broken drum stick in his right hand. At 3:52 you can see… The Who didn’t own the microphones and stands. That belongs to the venue. Here are event staff rushing out to retrieve them before they’re destroyed. They were at a festival so there were OTHER bands/performers to come. Townsend destroyed his fair share of guitars. That one was a Rickenbacker.
@@georgeprice4212 wow. I went back and looked at the body and I’m pretty sure you’re correct. The neck is a dead giveaway, too. Thanks for the clear eyes!
@Isleofskye. Watch the movie The Kids Are Alright, a documentary of the band. In one sequence an interviewer refers to a magazine article that shows a giant gap between what they earned and what they spent asking Pete how that worked out. Pete's response was "It's hard to say. I used to rush into Marshalls music shop and steal guitars off the wall. 'Just taking a guitar pay you Tuesday' and rush out".
Legendary performance. Back when bands had the power to blow audiences minds! Keith Moon, insane genius!!!
Great song, one more time, react to another great song of the who called: ¡¡!JOIN TOGETHER!!!!
"My Generation" was the lead single and the title track of The Who's debut album released in 1965. The song is how they announced themselves to the world. The Who were notorious for destroying their equipment at the end of their shows back in the sixties. This performance was from the Monterey International Pop Festival, a three-day music festival held in June of 1967 which featured legendary performances by Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Otis Redding, along with The Who and many others. The Who were trying to breakthrough to American audiences and wanted to introduce themselves in a manner that would never be forgotten; However, at this show they were in competition with Jimi Hendrix and he upped them by setting his guitar on fire at the end of his even more legendary performance of "Wild Thing".
The festival kicked off what came to be called the Summer of Love, a social phenomenon in which tens of thousands of young people from across the United States -- called hippies or flower children -- came together in San Francisco in search of a more authentic lifestyle as well as music, drugs, and free-love. That cuts the story short, very short, but it marks the moment when the counterculture movement began to spread across the United States and around the world.
The song "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" by Scott McKenzie was produced and released in May 1967 to promote the festival and Eric Burdon & The Animals wrote the song "Monterey" about it afterward and then released it as a single in 1968. A concert film called "Monterey Pop" was released in theaters in late 1968 with some success. The contemporary New York Times review of the movie contained a passage that may partially explain the destruction on stage: "The nicest thing about the movie is not its musical or nostalgic qualities, but the way it captures the pop musical willingness to hurl yourself into things, without all the What If (What if I can't? What if I make a fool of myself?) joy action-stopping self-consciousness of an earlier generation, a willingness that can somehow co-exist with the idea of cool."
PS. Consider watching "Monterey Pop" before watching "Woodstock" as the Monterey festival inspired the Woodstock festival.
Actually, The Who’s debut single was “I Can’t Explain”. “My Generation” was the second single.
This was from the Monterey Pop Festival held in Monterey, CA in 1967
The who were unique in the rock genre, in addition to being pioneers, the song is from the year 1965 of their first lp "My Generation" They were ahead of their time, without a doubt.
When you asked, "Who's that guy?" That guy is Pete Townshend.
I TOLD ya they were wild, Faye, didn't I? They also had a reputation for wild after-concert parties that would leave hotel rooms demolished.
Keith Moon the drummer, brilliant but a mad lad.
Yeah!!!! No one ever put us Boomers down!!! 😂🤣😂🤣
We were too high and drunk to let that happen.
@@soontobexpat Talking 'bout our generation.
And so sad this compared to RAP CRAP and garbage they try to pass off as music
NOTHING NOTHING like a WHO Concert! They went the extra mile in going crazy. Love them in Concert but when they had Keith Moon (RIP) 😊👍❣️
The Who are a British rock band formed in London in 1964. They are considered one of the most influential rock bands of the 20th century & have sold over 100 million records worldwide. They have so many great songs such as "I Can't Explain", "The Kids Are Alright", "Substitute", "Happy Jack", "I Can See For Miles", "Boris The Spider", "Pictures Of Lily", "Magic Bus", Baba O'Riley, "Won't Get Fooled Again", "Pinball Wizard" etc.
Yeah, The Who are my favorite British invasion band right behind The Beatles. I love love love the whole Tommy album.
@@avantprog6902 Beatles are the best, but I like The Who more than the Stones
The story I heard was that the manager of the band did not want to pay the huge freight charges for their drums and Marshall amps. So he ended up getting them Vox Beatle-like amps and they were so pissed off they just decided to obliterate the entire lot. 🤣
The sociological concept -- "the generation gap" -- is exactly your idea about subculture change and reaction with each subsequent generation.
However, in some eras that gap is relatively small and unthreatening (aside from occasional eye-rolling!), while in others there is a lot wider gap, and that includes either/both non-violent/violent action that provokes armed responses.
The 1960s was the widest gen-gap of the last century (at least in "West"), and The Who were one of many artists (Jimi Hendrix was another) that acted out aspects of the violent side of what hippies, African-origin, and LatinAm-origin peoples were being subjected to.
Love&Peace
I (an aging Gen X-er) would say that in the West, that wider gap was also largely due (but not entirely) to McCarthyism and the reaction against it. The older generation rightly trusted the powers that be to get them through WW2, but unfortunately continued to trust them with dealing with the "Soviet threat of Communism." So, of course, it became a witch hunt. That's what the Boomers were reacting against. And because this is a Who video reaction, that's what Rock and Roll is really all about.
To really see The WHO at their best I would recommend you react to their appearance on The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus where they perform "A Quick One While He's Away'. It is a mini-opera, four songs that total about ten minutes, composed by Guitarist Pete Townshend. It is, I don't like this word but it is the only one for it, EPIC.
Should have done Live version of Won't Get Fooled Again
I saw them a little before this at Central Park, NYC. They also destroyed the stage, which I enjoyed as performance art...
Some useless trivia for you: that Keith Moon fill at 2:17 is nearly beyond belief. His hands were so fast! Notice everyone gets camera time EXCEPT John Entwhistle (bass guitar). Oddly enough, Entwhistle was the anchor of songs like this so Townsend could be allowed to be more “theatrical.” At 2:29 Moon hits the snare so hard he snapped a drum stick. At 2:44 Roger sneaks a peek at Entwhistle which is a signal: “we are going ham here in the next few seconds…” Townsend supposedly got his signature “windmill” arm swing by trying to emulate Keith Richards (the Rolling Stones guitarist). The stage destruction “thing” evolved out of a rather mundane happening many gigs before this one where Townsend accidentally put the head of his guitar through a ceiling panel on a stage with little clearance (he could get quite flamboyant as you can tell). Townsend-who possessed a notorious temper-proceeded to tantrum and destroy his now broken guitar. The audience was stunned and amazed. So they made it a band “signature.” 2:47 Moon still playing with a broken drum stick in his right hand. At 3:52 you can see… The Who didn’t own the microphones and stands. That belongs to the venue. Here are event staff rushing out to retrieve them before they’re destroyed. They were at a festival so there were OTHER bands/performers to come. Townsend destroyed his fair share of guitars. That one was a Rickenbacker.
Actually, that was a Fender Stratocaster, not a Rickenbacker. Pete Townshend had switched to the Strats full time by this show.
@@georgeprice4212 wow. I went back and looked at the body and I’m pretty sure you’re correct. The neck is a dead giveaway, too. Thanks for the clear eyes!
@@georgeprice4212 Strats are a tough guitar to smash so it proved what Pete's adrenaline was at in this performance.
@@JimLaughlan not so fast there. Watch The Who’s 2004 Tokyo concert. Pete COMPLETELY annihilates a Shoreline Gold Strat in Three whacks.
@@georgeprice4212 Forgot about that!! Must not have been a Fender-made one. :)
long before your time and cultural experience i was 18 in 1967. thats what you had to be lol
The Who loved to destroy their instruments then steal instruments from stores the next gig
I didn't know about the 2nd bit..
@Isleofskye. Watch the movie The Kids Are Alright, a documentary of the band. In one sequence an interviewer refers to a magazine article that shows a giant gap between what they earned and what they spent asking Pete how that worked out. Pete's response was "It's hard to say. I used to rush into Marshalls music shop and steal guitars off the wall. 'Just taking a guitar pay you Tuesday' and rush out".
Their Live at Leeds version is WAY BETTER. I think Keith was on something. The rest of the band had a hard time keeping up with him.
Was fantastic
Agreed and Keith was like that muppet 'Animal" from the Muppets.
Damage?? OBLITERATE!!!
My Generation is the song of my LIFE!!! Without it, I'd have suicided LONG AGO!!!