LET'S SEE ACTION / WHEN I WAS A BOY

This single came into being in the hiatus between the two massive albums Who's Next and Quadrophenia in late 1971.

Let's See Action (9.5/15P.) is a decent Pete Townshend number - a bit poppy in the beginning in a 'protest song' kind of way, but in the middle Townshend brings in some interesting turns from time to time, eventually ending the piece in a quasi-hypnotic way singing nothing is everything, everything is nothing.

More exciting is the fairly unknown John Entwhistle song When I Was A Boy (12/15P.), an energetic glam-rock-like song with some absolutely great singing by a snarling John Entwhistle and a motivated Keith Moon playing a tight groove underneath. From time to time Entwhistle plays a self-penned three or four part brass part into the song with some fairly baroque phrases which remind a bit of some horn or trumpet parts of Bach's Brandenburgische Konzerte. This whole mixture, including what feels like at least seven different ideas packed together in about three minutes, makes an excellent art rock song and one of the finest Entwhistle ever wrote (together with Heaven And Hell and Whiskey Man).

I don't mind the rating of singles a lot, so I'm gonna give the standard single rating (3 stars) to that one - nonetheless pointing out that there's some good stuff hidden on that record!

"Let`s See Action" (composed by Pete Townshend) was one of the songs that he originally composed for THE WHO`s unfinished "Lifehouse" project, which originally was another "Rock Opera" that he was trying to compose and to record with the band. But the concept of that project became very complicated to be done. So, in the end, the band released their very good and popular "Who`s Next" album in 1971 instead, with some songs from that "Lifehouse" project. Other songs were released as A- sides in three singles between 1971 and 1972 ("Let`s See Action", in 1971, and "Join Together" and "Relay" in 1972), and others were finally released as bonus tracks in the "Who`s Next" re-mixed and remastered CD and in the "De-Luxe" edition from that album. Townshend also released an extended version of "Let`s See Action" in his "Who Came First" solo album from 1972. "Let`s See Action" is a Rock and Roll / Blues song with good arrangements and with a very good piano part played by Nicky Hopkins.

"When I Was a Boy" is a song composed by John Entwistle with very good lyrics about how life changes while growing up from childhood to adulthood. It was sung by him, with him also playing a very good horns arrangement in a very "baroque" style. I don`t know why this song was relegated to the B-side of a single because it is very good. It has been also released in some rarities and B-sides compilations from THE WHO