MY GENERATION

MY GENERATION is one of the seminal British rock albums of the mid-1960s. Although perhaps only seven or eight of its original tracks are top-notch, these virtually defined the classic heavy rock sound.

The Who are so often claimed as godfathers of the punk movement that you may ask yourself what connection this early album could have with progressive rock. The answer lies, very simply, with the wild instrumental abandon of the "My Generation" finale, and of "The Ox". Until "The Ox" came along, exuberant rock instrumentals of THIS calibre were totally unheard of. Chris Squire, John Wetton and many other prog bassists have hailed John Entwistle as one of their heroes. Surely the influence of "The Ox" stretches all the way to King Crimson's "Schizoid Man" and Yes's "Heart of the Sunrise". The more I think about it, the more it seems that much of the dark electric sound of post-1972 King Crimson was inspired by, or even grew out of, this single track by the Who.

Since the album currently under review seems to be the two-disc deluxe edition, it's worth pointing out that this has one major drawback: it does NOT contain one of the Who's most exciting early classics: the original mono version of "Anyway, anyhow, anywhere."

As with THE WHO SELL OUT, the very best material from MY GENERATION can also be found on the THIRTY YEARS OF MAXIMUM R&B box set.