Harman Patil (Editor)

The Who 1964 performances

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Start date
  
2 January 1964

No. of shows
  
188 (approximately)

Leg
  
1

Legs
  
1

End date
  
December 31, 1964

The Who performed extensively in 1964, supporting their first-ever single "Zoot Suit/I'm the Face" and their late-1964 single "I Can't Explain". The band were still known as The Detours when the year began before changing their name to The Who in February; another name change to The High Numbers in the middle of the year hoped to capitalise on the mod movement popular with British youth in the early to mid-1960s, but the group reverted to The Who after only a few months. 1964 was also the year drummer Keith Moon joined the band.

Contents

History

The band performed strictly in England throughout 1964, mostly in small clubs and hotels as they gained popularity. Original drummer Doug Sandom, who had been with the group since 1962, was persuaded to leave the band for a variety of reasons, opening the door for then 17-year-old Keith Moon to join the band, his first show occurring on 2 May. The group's first record, "Zoot Suit/I'm the Face", was released in July while the band was known as The High Numbers, but the single performed poorly and the name change was ultimately only temporary. As for the band's live shows, more and more R&B and Tamla Motown material worked its way into their sets, although their first Pete Townshend-penned single, "I Can't Explain", would begin a movement towards more original material in 1965. Meanwhile, a twist of fate saw Townshend accidentally break the neck off his Rickenbacker guitar during a show at the Railway Hotel in London, leading him to destroy the rest of the instrument in a fit of anger. Soon the band developed a reputation for instrument destruction (which Moon would extend to his drum kit) that would characterise the next several years of their existence.

As no audience recordings from 1964 have surfaced to date, only a promotional film gives much indication of the band’s act (see below).

Live Releases

  • Performances of The Miracles' "I Gotta Dance to Keep From Crying" and Wilson Pickett's "Ooh Poo Pah Doo" (originally performed by Jessie Hill) from a promotional film arranged by managers Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp are included on the second disc of the Who biographical film Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who. Accounts vary, but the film was likely shot either at the Railway Hotel in Wealdstone or the Scene Club in Soho, probably in early September 1964.
  • Footage from the same film was included (with no sound) in the biopic The Kids Are Alright.

    • Tour band

  • Roger Daltrey - lead vocals, harmonica, percussion
  • Pete Townshend - lead guitar, vocals
  • John Entwistle - bass guitar, vocals
  • Doug Sandom - drums (until 13 April)
  • Keith Moon - drums (auditioned 2 May and became a permanent member shortly afterwards)
  • Brian Redman - drums (one show on 4 May as an audition)

    • Typical set lists

    For most of the year the band's act consisted of cover material, which included songs like The Kinks' "You Really Got Me", Booker T. and the M.G.'s "Green Onions", and Bo Diddley's "Here 'Tis", which the group had recorded during the same sessions that produced the "Zoot Suit/I'm the Face" single. The promotional film and resulting audio bootlegs from the Railway Hotel or the Scene Club captured the following:

    1. "I Gotta Dance to Keep From Crying" (Holland-Dozier-Holland)
    2. "You Really Got Me" (Ray Davies)
    3. "Young Man Blues" (Mose Allison)
    4. "Green Onions" (Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, Lewis Steinberg, Al Jackson, Jr.)
    5. "Long Tall Shorty" (Herb Abramson, Don Covay)
    6. "Pretty Thing" (Willie Dixon)
    7. "Smokestack Lightning" (Chester Burnett)
    8. "Here 'Tis" (Bo Diddley)
    9. "Ooh Poo Pah Doo" (Wilson Pickett)

    The group (then known as The High Numbers) also played Bo Diddley's "Bring It to Jerome" as well as "I Gotta Dance to Keep From Crying" during their 20 August television debut on the BBC's The Beat Room. In addition, it's safe to assume they performed "I Can't Explain" late in the year and possibly the following numbers they recorded for an EMI Records test session in October:

    1. "Walking the Dog" (Rufus Thomas)
    2. "Memphis, Tennessee" (Chuck Berry)
    3. "I'm a Man" (Bo Diddley)

    References

    The Who 1964 performances Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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