Entwistle's replacement

[Rasmuth]

in regards to the whole Ray Davies/Pete Towshend debate here...

first of all...I very much like the Kinks and the Who...but I'll take the whole "Who's Next" Lp over anything the Kinks released...

"Who's Next" in my opinion is the quintessential rock lp of all time.

Keith Moon's drumming is nothing short of amazing...especially when in his prime (Kinda uninspired towards the end)
He and Ox were the perfect rythym section...there is no better example of a perfect match in rock history...equal...maybe but none better...

and they were the perfect compliment to a songwriter who wrote aggressive rock music...The Who were all about being aggressive (even though they blended some incredibly wonderful melodic passages and songs too)

Ox and Moon are sadly gone and missed, but if Pete and Roger want to keep going, more power to them...

the bottom line is the Who were nothing without the songs and Pete was responsible for 98% of them...so in my opinion it's his choice anyway.

[Futurebass]

Originally Posted by Rasmuth

in regards to the whole Ray Davies/Pete Towshend debate here...

first of all...I very much like the Kinks and the Who...but I'll take the whole "Who's Next" Lp over anything the Kinks released...

"Who's Next" in my opinion is the quintessential rock lp of all time.

Keith Moon's drumming is nothing short of amazing...especially when in his prime (Kinda uninspired towards the end)
He and Ox were the perfect rythym section...there is no better example of a perfect match in rock history...equal...maybe but none better...

and they were the perfect compliment to a songwriter who wrote aggressive rock music...The Who were all about being aggressive (even though they blended some incredibly wonderful melodic passages and songs too)

Ox and Moon are sadly gone and missed, but if Pete and Roger want to keep going, more power to them...

the bottom line is the Who were nothing without the songs and Pete was responsible for 98% of them...so in my opinion it's his choice anyway.

No doubt both bands are/were great. Sad that the Who can't perform at full strength because the great rhythm section offed themselves and the Kinks can't perform because they hate each other and Dave had a stroke.

[bassvi]

I would have to agree that Tim Bogert would be excellent and dynamic enough to fit with those guys.

[oddio]

Just as it is with gear and basses, there are plenty of personal opinions. While some might prefer the sometimes "melodic cabaret" of the Kinks, both bands were always off the musical beaten path... and if you're simply considering the songs with airplay and taking the music at purely face value, the Kinks were in that regard more mainstream.

Strictly MY personal opinion, but there isn't a single Kinks album in my "10 albums for being stranded on a desert island with", yet Who's Next and Live and Leeds would both have to be on that list for me.

Having seen both bands numerous times in the late '60s and early '70s, I can say with some authority that the Who's recorded material doesn't come close to capturing the dynamic, controlled and often explosive power of the band in performance (merely hinted at by Live at Leeds), while the Kinks' shows while interesting certainly did not inspire jaw-gaping awe.

But that's simply my humble opinion.

[Nedmundo]

As a confessed Who fanatic for the past 26 years, I feel obliged to weigh in on this, and I'll pull some suggestions out of left field: Geezer Butler and Ben Sheppard (Soundgarden).

A couple of years ago I started getting back into early Sabbath, and was struck by how the Butler/Ward rhythm section occasionally took a "barely controlled mayhem" approach similar to The Ox and Moonie. "War Pigs" is a good example. Our man Geezer would need to brighten up his tone for some tracks, but it sure would be an interesting match. Plus he's British, and appropriately vintage.

I don't know what Ben Sheppard is up to these days, but he certainly has the chops and cojones to do the job.

And of course there's John Paul Jones...

I also find the Who/Kinks debate fascinating. When I first got into these bands, I thought their early material was quite similar, and later learned that Ray Davies had been Townshend's songwriting role model. (Think I read that somewhere.) So for awhile at least, Townshend himself would have been flattered by the comparison.

But after that early convergence, I think Pete and the boys took things much further on all levels. The distance from "I Can't Explain" to Who's Next and Quadrophenia is quite a bit longer than that from "You Really Got Me" to, say, "Come Dancing," "Lola," or "Low Budget." I know the Kinks made some great early material that's largely forgotten now, but IMO it doesn't even approach The Who's best work.

Then again, IMO, nothing does! (Aside from Zeppelin, of course.)

[cowsgomoo]

the guy at Live8 was Damon Minchella, who's in the british band Ocean Colour Scene, and also plays in Paul Weller (ex singer of The Jam)'s band...

I didn't realise it was him at Live8, but I thought he did a good job of reminding us of Entwistle without doing an obvious impersonation...

to be honest The Who could have any half decent bass player in there and it'd work... Entwistle wrote so much of the rock bass rulebook that we're all hugely familiar with what The Who needs from the bass...

i'd love to have the job but I don't think i'll get the call

[budman]

I don't know who could replace John, but the logical choice to replace Moon would have been Mitch Mitchell. What was he doing in the 70's when Moon died and why didn't he get the call?

[oddio]

The only other drummer who takes a Moon-ish and devilish delight in his playing would have to be Bruford, but let me emphasize that I am certain he would not fit. Sadly, for all the great bassists I come up blank. I can't think of a single player who could fill The Ox's shoes. For me, the band with another bassist would simply not be "The Who".