Pretend You're in a War: The Who and the Sixties

Mark Blake

ISBN 10: 1781311870 / ISBN 13: 9781781311875

Published by Aurum Press Ltd, 2015

About this Item

Gebraucht - Sehr gut Ungelesenes, vollständiges Exemplar; in sehr gutem Zustand, leichte Lagerspuren, als Mängelexemplar gekennzeichnet -A definitive account of one of the greatest groups of the 1960s, based on the author's own interviews. Both a band biography and an exploration of an era.\\nOriginalBarCode: 9781781311875 390 pp. Englisch.

Seller Inventory # 7049013

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Pretend You're in a War: The Who and the Sixties
• Publisher: Aurum Press Ltd
• Publication Date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1781311870
• ISBN 13: 9781781311875
• Binding: Gebunden
• Condition: Sehr gut
• Dimensions: 1W x 1H x 10D centimeters 1 centimeters width by 1 centimeters height by 10 centimeters depth
• Weight: 760 grams

About this title

Synopsis

'A definitive tome for both Who fans and newcomers alike' ***** Q Magazine Pete Townshend was once asked how he prepared himself for The Who's violent live performances. His answer? 'Pretend you're in a war.' For a band as prone to furious infighting as it was notorious for acts of 'auto-destructive art' this could have served as a motto. Between 1964 and 1969 The Who released some of the most dramatic and confrontational music of the decade, including 'I Can't Explain', 'My Generation' and 'I Can See For Miles'. This was a body of work driven by bitter rivalry, black humour and dark childhood secrets, but it also held up a mirror to a society in transition. Now, acclaimed rock biographer Mark Blake goes in search of its inspiration to present a unique perspective on both The Who and the sixties. From their breakthrough as Mod figureheads to the rise and fall of psychedelia, he reveals how The Who, in their explorations of sex, drugs, spirituality and class, refracted the growing turbulence of the time. He also lays bare the colourful but crucial role played by their managers, Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp. And - in the uneasy alliance between art-school experimentation and working-class ambition - he locates the motor of the Swinging Sixties. As the decade closed, with The Who performing Tommy in front of 500,000 people at the Woodstock Festival, the 'rock opera' was born. In retrospect, it was the crowning achievement of a band who had already embraced pop art and the concept album; who had pioneered the power chord and the guitar smash; and who had embodied - more so than any of their peers - the guiding spirit of the age: war.

About the Author

Mark Blake is a former Assistant Editor of Q and long-time contributor to Mojo magazine. He is the author of the definitive Pink Floyd biography, Pigs Might Fly: The Inside Story of Pink Floyd, Is This the Real Life?: The Untold Story of Queen, and editor of Stone Me: the Wit & Wisdom of Keith Richards (all published by Aurum) and also the editor of Dylan: Visions, Portraits and Back Pages and Punk: The Whole Story. He lives in London with his wife and son.