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mbkarapcik's review
3.0
Before I Get Old by Dave Marsh chronicles the rise of the Who. It covers the origin stories of the four original members, describes how they built the band and their early days, and dives into some analysis of their songs and albums. You'll witness the conflicts between band members and their own philosophies. Since this is an older book, and it really would take another separate volume to break down the long-standing career of the Who, it ends after the album, "It's Hard," comes out in 1982.
I've always liked the Who and remember that my high school best friend's older brother was a huge fan. We used to swipe records from his room to listen to on our own, and I remember a large poster of guitarist Pete Townshend on his wall. Now we have a collection to match, and I would say, as cliched as it may be, that "Who's Next" is my favorite. I also recall hearing "Eminence Front" as a fifth grader and loving it but not knowing why.
Unfortunately, despite the apparent heavy research and well-written paragraphs, this book does not capture the magic of one of the seminal bands of the 1960s and 1970s. It's hard to believe how slow this book is. I mean, the Who wrote "My Generation," which I cannot imagine will ever go out of style or become anything less than timeless and groundbreaking.
I mean, you have feisty Roger Daltrey, an incredible rock front man who can blow others away with his belting abilities. You have troubled Pete Townshend, a talented yet cynical guitar player and keyboardist who doesn't receive as much credit as he should. And, of course, who can forget Keith Moon, a distinctive drummer who was a wild man. I always found it so interesting that Animal from the Muppets was based from Moon's performances--the drum style, which is so unique from Moon, is the same. John Entwistle doesn't really stand out although he was a great bass player.
As you can see, it took me more than two years to finish this book (March 2021 to May 2023). That's partly because of my book hoarder tendencies where I stop a book to read a library book or book that I can't put down. And that's precisely why I couldn't speed through this. It was very slow at times and dry. The research and quotes were there, the stories were there, the principal characters were there, but I struggled to get through it. Normally, with rock biographies, I zip through them--I'm usually so incredibly enrapt with the origin stories of bands to the point of getting the chills.
Anyway, I'm glad I read it because it did educate me on the origin. But I have a Roger Daltry book and one about Keith Moon that hopefully will be more exciting. And I can always pick up Pete Townshend's book, too. I feel like any of those will fill any gaps and amp up the excitement for this explosive band.
I've always liked the Who and remember that my high school best friend's older brother was a huge fan. We used to swipe records from his room to listen to on our own, and I remember a large poster of guitarist Pete Townshend on his wall. Now we have a collection to match, and I would say, as cliched as it may be, that "Who's Next" is my favorite. I also recall hearing "Eminence Front" as a fifth grader and loving it but not knowing why.
Unfortunately, despite the apparent heavy research and well-written paragraphs, this book does not capture the magic of one of the seminal bands of the 1960s and 1970s. It's hard to believe how slow this book is. I mean, the Who wrote "My Generation," which I cannot imagine will ever go out of style or become anything less than timeless and groundbreaking.
I mean, you have feisty Roger Daltrey, an incredible rock front man who can blow others away with his belting abilities. You have troubled Pete Townshend, a talented yet cynical guitar player and keyboardist who doesn't receive as much credit as he should. And, of course, who can forget Keith Moon, a distinctive drummer who was a wild man. I always found it so interesting that Animal from the Muppets was based from Moon's performances--the drum style, which is so unique from Moon, is the same. John Entwistle doesn't really stand out although he was a great bass player.
As you can see, it took me more than two years to finish this book (March 2021 to May 2023). That's partly because of my book hoarder tendencies where I stop a book to read a library book or book that I can't put down. And that's precisely why I couldn't speed through this. It was very slow at times and dry. The research and quotes were there, the stories were there, the principal characters were there, but I struggled to get through it. Normally, with rock biographies, I zip through them--I'm usually so incredibly enrapt with the origin stories of bands to the point of getting the chills.
Anyway, I'm glad I read it because it did educate me on the origin. But I have a Roger Daltry book and one about Keith Moon that hopefully will be more exciting. And I can always pick up Pete Townshend's book, too. I feel like any of those will fill any gaps and amp up the excitement for this explosive band.
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