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- Released: March 2005
- Rating: 6/10
- Cat.no.: SMEDD138
- Tracks: 38 (see Amazon link above)
Who bass-player, nicknamed The Ox(presumably because of his constitution) hada low key side project whilst still with The Who. Known as the quiet one,John Alec Entwhistle certainly knew how to make a noise on stage.
After going to see The Who at Deeside Leisure Centre in Connahs Quay, NorthWales in 1980, my ears were ringing for nearly three days. The volume wasdamagingly loud. They were called the loudest band on earth, and I for one cantestify to that tag.
Entwistle was famous for having a bottle of liquid refreshment strategicallyplaced next to his microphone. The straw sat neatly next to it for all to see.
Away from the live rocknroll image, he was a serious musician, some say hewas the first bassist to be recognised within the conventional four man setup.
On what would have been his 60th birthday, this comprehensive release chartshis solo career from 1971s Smash Your Head Against The Wall to 2000’sMusic From Van-pires. Entwistle was very comfortable leaving the mothership(The Who) and branching-out, composing the majority of the songs representedhere, with Pete Townsend only helping out twice (CD2, track 17 – When TheSun Comes Up and 18 – Dont Be A Sucker. After that hes very muchon his own.
Surprisingly, he doesnt gravitate towards Who riffs and anthemic songs:alternatively opting for a very eclectic, if somewhat self-indulgent sojourn.Being in his position,he could creatively and independently afford that rareluxury of experimentation. Needless to say, it wasnt a highly successfulcommercial venture, never charting with singles or albums.
The music is a fusion of acoustic balladeering, jazzy overtones and rockstandard formats that will no doubt be a real feast for fans of The Whosideline.
The deluxe package includes sleeve notes by esteemed Record Collector magazinejournalist Andy Neill, plus selected live tracks from the King biscuit FlowerHour radio series.
Key tracks: Lady Killer, Heaven and Hell, Too Late The Hero.
Weblink:Sanctuary Records.co.uk
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.