Andrew Jaffe: Leaves on the Line

If you grew up suburban in the late 70s (after they had all left their best days behind), one of the most important questions was, of course: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, or The Who?

ITV4 is showing “The Kids Are Alright”, a documentary made about The Who just before Keith Moon died. Amped-up on who know what, “all incredibly nasty”, probably the most violent rock’n’roll on television until the Sex Pistols cursed their way into history.

So for tonight, anyway (and despite the manifest silliness of “Tommy”, and Townsend’s banging on somewhere between erudition and pretension) The Who have my vote, at least until the next time I listen to “Exile on Main Street” or “Revolver”.