The Who: The Kids Are Alright

Only recently did I acquire an appreciation for The Who. After seeing this film, they've moved from the bottom of my list to nearly the top. It gives an amazing look into the group almost solely through the use of concert footage. There are a few cuts of interviews and humorous stuff with Ringo Starr, but they don't compare with the concerts.

It also gave me a new perspective beyond The Who and into the world of the modern music world and INDUSTRY. Most people have seen Trent Reznor and Kurt Cobain destroying their equipment at Woodstock and on Mtv, but have they seen The Who do it on the Smother's Brothers Show? THAT is insane!!! That was 35+ years ago...

Where is modern pop-music going? That's what I ask after this film. What is being done today that hasn't been done before? The answer is pretty close to nothing. Except a lot more money is being made...big deal.

10 out of 10... Easily as good as "Don't Look Back" and the Bob Marley docs I've seen. Just as inspiring.

The Who are many things- loud, sometimes hilarious, and even an influence to most of the rock following it (including Punk), but what they are ultimately are amazing. In they're time with drummer Keith Moon (and even a little afterwards), they created some of the best stuff to come from a guitar, synthesizer, drum, harmonica, etc, etc. And this documentary follows that spirit in showing the groups most famous hits including "Baba O'Reiley", "I Can't Explain", "Who Are You" and "Summertime Blues" among a whole bunch. In these songs and inbewteen them the Who explain the inspiration for they're hits, they're hilarity (seeing Keith Moon for no reason starting to strip is dead pan), and how they replaced the broken guitars. Excellent in nearly ever way, shape and form, right up there with Woodstock and Spinal Tap. A+

The object of any great concert film is to convince you, at least for the span of the movie, that the subject is The Greatest Rock Band in the World. If The Kids Are Alright doesn't succeed in that goal as completely as Jonathan Demme's sensational Stop Making Sense, that's hardly the fault of The Who-- few performers have labored harder in the name of fan service.

Though engaging and highly watchable, The Kids Are Alright stays a minor affair, documentary-wise. Here and there it flirts with insight. We catch a bit of Keith Moon palling around with fellow alcoholic Ringo Starr ("We're just taking our medicine, children!") in a bit that foreshadows tragedy without actually catching the weight of it. We get a laugh from Pete Townshend's startled "Eh?" at being confronted with his own lyrics ("...hope I die before I get old..."). But the between-music bits of the film offer little substance; they're just filler.

But there's an early clip of the band performing in a club, in which we cut to Moon, drumming his heart out, already in hyperdrive-- and then, impossibly, he starts going faster. His face is upturned in spiritual abandon, his hands simply disappear. And, in a phenomenal rendering of Baba O'Reilly, you see Townshend dancing in genuine and infectious ecstasy over John Entwhistle's thunderous bass line. And in an epic performance of Won't Get Fooled Again, we finally understand the sheer force of The Who-- the lights go out around six minutes in for the synth solo. Then the drums kick in, gathering our heartbeats with it. The lights come on: Roger Daltrey is screaming, and Townshend is in midair, and we are with him, transported, levitating.

These were men who enjoyed their work. And for these five-to-ten minute stretches, we are watching The Greatest Rock Band in the World. Worth the price of admission.

Well, I've been sat here for the last five minutes thinking what I could write about the Greatest Rock 'n Roll band in the World, or more to the point, one of the best Rock Documentaries to come out of the 1970's.

Seeing The Who live only four time's since 13th July 1985 to November 10th 2000. The original line up would have been great, but time and history say different.

This is where Jeff Stein has a wonderful idea (the film was being made when Keith was still very much alive, but as reference to today's generation) if you can no longer go to the mountain, then he has brought it to you, enter stage right, The Kids are Alright, 109 minutes of pure Rock 'n Roll documented history.

The film start's of with some fantastic black and white footage (the early gigs must have been out of this world) of one of the hardest working bands to come out of the Sixties and to continue to World domination, a cliché I know, but it works.

Interviewing them must have been a night where you earned your money, poor Russell Harty, (in case of Keith Moon break the glass).

The 1970's tracks see them develop into a real tight outfit, if not a "little older" , performing most of their classics without fault. Jeff Stein has done a great job of bringing together this visually collective musical collage to a wider audience. I say lets turn the record over and begin side "B"...

Thanks Jeff.

Maybe being such a fanatic of the Who I'm downright dogmatic in my beliefs that this is a great 70's rock film. The performances are exciting. Pete Townshend dishes out philosophy of rock music that only he can. The editing is quick so the movie never drags(i.e.The song remains the same) Many of the scenes are downright funny. Not only is it a movie that shows how talented the Who were as a band. It shows they could put on a great performance off stage as well( such as being interviewed) It's probably one of the very few rock movies from the 70's that has charm. Even though I do think it helps to be a big fan when watching it. But I think that's true of any rock movie or concert video.