Taking on social issues, storytelling in music and complex, very layered arrangements. The band transformed from quasi-proto punk band in the early 1960s in England to intelligent songwriters who, like the Beatles, were pushing the limits of what was possible musically and what could be captured on record. The Who were musical pioneers during their time as the famous 4-piece, Daltrey, Moon, Townshend and Entwistle. While he might not have been the face of the Who, Entwistle was no slouch with the bass guitar and pen, writing more than 25 tunes for the band, and singing lead on most of his compositions. Smashed guitars, on-stage antics, flipped drums, Townsend’s guitar swagger, Daltrey’s’ on-stage attitude and ability to sing and perform as if it was the last concert he would ever play and (at the time) Keith Moon’s manic drumming and own whirlwind personality, were some of the obstacles in the way of Entwistle’s personality and musicianship.

These are just some of the names for rock music’s greatest bass player, John Entwistle.Īlthough during his time with the Who before his death in 2002 at age 57, Entwistle was (understandably) overshadowed by the bombastic, in-your-face nature of the Who.

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