Pete Townshend says The Who sort of invented heavy metal

Pete Townshend

In an interview with Toronto Sun, The Who’s guitarist Pete Townshend said fans should not be surprised if the band’s new album in 13 years, “Who”, doesn’t sound like the classic The Who in terms of ferocity. He also said that the band sort of invented heavy metal.

When asked about the sound of the new album, Pete Townshend said:

“It doesn’t sound like The Who from those early heavy metal years. We sort of invented heavy metal with (our first live album) Live at Leeds (1970). We were copied by so many bands, principally by Led Zeppelin.”

“You know heavy drums, heavy bass, heavy lead guitar and some of those bands, like Jimi Hendrix for example, did it far better than we did. Cream, with Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker, they came along in ‘67, same year as Jimi Hendrix, and they kind of stole
our mantle in a sense.”

“So people who want to hear that old heavy metal sound there are plenty of bands that can provide it. So it’s not really what we can actually do today. Even if we wanted to, it was never high on my list of wishes.”

About The Who’s beggining, he said:

I think I’ve also said many times, sometimes creating headlines nobody seems to really understand, a lot of those early years were no fun when were on the road. We were a young band. And we were short of money all the time. We struggled. It was hard.

Rafael Polcaro: I'm a Brazilian journalist who always loved Classic Rock and Heavy Metal music. That passion inspired me to create Rock and Roll Garage over 6 years ago. Music has always been a part of my life, helping me through tough times and being a support to celebrate the good ones. When I became a journalist, I knew I wanted to write about my passions. After graduating in journalism from the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, I pursued a postgraduate degree in digital communication at the same institution. The studies and experience in the field helped me improve the website and always bring the best of classic rock to the world! MTB: 0021377/MG