The Who started in 1962 in London, England and already during their first decade as a band became one of the most influential groups in the world. One of the most fundamental parts of the band is certainly the guitarist, sometimes singer and main songwriter Pete Townshend.
Although the band wouldn’t be the same without the singer Roger Daltrey, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon, it was Townshend who had always been the mastermind behind most part of the compositions. But the musician is not only known for his talent, he is also remembered for being a sincere person. He was never worried about telling the press what he really thinks about other groups. He even mentioned two bands that he hated in the 80s.
The 2 bands Pete Townshend said that he hated in the 80s
Deep Purple
In 1980, The Who still was recovering from the tragic death of their original drummer Keith Moon, who passed away in 1978 at the age of 32. The former Small Faces/Faces drummer Kenney Jones was already his replacement for two years and they were about to record the album “Face Dances” (1981). In an interview with Sound International magazine in that year, Pete Townshend talked about many other musicians. He said that he used to hate when people approached him in concerts in England and said that The Who was their favorite band alongside Deep Purple.
“Just after Woodstock, The Who had a big revival of interest in Tommy. A lot of people used to come and see us. In Britain it was, ‘You are our favorite group with Deep Purple.’ I used to go, ‘Huh?’ And over here it used to be, ‘You are our favorite group with Ten Years After.’ And both groups I hate!”
He continued:
“I admit that all the people in the bands are very good friends of mine. But I hated their music. It was very hard to live with in a way that we were being lumped in with these very heavy metal bands. I think it was because Ritchie Blackmore used to sort of bash his guitar on his head. (Also) smoke a cigarette through his teeth and play a mouth organ back to front. And of course with The Who it was smashing up, pyrotechnics,” Pete Townshend said.
In 1980, when Townshend gave this interview Deep Purple wasn’t active, the band came to an end four years before, in 1976. The group would only be reactivated in 1984 when the classic line-up reunited. They recorded the comeback album “Perfect Strangers” (1984). The band was formed at that time by Ian Paice (Drums), Jon Lord (Keyboards), Roger Glover (Bass), Ritchie Blackmore (Guitar) and Ian Gillan (Vocals).
Until 1980, when Townshend talked about them, they had released 10 studio albums.
Ten Years After
As Townshend said, he wasn’t a fan of Ten Years After, a group that the American fans used to tell him they loved. In the same conversation with Sound International magazine, the musician criticized Ten Years After. He said they were like “that backwards-tape Chinese guitar playing. I used to listen to people like Kenny Burrell and Wes Montgomery. And Chet Atkins, clear thinkers. I hated Les Paul. I’ve never liked flash playing really. I don’t mind flash performers, I don’t mind showmanship, or guitar circus,” Pete Townshend said.
Ten Years After was formed in Nottingham, England in 1966 and stayed active until 1975 for the first time. They reunited in 1983 and since 1988 the band has been active. Nowadays the only two original members in the line-up are Chick Churchill (Keyboards) and Ric Lee (Drums). The band’s original guitarist and vocalist Alvin Lee passed away in 2013 at the age of 68 but had already left the group 10 years before. The other original member, the bassist Leo Lyons left the group in 2014.
Some of the band’s most successful songs are “I’d Love To Change The World” and “Let The Sky Fall”. Until 1980, when Townshend gave his opinion on them, they had released seven studio albums.