One of the most influential singers from his generation, Roger Daltrey has always been a fundamental part of The Who‘s image and sound. The group was formed in 1964 and was part of that whole British scene in the 60s that showed the entire world where Rock and Roll music could go.
During that decade, experimentation not only created new groups but also countless sub-genres that would later grow and even merge. There was a rivalry between British and American bands at that time that motivated the musicians to outdo each other’s compositions.
However, there wasn’t a personal rivalry between the artists and they had a mutual admiration. The Who’s frontman Roger Daltrey even once said that an American group from that time is one of the best of all time, in his opinion.
The band that Roger Daltrey said is one of the best of all time but also underrated
Bands like The Who were inspired by the American groups and artists from the 50s and added more things to that kind of music when they started their career. That influence continued over the years and also worked the other way around, since the British groups also served as an influence for the American bands.
Daltrey always had a broad musical taste. But obviously, was more often was interested in Rock and Roll Groups. One of them was The Beach Boys, who, according to him, are one of the greatest bands of all time but also underrated. He said that as pointed by Brian Wilson‘s official website.
“Brian deserves his place in the history books. The Beach Boys were one of the greatest groups ever full stop. And, in a way, probably under-appreciated. I really loved so many of their albums. So from that point of view, this is all a good thing, listening to it with fresh ears. I hold him in such awe that I get incredibly nervous when I meet him. But he’s a really warm human being. Everybody identifies with his courage,” Roger Daltrey said.
For Daltrey, the current music business needs more groups like The Beach Boys
Rock and Roll music changed a lot since The Who and The Beach Boys appeared in the 60s. But is getting less and less attention from the mainstream during the last decades.
In an interview with Rolling Stone in 2022, made alongside the contemporary Pop star Yungblood, Roger Daltrey said that what music needs nowadays are groups like The Beach Boys. According to The Who’s frontman, there are many “solo voices singing mediocre lyrics” nowadays.
“So much of the music in the last 10 years, it’s kind of ignored what you can do with just voices. I’m talking about mainstream big-selling stuff. Harmonies — when you listen to the Beach Boys, I mean, their kind of image was totally alien to us.”
He continued:
“They were these square guys in swimming trunks. It meant nothing to us. Except (for) Keith Moon, of course, who lived on another planet. All he wanted to be was the drummer of the Beach Boys all the time he was the drummer of the Who.”
“He’s waiting for Dennis Wilson to pop his clogs and jump in his seat. When you listen to the songs of the Beach Boys and the harmonies and all that stuff, it truly lifts your spirits. We really need it these days. Too many solo voices singing mediocre lyrics,” Roger Daltrey said.
As the singer said, the late legendary The Who drummer Keith Moon was a huge fan of The Beach Boys. That even led the British band to cover the song “Barbara Ann”. That track was originally recorded by The Regents and became a bigger hit when The Beach Boys covered in 1965. One year after, The Who recorded their version. It was released on their live album “Ready Steady Who”.
Daltrey also had said that if the Beach Boys had invited Moon he would have totally joined them. He would leave The Who despite the success the group had. The singer Mike Love, even told SiriusXM in 2018 that Moon wrote a letter asking to join them once. However, at the time they told him that they already had Dennis Wilson.