383 - The Who - A Quick One (Happy Jack)

The Who is one of those bands that logic dictates I should like. I love many of the bands that were/are heavily influenced by them. I have tons of respect for the band and Pete, in particular. But I've generally found myself completely uninterested in their music. When starting this endeavor with the Rolling Stone list, I had hopes that I would find more to appreciate and actually enjoy about the music by folks like Bob Dylan, Grateful Dead, and The Who.

A Quick One didn't really change my opinion of The Who. The record was created off of a questionable decision by The Who's record label - have each band member pen two songs for their next album. The album certainly embraces an experimental vibe. Some of the experiments blow up, IMO ("Cobwebs and Strange" especially) and others foreshadow The Who's future (the mini-rock opera of "A Quick One, While He's Away"). Roger penned one song that is quite pedestrian. John and Keith managed to create one song each that I love and hate. Keith penned the drum and marching band fap-fest of "Cobwebs and Strange" and "I Need You" (which sounds like the template for a lot of Syd Barrett's songs for Pink Floyd). John seemingly wanted to create a soundtrack for a movie based on some Roald Dahl short story/book when he wrote "Boris the Spider," but redeemed himself somewhat with me with a very Beatles-esque "Whiskey Man." And, finally, for some reason...there is also a cover of "Heatwave" on the album.

After 3 or 4 listens, however, I found myself warming up quite a bit to about half of A Quick One. With the exception of "See My Way," I really enjoy the second half of the album. A quick peek at the song credits was very educational: those songs I love on the second half ("Don't Look Away," "So Sad About Us," "A Quick One, While He's Away," and "Happy Jack") were all penned by Pete. Okay, that should bode well for future albums.

Songs I knew I liked: None (although I recognized "Happy Jack" from some commercial or movie as soon as it came on, I'm familiar with the original and other covers of "Heatwave" and I know The Breeders' cover of "So Sad About Us.")

Songs I didn't know but now like: "Happy Jack," "I Need You," "Don't Look Away," "So Sad About Us," and "A Quick One, While He's Away,"

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: "Cobwebs and Strange" and "Boris the Spider"

Romans: Quick Summary

Paul's Epistle to the Romans is a hefty letter/essay about salvation. He addresses the questions surrounding the status of Jews and Gentiles in God's plan. Did Gentiles need to convert to Judaism (become circumcised, follow dietary restrictions) or was Jesus bringing a new church into the world? The book is so much more than a letter. There is an intellectual debate Paul has with an imagined antagonist at several points that reminded me a bit of the Solomon wisdom literature from the OT.