Pete Townshend – Who Came First (1972)

The Who were always a volatile mix; originally the band was Daltreys but Pete became the main songwriter and driving force during the late 70s.   Strangely Pete was quite happy, or so it seemed to let Roger sing his songs, he obviously had that powerful voice and didn’t write songs himself.  Going through a rough patch in 1970 and 71 Pete was drifting into alcohol and drugs and was struggling with his next concept album ‘Lifehouse’, which has never really been achieved.  He had sought spiritual contentment in the teachings of an Indian mystic Meher Baba.  Many of the songs Pete had conceived for ‘Lifehouse’ were completed by the band and released as the brilliant ‘Who Came First’.  But Pete decided to release some demos and a handful of other tracks on his first solo release, cleverly titled ‘Who Came First’ and featuring a photo of Pete suspended over a layer of eggs, and dedicated to his guru.  And what an album it was, very different, much gentler and actually Pete has a good voice himself.  Opener ‘Pure and Easy’ is a demo which became a huge number performed by the band; here it is a much folkier song – but still awesome.  There is a cover of ‘There’s A Heartache Following Me’, a country classic popularised by Jim Reeves – because Pete says it was Baba’s favourite song.  But strangely it sits comfortably here.  My personal favourites are ‘Content’, ‘Evolution’ and the prayer ‘Parvardigar’.  A strange and haunting record which mystified the Who fans but I loved it; I have bought a few Townshend albums over the years, they are all excellent.