Pete Townshend 5: Scoop

Taking an idea that had been approached with Who Came First, Pete put together a two-record set of some of his demos, some of which naturally ended up as Who songs. Scoop is a very satisfying collection, covering two decades of experimentation, without any noticeable order to the sequencing.

For starters, “So Sad About Us” shows the young artist at work, with a spoken introduction, before abruptly merging into the instrumental “Brrr” from several years later. Songs familiar as Who tracks—such as “Squeeze Box”, “Behind Blue Eyes”, “Bargain”, and “Circles”—show how much was already in place before the band did their part, but it’s the otherwise “new” tracks that really show his breadth as a writer. “Zelda” is different, sung over some furiously bowed violins, while “Politician” has a great atmosphere, which he accomplished in a home setup. “Dirty Water” is a fun jam in a professional studio with Kenney Jones on drums, but “Piano: Tipperary” is fairly stupid, as signified by his otherwise detailed liner notes, reproduced for this song here: “Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?”

Much better is “Unused Piano: Quadrophenia”, a beautiful piece that explores some themes from that album, making one wish there was more solo piano in his catalog. “Melancholia” is described in the notes as not having been heard by the Who, a statement that would be proved incorrect ten years later. “Things Have Changed” is a charming lost gem from 1965, and “Popular” is the better basis for what became “It’s Hard”.

The second half of the album isn’t always as strong, but there are still some eye-openers. First there’s what he calls the “one man band… voodoo-dub-freak-out” of “The Magic Bus”, followed by the template for “Cache Cache”. “Cookin’” is cute country, where we get to hear him learning how to play pedal steel while the tape runs. “You’re So Clever” was bested by “And I Moved” for Empty Glass, just as “Body Language” was bested by the other poetic stuff on Chinese Eyes What he calls “Initial Machine Experiments” is actually pleasant in its own way, if you don’t mind synth noodling.

“Mary” is a drastically edited Lifehouse refugee, followed by the unused “Recorders” experiment for Quadrophenia, which leads well into “Goin’ Fishin’” to round out this particular sequence. “To Barney Kessel” is a nice little unfinished guitar piece, but there’s something too sad and haunting about “You Came Back””, the significance of which wouldn’t be revealed until the next century. “Love Reign O’er Me” wraps it all up, with as much power as the Who version, closing with the sound of Pete walking on the beach.

Scoop goes a long way to show that Pete would be just fine on his own, particularly when, by year’s end, he announced that the band was finished. The quality of stuff he was putting out whet fans’ appetites for more music, as well as more peeks into his vaults.

Pete Townshend Scoop (1983)—4