Forty Year Friday (1983) – PETE TOWNSHEND “SCOOP”
It’s Forty Year Friday again. For more information on this series, please read the opening paragraph of the first post, which featured Never Surrender by Triumph.
Posted on my Facebook page Mar. 21, 2013:
My Thirty-Year Thursday choice for this week is “SCOOP” by PETE TOWNSHEND. Although it’s really a collection of his home demos recorded over many years (some re-worked for The Who and others exclusive to this album) as opposed to a newly recorded LP, it’s a fun listen covering a diverse array of styles. It was also one of my most played albums back in 1983. At the time I was already a mega-fan of The Who as well as Townshend’s solo career (Empty Glass & All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes were among my favorite albums of the early ’80s), so this release was a treat. My initial favorites were the demos of Who classics like “Bargain,” “Love Reign O’er Me,” “Behind Blue Eyes” and “So Sad About Us” (as well as “Cache Cache” from Face Dances) but eventually I came to love some of the lesser-known tracks like “Melancholia,” “Dirty Water” and “Mary,” which was supposed to be part of the Lifehouse project but was never recorded by The Who. I played it again for the first time in years this week and although not everything holds up to repeated listening, we’re still lucky that he decided to release these recordings (the follow-up, Another Scoop, is just as good). Hard to believe 30 years have passed since its release. Happy birthday, SCOOP.
Scoop is not aimed at casual fans of Townshend and The Who, but for those of us who love his songwriting & voice it’s a fascinating record. He clearly had full arrangements in his head when he presented songs to the group, and even songs, sketches & experiments that never went beyond the demo stage reveal an inventive musical mind that’s always reaching for…something unique. I don’t play Scoop as often as his first three ’80s solo albums, or Deep End Live! from ’86, but it was fun to revisit it again as I prepared this post.
17 comments on “Forty Year Friday (1983) – PETE TOWNSHEND “SCOOP””
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KamerTunesBlog 
This album had a lot to do with how I managed to be more of a Pete fan than a Who fan for many years.
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I think it had a similar impact on me too, Ward.
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I really liked “Scoop” at the time it came out – I bought it right away because I loved “Who Came First”. I believe it was a double vinyl album – and I listened to the B sides more than the A sides. So starting with the “Unused Piano: Quadrophenia” to “Behind Blue Eyes”, and then “Mary” to “Love Reign O’er Me” – I listened to those two sides hundreds of times. It was fascinating to me what one person could do – and it had a big effect on me
I know sometimes people say his demos are a pale version of what The Who recorded proper. It’s hard to compete with Keith Moon and John Entwistle! “Behind Blue Eyes” is not the same song here it eventually becomes for sure. But I don’t think they ever did “Melancholia”, “Mary”, “Goin’ Fishin'” or “You Came Back” – and those songs are all great, even if they are forever in their embryonic state (never brought to life by a band). And in a some ways the demos have a purity that is lost with a full band
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Hi Rob. Yep, this was a double-vinyl album, and for a fair price at the time “I’d call that a bargain.” Haha. Sorry, I couldn’t resist. I’m also a fan of Who Came First, which I probably discovered within a few years of getting Scoop. Before then I always thought Empty Glass was his debut solo album. I never really thought about these versions paling in any way to The Who versions, although of course those guys brought their amazing musicianship and vocals to those songs. I love Townshend’s voice so much that it’s cool to hear him singing on songs we only knew via Daltrey’s performances. I’m glad we have yet another album in common, and I completely agree about the purity of these tracks.
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I missed this album, I blame being in the service at the time. The songs here are quite good.
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I suppose you’ve forgiven the military for keeping you from certain music over the years, and I’m sure it’s nice to fill in some blanks after all these years. Glad you like the songs you’ve heard from Scoop. Are you familiar with his first three ’80s solo albums, Empty Glass, (All The Best Cowboys Have) Chinese Eyes and White City? All of them are phenomenal, in my opinion.
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I reviewed “White City” in my tour of 1985. It’s a good album.
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Oh yeah, I read (and liked) that post. Thanks for reminding me about it. Glad you enjoyed that album.
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I’ve listened to some of Pete Townshend’s solo albums but wasn’t aware of “Scoop” or “Another Scoop” for that matter. Definitely sounds like fun!
Taking on “Love Reign O’er Me,” which in my book is one of the best vocals by Roger Daltrey, was courageous. While it doesn’t quite match Daltrey, Townshend did a pretty good job with it.
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Christian, I’m glad you enjoyed Townshend’s version of “Love Reign O’er Me.” Of course his vocals don’t have the same power as Daltrey’s, but I love imagining what went through Daltrey’s head the first time he heard this demo and had to think about how he would make it his own. I guess that’s the case with all of the Who songs that Townshend wrote, but this one is among their best & up there with my favorite Who tracks.
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Speaking of Pete, have you heard his brand new single “Can’t Outrun the Truth?”
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Yep, played it this morning. Not bad. I hope he has a solo album in the works. I would be more excited for that than a new Who record.
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A whole new album by Townshed would be cool indeed. I also love he did the single to raise funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust, which I believe is an organization he has suported for money years.
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I know he’s been a huge supporter of that charity for decades. I didn’t realize the new song was released to raise money for them. Nice. Thanks for the info.
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Of course, he didn’t really take it on because he wrote it!
Entwistle and Moon were two of the best musicians ever. On the other hand, his demos show how complete the songs were before anyone else had even heard them.
I remember listening to Scoop when it came out. And remember, there’s a lot more; the records are just a scoop (hence the name).
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Thanks for your comment, execellent point! In fact, it’s quite amazing to realize Townshend has been the key musical force behind most Who songs. At the same time, a track like “Love Reign O’er Me” shows how much the other members added to these tunes. At his peak, I think Roger Daltrey was one of the very best rock vocalists. There aren’t many artists who can match his vocal power, especially on “Love Reign O’er Me”.
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Excellent points, Phillip & Christian. Townshend’s songs are the bedrock of The Who’s career, but they needed the essential contributions from the other three to make the band legendary. I agree with Christian about Daltrey being one of the all-time great rock vocalists, and “Love Reign O’er Me” is one of his best performances.
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