Don't Believe the Hype

brilliant actors, brilliant editing

Best movie of this year hands down!

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Classic Albums: The Who - Who's Next (1999)*** (out of 4)Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, Bob Pridden and Pete Townshend are among the people interviewed about the making of "Who's Next," which is the focus of this episode in the Classic Albums series. If you've already seen the series then you pretty much know what to expect as we basically go through each song on the album and those involved with it explain where it came from, how they got the lyrics and music together and the eventual release. Fans of The Who will probably know the majority of the stories told here but if you're new to the group or album then you should have a good time hearing them. Baba O'Riley,The Teenage Wasteland Going Mobile, Bargain, Getting In Tune and My Wife are just some of the tunes that are discussed with the band members as well as the sound mixer. I'd say most fans will enjoy hearing the album re-mixed so that they can talk in more details about certain sounds and instruments on the album.

This documentary is certainly a must for everybody who loves rock music and is a fan of The Who and of the other wonderful bands of that period. Solidly made and smartly realized it succeeds to get on screen all the principal participants in the process of the creation of the 'Who's Next' album, and retraces the history of its making, from the original rock opera idea (it was supposed to be a follow-up to 'Tommy'), through the failed happening in the London Vic Theatre and the high tech recordings in New York, and back to the London recordings which gave the final form of the album. It is certainly a chance to see Roger Daultrey and Pete Townsend and the other telling the story, the change in age - and hair-dress :-) - makes you philosophize about the passing of generations and fashion, but overall it is the combination of the interviews with the filmed sequences of the 60s and 70s and with the wonderful music that makes this film both an educational as well as an entertaining experience.

Hard core fans of The Who may know everything in this documentary but it can still be enjoyed for its sheer artistry. Newcomers will be stunned at what came from Townsend failed Lifehouse project. If the only song on the album was Baba O'Rily it would still be a classic. But of course we get so much more and this doc has a lot of the people that took part in producing it. If the songs had been played uncut it would have been better but then it does not purport to be a concert film. Still, it's a very minor complaint because the music is so ....ing good.And any time you can see Keith Moon perform it's worth it. RIP Keith and John.

Fans of Who's Next must see this documentary. It goes into great detail about the story behind the album, the making of the album, and what was happening with the band at the time. Although a treasure for Who fans, this documentary is not meant as an introduction to either the band or the album. Also, there are many cuts between the songs and the documentary, so it is not a substitute for the album.