Friday, December 1, 2006 - Updated: 08:20 AM EST What a difference a year can make. Or 24 years, for that matter. In 2005, there was little hope of a Who reunion album.
A year later fans are savoring the first new Who recording in a quarter century, the magnificent return to form, Endless Wire, as well as an extensive tour. The British band's two surviving original members, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, who played the TD Banknorth Garden in September, return for a second Who show tomorrow night. In March of last year, Townshend and Daltrey began talking about a reunion but when Zak Starkey - son of Ringo Starr and The Who's touring drummer since the mid-'90s - joined Oasis, things fell apart.
Roger and I spoke about trying to replace him, but decided to wait. It turned out to be a long wait, Townshend said in an interview conducted, at his request, by e-mail. However, as I didn't have a complete album of songs ready, I didn't panic.
By March however, things had deteriorated somewhat between Roger and myself, only with respect to communication. It was a rather bleak period, and in the end we agreed to cancel the plans on the table. With no new Who project, Townshend was scratching his bald noggin wondering what to do next.
At the suggestion of good friend Nick Goderson, he began transforming his novella, The Boy Who Heard Music, into a mini-rock opera. In a few short months, Townshend had two dozen songs ready to record. He called Daltrey and told him to prepare for everything: a reunion, new album and massive world tour.
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