The Who minus another member

John Entwistle, innovative bassist of the British rock group The Who, died of a heart attack last Thursday, June 27. His death came on the eve of the start of a 24-city tour that was set to kick off at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. He was 57 and came to Vegas ahead of his bandmates to launch an exhibit of his artworks on the day he died. His death reduced the number of the founding members of The Who to two – vocalist Roger Daltrey and guitarist Pete Townshend. The fourth member drummer Keith Moon died of accidental drug overdose in 1978.

Entwistle was hailed as one of the greatest bass players in the history of rock music and a major influence on many who came later. A music magazine named him "bassist of the millennium." Though often overshadowed by his more flambouyant friends, Entwistle of the lightning fingerwork is held in great esteem by musicians worldwide. The combination of the unique sound of his bass, plus Daltrey’s intense vocals, Moon’s furious drumming and Townshend’s screaming guitar made The Who an amazing rock band. At the time of his death, Entwistle was writing a novel inspired by his experiences with The Who during these past 40 years. He was also getting ready to record the group’s first studio album in 20 years.

The Who is known for hits like My Generation, I Can See for Miles, Won’t Get Fooled Again, A Quick One While He’s Away, Summertime Blues, I Can’t Explain plus albums like Quadrophenia, Tommy, Who’s Next and It’s Hard. The Who is also known for its very physical style. They created the image that rock groups were supposed to be loud, sharp, beastly and very furious. They would trash instruments onstage after a show and once landed in the Guinness Book of Records for playing the loudest concert ever at 120 decibels. In the hierarchy of rock music greats, The Who ranks next only to The Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

A flavorful compilation of hit tunes

The cover blurb says you can now enjoy your favorite 100 percent Party Pop! Hits filler free. Aside from being 100 percent pop, 100 percent fresh and 100 percent groovy, there is also "no added sugar," "no fillers" and no "preservatives." I guess that means there is nothing in it that will keep you from having a real good time. And that is just what happens with the perky Pop! New and Improved Party Flavor compilation of hit tunes.

It is made up of 18 crispy crackling hits and comes with a free VCD of the songs in the album. And because it says that the collection is also "extremely hot," there will surely be a lot of hot goings-on with the all-star line-up of artists included. Among these are Get the Party Started by Pink; Girlfriend by N’Sync; Overprotected by Britney Spears; Fallin’ by Alicia Keys; Drowning by the Backstreet Boys; Angels by Westlife; Hunter by Dido; I’m All About You by Aaron Carter; Chain Reaction by Steps; Come on Over Baby by Christina Aguilera; My Friend by Groove Armada; Liquid Dreams by O-Town; Every Other Time by LFO and Rock the Party by Five.

Hits in the US

Rapper Nelly leads the list of the hits of the moment in the US of A as per Billboard Magazine’s Hot 100 compilation. These are Hot in Here by Nelly; Without Me by Eminem; Foolish by Ashanti; Oh Boy by Cam’ron featuring Juelz Santana; Hero by Chad Kroeger featuring Josey Scott; The Middle by Jimmy Eat World; I Need a Girl (Part 1) by P. Diddy featuring Usher & Loon; A Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carlton; Addictive by Truth Hurts featuring Rakim; and I’m Gonna Be Alright by Avril Lavigne.

Take note that the only song in the list that is also a hit in these parts is Eminem’s Without Me. I think this is because the American charts have become so dominated by R&B music and it is the sort local music buyers find difficult to relate to. It is the same case with the albums. These are: The Eminem Show by Eminem; Lovehatetragedy by Papa Roach; Untouchables by Korn; Totally Hits 2002 by Various Artists; Let Go by Avril Lavigne; Masquerade by Wyclef Jean; Ashanti by Ashanti; P. Diddy & Bad Boy Records Present... We Invented the Remix by Various Artists; Gravity by Our Lady Peace; and M!ssundaztood by Pink.