Share the post "Album review: PETE TOWNSHEND’s DEEP END – Face The Face"
Eagle Rock [Release date 16.09.16] CD/DVD
Back in 1985/86 Pete Townshend played a number of promotional/benefit gigs on the back of his 1985 solo concept album White City: A Novel – a bleak cultural observation of life on a West London housing estate – with the music for the track ‘White City Fighting’ supplied by David Gilmour. That track may not feature on this collection of tracks from the album although Gilmour does, as does a cover of ‘Blue Light’ from his own 1984 About Face album.
Recorded for the German Rockpalast TV series, and released for the first time on either CD or DVD, the band line up, as well as Townshend and Gilmour, features Peter Hope-Evans (harmonica), Chucho Merchan (bass), Simon Phillips (drums), John Rabbit Bundrick (keyboards), and Jody Linscott (percussion) together with horns and backing vocalist sections.
Aficionados may already have the abridged Deep End Live! 1986 album containing excerpts from the band’s November 1985 Brixton Academy dates (or, indeed the never released to DVD, VHS), and/or the 2004 released Live: Brixton Academy ’85 which included the full 27 tracks played.
Whilst the Rockpalast gig – recorded in the South Of France – is culled largely from the same setlist, there are three tracks not featured on the earlier releases – ‘Slit Skirts’, ‘Hiding Out’, and ‘Rough Boy’s. And running out at a respectable 87 minutes (even if four minutes are ‘lost’ to a drum/percussion solo amidst Gilmour’s ‘Blue Light’), the DVD manages to also squeeze in a cover of ‘I Put A Spell On You’ – a track omitted from the CD. But otherwise the CD/DVD content and running orders are identical.
Visually, the screen format has been left at the original 4:3, and it’s scary what ravages the passing of just 30 years can have – Townshend and Gilmour are wrinkle free, have [relatively] full heads of hair and move with a long gone freedom.
The set is nicely organic – something else you don’t see much of these days – and sound wise, the use of horns (de rigueur in the mid-eighties) and backing vocalists make the project a very different beast to The Who, adding a fresh twist to favourites like ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’.
Contemporaneous material like ‘Give Blood’, from the White City album is vibrant and Townsend is – as he always is – suitably maniacal. He handles lead vocals particularly well – the acoustically driven ‘Behind Blue Eyes’ is poignant, and ‘I Put A Spell On You’ suitably bluesy thanks to the playing of Gilmour and Peter Hope Evans.
All in all, a top notch display all round, and an essential purchase for Who/Townshend fans, and well worth a gander for anyone with a passing interest. ****
Review by Pete Whalley
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
Next session: Sunday 19 January
Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio
David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 1 December 2024.
UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 3 December 2024.
How to Listen Live?
Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)
Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”
Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.
More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com
Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024
In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections
Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)
Popular (last 10 days)
Share the post "Album review: PETE TOWNSHEND’s DEEP END – Face The Face"
PDF - you can delete unwanted sections
