"Relay" | ||||
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Single by the Who | ||||
B-side | "Waspman" | |||
Released | 25 November 1972 (US) 22 December 1972 (UK) | |||
Recorded | 26 May 1972 at Olympic Studios, London [1] | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 3:42 (US) 3:49 (UK) | |||
Label | MCA (US) / Track 2094-106 (UK) | |||
Songwriter(s) | Pete Townshend | |||
Producer(s) | The Who | |||
The Who singles chronology | ||||
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"Relay" (titled "The Relay" in the United States) is a song written by Pete Townshend, the guitarist of the Who, for the band's aborted Lifehouse project. The song was also released as a moderately successful single in 1972. It was also the last non-album single by the Who until "Real Good Looking Boy", 32 years later.
"Relay" was originally written as part of the unfinished Lifehouse rock opera, however, like "Join Together", it was not written until 1972, when Pete Townshend revisited the project, at Roger Daltrey's suggestion. [1] In 1972, the song was resurrected to be used in Rock Is Dead—Long Live Rock! , another abandoned Who album that was to be released in 1972.
The song was recorded during the same sessions as "Join Together" and a demo of "Long Live Rock" in May 1972. [2]
"Relay" was released as a single in late 1972, backed with the Keith Moon-penned track, "Waspman". The single charted in the Top 40 in both the UK and US, reaching #21 in the United Kingdom and #39 on the Billboard Hot 100 (and #33 on Cashbox). [1] The single was the last of three singles relating to Lifehouse (but which did not appear on Who's Next ), the others being "Let's See Action" and "Join Together".
Lead singer Roger Daltrey spoke positively of the song, saying "I love 'Relay'". [2] Pete Townshend, however, felt that it sounded too similar to the band's other releases. He said of this:
I've got to get a new act together for the Who... we've got to get something fresh.
In order to promote the single, "Relay" was performed on two British television shows, Russell Harty Plus and The Old Grey Whistle Test , in early 1973. [2]
"Relay" was performed throughout the Who's 1972 tour, but was dropped from the setlist afterwards, and would not return until after Keith Moon's death; it was performed twice in the 1979 tour (once as an encore, once as a snippet) and frequently through the 1980 tour, [3] before returning to the full setlist in 2000 and 2002. However, it was then dropped again until 2006, and remained in the setlist through 2009. Live performances from 2000 onwards were often performed in an extended format, frequently exceeding seven minutes.
"Relay" begins with a strong guitar line fed through the sample and hold-controlled VCF of an ARP-2600 synthesiser, [4] which persists throughout the song. It also features an ordinary electric guitar and acoustic guitar. Intended to feature near the end of Lifehouse, "Relay" is thought to refer to the final setting up of and spreading the word about the Lifehouse concert. The fictional Relay bears strong similarities to the modern Internet, and as such in concerts in the 21st Clcentury, Townshend introduces the song as being about the Internet.
Record World said that it "begins with an Isaac Hayes sound and breaks into a heavy rocker again envincing Townshend's humanistic consciousness." [5]
In addition to being released as a single in 1972, "Relay" has appeared on a number of albums. In order of release:
Chart (1972/73) | Peak position |
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UK Singles (The Official Charts Company) [6] | 21 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [7] | 39 |
CAN (RPM Top 100) [8] | 50 |
The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered one of the most influential rock bands of the 20th century. Their contributions to rock music include the development of the Marshall stack, large public address systems, the use of synthesizers, Entwistle's and Moon's influential playing styles, Townshend's feedback and power chord guitar technique, and the development of the rock opera. They are cited as an influence by many hard rock, punk, power pop and mod bands. The Who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend is an English musician. He is the co-founder, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. His aggressive playing style and poetic songwriting techniques, with the Who and in other projects, have earned him critical acclaim.
Who's Next is the fifth studio album by the English rock band the Who, released on 2 August 1971. It developed from the aborted Lifehouse project, a multi-media rock opera conceived by the group's guitarist Pete Townshend as a follow-up to the band's 1969 album Tommy. The project was cancelled owing to its complexity and to conflicts with Kit Lambert, the band's manager, but the group salvaged some of the songs, without the connecting story elements, to release as their next album. Eight of the nine songs on Who's Next were from Lifehouse, with the lone exception being the John Entwistle-penned "My Wife". Ultimately, the remaining Lifehouse tracks would all be released on other albums throughout the next decade.
Who Are You is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Who, released on 21 August 1978 by Polydor Records in the United Kingdom and MCA Records in the United States. Although the album received mixed reviews from critics, it was a commercial success, peaking at number 2 on the US charts and number 6 on the UK charts.
Lifehouse is an unfinished science fiction rock opera by the Who intended as a follow-up to Tommy. It was abandoned as a rock opera in favour of creating the traditional rock album Who's Next, though its songs would appear on various albums and singles by the Who, as well as Pete Townshend's solo albums. In 1978, aspects of the Lifehouse project were revisited by the Who on Who Are You. In 2000, Townshend revived the Lifehouse concept with his set Lifehouse Chronicles and the sampler Lifehouse Elements. On 1 May 2007, he released an online software called The Lifehouse Method in which any "sitter" could create a musical "portrait". The site is now defunct. The artwork and design of the box set was undertaken by designer Laurence Sutherland.
Lifehouse Chronicles is a box set released in 2000 by Pete Townshend with the focus of the box being the formerly "abandoned" Lifehouse rock opera. The set contains song demos by Pete Townshend; including solo versions of "Baba O'Riley", "Won't Get Fooled Again", and "Who Are You", and the Lifehouse Radio Program. The box set release was followed by two Sadler's Wells Lifehouse concerts and the release of a live CD and video/DVD titled, respectively, Pete Townshend Live: Sadler's Wells 2000 and Pete Townshend – Music from Lifehouse.
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