Richard Alan Barnes (born 3 October 1944) is an English author, best known for his association with the mod subculture and the rock group The Who, including his book on the group Maximum R&B. He gave The Who their name when he was roommates with Pete Townshend, after the group had originally been called The Detours. [1] [2]
Barnes started a course at Ealing Art College at the same time as Townshend and the two of them shared a flat together, [3] bonding over their mutual love for old R&B and soul records. [4] Townshend subsequently said that Barnes was "very important to The Who's thinking process in the early days. He and I used to sit around and talk about The Who as an installation, we wrote a manifesto for the group together." [5] [6] When Townshend's group, The Detours, needed a new name, the pair sat up all night suggesting joke names, until Barnes came up with The Who. The group's singer, Roger Daltrey endorsed the new name the next day. [7]
In early 1964, Barnes was working as a promoter for the Railway Hotel, Wealdstone. He removed all the lights in the pub apart from two pink ones, and turned up the heating to create a sweaty atmosphere. He managed to achieve average audience attendances of between 500 - 1000, including a weekly residency by The Who every Tuesday. [8] Barnes believed The Who should have split up around the mid-1970s, and believes the only reason they stayed together was for the money. [9]
In 1977, Barnes & Townshend collaborated on a book to coincide with the Ken Russell film of The Who's rock-opera Tommy, entitled The Story Of Tommy. [10]
1982 saw the first publication of The Who: Maximum R & B, an officially authorised biography of the band with photographs. [11] After multiple pressings, the book is still in print.
In 1993 Barnes was listed as director and collaborator on Townshend's "Psychoderelict solo album and theatrical American solo-tour that followed. [12] Barnes was featured in the official and definitive documentary of the group: Amazing Journey - The Story Of The Who, directed by Murray Lerner and given a 2007 worldwide theatrical release. [12]
Barnes was featured in the 2013 documentary on the making of the band's 1973 Quadrophenia album: Quadrophenia: Can You See the Real Me, as well as many other documentaries focussed on the band's and also specifically the members Pete Townshend and Keith Moon. [12]
In 1979 Barnes wrote and compiled the book Mods!, in which he described the mod movement with particular emphasis in London. [13]
 | This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources .(December 2013) |
Barnes as a journalist worked as an art director on The Daily Mirror in the early 1970s and has contributes to a wide number of UK music magazines to this day. He has appeared in many television and film documentaries speaking about subjects pertaining to Mods, The Who and its members or the London of the 1960s in general. [14]
Keith John Moon was an English drummer for the rock band the Who. He was noted for his unique style of playing and his eccentric, often self-destructive behaviour and addiction to drugs and alcohol.
The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered one of the most influential rock bands of the 20th century, and have sold over 100 million records worldwide. Their contributions to rock music include the development of the Marshall Stack, large PA systems, the use of the synthesizer, Entwistle 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 rock and mod bands, and their songs are still regularly played. The Who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
John Alec Entwistle was an English musician and songwriter who was the bassist for the rock band The Who. Nicknamed "The Ox" and "Thunderfingers", Entwistle's music career spanned over four decades. He was the band's only member with formal musical training and also provided backing and occasional lead vocals. Entwistle was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Who in 1990.
Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend is an English musician, singer and songwriter. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s.
Tommy is the fourth studio album by the English rock band The Who, a double album first released on 17 May 1969. The album was mostly composed by guitarist Pete Townshend, and is a rock opera that tells the story of Tommy Walker, a "deaf, dumb and blind" boy, including his experiences with life and his relationship with his family.
Quadrophenia is the sixth studio album by the English rock band the Who, released as a double album on 26 October 1973 by Track Records. It is the group's third rock opera, the two previous being "A Quick One, While He's Away" and Tommy. Set in London and Brighton in 1965, the story follows a young mod named Jimmy and his search for self-worth and importance. Quadrophenia is the only Who album entirely composed by Pete Townshend.
Who's Next is the fifth studio album by English rock band the Who. 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, 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.
The Who Sell Out is the third studio album by the British rock band the Who. It was released on 15 December 1967 by Track Records in the UK and Decca Records in the US.
Live at Leeds is the first live album by English rock band The Who. It was recorded at the University of Leeds Refectory on 14 February 1970, and is their only live album that was released while the group were still actively recording and performing with their best-known line-up of Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle and Keith Moon.
Quadrophenia is a 1979 British drama film, loosely based on The Who's 1973 rock opera of the same name. It was directed by Franc Roddam in his feature directing début. Unlike the adaptation of Tommy, Quadrophenia is not a musical film, and the band does not appear live in the film.
Mod is a subculture that began in London and spread throughout Great Britain and elsewhere, eventually influencing fashions and trends in other countries, and continues today on a smaller scale. Focused on music and fashion, the subculture has its roots in a small group of stylish London-based young men in the late 1950s who were termed modernists because they listened to modern jazz. Elements of the mod subculture include fashion ; music ; and motor scooters. In the mid-1960s, the subculture listened to power pop rock groups with mod following, such as The Who and The Small Faces, after the peak Mod era. The original mod scene was associated with amphetamine-fuelled all-night dancing at clubs.
"Won't Get Fooled Again" is a song by the English rock band the Who, written by Pete Townshend. It was released as a single in June 1971, reaching the top 10 in the UK, while the full eight-and-a-half-minute version appears as the final track on the band's 1971 album Who's Next, released that August.
"Sea and Sand" is a song by The Who. It was released on the group's 1973 rock opera album Quadrophenia, where it is the second track of the third side of the record.
"I'm One" is a song by The Who. It was released on the group's 1973 rock opera album Quadrophenia. Written and sung by Pete Townshend, the song has since become a fan favorite.
"Zoot Suit" b/w "I'm the Face" was the first single of the British rock band the Who, who recorded it under the name the High Numbers in an attempt to appeal to a mod audience. "Zoot Suit" was written by Peter Meaden, the band's first manager. The song is a direct copy of "Misery" by the American R&B group the Dynamics, while the B-side, "I'm the Face", is a copy of Slim Harpo's "I Got Love If You Want It." The single was meant for a mod audience, but failed to chart. The band changed their name back to The Who, found new management, and released their own composition "I Can't Explain", which became a top ten hit in the United Kingdom.
"Drowned" is a song written by Pete Townshend, the guitarist for the Who, for their sixth album, Quadrophenia.
Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who is a 2007 documentary by Murray Lerner and Paul Crowder about English rock and roll band The Who. The film features new interviews with band members Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, Kenney Jones, and Pete Townshend, as well as Sting, The Edge, Noel Gallagher, Eddie Vedder, Steve Jones and others, as well as rare photos of the four members of the band, and archival live footage of performances dating back to 1964. A soundtrack accompanying the film also serves as a greatest-hits compilation for the band.
"Bell Boy" is a song recorded by the Who for the 1973 album Quadrophenia and 1979 movie of the same name. It was never released as a single.
The Tommy Tour was a concert tour by the English rock band the Who. It was in support of their fourth album, the rock opera Tommy (1969), and consisted of concerts split between North America and Europe. Following a press reception gig, the tour officially began on 9 May 1969 and ended on 20 December 1970. The set list featured the majority of the songs from Tommy, as well as originals and covers.
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