There’s a lot of good, scientific, fact-based arguments you could use to persuade someone that The Who is Britain’s greatest gift to music. Or, you could sit them down with a beer and their 50-year-old original singles, and make your job a damn sight easier.
Back in 1965, The Who released their first song, the single ‘I Can’t Explain’. Designed as a semi-copy of The Kinks, it barely made its way onto the US singles chart, peaking at 93. But despite that, it’s stayed on as a staple of Who concerts ever since — and yes, Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend, the original front man and guitarist, are still touring (and surprisingly good live).
If you’ve not been a Who fan before now, though, it’s a good year to start — and ‘I Can’t Explain’ is the perfect song to start with.
