The “Scoop” series by Pete Townshend is a musical treasure. One can argue that maybe you have to be a fan of The Who to feel that way, but it really goes beyond that. It showcases what truly talented musicians and writers accomplish behind the scenes. “Scoop” is an audio representation of Townshend’s legendary demo recordings. Anyone familiar with Pete Townshend knows he is a highly prolific writer that has thousands of hours of unreleased work that is of high quality.
Many artists create demo recordings as a way to get an idea down on tape. Some are simply sketches while others can be elaborate productions. Townshend’s demos are defined by the latter. His demos are so famous because they really are in many cases complete songs with layers of vocals and instrumentation. Keith Richards once said that Townshend’s demos were better than The Who’s final versions. That may be a stretch, but it shows how polished and impressive the Townshend demos are.
Back in 1983, Townshend opened his vault and allowed producer Spike to compile a release of demo recordings. Some were unreleased compositions, some were versions of tracks from his solo albums, and of course some were versions of Who songs. The compilation was called “Scoop” and it is a revelation. From haunting tracks like “Melancholia” to a gorgeous ballad rendition of “Behind Blue Eyes” or a fantastic unreleased gem like “Mary,” “Scoop” has it all.
With The Who demos, you are actually hearing what Townshend presented to the band while they were debating what to include on an upcoming album or project – how cool is that? And after hearing The Who demos, it becomes clear that the direction of The Who’s songs were already well mapped out for the band. Sometimes, little changed other than the band laying down its own individual instrumentation and vocals. In some cases, the Townshend demo is superior like with "Don't Let Go The Coat" found on the second volume of the series.
In 1987, “Another Scoop” was released and was modeled after the first volume. Again, the listener gets to see inside the Townshend creative process. From fully realized versions of Who classics like “You Better, You Bet” to synth-inspired musical sketches like “Ask Yourself” from an aborted 1983 Who project “Siege,” the second version of the “Scoop” series is full of audio riches.
In 2001, Townshend once again opened his vault and continued the “Scoop” series. The third volume entitled “Scoop 3” is just as good as the first two volumes. It has a little more versatility in terms of adding a wider range of musical sketches such as the gorgeous 1994 piano piece "Poem Disturbed" and demo material from a more extensive group of solo albums and Who albums such as the embryonic "Tough Boys" that would develop into the solo hit "Rough Boys" and "Can You See The Real Me" that would turn into the driving "Quadrophenia" album opener "The Real Me."
Other Townshend demos have appeared on Who reissue packages in recent years as well as Pete's "Lifehouse Chronicles" box set. As with the demos found on the first 3 volumes of "Scoop," they are all brilliant and insightful in their own way. Pete Townshend is one of Rock's great songwriters and arrangers, but having the luxury of hearing various degrees of his creative process on tape is a gift. Any fan of Pete Townshend, The Who and the Rock N' Roll creative process in general should seek out and explore the treasures found on the "Scoop" titles.
Many artists create demo recordings as a way to get an idea down on tape. Some are simply sketches while others can be elaborate productions. Townshend’s demos are defined by the latter. His demos are so famous because they really are in many cases complete songs with layers of vocals and instrumentation. Keith Richards once said that Townshend’s demos were better than The Who’s final versions. That may be a stretch, but it shows how polished and impressive the Townshend demos are.
Back in 1983, Townshend opened his vault and allowed producer Spike to compile a release of demo recordings. Some were unreleased compositions, some were versions of tracks from his solo albums, and of course some were versions of Who songs. The compilation was called “Scoop” and it is a revelation. From haunting tracks like “Melancholia” to a gorgeous ballad rendition of “Behind Blue Eyes” or a fantastic unreleased gem like “Mary,” “Scoop” has it all.
With The Who demos, you are actually hearing what Townshend presented to the band while they were debating what to include on an upcoming album or project – how cool is that? And after hearing The Who demos, it becomes clear that the direction of The Who’s songs were already well mapped out for the band. Sometimes, little changed other than the band laying down its own individual instrumentation and vocals. In some cases, the Townshend demo is superior like with "Don't Let Go The Coat" found on the second volume of the series.
In 1987, “Another Scoop” was released and was modeled after the first volume. Again, the listener gets to see inside the Townshend creative process. From fully realized versions of Who classics like “You Better, You Bet” to synth-inspired musical sketches like “Ask Yourself” from an aborted 1983 Who project “Siege,” the second version of the “Scoop” series is full of audio riches.
In 2001, Townshend once again opened his vault and continued the “Scoop” series. The third volume entitled “Scoop 3” is just as good as the first two volumes. It has a little more versatility in terms of adding a wider range of musical sketches such as the gorgeous 1994 piano piece "Poem Disturbed" and demo material from a more extensive group of solo albums and Who albums such as the embryonic "Tough Boys" that would develop into the solo hit "Rough Boys" and "Can You See The Real Me" that would turn into the driving "Quadrophenia" album opener "The Real Me."
Other Townshend demos have appeared on Who reissue packages in recent years as well as Pete's "Lifehouse Chronicles" box set. As with the demos found on the first 3 volumes of "Scoop," they are all brilliant and insightful in their own way. Pete Townshend is one of Rock's great songwriters and arrangers, but having the luxury of hearing various degrees of his creative process on tape is a gift. Any fan of Pete Townshend, The Who and the Rock N' Roll creative process in general should seek out and explore the treasures found on the "Scoop" titles.
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