Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who

Fans of 1979's The Kids Are Alright might beg to differ, but a case could be made that Murray Lerner's Amazing Journey is the definitive history of The Who. Although Keith Moon and John Entwistle are no longer with us, surviving members Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey are enthusiastic participants here, as are various associates, friends, and family members, along with admirers such as Sting, U2's The Edge, and Oasis' Noel Gallagher. The tale begins with childhoods spent in the grim, rubble-strewn landscape of post-World War II London, continues through the band's early years (including some 1964 black & white performance footage of the High Numbers, as they were then known), their run of brilliant hit singles and transformation—via Townshend's visionary songwriting—into the stadium-filling avatars of Tommy, Who's Next, and Quadrophenia, as well as their lowlights (Moon's alcohol-fueled demise in 1978, the deaths of 11 young fans at a gig in Cincinnati the following year, the band's protracted creative slumber), before reaching present day (the last bit of live footage is of the reunited Daltrey and Townshend onstage in 2007). Backed by plenty of photos and some rare and genuinely thrilling live clips, Amazing Journey gives us a strong sense of how these four combustible characters, each of them a true original (drummer Moon and bassist Entwistle were among the most unconventional and potent players of their respective instruments in the history of rock), became one of the great British bands, surpassed only by the Beatles and arguably the Rolling Stones. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, DVD extras include a bonus disc with the six-part documentary “Six Quick Ones,” which includes profiles of the musical abilities of each band member. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: P. (S. Graham)