The Who

One of the major bands of the rock & roll era, the Who straddle the gap separating art-pop and hard-rock, creating kinetic, exploratory music that helped expand the genre's lexicon. Arriving during the second wave of the British Invasion, the Who came out of the R&B-besotted Mod scene and married that groove to the crunching power chords pioneered by the Kinks. After their debut single "I Can't Explain" cracked the U.K. Top Ten in 1965, the band quickly gained a reputation for their volcanic live performances, which could escalate into Pete Townshend violently shattering his g...