(Credits: Far Out / Alamy)
Wed 4 June 2025 18:31, UK
It’s no revelation to anybody reading this to discover that the 1960s were a golden time for the music industry. While there is plenty of scope surrounding subjectivity in this subject area, this statement is not for debate. For The Who’s Roger Daltrey, who came of age during this decade, it retains a special place in his heart that doesn’t compete with any other era.
Over the course of this decade, The Who grew from students to become one of the biggest bands in the world, a wild ride that Daltrey adored every minute of. As much as he loved rock ‘n’ roll from an early age, seeing his name up in lights seemed an unattainable dream, but through hard work, electrifying performances, and stellar songwriting, The Who became a defining band of the time.
Being a frontman is all that Daltrey has truly known, apart from a brief spell in a sheet metal factory as a teenager. As a result of being at the top of his industry for more than 50 years, he’s met everyone who is anybody in the entertainment sphere. Therefore, he doesn’t typically lose his cool in the company of fellow musicians unless they are somebody incredibly special, such as Brian Wilson from The Beach Boys.
When The Beach Boys released Pet Sounds, it changed the landscape of popular music and inspired a generation of artists, most notably The Beatles. On the surface, The Who have little in common with The Beach Boys, but they were a group that the British band worshipped immensely.
He may not agree with Pete Townshend, but their love of Pet Sounds is a rare source of agreement. The guitarist once said it “redefined music in the 20th century: atmosphere, essence, shadow, and romance were combined in ways that could be discovered again and again.”
Keith Moon felt a similar devotion towards The Beach Boys. According to Daltrey, the drummer’s love of the band is the reason why The Who regularly covered them during their live shows. Although Moon was a powerhouse drummer, Daltrey claimed he’d have preferred to have shared a stage with Wilson rather than him. Speaking to Australia’s Courier Mail, Daltrey once said: “He was a mad Beach Boys fan. He would have left the Who at the drop of a hat to join the Beach Boys. Even at our height, when the Beach Boys were on their way down and the Who were at the top of the world, if the Beach Boys had asked him to drum for them, he would have gone. We used to do ‘Barbara Ann’ for Keith to keep him happy!”
Wilson and Daltrey have met many times, which still feels surreal to The Who singer whenever the opportunity presents itself. A quote from Daltrey listed on Wilson’s official website reads: “Brian deserves his place in the history books. The Beach Boys were one of the greatest groups ever full stop. And, in a way, probably under-appreciated.”
Daltrey continued: “I really loved so many of their albums, so from that point of view, this is all a good thing, listening to it with fresh ears. I hold him in such awe that I get incredibly nervous when I meet him, but he’s a really warm human being. Everybody identifies with his courage.”
Wilson has a rare position in the musical landscape as an almost universally adored figure who has inspired everyone from The Beatles to Bruce Springsteen on their respective journeys. Despite nobody daring to say a bad word about Wilson as a human or artist, it’s natural that even the most highly esteemed artists like Daltrey still find themselves desperate to impress his musical idol. Although Wilson’s creative spark didn’t burn bright for decades, his work during the ’60s alone has undisputedly etched his name in the record books for eternity.
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