Kenney Jones Joins The Who
Small Faces drummer Kenney Jones has officially joined the Who, and other musicians may be added as the band reorganizes following the death of its original drummer, Keith Moon, last August.
“Kenney is playing drums for the band on the four songs they’re now recording for the Quadrophenia soundtrack,” said Who publicist Keith Altham. “But when the Who actually reemerge – which means when they decide to tour or to make another album – you won’t see the same musical lineup. Kenney will be playing drums, but there may be some other new members as well.”
Speculation is that the band will hire a second drummer and a keyboard player. John “Rabbit” Bundrick, a former member of Free, has been playing keyboards during the Quadrophenia sessions, and Rod Argent played them on Who Are You.
American Grandstand: Bang the Drum Loudly
Immediately after Moon’s death, the group announced that it would recruit drummers for specific projects but would not seek a permanent replacement. Apparently that was still the thinking when Jones was asked to play on Quadrophenia. But later, Jones, who has played drums with all the various incarnations of the Small Faces, was asked to become a permanent member. “He was the logical choice,” Altham said. “He’d done work on Roger Daltrey‘s solo LP and he’d played on the Tommy soundtrack.”
Filming for Quadrophenia, the story of mods and rockers in England during the Sixties, began in September and will continue at least until the end of the year. The Who will not appear in the film, but they have complete control over its soundtrack, consisting of more than half of the material from the Who’s 1973 album of the same name as well as a few new songs and some old ones. The film and double-album soundtrack are slated for release late next summer.
The band’s other film project, The Kids Are Alright, made up of interview clips and live performance footage from 1965 through 1978, is nearly complete, and the group is taking bids on distribution deals. The band is aiming for a February release of the film and a two-record soundtrack, which will feature several live performances, including those at Monterey and Woodstock.
The group is also planning to record another studio album sometime next year and there is reported to be a strong possibility that the band will tour.
Bassist John Entwistle, who was in L.A. recently to finish the sound mix for The Kids Are Alright, said he is hoping to record a solo LP, perhaps with longtime friend Joe Walsh. And if the Who doesn’t tour, he said he may form his own band to take on the road.
“I’ve felt the need recently to do another solo album,” he said. “But the end of next year is the soonest I could do that. And if the Who decide not to tour, I’ll have to find another band.
This story is from the December 28th, 1978 issue of Rolling Stone.