My friend Mike Portnoy recently invited me to play The Who’s “My Generation” with him at a Who Tribute show. I thought, “That song is simple enough, and I already know it.” So I said “Yes!”
Then Mike told me that it’s not the 3-minute studio version (that I’m familiar with), but instead it is the 14-minute “Live at Leeds” version (which I had never heard before.)
But a “Yes” is a “Yes.” So I’ve been listening to it over and over in my car for the past few weeks (with growing terror from the seeming randomness of the arrangement.) Finally, I realized that I would have to resort to actually writing some basic notes down, to help me get the arrangement deeper into my head. I doubt if this will fit on this page (and I doubt if it will fit in my brain!), but at least I tried! (Click “Read More” at the bottom to see the entire list.)
* INTRO
* VERSE (X2)
* BASS SOLO
* VERSE MOD UP
* D – C (X4)
* SOLO (D-C X4)
* D – C RHYTHM VARIATIONS (X7)
* D, D, C – G (X13)
* D BUILD (X2)
* Eb Maj7 – Fsus – F (X2) – G
* Eb Maj7 – Fsus – F (X2) – E BUILD – Bsus – B
* Listening to you…
* Fuzzy Guitar version w/solo (X2)
* G – C (X2)
* F – C – G (6/8 time and quieter X2)
* F – C – G Loud with vocals (X3)
* SOLO (G min pent) over F-C-G (X2)
* Lower range SOLO over F-C-G (X4)
* 6th Open Hammer-On Lick (X4)
* F-C-G Loud (X1), F looonng, C loooong
* Quiet Solo #1
* “Captain Walker” RIFF quiet then…
* Loud X4
* Captain Walker Single Note Riff (X2)
* Captain Walker becomes SOLO (X3)
* Captain Walker CHORDS (X1)
* D CHORD and SOLO Unaccompanied, end with G TRILL
* FLAMENCO GUITAR SOLO quiet
* E-X5 RIFF (X2)
* E-X5 RIFF with band (X4)
* SOLO / RIFF (X2)
* SOLO (X2)
* E-X5 Townshend #9 chord (X2)
* “Underture”, E – Esus – E (X6), D (X1), E thing (X2)
* Underture Pentatonic Riff
* Underture Open D with lots of chords
* OPEN E with Arm Swings and Pick Scratches (X4)
* D, and Open E Pent Licks
* Underture Open D chords with shorter ending. Ending with E/D
* E-X4 RIFF quiet intro
* E-X4 RIFF with BAND (X4)
* SOLO (X2)
* E-X4 RIFF (X3)
* E CRASH (X3)
* Unaccompanied E solo with lots of D-string trills and TOGGLE and D NOTE
* E CRASH (X2) then wait for LAST CRASH