He did perform some of his songs from his first solo albums with his own band. I'd recommend buying the Left for Live CD or Left for Live on Itunes, it really is an exceptional live album.
NO! John swiped Roger Daltry's solo albums and shot them for the video. Roger didn't find out till way after the film was done. John was a really funny guy.
@doctorzaius77 omg are u serious!!? 0_o i bet roger must have be pissed when he found out since you can't easily replace them can you?? haaah well i liked john's solo work better than rogers so mayb he was making a statement heheh.
Entwistle had a great rock frontman's voice. That's one of the things no one realizes but they should. Great bassist obviously but underrated singer. Had the best range of any singer in the Who, being their gruffest singer sometimes and also their high falsetto harmony guy.
Just Loved this song, more hard edged than common Who stuff. I would of enjoyed seeing more solo stuff out of him. Again too bad he past away so soon.
BORIS! His first song brought back to life. I love his solo work. I love how his voice can get low, then in 'A Quick One' he get's all high in the end. I love 'Mine' too.
his was a classic rock and roll death. In Las Vegas, surrounded by glitz and tits, a line of coke up his nose, not taking his heart medicine....classic.
Maybe, but this album was recoded&mixed late '70 early '71 and Aqualung was released in april '71, so just a coincidence (like Budgie's Crash Course in Brain Surgery riff similar to Hawkwind Master of the Universe bass riff). At last, My size is typically Entwistle' sound !
I DJ this record out at my club night in London - it has never been given the attention it deserves. I met him once he was a great man and THE BEST bass player. Without him bass/amplification technology would never have moved so fast. - fact.
@doctorzaius77 if you're interested, Entwistle and Clapton are both on the same album. They're both on the "Rough Mix" duet album by Ronnie Lane and Pete Townshend but warning: Poor Ronnie Lane's voice is completely shot on the album....maybe he was already sick by then.
I read this interview where Entwistle said that while his first album (this one) sounded like heavy metal, he hated that genre and never wanted to do it again - hence the big band "Rigor Mortis" and "Mad Dog."
That's too bad. Most critics say that this is his best work....I personally think this album (Smash Your Head Against The Wall) is his best and VERY underrated. If Entwistle had continued making albums like this I think He would've been as big as Clapton
Yes it is. In fact, the whole song might be about Boris. ' Always hanging around, never touching the ground.' Sounds like it could be about a spider doesn't it?
Ever, ever, ever, ever, period. There are other bass greats like Jack Bruce, Marcus Miller and Les Claypool but John is the true owner of this instrument. I play bass but I know it's still John's instrument.
Not sure what ScottBingington means by Daltrey solo albums. If he's talking about the albums John shoots up with the Tommy gun, that would be pretty funny. Entwistle played on a couple of Daltrey's solo albums in the 70s and given the historic tension between all four musicians in the Who, John shooting up Daltrey's gold records in an idle moment at home is too funny to contemplate. Thanks for putting this vid up and spreading the gospel of the Ox.
Thank you for the great comment! I think John was overshadowed and under appreciated at times. So few people (including Who fans) have never even heard John's solo work and I think it edges on greatness. i just want people to give it a chance, they're missing out on something great. I don't mean to bother people when I ask them to send these vids out to their pals- I just want to share something I think is special and not well known. ;-)
Daltrey wrote or co-wrote a handful of songs with the Who. He was the mouthpiece for Pete's music and has always said so. There were a few songs Entwistle wrote that were purposefully written outside Daltrey's range so he himself coud sing the parts.
Maybe not as underrated but Pete's playing and Roger's ego would have stifled John's creativity. A track like this would've been buried or sung by Roger on a Who album. It wouldn't have been the same and I don't think it would've been as good. Perhaps I'm wrong but I get the impression that John enjoyed the freedom of being solo. He knew that The Who would always be bigger but he didn't make his albums to be a crowd pleaser. He made this stuff for himself.
Yeh, your completely right it would have sounded alot more like a who song, its just at the time John wasn't very known and not many musicians hade made solo albums.
I wish John made more original material. His early stuff was as good as Clapton, he could've been as good as Clapton if The Who had broken up. I'm glad The Who didn't break up, but I think John had untaped potential.
I'm doing my part ;-) I try to send this video to anyone who will care. If you know anyone, feel free to share the video. It's never too late to enlighten people musically :-)
I liked the image, it's an aggressive(venting frustration) song and the image foreshadows the angry lyrics and the chorus "Smash You head against the wall"
John Entwistle was a quiet person and he always lead people to believe that he had a dark side to him. I'm not sure if this is true, I think it was only part of his stage persona. While his music was relatively tame John always used morbid or dark images on his album covers. The image of him with a gun is something that John would use.
My lord, I have only really just discovered John Entwistle as a solo artist- and I really can't believe I had never paid him more attention! This is truly amazing. I can't help wondering whether some of the lyrics if not all of them in this particular song, are in some way associated with his suppression by Roger Daltrey during his time with the Who... Have you got any more songs from this album? I would really love to hear them! Great vid by the way!
I'm huge fan of The Who but it was my Dad who told me to get John Entwistle's "Smash Your Head Against The Wall" I can tell you the album is fantastic, equal to any of the rock greats of it's time. I have heard that "My Size" was about Roger but I don't know for sure. I have all the songs from this album and if you have no way of hearing it I will post it for you (If you promise to give me a good rating :> )
Mate, Post it- I will give you HUGE rating! Also I wonder whether you could tell me how popular this album was in it's heyday and when it was written? Thanks!
With the success of Tommy and Who's Next no one cared that John was putting out his own album. It's release in 1971 only reached #134 on Billboard charts, selling 100,000 copies. John took the album very seriously and critics gave it good reviews, but no one believed that John could do an album on his own. With little to no air play it was up to Who fans to spread the good news about this magnificent piece of work. "Smash Your Head" reached cult status and had an impact on many artists.
"My Size" epitomizes a unique and irreplaceable song-writing talent that outshines his extraordinary ability as a performing musician. Thanks for a fitting tribute.
Seen John live more than any other musician, four times. Twice with The Who, once with Roger Daltrey (Closing of Richfield Colliseum near Cleveland) and once solo with his band. Had the pleasure of meeting him at Wilbert's in Cleveland, Ohio at the top of the flats. It was at a sound check before he played that eve with his band. My favorite bass player of all time, we miss ya John!!
The only downer at the Wilbert's sound check was that they held a ticket number auction for his bass. I missed it by one number! Should have tarried a wee bit longer before entering the club! LOL
Are you kidding me? One number? Oh my God that would drive me crazy. It makes for a good story....one number away, gosh that is tough. I guess it was just not meant to be.
Brilliant.. A very skillful and deserved tribute to one of British Rock's greatest and perhaps under appreciated artists. A true talent in the finest tradition. May his star shine on forever.
Sounds like Black Sabbath's Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Motortallica 1 week ago
The Who meets Black Sabbath!
DeKleikop 3 weeks ago
Comment removed
riff88m 1 month ago
Sweet job on the video.
TuberOnTheLoose 4 months ago
when this album (this song in particular) came out it blew away all the nicey hippie shit permeating the airwaves.
long live Entwistle !!!!
MrKirkenstein 6 months ago
Not the best, but he's in the big three: John Entwhistle, Jack Cassidy, and Phil Lesh.
jmccullough 8 months ago
@jmccullough In my opinion, he is.
herbiemarx01 8 months ago
Greatest Bass Player That Ever Lived
herbiemarx01 11 months ago
Black Sabbath stole the riff for "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" !!!
nuncjusz1 1 year ago
@nuncjusz1 yesssss!! both are =
vinnypimentel 4 months ago
wow, great stuff, imagine if he did these songs with the who!
SuperSlinkyDudeWHO96 1 year ago
@SuperSlinkyDudeWHO96
He did perform some of his songs from his first solo albums with his own band. I'd recommend buying the Left for Live CD or Left for Live on Itunes, it really is an exceptional live album.
atgskater14 1 year ago
SMASH YOUR HEAD AGAINST THE WALL!
henrique165 1 year ago 2
john entwistle is amazing. did he really shoot up his records!!?
serpico89 1 year ago
NO! John swiped Roger Daltry's solo albums and shot them for the video. Roger didn't find out till way after the film was done. John was a really funny guy.
doctorzaius77 1 year ago 2
@doctorzaius77 omg are u serious!!? 0_o i bet roger must have be pissed when he found out since you can't easily replace them can you?? haaah well i liked john's solo work better than rogers so mayb he was making a statement heheh.
serpico89 1 year ago
I agree, John was a good writer and one of the greatest bassists.
doctorzaius77 1 year ago 3
@doctorzaius77 No he is the greatest "bass guitarist".
8StringBuzzard 13 hours ago
Entwistle had a great rock frontman's voice. That's one of the things no one realizes but they should. Great bassist obviously but underrated singer. Had the best range of any singer in the Who, being their gruffest singer sometimes and also their high falsetto harmony guy.
journeythruthepast 1 year ago
BEST
ROCK
BASSIST
EVER
Alexeiyeah 1 year ago
This song makes me want to grow a handlebar mustache.
jeromekagan 1 year ago
Does it really get any better than this song?
dcamack 2 years ago
LOL. No arguing here on King Johns video please, thank you.
mcgyverracing 2 years ago 2
yeah!!! he obviously is the bassist of the millenium, and he always will!. john rocks
ystrianka 2 years ago
Just Loved this song, more hard edged than common Who stuff. I would of enjoyed seeing more solo stuff out of him. Again too bad he past away so soon.
trenchycoat101 2 years ago
BORIS! His first song brought back to life. I love his solo work. I love how his voice can get low, then in 'A Quick One' he get's all high in the end. I love 'Mine' too.
wildliongirl 2 years ago
his was a classic rock and roll death. In Las Vegas, surrounded by glitz and tits, a line of coke up his nose, not taking his heart medicine....classic.
fanofprotopic 2 years ago 4
don't know why this song reminds me of Jethro Tull
fanofprotopic 2 years ago
???
John Entwistle's band never had a fucking flute player! Plus I think he is (was) a much more pallatble singer.
Bluesub6 2 years ago
@fanofprotopic
jethrotull, jeez. I just threw up in my mouth. please leave that crap out of this video.
mcgyverracing 2 years ago
the riff is similar to Aqualung, so go ahead and swallow the vomit in your mouth, there seems to be a lot of bile in there anyway.
fanofprotopic 2 years ago
@fanofprotopic
Maybe, but this album was recoded&mixed late '70 early '71 and Aqualung was released in april '71, so just a coincidence (like Budgie's Crash Course in Brain Surgery riff similar to Hawkwind Master of the Universe bass riff). At last, My size is typically Entwistle' sound !
borispider 1 year ago
I DJ this record out at my club night in London - it has never been given the attention it deserves. I met him once he was a great man and THE BEST bass player. Without him bass/amplification technology would never have moved so fast. - fact.
PHUKMLtd 2 years ago 9
I completely agree! ;-)
doctorzaius77 2 years ago
@PHUKMLtd He's not a bass player. He's the motherfucking best bass guitarrist!
Alexeiyeah 6 months ago
Comment removed
Canaveral305 2 years ago
I never knew the title of the album came from lyrics of this song (Smash your head against the wall) !
Great song, btw ! Wish Entwistle had a most successful solo carreer, his work really deserved it.
Canaveral305 2 years ago
I couldn't agree more! ;-)
doctorzaius77 2 years ago
Clearly one of the best songs of its era, and I agree with folks who say it never got the attention it deserved. Perfect.
keefek 2 years ago 3
I believe if he had desired, Entwistle could have been as big as Clapton...What a duet!!!!!
doctorzaius77 2 years ago
@doctorzaius77 if you're interested, Entwistle and Clapton are both on the same album. They're both on the "Rough Mix" duet album by Ronnie Lane and Pete Townshend but warning: Poor Ronnie Lane's voice is completely shot on the album....maybe he was already sick by then.
fanofprotopic 1 year ago
They were Roger's gold records that got shot up.
mrmott44 2 years ago 2
I read this interview where Entwistle said that while his first album (this one) sounded like heavy metal, he hated that genre and never wanted to do it again - hence the big band "Rigor Mortis" and "Mad Dog."
Bluesub6 2 years ago
That's too bad. Most critics say that this is his best work....I personally think this album (Smash Your Head Against The Wall) is his best and VERY underrated. If Entwistle had continued making albums like this I think He would've been as big as Clapton
doctorzaius77 2 years ago
i dont care what any one says that drug dealer made the best bass player in the world die
PETEtownsend19 2 years ago
That's one of the most heaviest songs I heard....
groundhog713 2 years ago
As I understand it, this was supposed to be Boris' revenge, bringing you "down to my size." Love John's solo stuff.
tabbygail7 2 years ago
I wonder if the end of that was supposed to reminiscient of Boris the Spider.
Zelious12 3 years ago
Yes it is. In fact, the whole song might be about Boris. ' Always hanging around, never touching the ground.' Sounds like it could be about a spider doesn't it?
JeroenK 3 years ago
Note the riff at the very end of the tune.
darkstormstress22 2 years ago
KILLER RIFF !!!!!! GREAT !
riff88m 3 years ago
Gotta love it! ;-)
doctorzaius77 3 years ago
Best Bassist ever.
CorruptedBacon 3 years ago 14
I second that!!!! :-)
doctorzaius77 3 years ago
He's the ultimate bass playin' man!
gvt76 3 years ago
Rolling Stone mag named him bassist of the millennium (over Paul McCartney and Sting!)
doctorzaius77 3 years ago
It's a title he deserved, definitely.
Maddiecake 3 years ago
The quietest bassist too ;-)
doctorzaius77 3 years ago
what about Bill Wyman?
rusty8mm 3 years ago
Paul McCartney sucks on bass though lol. Sting's okay. Entwistle is king.
Zelious12 3 years ago
Ever, ever, ever, ever, period. There are other bass greats like Jack Bruce, Marcus Miller and Les Claypool but John is the true owner of this instrument. I play bass but I know it's still John's instrument.
Zelious12 3 years ago 3
i wish john would of made more tunes in this style !!this is heavy metal all the way !!!
croke66 3 years ago
Classic, could've been as big as Clapton if he wanted! Then again John never made music to be successful, he wrote his solo stuff for him self!
doctorzaius77 3 years ago
and thanks to him for that, because he wrote real music
krycha425 3 years ago
He was the most accomplished musician joining The Who, he made his first base!!!! :-)
doctorzaius77 3 years ago
Not sure what ScottBingington means by Daltrey solo albums. If he's talking about the albums John shoots up with the Tommy gun, that would be pretty funny. Entwistle played on a couple of Daltrey's solo albums in the 70s and given the historic tension between all four musicians in the Who, John shooting up Daltrey's gold records in an idle moment at home is too funny to contemplate. Thanks for putting this vid up and spreading the gospel of the Ox.
john683011 3 years ago
Thank you for the great comment! I think John was overshadowed and under appreciated at times. So few people (including Who fans) have never even heard John's solo work and I think it edges on greatness. i just want people to give it a chance, they're missing out on something great. I don't mean to bother people when I ask them to send these vids out to their pals- I just want to share something I think is special and not well known. ;-)
doctorzaius77 3 years ago
Boris The Spider Part II.
hamtrak 3 years ago
those albums were actually Roger Daltrey solo records
scottbingington 3 years ago
I don't understand, Roger is not a writer. From what I understand Roger had no problem allowing Pete to write all the songs.
doctorzaius77 3 years ago
Daltrey wrote or co-wrote a handful of songs with the Who. He was the mouthpiece for Pete's music and has always said so. There were a few songs Entwistle wrote that were purposefully written outside Daltrey's range so he himself coud sing the parts.
john683011 3 years ago
When you think about it that couldn't have been easy, Roger had a good range! ;-)
doctorzaius77 3 years ago
Its too bad pete did'nt let john use many songs for The who.
IDontEvenKnowMyself 3 years ago
But that let John put out some great solo stuff
doctorzaius77 3 years ago
But if they were by the who, these great songs would have been less underrated.
IDontEvenKnowMyself 3 years ago
Maybe not as underrated but Pete's playing and Roger's ego would have stifled John's creativity. A track like this would've been buried or sung by Roger on a Who album. It wouldn't have been the same and I don't think it would've been as good. Perhaps I'm wrong but I get the impression that John enjoyed the freedom of being solo. He knew that The Who would always be bigger but he didn't make his albums to be a crowd pleaser. He made this stuff for himself.
doctorzaius77 3 years ago
Yeh, your completely right it would have sounded alot more like a who song, its just at the time John wasn't very known and not many musicians hade made solo albums.
IDontEvenKnowMyself 3 years ago
I wish John made more original material. His early stuff was as good as Clapton, he could've been as good as Clapton if The Who had broken up. I'm glad The Who didn't break up, but I think John had untaped potential.
doctorzaius77 3 years ago
People needed to promote his solo material when it came out, so people would actually listen and see how good he was.
IDontEvenKnowMyself 3 years ago
I'm doing my part ;-) I try to send this video to anyone who will care. If you know anyone, feel free to share the video. It's never too late to enlighten people musically :-)
doctorzaius77 3 years ago
why is John holding a tommy gun at 0:20?
overlord34 3 years ago
I liked the image, it's an aggressive(venting frustration) song and the image foreshadows the angry lyrics and the chorus "Smash You head against the wall"
John Entwistle was a quiet person and he always lead people to believe that he had a dark side to him. I'm not sure if this is true, I think it was only part of his stage persona. While his music was relatively tame John always used morbid or dark images on his album covers. The image of him with a gun is something that John would use.
doctorzaius77 3 years ago
frampton plays on this and its great...
mikekorz 3 years ago
I had no idea Frampton was on this.
doctorzaius77 3 years ago
Frampton is featured on "Whistle Rhymes" (1972) but not on "Smash..."
This guitar player is called Dave Langston.
testaferro 3 years ago
I didn't know that.....I should read the album cover
doctorzaius77 3 years ago
Hate to say he sang better than the others in who and this song is really high on my list...
mikekorz 3 years ago
This song is great...I would say Clapton Great
doctorzaius77 3 years ago
My lord, I have only really just discovered John Entwistle as a solo artist- and I really can't believe I had never paid him more attention! This is truly amazing. I can't help wondering whether some of the lyrics if not all of them in this particular song, are in some way associated with his suppression by Roger Daltrey during his time with the Who... Have you got any more songs from this album? I would really love to hear them! Great vid by the way!
HAZBAA 3 years ago 2
I'm huge fan of The Who but it was my Dad who told me to get John Entwistle's "Smash Your Head Against The Wall" I can tell you the album is fantastic, equal to any of the rock greats of it's time. I have heard that "My Size" was about Roger but I don't know for sure. I have all the songs from this album and if you have no way of hearing it I will post it for you (If you promise to give me a good rating :> )
doctorzaius77 3 years ago
Mate, Post it- I will give you HUGE rating! Also I wonder whether you could tell me how popular this album was in it's heyday and when it was written? Thanks!
HAZBAA 3 years ago
With the success of Tommy and Who's Next no one cared that John was putting out his own album. It's release in 1971 only reached #134 on Billboard charts, selling 100,000 copies. John took the album very seriously and critics gave it good reviews, but no one believed that John could do an album on his own. With little to no air play it was up to Who fans to spread the good news about this magnificent piece of work. "Smash Your Head" reached cult status and had an impact on many artists.
doctorzaius77 3 years ago
You don't say!
SnugglySara 3 years ago
Yep, it's rock history!
doctorzaius77 3 years ago
"My Size" epitomizes a unique and irreplaceable song-writing talent that outshines his extraordinary ability as a performing musician. Thanks for a fitting tribute.
stluno 3 years ago
Could not have said it better myself. Thanks for taking the time to write a great comment.
doctorzaius77 3 years ago
Seen John live more than any other musician, four times. Twice with The Who, once with Roger Daltrey (Closing of Richfield Colliseum near Cleveland) and once solo with his band. Had the pleasure of meeting him at Wilbert's in Cleveland, Ohio at the top of the flats. It was at a sound check before he played that eve with his band. My favorite bass player of all time, we miss ya John!!
tallcoolslovak 3 years ago
You are very lucky. John was one of the best of his era, he will be missed.
doctorzaius77 3 years ago
By the way, EXCELLENT job on the video tribute!! I know some time and love went into this!! Five stars!!!
tallcoolslovak 3 years ago
Thanks I'm a big fan (as you can tell) I never got the chance to see him live.
doctorzaius77 3 years ago
The only downer at the Wilbert's sound check was that they held a ticket number auction for his bass. I missed it by one number! Should have tarried a wee bit longer before entering the club! LOL
tallcoolslovak 3 years ago
Are you kidding me? One number? Oh my God that would drive me crazy. It makes for a good story....one number away, gosh that is tough. I guess it was just not meant to be.
doctorzaius77 3 years ago
wow just wonderful
lightmyfire1967 3 years ago
Thanks, I love this song (I hope the video does it justice)
doctorzaius77 3 years ago
Brilliant.. A very skillful and deserved tribute to one of British Rock's greatest and perhaps under appreciated artists. A true talent in the finest tradition. May his star shine on forever.
youboy709 4 years ago 5