“Life is an unforgettable opera”

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Rocks in the Head, released 1 July 1992, is Roger’s eighth solo album, and until very recently seemed to be his solo swan song. He recorded it at The Hit Factory in London and New York, and unusually co-wrote seven of the eleven songs. Once again, Roger’s cousin Graham Hughes designed and photographed the cover.

The album only charted at #83 in Canada. As mentioned in previous posts, Roger never did much marketing for his solo career and knew early on he’d never be a huge solo star. He began taking it more seriously after The Who broke up, but it still didn’t become anywhere close to a full-time job.

RITH is a very polished album, with Roger in fine vocal form. While it does have an unmistakably early Nineties sound, it’s not hopelessly dated like, say, Hope + Glory. It’s also greatly aided by how Roger co-wrote so many of the songs, thus adding a personal, emotional connection to the lyrics. E.g., “Days of Light” was inspired by his former job in a sheet metal factory and how he always looked forward to having fun and relaxing over the weekend break.

In 2009, at a solo show in Vancouver, Roger forgot the lyrics to “Days of Light” halfway through. Instead of acting like a spoilt diva or running backstage in embarrassment, Roger told the audience that was only the second time he’d ever sung it live (the last time being a 1992 appearance on David Letterman) and started the song over again.

“Everything a Heart Could Ever Want (Willow)” is about Roger’s second daughter Willow (born 20 March 1975), and has really sweet, poignant lyrics about watching a child taking her first steps into adulthood. His son Jamie (born 1981) provides backing vocals.

Too often, we don’t really think of celebrities as parents. We obviously know they have kids, but we’re so used to seeing them only in their role as singers, musicians, actors, etc. Thus, it’s so precious to get a little glimpse into the world of Roger’s private life and his fatherly feelings for his kids.

Track listing:

“Who’s Gonna Walk on Water” (written by Gerald McMahon)
“Before My Time is Up” (Dave Katz and Gerald McMahon)
“Times Changed” (Roger and Gerald McMahon)
“You Can’t Call It Love” (Roger, Walter Ray, Dave Ruffy)
“Mirror Mirror” (Gerald McMahon)
“Perfect World” (Gerald McMahon)
“Love Is” (Roger, Ricky Byrd, Dave Katz, Gerald McMahon)
“Blues Man’s Road” (Roger, Ricky Byrd, Gerald McMahon)
“Everything a Heart Could Ever Want (Willow)” (Roger and Gerald McMahon)
“Days of Light” (Roger and Gerald McMahon) (#6 in the U.S.)
“Unforgettable Opera” (Roger and Gerald McMahon) (the source of the album’s title)

My favourite tracks are “Mirror Mirror,” “Unforgettable Opera,” “Everything a Heart Could Ever Want (Willow),” and “Days of Light.”

A criminally underrated Eighties classic

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Maybe this is just my inherent bias as a proud Eighties kid, but I’ve always absolutely adored Can’t Wait to See the Movie, Roger’s seventh solo album, which released June 1987. It’s full of that signature Eighties sound, and has so many incredible songs that also have a timeless feel. It’s a shame this criminally underrated classic only went to #41 in Sweden.

Roger has admitted he wasn’t very ambitious about his solo career, didn’t do nearly enough marketing for his albums, and saw it as just a fun side hobby to fill his time when The Who weren’t touring or making an album. Even after the band broke up, he didn’t approach his solo work like a serious full-time job.

As he said in 1987, “I know it frustrates the hell out of my record company. If this album is a big success, I’d be happy. But if it just sells enough to recoup its costs, that’s okay by me too. I’m not making them for the money. I’m just doing these solo albums because I want to keep singing. I don’t have The Who to sing in anymore. If I had The Who. . . .”

Roger also made the decision early on, back when he released his first solo album in 1973, that he didn’t want to tour by himself to promote his solo work. Touring was mentally and physically exhausting enough with The Who, and doing it for something he approached as just a hobby didn’t make much sense.

Roger also realised most Who fans weren’t that into his solo stuff, and that he was targeting a different market.

Some contemporary critics lambasted CWTSTM as “too polished,” as though Roger were contractually obligated to only ever make Who-like records and never try anything new. I’ve never understood so-called fans and professional critics who expect artists to spend their entire careers constantly making the same album over and over again. It’s called evolving with a changing musical landscape and experimenting with different styles!

And as an Eighties kid, I don’t mind the heavy synths at all! I like that trademark musical calling card of my childhood decade!

Track listing:

“Hearts of Fire” (written by Russ Ballard) (#88 in the U.K.)
“When the Thunder Comes” (Damon Metrebian and Chas Sandford)
“Ready for Love” (Kit Hain)
“Balance on Wires” (Roger and Don Snow)
“Miracle of Love” (Mark Morgan and Jimmy Scott)
“The Price of Love” (Jack Blades and David Foster)
“The Heart Has Its Reasons” (Jimmy Scott)
“Alone in the Night” (Steve Bates, Larry Lee, Tom Whitlock, Richie Zito)
“Lover’s Storm” (Tom Kelly and Gary Usher)
“Take Me Home” (Roger, Axel Bauer, Michel Eli, Nigel Hinton) (#46 in the U.S.)

My favourite tracks are “Balance on Wires” (possibly one of the best songs Roger ever wrote, and one of the album’s standouts), “When the Thunder Comes,” and “Hearts of Fire.” The only complaint I have is that “Take Me Home” doesn’t quite feel like a proper closing track!

“The memories smoulder, and the soul always yearns”

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Under a Raging Moon, Roger’s sixth solo album, released September 1985, is widely considered his very best after McVicar. It has a very Who-like sound, really perfectly capturing that raw energy and hard rock edge most fans expected Roger to keep using as a solo artist. The title track is also a powerful, emotional tribute to Keith Moon.

In a 1987 Los Angeles Times interview, Roger claimed UARM was the last hurrah and grand finale for that Who-like type of singing. “I purged myself of that style. I got it all out of my system.” And what an incredible grand finale it is!

Though Roger quickly realised he’d never be a huge solo star and made peace with the fact that this would just be a fun hobby to pursue so he could keep singing when The Who weren’t touring or making albums, he did begin putting more effort into his solo career after The Who broke up. He said of UARM, “That was the album I really wanted to make…it got great airplay and sold an awful lot.”

UARM charted at #33 in Canada, #42 in the U.S., and #52 in the U.K. Keeping with established tradition, Roger’s cousin Graham Hughes designed and photographed the cover.

Zak Starkey, Ringo’s son, played drums on the title track, and is absolutely brilliant. As fans know, Zak later became the primary drummer for The Who after they began regularly touring again.

“After the Fire,” which was written by Pete, was originally planned to be performed by The Who at Live Aid, but since they came on at the last minute, there wasn’t time enough to rehearse properly. Instead, Pete gave it to Roger for his next solo album. The lyrics are about the famine in Africa, but they can definitely be interpreted in other ways. Until I heard the song’s origin story, I thought it was about the poignancy of going through middle age and still longing for a lost love.

In addition to singing one of Pete’s songs for the first time since The Who broke up, Roger also co-wrote four of the ten songs.

Track listing:

“After the Fire” (#3 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart; #48 on U.S. Billboard; #50 in the U.K.; #60 in Australia; also had a music video featuring Roger’s young son Jamie)
“Don’t Talk to Strangers” (Roger, Julia Downes, and Kris Ryder)
“Breaking Down Paradise” (Russ Ballard)
“The Pride You Hide” (Roger, Alan Dalgleish, Nicky Tesco) (#92 in the U.K.)
“Move Better in the Night” (Roger, Chris Thompson, Stevie Lange, Robbie McIntosh)
“Let Me Down Easy” (Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance; originally written for Stevie Nicks, who may never have heard it) (#11 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart; #86 on U.S. Billboard; also had a music video)
“Fallen Angel” (Kit Hain)
“It Don’t Satisfy Me” (Roger and Alan Shacklock)
“Rebel” (Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance)
“Under a Raging Moon” (Julia Downes and John Parr) (#10 in the U.S.; #43 in the U.K.)

The CD and cassette also included the song “Love Me Like You Do,” written by Andy Nye, between “Move Better in the Night” and “Let Me Down Easy.” In 1986, it was re-released as the B-side of “Quicksilver Lightning,” which went to #11 in the U.S.

I love every single song on this album! This is the kind of album Roger should’ve been making for his entire solo career, and proves he was more than capable of producing a very strong effort when he worked with the right people and had the right material. It also holds up so well with the passage of time, instead of feeling tied exclusively to the Eighties. I highly recommend it as one of the best albums to get if you’re interested in his solo work.

Daltrey does depressing

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Parting Should Be Painless, Roger’s fifth solo album, released February 1984 and was quite the bomb. It only reached #102 in the U.S. and #90 in Canada, though it made the respectable position of #45 in The Netherlands. The collection of songs and their depressing mood makes more sense if you know Roger was in a low headspace after the breakup of The Who and didn’t intend for it to be a cheerful listening experience.

As he said in a 1987 interview in The Los Angeles Times, “[I]t’s a depressing album. It wasn’t what people wanted to hear from me. To appreciate it you have to be depressed. That’s the frame of mind I was in.”

Most contemporary reviewers panned it and echoed my own sentiments. There are a couple of strong tracks, but they’re padded out with too much filler and mediocre material. On the whole, these songs just aren’t very memorable. It’s one of those cases where the tracks on an album might not sound so bad if they came up individually on the radio or a playlist, but totally misfire when collected together.

Roger himself has admitted he knew he’d never be a huge solo superstar and thus didn’t approach his solo career very seriously, esp. during the Seventies. He saw solo work as a fun hobby to do when The Who weren’t touring or making an album. So when Pete pulled the plug, he had no choice but to start trying to get serious about it.

I understand and respect the mood and theme Roger was going for, but he just doesn’t present the material in the strongest way. Most of the songs on The Who by Numbers are a musical suicide note, yet Roger sings them with such a hard edge, adding his anger to Pete’s depression. They tell the authentic, powerful, emotional story of hitting midlife and realising youth is fast slipping away, instead of wallowing in the lowest of moods and making no attempt to sound anything but depressing.

For the fourth time, Roger’s cousin Graham Hughes designed and photographed the album cover.

Track listing:

“Walking in My Sleep” (written by Jack Green and Leslie Adey) (#4 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart; #56 in the U.K.; #62 on U.S. Billboard; also had a music video)
“Parting Would Be Painless” (Kit Hain)
“Is There Anybody Out There?” (Nicky Chinn and Steve Glen)
“Would a Stranger Do?” (Steve Andrews and Simon Climie)
“Going Strong” (Bryan Ferry)
“Looking for You” (Kit Hain)
“Somebody Told Me” (Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart)
“One Day” (Gerald Milne)
“How Does the Cold Wind Cry” (Colin Towns)
“Don’t Wait on the Stairs” (Steve Swindells)

My favourite tracks are “How Does the Cold Wind Cry” (probably the album’s standout), “Walking in My Sleep,” and “Would a Stranger Do?” (which has the familiar theme of two lonely strangers coming together for a one-night stand).

While I rate this as Roger’s weakest album, I still give it a respectable 3 stars. His vocals are fine, and there are a lot of nice lyrics, but the overall package just wasn’t presented very well. It’s inconsistent more than it’s truly bad.

Roger Daltrey’s best solo album (is a de facto Who album)

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The soundtrack to McVicar, released June 1980, is widely considered Roger’s strongest solo album on account of it being a de facto Who album. Pete and John played on it (despite not being credited as The Who), which provides a very Who-like sound. While this is a very strong contender for the title of Roger’s best work on its own merit, it’s very telling that many people regard it so highly because the other guys are on it. These fans (frequently older guys, in my experience) dismiss Roger’s solo albums where he tried a very different style, as though he owed it to them to only ever make music sounding exactly like Who songs. Artists are allowed to try new things!

McVicar, in which Roger plays the title role, is based on the memoir McVicar by Himself, written by armed robber and prison escapee John McVicar (21 March 1940–6 September 2022). Roger was so fascinated by Mr. McVicar’s account of prison life, he bought the film rights to the book with the intention of acting in it. Many people also consider this Roger’s best film work.

John McVicar began shoplifting and breaking into cars as a teen, and escaped a remand home for juvenile offenders in 1956, aged sixteen. He was sentenced to two years of borstal training (youth detention), and became an armed robber after his release. In 1964 he got in trouble with the law again and was sentenced to two years in prison.

He escaped custody while he and a dozen other guys were on their way back HM Prison Parkhurst on the Isle of Wight after a dubious trial. The other escapees were soon discovered during a massive manhunt, but Mr. McVicar remained undetected and got in touch with gang boss Joey Pyle.

Mr. Pyle drove down to Portsmouth and took him as far as Dorking, where he attempted to evade a police roadblock. Mr. McVicar jumped out of the car and made a run for it before the cops could corner them in a cul-de-sac.

John McVicar (far right) at the Cannes Film Festival with Roger and Adam Faith, May 1980; Copyright Daily Mirror (© Mirrorpix)

Mr. McVicar tried to rob an armoured security van while on the run and was busted by cops. More charges were put on him, and he was sentenced to another fifteen years, on top of the eight he was already serving. He was moved to HM Prison Durham, which he once more escaped.

For two years, he was at large in Blackheath, London, with his girlfriend Shirley Wilshire and their son Russell, who was born in 1965. During this time, he was dubbed Public Enemy Number One by Scotland Yard. When he was finally caught, he was forced to continue his 23-year sentence until being paroled in 1978.

He married Shirley in 1972, but they divorced before he was paroled. Russell followed in his footsteps and became an armed robber and prison escapee himself.

His 1980 memoir, which he also wrote the screenplay for, covers a few months of his time in prison instead of of his entire life up to that point. The first half of the film is set in Durham and focuses on the relationships between inmates and prison officials, his plotting to escape, and his successful break.

The second half depicts him on the run in London, during which he plans to start a new crime-free life in Canada with his family. This plan doesn’t come to fruition, however, as he can’t fund it without more crime. He’s busted by the cops after a so-called friend squeals.

Mr. McVicar returns to prison and has more years pasted onto his sentence. While behind bars, he studies for a bachelor’s degree in sociology and is later released.

The film première was at Rialto Cinema in London’s Leicester Square on 27 August 1980. It was produced by Bill Curbishley (The Who’s manager) and Roy Baird, and was nominated for Best Picture in 1981 at the International Mystery Film Festival of Cattolica.

The soundtrack reached #22 in the U.S., #39 in the U.K., #41 in The Netherlands, #44 in New Zealand, and #87 in Australia. Richard Evans designed the sleeve, and David James did the photography.

Track listing:

“Bitter and Twisted” (written by Steve Swindells)
“Just a Dream Away” (Russ Ballard)
“Escape, Part One” (Jeff Wayne) (instrumental)
“White City Lights” (Billy Nicholls and Jon Lind)
“Free Me” (Russ Ballard) (#39 in the U.K.; #53 in the U.S.; #66 in Australia)
“My Time Is Gonna Come” (Russ Ballard)
“Waiting for a Friend” (Billy Nicholls) (#104 in the U.S.)
“Escape, Part Two” (Jeff Wayne) (instrumental)
“Without Your Love” (Billy Nicholls) (#20 in the U.S.; #55 in the U.K.)
“McVicar” (Billy Nicholls)

I love every single song on this album! It’s the perfect place to start with Roger’s solo work, since it sounds so much like a Who album and is such strong material on its own merits. A classic not to be missed.