It’s difficult to decide the more eyebrow raising claim:
Roger Daltrey’s assertion his first solo album in 26 years is a return to when
the High Numbers were a soul band playing in church halls or Pete Townshend’s
touching tribute this new record shows his old mate at the height of his
powers. Mind you, while not quite taking the mantel of the Morrissey of Mod, Daltrey’s
recent interviews have suggested rather than dying before he gets old, he’s living
up to the theory people become more right-wing as it becomes harder for them to
get around, so let’s stick to his less controversial outpourings.
There is a definite soul flavour in As Long As I Have You but next to nothing young mods would’ve heard
down the Goldhawk Road Social Club and the expensive sounding production by
Dave Eringa (of long-term Manics knob twiddling fame) is a far cry from the
fumbling of a fledging R&B band. The result however is pleasingly better than
a causal jaunt through tired 60s soul songs and we should be grateful
74-year-old Roger hasn’t gone down the Great American Songbook route favoured
by so many of his generation.
Tackling the title track, Garnet Mimms’ thumping rhythm
and soul classic, came as a surprise when it first received plays on the
wireless, dangerously overblown in a Tom Jones manner, but after a couple of
listens it settles down and powers along with just the right degree of ferocity
to – in the unlikely scenario it was ever heard there - lightly splinter the
pews of any cosy local chapel.
Pete Townshend contributes over-dubbed guitar to seven of
the eleven tracks but it’s only on ‘How Far’ where he battles Roger for the
spotlight, picking and licking like a Who’s
Next outtake. A comparison I don’t use casually. ‘Where’s A Man To Go’ is a
slower soulful blues and one of a number of songs with a gospel backing.
Parliament’s ‘Get On Out The Rain’ is a righteous, marching, Primal Scream
style rocker with Mick Talbot (a presence on nearly all tracks) laying down
churchy chords as guitars wail and saxes honk and squall. Fantastic stuff and
adds an extra something to the original. Whether it’s enough to warrant Roger appending
his name to the writing credit, as he’s done, is something I’ll leave to
Parliament’s legal department.
‘I’ve Got Your Love’ sways to a sea of lighters in the
air before a reading of Nick Cave’s ‘Into Your Arms’. Although not doing
anything radical it encroaches firmly into late period Johnny Cash territory
and could induce a tear in sensitive listeners. It would be remiss not to
mention Roger now has a slight lisp and it’s most noticeable on this track and
on quieter moments throughout the album. It would have been a simple job to
have cleaned/edited in the production so credit to Daltrey for leaving it
untouched and offering honest performance full of raw emotional wisdom.
'You Haven’t Done Nothing’ plods along without the
nimbleness of Stevie Wonder’s version and ‘Out of Sight, Out of Mind’ is believable
storytelling and a vocal highlight. Joe Tex’s ‘The Love You Save’ and the
self-penned ‘Certified Rose’ portray Roger as the old romantic devil, the horns
recalling Van Morrison, while the closer, a Daltrey co-write, ‘Always Heading
Home’, with piano and cello accompaniment, is another delicate moment like
‘Into My Arms’.
There are at least three different Roger Daltreys at play
on this album: the microphone lassoing rock star, sensitive balladeer and
tender soul man. He can still do the first well but it’s the second and third which
impress most, along with the well-chosen, unobvious material.
Going back to those claims by The Two, although full of
PR exaggeration and hugely debatable, perhaps they weren’t as preposterous as
first appeared. As Long As I Have You
exceeds expectations, should delight fans of The Who, and although the
competition isn’t strong (Roger’s Going
Back Home with Wilko Johnson the only serious contender), is the most
satisfying thing either have done for decades.
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