Slip Kid
| "Slip Kid" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Who | ||||
| from the album The Who by Numbers | ||||
| B-side |
"Dreaming from the Waist" (US) "Squeeze Box" (Spain) | |||
| Released | 7 August 1976 (US only) | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 4:32 | |||
| Label | Polydor/MCA | |||
| Writer(s) | Pete Townshend | |||
| Producer(s) | Glyn Johns | |||
| The Who singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Slip Kid" is a song from The Who's seventh album, The Who by Numbers. It was released as a single in the USA, backed by "Dreaming from the Waist."[1] "Slip Kid" was to be in Pete Townshend's Lifehouse rock opera. A demo of this song was included on Lifehouse Chronicles. "Slip Kid" was on the following compilation albums: The Story of The Who (1976), Hooligans (1981) and 30 Years of Maximum R&B (1994).
It starts off with a lot of percussion instruments and somebody counting, "one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight." After the counting, Pete Townshend's guitar comes in. The lyrics are a complaint about how it is impossible to avoid responsibility.[1] Author Chris Charlesworth considers the song partially autobiographical, being about "a rock 'n' roll kid who's lost when he grows up."[2] The rebellious teenager of the song learns that "there's no easy way to be free" and that this is true for everyone.[1][3] Townshend has claimed that the song "came across as a warning to young kids getting into music that it would hurt them" and that "it was almost parental in its assumed wisdom."[4] The song starts with a shuffle rhythm.[2] The music has a danceable salsa beat and includes an uncharacteristic one-note guitar solo played by Pete Townshend.[1] Nicky Hopkins plays piano on the song.[1][2][5] Townshend and Roger Daltrey alternate vocal lines.[2]
Music critic Robert Christgau considers "Slip Kid" one of the two songs on The Who by Numbers to "break out of the bind" of joylessness he finds on the album.[3] Author John Atkins considers it "a perfect performance that bridges a classical Who song structure with Townshend's revisionist lyrics and hints at a darker mood that becomes more evident as the album progresses."[1] Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine praises the song's "simple power."[6]
This was performed live a few times on The Who's European leg of the 1976 tour and also the American leg before being dropped. A small part of this song was played in one of the concerts of the band's 1979 tour, particularly in Buffalo on 4 December 1979. During the second date of their concerts in London in 2008, "Slip Kid" was performed again, for the first time in 32 years.
"Slip Kid" is also the name of a tribute to The Who formed by Gary Cherone of Extreme and Van Halen.
Personnel
- Roger Daltrey - Lead Vocal, Maracas
- Pete Townshend - Electric Guitar, Backing Vocals
- John Entwistle - Bass, Backing Vocals
- Keith Moon - Drums, Cowbell
- Nicky Hopkins - Piano
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Atkins, J. (2000). The Who on Record: A Critical History, 1963-1998. McFarland. pp. 222–223, 228. ISBN 9780786406098.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Charlesworth, C. (1995). The Complete Guide to the Music of The Who. Omnibus Press. p. 69. ISBN 0711943060.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Christgau, R. (1990). Rock Albums Of The 70s: A Critical Guide. Da Capo Press. p. 420. ISBN 9780306804090.
- ↑ Wilkerson, M. (2006). Amazing Journey: The Life of Pete Townshend. Lulu. p. 240. ISBN 9781411677005.
- ↑ Rosen, S. The Who - Uncensored on The Record. Coda Books. ISBN 9781908538833.
- ↑ Erlewine, S.T.. "The Who by Numbers". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-08-15.