(MusicPortal.com) (01/20/05)

Edited By Michael Bennett

LONDON, UK - Sanctuary Records Group U.K. has announced the March 14th release of "John Entwistle: So Who's The Bass Player? - The Ox Anthology," the first-ever 2-disc career retrospective of JOHN ENTWISTLE, The Who's much-missed bass guitarist.

The deluxe package include sleeve notes by Record Collector magazine journalist Andy Neill, plus selected live tracks form the King Biscuit Flower Hour radio series, originally aired in 1975.

On what would have been Entwistle's 60th birthday, this comprehensive anthology chronologically highlights the best-known recordings from his quietly productive solo career.

The compilation includes material gathered from all of Entwhistle's solo albums, starting from his first, 1971's "Smash Your Head Against The Wall," right through to his final studio album, "Music From Van Pires" (2000).

Before John Entwistle arrived on the British Rock scene in the early Sixties as a member of The Who, bass players seldom stood out.

Few listeners cared what purpose the four-stringed instrument served, yet after Entwistle came along, everyone knew.

John Alec Entwistle (born October 9th, 1944, died June 27th, 2002) is now considered by many to be the most influential bassist in Rock music.

Born in Chiswick, West London, Entwistle was a member of The Confederates with Pete Townshend while still in grammar school in 1959.

Trained in both the piano and the French horn, he was one of the most musically accomplished teens ever to play in a skiffle band.

Invited by vocalist Roger Daltrey to join his band, The Detours, Entwistle accepted, and was joined soon after by Townshend.

With the addition of drummer Keith Moon, the band -- later renamed "The High Numbers" and finally "The Who," became part of the second wave of successful "British Invasion" acts, and began making records in 1964 and 1965.

The Who had started out with Daltrey and Townshend sharing guitar chores, until Daltrey decided to concentrate on his role as lead singer.

Trimming the sound down to one guitarist was vital to Entwistle (nicknamed "The Ox"), who began to play extremely loud and complex bass guitar parts to compensate for the absence of a rhythm guitar.

he result was that, from The Who's first singles to their last, Entwistle's bass work was some of the most complex and audible in Rock music.

Entwistle had the uncanny ability to stand out precisely by not standing out.

Townshend pioneered the signature windmill strumming technique, Daltrey was the lead singer, and Keith Moon was so animated on the drums that he was scary.

Amid this pandemonium on stage, Entwistle simply stood there and played, providing an anchor that kept the band from flying off in all directions.

From 'Boris The Spider' and 'Whiskey Man' to 'My Wife,' John Entwistle also had a knack for capturing dark humor that lightened up every album by The Who, even managing to contribute a couple of songs to the 1969 milestone album, "Tommy."

John Entwistle's first solo album, "Smash Your Head Against the Wall" (1971) was, in many ways, a "lost" Who album, recorded the way the bassist would've handled the group.

His next album, "Whistle Rhymes" (1972) was released the same week as bandmate Pete Townshend's "Who Came First."

Nine months later, Entwistle's third solo album, "Rigor Mortis Sets In" (1973), was released.

It would be nine years before another Entwistle solo album, "Too Late The Hero," was released.

The Who were supposed to have retired following their farewell tour in 1982, but seven years later they reunited for one more.

Then, in 1996, a never-released John Entwistle album from the mid-1980s entitled "Rock" appeared on the Griffin label.

A year before, Entwistle had begun putting together a backing unit with producer Steve Luongo.

Christened simply "The John Entwistle Band," the outfit featured guitarist Godfrey Townsend and keyboardist Gordon Cotton, with vocal chores divided between all the members.

It was this line-up that issued "Left For Live in 1999."

In late June 2002, The Who had regrouped, and were about to kick off a North American tour when John Entwistle sadly died at the age of 57 of an apparent heart attack while at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Even after that unexpected tragedy, The Who still decided to continue on with their tour, dedicating the trek to the memory of John Entwistle.

Entwistle was replaced by session player Pino Palladino, who stood very much in the shadows of the stage during most of the shows.

"John Enwistle: So Who's The Bass Player?" Track Listing:

Disc One:
1. My Size (Entwistle)
2. Pick Me Up (Big Chicken) (Entwistle)
3. What Are We Doing Here? (Entwistle)
4. Heaven And Hell (Entwistle)
5. Ted End (Entwistle)
6. Ten Little Friends (Entwistle)
7. Apron Strings (Entwistle)
8. Thinkin' It Over (Entwistle)
9. Who Cares? (Entwistle)
10. I Wonder (Entwistle)
11. I Was Just Being Friendly (Entwistle)
12. Do The Dangle (Entwistle)
13. Made In Japan (Entwistle)
14. Roller Skate Kate (Entwistle)
15. Peg Leg Peggy (Entwistle)
16. Lady Killer (Entwistle)
17. Mad Dog (Entwistle)
18. Cell Number 7 (Live) (Entwistle)
19. Whiskey Man (Live) (Entwistle)
20. Boris The Spider (Live) (Entwistle)

* Tracks 1-5 from "Smash Your Head Against The Wall" (1971)
* Tracks 6-11 from "Whistle Rymes" (1972)
* Tracks 12-15 from "Rigor Mortis Sets In" (1973)
* Tracks 16 & 17 from "Mad Dog" (1975)
* Tracks 18-20 recorded live on 03/15/75 for "King Biscuit Flower Hour"

Disc Two:
1. My Wife (Live) (Entwistle)
2. I'm Flash (Hammond/Pierce/Jones)
3. Space Pirates (Hammond/Pierce)
4. (Let's Go To) The Chop (Hammond/Pierce)
5. Blast Off (Hammond/Pierce)
6. Try Me (Entwistle)
7. Talk Dirty (Entwistle)
8. Too Late The Hero (Entwistle)
9. Love Doesn't Last (Entwistle)
10. Life After Love (Entwistle)
11. The Real Me (Townshend)
12. Success Story (Entwistle)
13. 905 (Entwistle)
14. Had Enough (Entwistle)
15. Bogeyman (Entwistle)
16. Back On The Road (Entwistle)
17. When The Sun Comes Up (Entwistle/Luongo/Townsend/Levi)
18. Don't Be A Sucker (Entwistle/Luongo/Townsend/Levi)

* Track 1 recorded live on 03/15/75 for "King Biscuit Flower Hour"
* Tracks 2-5 from "Flash Fearless" (1975)
* Tracks 6-8 from "Too Late The Hero" (1981)
* Tracks 9-10 from "The Rock" (1996)
* Tracks 11-14 recorded live in 1998, from "Left For Live" (1999)
* Tracks 15-18 from "Music From Van Pires" (2000)

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