Roger Daltrey Albums (9)
'The Wheels on the Bus'
Release Date 4/5/2005
Tracks 12
Label Armstrong Moving Pictures
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Though it is billed as an "Original Soundtrack Recording," McVicar is in effect a Roger Daltrey solo album. Daltrey, who starred in the film and co-produced it, sings on eight of the ten tracks. McVicar was Roger Daltrey's highest charting non-Who project, and for a simple reason: it sounds a lot like The Who. On his three previous solo albums, Daltrey had gone out of his way to avoid the hard rock sound of The Who. But here, using a set of backup musicians that included all the other members of the group -- Pete Townshend, John Entwistle, and Kenney Jones -- Daltrey employed his usual arena-shaking shout over Who-like music. Daltrey sounded more comfortable with such material than he had with the sometimes delicate pop of his other solo records, and you could hear his delight when he had a song like Russ Ballard's "My Time Is Gonna Come," more unadulterated hard rock, to work with. For Who fans, who had gone nearly two years without a new Who album, the soundtrack to McVicar was the next best thing. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Crucial to the creation of this album was Daltrey's meeting with guitarist/songwriter Gerard McMahon, since Rocks In The Head, which credits "Musical Direction and Production" to McMahon, also features him as primary backup musician and writer or co-writer of ten out of the 11 tracks. Daltrey himself is co-credited on seven, a new high for him, but it's hard not to feel that he is acting primarily as McMahon's mouthpiece. McMahon updates Daltrey for the '90s, constructing hard-edged tracks based on harsh electric or acoustic guitar textures, suggesting everyone from The Who to The Police. The result is an album that does nothing to diminish Daltrey's reputation. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
With songs unleashed from the soul of Roger Daltrey, Under a Raging Moon is a short voyage into the psyche of an aging rock star who has plenty to reveal. Daltrey's bitterness about growing older while gasping for every last breath of a youth gone by gives this album heart and a certain emotional dimension, coming to a head on the title track. His thunderous but passionate ode to his former friend and drummer Keith Moon is a fervent downpour of frustration that can be truly felt inside every line of the song. A spectacular drum solo from Mark Brzezicki is a modest tribute to the late Moon and adds depth indefinitely. A multitude of drummers appear on the album, musically paying their respects, including Cozy Powell, Roger Taylor, and Stewart Copeland. The guitar slashing "Let Me Down Easy," penned by Bryan Adams, is a perfectly formulated rock song intensified through Daltrey's energy. While this song and all of the others act as outlets for his pent up anger, each one is sung, and sometimes screamed, with genuine passion and heart. Even the slower songs, like "The Pride You Hide," display a moving amount of sincerity. Not every song is a treasure, but all contain a intangible character that only Daltrey can muster. ~ Mike DeGagne, All Music Guide
'Can't Wait to See the Movie'
Release Date 1/1/1987
Tracks 10
Label Ten
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Parting Should Be Painless'
Release Date 1/1/1984
Tracks 10
Label Atlantic
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
In a certain sense, Roger Daltrey's solo career should be divided into two parts. The first part, running from 1973 to 1980 and including the albums Daltrey, Ride A Rock Horse, One Of The Boys, and McVicar, consists of work Daltrey did in between making records and touring with The Who. The second part, from 1984 on, is Daltrey's post-Who career, during which you might expect be would be more focused and would concentrate on making his solo albums primary statements rather than diversions. Guess again. Daltrey was much more successful, commercially as well as artistically, when his solo career was a side project. Parting Should Be Painless, the first album Daltrey made after The Who's breakup in 1982, contains some interesting tracks, including Bryan Ferry's "Going Strong," which gives you an idea what Roxy Music would sound like if Daltrey was its lead singer, and "Somebody Told Me," written by Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox of Eurythmics. But for the most part, it consists of mediocre material indifferently sung. The message: Parting was painful, especially to Daltrey. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Roger Daltrey called on a wider circle of friends for his third album and came up with a more varied collection of songs, from Steve Gibbons' raucous title track to ex-Zombie Colin Blunstone's country-styled "Single Man's Dilemma." Daltrey also co-wrote three songs with producers David Courtney and Tony Meehan, and Beatle completists should note that Paul McCartney contributed a new song, "Giddy." But the best selections were Andy Pratt's "Avenging Annie," a stirring story-song (and minor U.S. chart entry), and Murray Head's plaintive ballad "Say It Ain't So, Joe," both of which Daltrey sang as effectively as he had any Who song. The backup band included such notables as Who bassist John Entwistle, Wings guitarist Jimmy McCulloch, keyboardist Rod Argent, and special guest guitarists Hank B. Marvin (of The Shadows), Alvin Lee (Ten Years After), Eric Clapton, Andy Fairweather-Low, and Mick Ronson. But Daltrey was never in danger of getting lost in the all-star session. Nevertheless, the album was not treated as a major release and found only modest commercial success. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
By the time Roger Daltrey was ready to make his second solo album, Leo Sayer, upon whom he had relied to provide songs for his first, had launched his own successful singing career and was keeping his material for himself. Daltrey, therefore, called on his producer, Russ Ballard, who wrote three songs, including the chart single "Come And Get Your Love," and one Paul Korda, who wrote another three. On this material, Daltrey took a pop/rock approach, somewhat less aggressive than his work with The Who. He also tossed in some R&B with a cover of Rufus Thomas' "Walking The Dog," and sang in something closer to his actual British accent in the Cockney rave-up "Milk Train." Ride A Rock Horse lacked the overall quality and cohesion of Daltrey, but was still a respectable effort, especially since Daltrey's solo career remained a side issue at this time. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Although Roger Daltrey was by no means the first member of the Who to take the solo plunge (both John Entwistle and Pete Townshend beat him to the punch), he was the first to make any kind of commercial impact. While "Giving It All Away" peeled off his self-titled debut album to hit the U.K. Top Five, the album itself went Top 50 in America and, almost as an afterthought, introduced the writing talents of the young and then-unknown Leo Sayer to the public at large. Eight months ahead of his own breakthrough hit, "The Show Must Go On," Sayer and writing partner Dave Courtney composed eight of Daltrey's ten tracks; Courtney co-produced the album with Adam Faith, then wrote the remaining pair with Faith himself. Of Sayer's contributions, both "Giving It All Away" and the opening "One Man Band" would subsequently reappear on his own Just a Boy album, itself titled for the chorus line of "Giving It All Away." Daltrey's majestically plaintive rendition remains the definitive version, however, all the more so when linked with the "It's a Hard Life" lament that serves as prelude to the song on Daltrey. Far from the rocking bombast for which the Who were traditionally renowned, but far, too, from the somewhat maudlin melancholy of Pete Townshend's period balladeering, "Giving It All Away" showcases the sheer emotional dynamism that Daltrey was so capable of, a mood that the remainder of the album stretched in any number of directions. From the mock reggae of "The Story So Far" to the achingly fragile "You Are Yourself," Daltrey portrays its maker in colors that the Who could never have emulated -- a sometimes horrifying shock for die-hard fans, but a pleasant surprise for anyone tired of hearing him voice the increasingly dictatorial Townshend's self-aggrandizement. Indeed, the string-haunted "When the Music Stops" could almost be an open letter to his bandmate, just as "One Man Band" should have determined Daltrey's own immediate future. Sadly, however, his solo adventuring would remain just that, something to do between Who projects, with all the sad baggage that implies. There was a time, however, when Daltrey proved himself capable of operating far outside the Who's sphere of influence. And Daltrey still bristles with the pride of that discovery. ~ Dave Thompson, All Music Guide
