He was nicknamed "The Ox" because of his amazing consitution (e.g. drinking). Bill Wyman described him as "the quietest man in private but the loudest man on stage." He was also known as "Thunderfingers" by his bandmates and fans.
John Entwistle was a talented songwriter and artist. He wrote several well-known Who songs including:
"Cousin Kevin"
"My Wife"
"Boris The Spider"
"Heaven and Hell"
"Success Story"
"Whiskey Man"
"905"
These songs, along with his solo material, reveal a dark sense of humor which was often incompatible with Pete Townshend's more introspective work. Though he continued to contribute material to all of The Who's albums, his frustration with having his material recorded by the band (largely with having to relenquish singing duties to Roger Daltrey) led him to release Smash Your Head Against The Wall in 1971. He was the first member of The Who to release a solo record.
Entwistle also contributed many backing vocals and horn performances to the group, most notably on Quadrophenia, where he layered several horns to create the impressive brass as heard on songs such as 5:15, among others.
Rarely captured well in the studio, his style and sound was fully developed by the time of The Who's performance of "A Quick One While He's Away" for the Rolling Stones' 1968 Rock and Roll Circus, as well as the seminal 1970 Live at Leeds concert recording. In concert, Entwistle and guitarist Pete Townshend frequently exchanged roles, with Entwistle providing rapid melodic lines and Townshend anchoring the song with rhythmic chord work. Indeed, Pete Townshend was often quoted that it was Entwistle who was the lead guitarist in the band, while he, being the rhythmic timekeeping element, was in effect the drummer. Moon, on the other hand, with all his flourishes round the kit, was considered by Townshend to be the equivalent of a keyboard player. Entwistle himself stated in many interviews (including one with Guitar Player's Chris Jisi in 1989) that, according to modern standards, "The Who haven't a proper bass player."
Entwistle helped uncover the potential of the bass guitar as a lead instrument, using aggressive pentatonic lead lines, and a trebly sound virtually unheard of in the early 1960s. He pioneered the use of roundwound steel bass strings, developed for him by the Rotosound company. Indeed, his search for a sound to cut through The Who's sonic onslaught led him to experiment with more and different basses, leading him to amass a collection of over 200 instruments by the time of his death. His search for the perfect sound led him to experiment most notably with Alembic's basses in the 1970s, Warwick in the 1980s, and Status all-graphite basses in the 1990s.
In the mid '60s, Entwistle was one of the first to make use of Marshall stacks. Pete Townshend later remarked that John started using Marshalls in order to hear himself over Moon's drums, and Townshend himself also had to use them just to be heard over John. They both continued expanding and experimenting with their rigs, until (at a time when most bands used 50-100w amps with single cabinets) they were both using twin Stacks with new experimental prototype 200w amps. This, in turn, also had a strong influence on the band's contemporaries at the time, with Cream and the Jimi Hendrix Experience both following suit. Ironically, although they pioneered and directly contributed to the development of the "classic" Marshall sound (at this point their equipment was being built/tweaked to their personal specifications), they would only use Marshalls for a couple of years. Entwistle eventually switched to using a Sound City rig in search of his perfect sound, with Townshend also switching later on.
Entwistle also experimented throughout his career with "bi-amping," where the high and low ends of the bass sound are sent through separate signal paths, allowing for more control over the output. At one point his rig became so loaded with speaker cabinets and processing gear that it was dubbed "Little Manhattan."
His "full treble, full volume" approach to bass sound was originally supposed to be captured in the bass solo to "My Generation". According to Entwistle, his original intention was to feature the distinctive Danelectro bass, which had a very twangy sound, in the solo. After repeatedly breaking strings on the instrument. And even purchasing two more Danelectros in an attempt to capture the sound (Danelectro strings apparently being unavailable separately at the time). He ended up recording a simpler solo using a stock Fender Jazz Bass and a pick. This solo bass break is important as it is one of the first (if not the first) bass solo captured on a rock record. A live recording of The Who from this period (c1965) exists with Entwistle playing a Danelectro on "My Generation," giving an idea of what that solo would have sounded like.
Entwistle developed what he called a "typewriter" approach to playing the bass. It involved positioning the right hand over the strings so all four fingers could be used to tap percussively on the strings, causing them to strike the fretboard with a distinctive twangy sound. This gives the player the aility to play three or four strings at once. Or to use several fingers on a single string. It allowed him to create passages that were very percussive and melodic. He used this approach to mimic the fills used by his drummers in band situations, sometimes sending the fills back at the drummers faster than the drummers themselves could play them. This method is unique and should not be confused with the hammer-on tapping techniques of Eddie Van Halen and Stu Hamm or the slapping technique of Larry Graham, and in fact pre-dates these other techniques. A demonstration of this approach to bass playing can be seen on a video called John Entwistle - Master Class, part of Arlen Roth's Hot Licks instructional series.
Entwistle identified his influences as a combination of his school training on French horn, trumpet, and piano (giving his fingers impressive strength and dexterity). Along with rock & roll guitarists Duane Eddy and Gene Vincent, and American soul and R&B bassists such as James Jamerson. Like Jamerson, he is credited as a pioneer on the bass guitar.
In turn, Entwistle has been a massive influence on the playing styles and sounds used by generations of bass players that have followed him and continues to top 'best ever bass player' polls in musicians magazines. In 2000, Guitar magazine named him "Bassist of the Millennium" in a readers' poll.
Late career
Toward the end of his career, he formed "The John Entwistle Band" with longtime friend, drummer Steve Luongo. Godfrey Townsend ("no 'h', no relation" to Pete) played guitar and sang lead vocals. In 1996, the band went on the "Left for Dead" tour with Alan St. Jon on keyboards. After Entwistle toured with The Who for Quadrophenia in 1996-97, the Entwistle band set off on the "Left for Dead - the Sequel" tour in late 1998 now with Gordon Cotten on keyboards. After this second venture, the band released an album of highlights from the tour, called Left for Live.
In 1999 and 2000 John played as part of The Who.
In 2001 he played in Alan Parson's Beatles tribute show "A Walk Down Abbey Road". Along with John and Mr. Parsons the show featured Ann Wilson of Heart, Todd Rundgren, David Pack of Ambrosia, Godfrey Townsend on guitar, Steve Luongo on drums, and John Beck on keyboards.
In January-February 2002 John played his last concerts in The Who in a handful of dates in England, the last being February 8 in London's Royal Albert Hall.
In late 2002, an expanded 2-CD Left for Live Deluxe was released, further highlighting The John Entwistle Band performances.
Death
John Entwistle died in Las Vegas on June 27, 2002 one day before the scheduled first show of The Who's 2002 US tour.
The Las Vegas medical examiner determined that death was due to a heart attack induced by an undetermined amount of cocaine. Though the amount in his bloodstream was not great, the drug caused his coronary arteries — already damaged by a pre-existing heart condition — to contract, which led to the fatal heart attack. Entwistle, like Townshend, battled cocaine addiction through much of his adult life.
John's funeral was held at Saint Edward's Church in Stow-On-The-Wold, Gloucester, England, on July 10. He was cremated and his ashes buried privately. A memorial service was held the following October 24 at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, London.
Entwistle's massive collection of guitars and basses was auctioned at Sotheby's in London by his son Christopher Entwistle to meet anticipated duties on his father's estate. Of the auction, Christopher was quoted as saying his father would have hated it. Joy Division/New Order bassist Peter Hook is amongst those who acquired some of Entwistle's basses at the auction.
Entwistle's enormous mansion in Stow-On-The-Wold in the Cotswolds and a large number of his very personal effects were also later sold off to meet the demands of the Inland Revenue. Ironically, Entwistle was a former employee of that department, only quitting his job there when The Who became successful.
Welsh-born bassist Pino Palladino, who played on several of Pete Townshend's solo records, replaced Entwistle on stage when The Who resumed their postponed U.S. tour following John's funeral. Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey spoke at length about their reaction to John's death. Their comments can be found on the "The Who Live in Boston" DVD. They explained that John's death, while very sad, gives the music a new lease on life. A new bass player means a whole new approach to some of those parts. Townshend and Daltrey also said that they accept the fact that they are now members of a cover band who play songs of The Who - the only real difference is that they don't have to pay royalties.
Solo discography
Smash Your Head Against the Wall (1971)
Whistle Rymes (1972)
Rigor Mortis Sets In (1973)
Mad Dog(1975)
Too Late The Hero{1981)
The Rock{1996)
King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents In Concert (1996)
Left For Live (1999)
So Who's the Bass Player? The Ox Anthology (2005)
Fallen Angel
John Entwistle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Once he's hit the ground
There's only one way to go and that's down
Nobody loves the prince of evil
Don't need him around
So Lucifer's hiding underground.
You aim high, but you hit low
Black sky, hello
Goodbye, rainbow.
(Guitar Solo)
Nobody loves a fallen idol
Failure leaves a scar
And memories only go so far
Nobody cares but everyone stares
As you stagger to the bar
That face is familiar
Didn't he used to be a star?
You aim high, but you hit low
Blue skies, Acapulco
Dark eyes, incognito
You live fast, better spend slow
Or it's goodbye, to the chateau
Hello, Skid Row.
You aim high, but you hit low
You live fast, better spend slow
Black sky, hello
Goodbye, rainbow.
The lyrics of John Entwistle's 'Fallen Angel' revolve around a recurring theme in the world of famous people, which is their rise to fame, followed by their eventual downfall. The song talks about how nobody loves a fallen angel, how everybody turns their backs on them once they hit the ground. It captures the story of Lucifer, the prince of evil, who is hiding underground. The artist draws a parallel between the character and the trajectory of certain people's lives, who gain tremendous success only to lose it all due to their actions or some other reason. The lines "Nobody cares, but everyone stares as you stagger to the bar, that face is familiar, didn't he used to be a star?" speak volumes about the journey of a celebrity where they can be forgotten just as quickly as they rose to fame.
The song also talks about the highs and lows of life, how you aim high but hit low. The lyrics mention how life can be capricious, going from blue skies in Acapulco to dark eyes and hitting rock bottom on Skid Row. It talks about how one must live fast but spend slow, and if they don't, it's a quick goodbye to the chateau and hello to Skid Row. Through these lyrics, John Entwistle reflects on the unforgiving nature of fame and the impermanence of fantasies that lead to people making mistakes that ultimately lead to their downfall.
Line by Line Meaning
Nobody loves the fallen angel
People don't show affection or care for those who have fallen from grace.
Once he's hit the ground
Once a person has reached the lowest point, they have nowhere else to go but up.
There's only one way to go and that's down
When a person has lost everything, there doesn't seem to be a way out of the situation.
Nobody loves the prince of evil
People don't like or appreciate those who are portrayed as being wicked or harmful.
Don't need him around
The absence of someone with an unpleasant or negative reputation can be seen as a positive influence.
So Lucifer's hiding underground.
The devil is said to be hiding out of sight and waiting for the right moment to strike.
You aim high, but you hit low
Sometimes our expectations and goals can be far beyond what we are capable of achieving.
He stays, and you go
Sometimes people move on from friendships or relationships that no longer serve them, and the other person remains stuck in the same place.
Black sky, hello
The darkness and emptiness inside of us can be acknowledged and embraced.
Goodbye, rainbow.
The colorful and hopeful parts of our lives can disappear as quickly as they appear.
Nobody loves a fallen idol
People don't admire or appreciate those who have failed or been disgraced.
Failure leaves a scar
The pain and regret from failure can last a long time.
And memories only go so far
Once someone has fallen from glory, people tend to forget their past successes and remember only their failures.
Nobody cares but everyone stares
People may not care about someone's struggles, but they will still be curious and judgmental.
As you stagger to the bar
The pain and stress from failure can lead to unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as turning to alcohol.
That face is familiar
People recognize someone who was once famous or successful, but has now lost everything.
Didn't he used to be a star?
The realization that someone has fallen from grace can be shocking and sad.
Blue skies, Acapulco
The idea of a carefree and luxurious life can be alluring and desirable.
Dark eyes, incognito
One can hide their true identity by changing their appearance or behavior.
You live fast, better spend slow
Life can be short and fleeting, so it's important to slow down and savor the good times.
Or it's goodbye, to the chateau
If we don't take care of what we have, it will disappear or fall apart.
Hello, Skid Row.
The reality of poverty and homelessness can be a stark contrast to the life of luxury and excess.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JOHN ENTWISTLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@carlweaver3243
There are a lot of hidden gems on each of John's solo albums. Love this song. Needs to be played loud! Wish he would have done more stuff with Joe Walsh.
@mhavlicek2
This is such a great underrated album
@marto880
AGREED!!! I remember when it came out, it was killer!!!
@goring19
Jeez what a powerful tune! I forgot how great this song was when it came out in the early 80 s. Fucking brilliant!
@marto880
This is a power house tune that was written in the 80's with a lot of truth in the lyrics done by the great bassist from The Who. Damn he looks like he was really tall, like hovering over the band, his bass definitely roared. Thanks for the upload.
Nobody loves the fallen angel
Once he's hit the ground
There's only one way to go and that's down
Nobody loves the prince of evil
Don't need him around
So Lucifer's hiding underground.
RIP John Entwistle
@callimero2010
Good,but negative song.
@thomasjimenez5479
Love it love it love this tune
@GrindhouseTori
One of the Ox's finest moments.
@francishand4666
TOO LATE THE HERO ... THAT WAS HIM.. JOE WALSH & VITALE ON 🥁DRUMS .. NOBODY KNOW S THIS SHHITT.. SEPARATE & LISTEN🤘🤘🤘🙏🥁🎸🎹🎙️
@rexmarshall3900
not the OX you mean the QUITE ONE