Few groups embodied the rebellious spirit of rock like The Who. Led by the signature vocals of Roger Daltrey and guitar phenom and songwriter Pete Townshend, The Who have garnered all sorts of honors and awards since their formation in London in 1964. The Who maintained a presence on the US charts across three decades. Their biggest hit was in 1967 when "I Can See For Miles" peaked at #9. As the 60s transitioned into the 70s, The Who scored one of their biggest albums with the rock opera Tommy, which yielded three Top 100 entries including "Pinball Wizard" (#19) and "See Me, Feel Me" (#12). By 1983, the band had exhausted its chart run, but landed another Top 20 hit in 1981 when "You Better You Bet" reached #18. Speaking to the band's vast influence, Townshend's songs have been covered by many other artists. Several well-known classics never saw chart action, including "Baba O'Riley (Teenage Wasteland)" and "Go To The Mirror!" "I Can't Explain" was the band's first Top 100 entry, landing at #93 in 1965. Not sure why it wasn't a bigger hit for the band then, and why the 1989 version by The Scorpions failed to chart, too.
UFO was one of the pioneering British hard rock bands that enjoyed peak success in the 70s, although they never gained much traction in the US. The band came close to cracking the US chart in 1977 when "Too Hot To Handle" bubbled under. Shortly thereafter, the band endured multiple personnel changes, including the departure of guitarist Michael Schenker (formerly of the Scorpions and later of MSG) in 1978 and bassist Pete Way in 1982, who then formed Fastway and then Waysted. Nonetheless, UFO continued to release some notable material among their impressive catalogue spanning 22 studio albums. I count 1982's "Let It Rain" among them.
The German hard rock band The Scorpions formed back in the late 60s and slowly rose to fame through the 70s. In the US, their first chart appearance arrived in 1982 when "No One Like You" reached #65. The follow-up single, the now classic "Rock You Like A Hurricane," performed better by reaching #25. Despite getting massive airplay and boasting a bevy of well-known songs, the band rarely saw chart success until their fourth decade of existence. In 1991, their power ballad "Wind Of Change" soared to #4. After one more blip on the chart radar with "Send Me An Angel," which stalled at #44, the band hasn't seen the chart since. As for many hard rock bands, The Scorpions struggled through the 90s, experimenting with new sounds and styles, failing to win new fans and losing some of the old ones. Then out of nowhere in 2007, they dropped their 16th record called "Humanity: Hour 1." Unusual for the band, this was a concept album about a civil war between humans and artificial life. A rather risky turn for the band, but the record gave the band some of the best reviews they've received in years. It is a personal favorite of mine from their extensive catalogue, as it represents a rejuvenating update to their sound and vision. And pulling in hit songwriters like Desmond Child, Eric Bazilian (Hooters), and Marti Frederiksen made every song sound like a single.
