Riding off the success of its 1969 rock opera, “Tommy,” The Who set out to make its next big album.
Pete Townshend was the band’s lead songwriter and was set on producing something that pushed the bounds of music. The project was called “Life House.”
“Life House” was inspired by the teachings of Meher Baba, an Indian spiritual leader who preached a life devoid of drugs and devotion to God. The songwriter believed he flowed through all things. Thus, Townshend was a devout follower of Baba’s teachings and credited him immensely throughout his work.
Townshend went on to say that he started to follow him and study his writings and other writings that he recommended for about three or four years before starting on “Life House.’”
The project was also influenced by Sufi musician Inayat Khan, who believed in a sort of “universal note” that could transport and connect listeners.
The universal note sowed the seeds of the “Life House” idea. The story began to form, surrounding a note that would connect humanity. However, the plot line also incorporated technological advancements and anxieties of the time.
The story was set in a dystopian future, in which people wore suits that kept them alive, protected them from pollution and environmental destruction outside and kept them connected to The Grid. The Grid was a major network that would deliver entertainment and life experiences as dictated by an all-controlling government.
However, growing tired of it, The Grid was hacked by a young man named Bobby, a rock musician. He encouraged people to do away with their suits and enjoy live music in person or to at least tune in through The Grid. At the concert, he created songs for everyone that matched their personal data and encouraged them to sing along in pursuit of the universal note. However, the government disapproved of this and broke into the concert to shut it down. When they arrived, the group achieved a musical nirvana, singing and dancing until they completely disappeared, leaving an open ending to a futuristic tale.
Many of these elements within the story were indicative of things to come. For example, environmental issues are a major cause for concern at the moment. Furthermore, The Grid was an early interpretation of the internet and social media, a massive entity that humanity is connected by and desensitized to.
To gather inspiration and material for the project, The Who held a series of shows at the Young Vic Theater in London. It would play to the same crowd for a few months, trying to collect personal information to feed into a computer and synthesize into songs. Ultimately, it was meant to feature heavy audience interaction, but the audience was more interested in just being able to attend a live show.
The project continued to fall apart, with everyone from producers to members of The Who urging Townshend to stop. He continued to spiral into alcoholism, and the stress of the project’s failure caused him to have a complete breakdown. After hearing a fight between his assistant and producer, he began to hallucinate that everyone in the room had transformed into frogs, and as a result, he nearly threw himself out of a window.
From that point forward, the project was essentially abandoned, but not all was lost. From its scraps came the 1971 album “Who’s Next,” chock full of iconic hits and more polished pieces of “Life House.”
Since then, more pieces of the project have been released. It all culminated in 2023, when the surviving members of The Who, Townshend and lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, released “Who’s Next: Life House.” The deluxe album contained 109 songs, many of which were live performances from the Young Vic theater, eventually rounding out and closing the story of the “Life House” project.
