The Iron Man: A Musical

Performer: Pete Townshend
Artist: Roger Daltrey; John Entwistle; John Lee Hooker; Nina Simone
Producer: Pete Townshend; Peter Wolf
Distributor: (Independently by Label)

Notes: Personnel: Pete Townshend (vocals, guitar, Synclavier programming); John Lee Hooker, Nina Simone, Deborah Conway, Chyna, Nicola Emmanuel, Roger Daltrey, Cleveland Watkiss, Billy Nicholls, Simon Townshend (vocals); Pat Halling (strings); Patrick Clahar (saxophone); Peter Beachill, John Barclay (brass); John "Rabbit" Bundrick (piano); Jules Bowen (synclavier programming); John Entwistle, Chucho Merchan (bass); Simon Phillips, Charlie Morgan (drums); Gina Foster, Derek Green, Janice Hoyte, Ruby James, Julian Littman, Michael Nicholls, Earnestine Pearce, Raymond Simpson, The Children Of St. Stevens And Orleans Schools (background vocals). Engineers: Bino Espinoza, Paul Ericson, Jules Bowen. Pete Townshend adapted "The Iron Man," a children's fable written by the British poet Ted Hughes, for his sixth studio solo album, Iron Man: A Musical. Casting himself, Roger Daltrey, Nina Simone, and John Lee Hooker in leading roles, the album doesn't suffer from a lack of talent, it suffers from a lack of songs. Townshend has failed to come up with a set of compelling melodies for Hughes' poems and the arrangements are obvious and overblown, making Iron Man an overwrought, ambitious failure. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine While most of his peers have long since abandoned their creative impulses and risk-taking for comfortable complacency, Pete Townshend still dares to fail. THE IRON MAN, a song cycle adapted from a children's book, is ambitious in its scope as well as in its cast of characters. It is notable for a reunion of sorts with former Who members Roger Daltrey and John Entwhistle (on "Fire" and "Dig," the latter of which finds Daltrey in fine vocal form), as well as cameo growling from blues legend John Lee Hooker (on the menacing "I Eat Heavy Metal" and the strangely wistful "Over the Top"), and bizarre shrieking from jazz great Nina Simone. Townshend himself turns a stirring performance or two, reaching a pinnacle on the affirming "All Shall be Well." Though THE IRON MAN is a slightly bumpy ride, its turbulence is a testament to Townshend's creative ambition.

Uncut (p.86) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he strongest tracks shine because of the sheer force of the performances..."

Although known first and foremost as the principal songwriter and guitarist of The Who, Pete Townshend has also forged a successful solo career. It was his guitar-smashing, anarchic stage performances in the 1960s that made The Who a concert sensation for the next four decades, and many single out Townshend as the original punk rocker. His solo albums, however (not to mention many of his Who compositions), featured increasingly sophisticated, thoughtful songwriting, often matched with intricate production that moved beyond the Who's power-trio (plus singer) dynamics. Further pursuing his literary side, Townshend also worked as an editor, released a book of his own stories, and started his own book publishing company.

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