The Violin of Baba

Every time I listen Baba O"Riley I wonder about that amazing violin. Today I decided to find out what's behind that great song by The Who.



While searching all the videos of this song in youtube I discovered that besides the studio version, the violin was excluded. I'm intrigued if that was because an egocentrism of the band or shyness of Dave Arbus.



Hopefully it isn't too late to give some recognition to Dave, who played the violin in that song as a guest musician. Watching and listening Roger Daltrey playing harmonica instead of Dave is not the same, unless you never listened the original.

IF you are a fan of the British rock band the Who, you’re probably familiar with David Arbus whether you know it or not. He delivered the searing violin coda to the song “Baba O’Riley” — popularly known as “Teenage Wasteland” — as a guest artist on the group’s 1971 album “Who’s Next.” Since then, Mr. Arbus, a native of Surrey, England, has continually reinvented himself: as a teacher, a model and a furniture maker. For the last decade, he has traded his violin bow for a drawing pen.

By other hand, Dave and his band "East of Eden", doesn't seem to be musically solid as I expected and I'll consider his participation in Baba O"Riley like one of those rare moments when a musician channels a mysterious energy, transforming it in sounds that make you close your eyes with a deep breath.

www.nytimes.com...
en.wikipedia.org...(band)
www.allmusic.com...