“Won’t Get Fooled Again” by the Who

The greatest drum performance of all time?

Programming note: It’s Drum Gods Week! I’m spotlighting some of my favorite records that serve as showcases for some of my favorite drummers (and drum performances) of all time. From rock to prog to some experimental crossover hits, I cover a bit of everything. All killer, no filler, as they say.

Hope you enjoy it!

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Hello! 😊👋

Welcome to a new edition of the Best Music of All Time newsletter!

Drum Gods Week wraps up with—who else? KEEF!

Genre: Hard Rock, Psychedelic Rock

Label: Decca

Release Date: June 25, 1971

Vibe: 😵

More than 50 years after its initial release on Who’s Next, “Won’t Get Fooled Again” still sounds like it was beamed in from another universe. The looping synthesized organ, the ferocious guitar playing from Pete Townshend, and the guttural shrieks from Roger Daltry—all incredible. But, as a kid, I couldn’t wrap my head around Keith Moon’s drumming on this track. How could a humanoid zigzag around a drum kit with that level of speed and power? How could he play with so much unhinged energy yet keep everything in sync with the other musicians around him? Years later, it really sunk in when my younger brother and I tried completing the song on the Rock Band video game. The drumming on this song is impossible.

“Fooled” isn’t Moon’s only moment of virtuosity on Who’s Next. The tight tom and snare rolls on “Bargain” are a delight, as are his crash cymbal hits on “Going Mobile.” And, sure, “Baba O’Riley” is an all-timer, too. But, on this track, Moon puts on a masterclass in groove, feel, and flair behind the kit. He’s simultaneously the backbone that keeps the track’s different elements glued together and a frenetic instrumental frontman of sorts, frequently upstaging Townshend and Daltry in the mix en route to the spacey, synthed-out wind-up to the climactic moment. I listened to the entire album again for this write-up, and though I knew this anthem’s beats by heart, the drumming still made my hair stand up on end.

I’m not sure how he didn’t have a heart attack playing this, whether in the studio multiple times during the recording process or hundreds of times after that, as the closer to the Who’s infamous live shows. Based on stories about Moon’s antics, it’s a wonder he didn’t have a heart attack before age 30. Thankfully, we have an incredible body of work to remember him by, starting with “Fooled,” indisputably one of the great drumming performances of all time.

👉 Don’t forget to click the album image to stream the album on your favorite platform 👈