Deep Purple drummer Ian Paice recently acknowledged that while his band helped shape heavy rock, The Who were the true pioneers who broke ground first, in comments made on the Metal Sticks podcast.
Paice credited The Who with pushing rock into a more aggressive, amplified era long before Deep Purple’s rise to prominence.
“We helped create what I call ‘the second coming’ of it,” Paice said. “Everything else, the band that did it first — The Who did it before everybody.”
The drummer emphasized The Who’s groundbreaking contributions to heavy music.
“They were the first on the big amp; they were the first to push rock ‘n’ roll beyond pretty little pop songs,” he continued. “Let’s not forget the importance of The Who. They just changed everything for kids who wanted to do something a little more violently.”
Paice also praised the unique chemistry of The Who’s members and how their contrasting styles created something special.
“Townshend’s notion on stage, Daltrey’s aggressive singing, and then the control of John Entwistle, and the madness of Keith,” he said. “The whole thing should never have worked — and yet it did.”
Paice’s acknowledgment reflects a broader understanding of rock history that places The Who at the forefront of heavy music’s evolution, predating many bands commonly associated with the genre’s origins.
Wikipedia reported that The Who formed in London in 1964 and became key innovators beyond just their sound. They pioneered the use of powerful Marshall stacks, large public address systems, and synthesizers that became staples of heavy rock and metal performances. Their explosive live performances featured the destruction of guitars and drums on stage. This established a precedent for the rebellious spirit that would define heavy music for decades.
The band’s influence extends far beyond their technical innovations. Loudwire noted that The Who served as a foundational force that helped shape not only heavy rock but also the merging of blues, psychedelic, and acid rock elements that defined the genre’s evolution. This diverse experimentation with sound and stage presence predated the emergence of bands like Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, who are often credited as heavy metal pioneers.
The Who’s impact on the development of heavy music cannot be overstated. Wikipedia’s entry on heavy metal music documented that early heavy metal’s roots lie in this diverse experimentation with amplified sound and aggressive performance styles that The Who pioneered in the mid-1960s. Their approach to volume, distortion, and theatrical destruction became blueprints for countless heavy rock and metal acts that followed.
Paice’s recognition of The Who aligns with this broader historical perspective. He acknowledges that while Deep Purple and their contemporaries helped popularize and refine heavy rock, the fundamental groundwork was laid by Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, and Keith Moon years earlier. The comments provide rare historical perspective from one of heavy rock’s most respected drummers on the genre’s true origins.
