The Ox

When you dive into The Ox, you encounter an instrumental piece that feels like pure improvisation, born from the raw energy of Pete Townshend, John Entwistle, Keith Moon, and keyboardist Nicky Hopkins. The recording, which took place on November 12, 1965, at IBC Studios in London, is the oldest surviving one of The Who. This piece, released as the B-side of the single The Kids Are Alright in the UK, later appeared on the 1994 compilation Thirty Years of Maximum R&B. Even a snippet of its melody was used for a jingle called Top Gear. The title, The Ox, is a nickname the band gave to Entwistle, acknowledging his great physical strength and endurance.

Although The Ox is a fascinating showcase of The Who’s experimentation, they rarely performed it live. The only documented occasion was in a medley of My Generation, as part of the Tommy Tour, at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam on September 29, 1969. Critic John Swenson, from Rolling Stone, described both The Ox and My Generation as "sonic marvels of the era," highlighting the feedback technique Townshend employed in them. The band’s debut album, My Generation, which includes this piece, was released in the UK on December 3, 1965, by Brunswick Records and in Australia by Festival Records, reaching the United States in April 1966 under the title The Who Sings My Generation.