19 November 2024
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Royal Mail has issued special stamps to celebrate the 60th anniversary of one of the UK’s most innovative and influential bands of the rock and roll era, The Who.
Royal Mail released eight stamps on 17 October, featuring images of some of the band’s most popular and iconic album covers, while a further four stamps in a miniature sheet feature two publicity group shots and two images of the band’s dynamic live performances, making it the perfect addition to any stamp collectors collection.
The Who are the seventh music group to feature in a dedicated Royal Mail stamp issue – following on from: The Beatles (2007); Pink Floyd (2016); Queen (2020); The Rolling Stones (2022); Iron Maiden (2023); and The Spice Girls (2024). THE BAND Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle and Keith Moon formed The Who in 1964. Within five years, they went from performing club shows to headlining the Woodstock festival and becoming the biggest box-office draw in the world. The group changed the way rock music was presented live and produced records that were often intelligent and challenging in content, while pushing technological boundaries – both on the stage and in the studio.
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The band embraced different genres of music, from proto-punk to soft rock, mock opera to rock opera, and heavy rock to orchestrated rock. They produced songs that spoke for the disaffected youth, and as The Who themselves grew older, the middle-aged. Pete Townshend, as chief songwriter, became the voice of his generation. Along their 60-year journey, The Who lost Keith Moon (in 1978) and John Entwistle (in 2002), but Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend continue to entertain audiences.
They also support a host of charities, for which they have raised millions of pounds in funding over the years. Roger Daltrey said: ‘The artwork on the album sleeves was almost as important to the success of the record as the music. It’s great to be reminded of them.’ Pete Townshend said: ‘Stamp! Stamp! Stamp! It’s what I’ve done on stage all my life, sometimes in the air. At last, my stamping, and that of my buddy Roger, has been honoured properly and will help letters, parcels and birthday cards travel through time and space, just as we have.’ Having sold over 100 million records worldwide, and now celebrating their 60th anniversary, the group are among the most innovative and influential bands of the rock and roll era. THE STAMPS Released in the UK in December 1965 and reaching number five in the charts, My Generation (1st) is one of the best debut albums in history. Mixing cover versions with original material, the record highlights The Who’s unique songwriting and performing abilities, not least on its title track and lead single – a rallying call to the disaffected youth of Britain.
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