99 + 1 = 103?

Someday soon I plan to post the complete Pleasant Valley Sunday top 100 singles. The list has been in existence for a while and other than a few minor alterations, the list has remained fairly constant over time. There are a few ties, but I cheat by not skipping the next position. So in actuality there are 103 singles on the list.

Last October I wrote about three Beatles' singles in Teenage Angst. Turns out that one of those is in my top spot, another is #3, and the third is #29. Not to spoil the unveiling party, I won't disclose which is which just yet. But since #1 and #3 have already been covered here, let me introduce #2, the first Who entry here at PVS - I Can See For Miles. Not sure what I can say it that has not already been said. This is a pinnacle, one of the most powerful, amazing, unrepeatable artifacts of what rock'n'roll is all about. Townshend's lyrics about a young man with (possibly imaginary) super powered vision to spy on his cheating lover are cut from the same cloth as many of the other Who diamonds from those pre-Tommy years.

Due to the complexity of the song, it was rarely performed live during Keith Moon's lifetime. There are a gaggle of lip synced video performances, but many are from a few years later when the band took on a different persona and it just does not work for me. I need to see the Oooo in frilly shirts and Roger Daltrey with his page boy haircut to really appreciate this song. Probably the best lip synced version is available here, but alas no embedding. So instead here is an arty black and white video which consists mostly of jump cut face shots.