Magic Bus (song)
Encyclopedia
"Magic Bus" is a song written by Pete Townshend
at the time of My Generation
in 1965, but not recorded by The Who
until 1968. It is one of the band's most popular songs and has been a concert staple. The record reached #26 in the United Kingdom
and #25 in the United States
.
The song's arrangement uses a Latin percussion
instrument known as claves
. These are pairs of small wooden sticks that make a distinctive high pitched clicking noise when struck together. The Who previously used the same instrument on the song Disguises, recorded in 1966.
The song makes use of the Bo Diddley beat.
The song is usually performed as a duet, where the "Rider", usually singer Roger Daltrey when live, is riding on the bus every day to see his girl. In the song he asks the "Driver", usually Townshend, if he can buy the bus from him, with the driver's initial answer being no. After haggling for a while, the driver finally lets him have it and he vows to drive it to his girlfriend's house every day.
The original LP and cassette of the Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy
compilation album featured a longer alternate studio take of "Magic Bus" in fake stereo
which was not included on the original compact disc
version because the true stereo or mono source could not be found for the long version of the song. However, on 25 July 2007, Universal Japan re-released the album in a mini-LP sleeve that includes the long alternate version of "Magic Bus" in fake stereo, as on the original album. This longer mix features a slightly different arrangement and does not fade out at the end.
The song appeared in the band's 1979 film The Kids Are Alright
taken from a 1968 performance. It was subsequently released on The Kids Are Alright
film soundtrack. That version is the mono single version, but slowed down, resulting in the song being a semi-tone lower in pitch.
. (It was performed a few times in 1969 and 1970.) It made less frequent appearances starting from 1979
. Its most recent performance was at The Who's concert at the Indigo2 on 17 December 2008. The live version was often a lengthy jam lasting much longer than the studio version.
One of its most legendary performances can be heard on Live at Leeds
. This version stretches out to nearly eight minutes, with Roger Daltrey
joining the jam playing harmonica. The Leeds recording has been used during the musical montage sequence in the final act of Martin Scorsese
's film Goodfellas
as well as the opening sequence in Cameron Crowe
's Jerry Maguire
. John Entwistle
reportedly hated playing the song, as most of the bass part consisted of a single note played ad nauseam
. This statement can be found on the 30 Years of Maximum R&B DVD.
It was stated on several occasions during their 2009 tour of Australia and Japan that they were unable to play the song, with Townshend stating, "We can't play Magic Bus right now.... But if you shout loud enough... We definitely won't play it."
The song appears in the film Year One.
The song was covered by Alvin and the Chipmunks
for the Alvin and the Chipmunks
episode "The Prize Isn't Right."
This song is available for DLC in Rock Band 2
.
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
at the time of My Generation
My Generation
My Generation is the debut album by the English rock band The Who, released by Brunswick Records in the United Kingdom in December 1965. In the United States it was released by Decca Records as The Who Sings My Generation in April 1966, with a different cover and a slightly altered track...
in 1965, but not recorded by The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
until 1968. It is one of the band's most popular songs and has been a concert staple. The record reached #26 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and #25 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The song's arrangement uses a Latin percussion
Latin percussion
The term Latin percussion refers to any number of a large family of musical percussion instruments used in Latin music, which in turn is a very loosely related group of musical styles, mainly from the Latin American region, and ultimately having roots or influences in African tribal...
instrument known as claves
Claves
Claves are a percussion instrument , consisting of a pair of short Claves (Anglicized pronunciation: clah-vays, IPA:[ˈklαves]) are a percussion instrument (idiophone), consisting of a pair of short Claves (Anglicized pronunciation: clah-vays, IPA:[ˈklαves]) are a percussion instrument (idiophone),...
. These are pairs of small wooden sticks that make a distinctive high pitched clicking noise when struck together. The Who previously used the same instrument on the song Disguises, recorded in 1966.
The song makes use of the Bo Diddley beat.
Background
The song was not recorded by The Who at the time it was written, but the band's management and music publisher circulated a Townshend demo recording of the song in 1966. A version was released as a single in the UK in April 1967 by an obscure band called The Pudding, in the UK on Decca and in the US on London's Press label. It was not a hit.The song is usually performed as a duet, where the "Rider", usually singer Roger Daltrey when live, is riding on the bus every day to see his girl. In the song he asks the "Driver", usually Townshend, if he can buy the bus from him, with the driver's initial answer being no. After haggling for a while, the driver finally lets him have it and he vows to drive it to his girlfriend's house every day.
The original LP and cassette of the Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy
Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy
Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy is a compilation album of singles by British rock band The Who, released in 1971 as Track 2406 006 in the UK and as Decca DL 79184 in the US. It entered the US Billboard 200 chart on 20 November 1971, peaking at #11, and the UK chart on 3 December 1971, peaking at #9...
compilation album featured a longer alternate studio take of "Magic Bus" in fake stereo
Duophonic
*In synthesizers, capable of sounding two voices, or notes, at a time. Compare: monophonic, polyphonic.*Duophonic is also a term used to refer to a sound process by which a monaural recording is turned into a kind of "fake stereo" by splitting the signal into two channels, delaying the left and the...
which was not included on the original compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
version because the true stereo or mono source could not be found for the long version of the song. However, on 25 July 2007, Universal Japan re-released the album in a mini-LP sleeve that includes the long alternate version of "Magic Bus" in fake stereo, as on the original album. This longer mix features a slightly different arrangement and does not fade out at the end.
The song appeared in the band's 1979 film The Kids Are Alright
The Kids Are Alright (film)
The Kids Are Alright is a 1979 rockumentary film about the English rock band The Who, including live performances, promotional films and interviews from 1964 to 1978.-Production:...
taken from a 1968 performance. It was subsequently released on The Kids Are Alright
The Kids Are Alright (soundtrack)
The Kids Are Alright is a soundtrack album by British rock band The Who, as a companion to the band's documentary film of the same name.It was originally released as a double album in June 1979 on Polydor Records in the UK and MCA Records in the US...
film soundtrack. That version is the mono single version, but slowed down, resulting in the song being a semi-tone lower in pitch.
Live performances
This was first performed in 1968 and was part of the regular set from 1971 to 1976The Who Tour 1976
The Who Tour 1976 was The Who's second concert tour for their The Who By Numbers album.-History:After spending most of the last three months of 1975 supporting The Who By Numbers, the group again embarked on a series of tours in 1976, with two stints in North America and several shows in the United...
. (It was performed a few times in 1969 and 1970.) It made less frequent appearances starting from 1979
The Who Tour 1979
The Who Tour 1979 was The Who's first concert tour since the death of original drummer Keith Moon, supporting their 1978 album Who Are You.-History:...
. Its most recent performance was at The Who's concert at the Indigo2 on 17 December 2008. The live version was often a lengthy jam lasting much longer than the studio version.
One of its most legendary performances can be heard on Live at Leeds
Live at Leeds
Live at Leeds is The Who's first live album, and is the only live album that was released while the group were still recording and performing regularly. Initially released in the United States on 16 May 1970, by Decca and MCA and the United Kingdom on 23 May 1970, by Track and Polydor, the album...
. This version stretches out to nearly eight minutes, with Roger Daltrey
Roger Daltrey
Roger Harry Daltrey, CBE , is an English singer and actor, best known as the founder and lead singer of English rock band The Who. He has maintained a musical career as a solo artist and has also worked in the film industry, acting in a large number of films, theatre and television roles and also...
joining the jam playing harmonica. The Leeds recording has been used during the musical montage sequence in the final act of Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
's film Goodfellas
Goodfellas
Goodfellas is a 1990 American crime film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is a film adaptation of the 1986 non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese...
as well as the opening sequence in Cameron Crowe
Cameron Crowe
Cameron Bruce Crowe is an American screenwriter and film director. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at Rolling Stone magazine, for which he still frequently writes....
's Jerry Maguire
Jerry Maguire
Jerry Maguire is a 1996 American romantic comedy-drama film starring Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding, Jr. It was written, co-produced, and directed by Cameron Crowe...
. John Entwistle
John Entwistle
John Alec Entwistle was an English bass guitarist, songwriter, singer, horn player, and film and record producer who was best known as the bass player for the rock band The Who. His aggressive lead sound influenced many rock bass players...
reportedly hated playing the song, as most of the bass part consisted of a single note played ad nauseam
Ad nauseam
Ad nauseam is a Latin term used to describe an argument which has been continuing "to [the point of] nausea". For example, the sentence, "This topic has been discussed ad nauseam", signifies that the topic in question has been discussed extensively, and that those involved in the discussion have...
. This statement can be found on the 30 Years of Maximum R&B DVD.
It was stated on several occasions during their 2009 tour of Australia and Japan that they were unable to play the song, with Townshend stating, "We can't play Magic Bus right now.... But if you shout loud enough... We definitely won't play it."
The song appears in the film Year One.
The song was covered by Alvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual;...
for the Alvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks (TV series)
Alvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated television series featuring The Chipmunks, produced by Bagdasarian Productions in association with Ruby-Spears Enterprises from 1983–87, and DIC Entertainment from 1988-90....
episode "The Prize Isn't Right."
This song is available for DLC in Rock Band 2
Rock Band 2
Rock Band 2 is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems. It is the sequel to Rock Band and is the second title in the series. The game allows up to four players to simulate the performance of popular songs by playing with controllers modeled after musical instruments...
.