What made The Who strong and vital was the fact that they chronicled the feelings of a generation right from their teenage frustration through to their awakening interest in things Spiritual. It was then that the generation divided, got married, settled down and generally stopped following a single path. The pioneer days were over. How could anyone now possibly hope to speak for these people? If there's no single view or no single goal it's not possible for a single voice to speak representatively.

If it's remembered rightly it was at the time that 'Tommy' was released that the Beatles broke up and it was one year after Dylan's final prophetic album. Something definitely happened to 'our generation' at around that time. Probably some found workable solutions to their earlier questions (a few) but the majority, I feel, just gave up. And how can you sing for people that have given up asking? (p. 195)