The Who Album Plans

Legendary British group The Who could be set to release a new rock opera, according to guitarist Pete Townshend.

The Who were the original bad boys of rock 'n' roll. Mod icons the band specialised in auto-destructive guitar solos, with Pete Townshend's whirling arm regularly slamming his instrument into his amplifier.

It's a wonder, then, that The Who went on to become such widely respected songwriters. Townshend's mystical interests mingled with a growing musical maturity, culminating in the rock opera 'Tommy'.

Later turned into a stage show and a film, the album was followed by a series of explosive shows including a legendary slot at Woodstock.

Now it seems as if the band are ready to return. The Who have suffered losses in recent years, with the group stripped down to two members - Pete Townshend and vocalist Roger Daltrey. The pair may be about to return with one of their most ambitious projects to date.

In a new blog posting on The Who's official website songwriter Pete Townshend boasted "I am writing a new musical".

"Floss is an ambitious new project for me, in the style of Tommy and Quadrophenia. In this case the songs are interspersed with surround-sound 'soundscapes' featuring complex sound effects and musical montages."

Due to be staged outdoors in 2011, the album is said to tell the story of an ageing pub-rock musician named Walter. Currently, Pete Townshend is in talks with producers in New York but hopes to release some of the musical's more "conventional" songs on a new Who album next year.

The guitarist claimed that the project would be an answer to his 1965 single 'My Generation' - which he named "the most ageist song in rock".

"At 64," he wrote, "I now want to take on ageing and mortality, using the powerfully angry context of rock'n'roll."