AllMovie

John Entwistle was the bassist with one of the great British rock bands of the 1960's and '70's, the Who, but there's much more to his vital place in rock history than that. Entwistle's style, boldly aggressive but powerfully melodic at the same time, blazed a new trail for how the bass guitar could be used in a rock band, and with drummer Keith Moon he helped to up-end the traditional notion of the rhythm section, showing that the bass and drums could add to the melody and mood of a song rather than just setting a back-beat. Entwistle was also a gifted songwriter and he recorded a number of notable solo albums, and was busy with the Who as well as his own projects up until his death in the summer of 2002, on the eve of the opening date of a Who tour. John Entwistle: An Ox's Tale is an affectionate look at Entwistle's life and career, featuring archival interviews with the man known as "the Ox" to his friends and fans, as well as concert footage of Entwistle onstage with a number of bands. Other interview subjects include Who guitarist Pete Townsend, the bassist's son Chris Entwistle, his mother Queenie Johns, and fellow musicians Chris Squire, Billy Sheehan and Robin Zander; Peter Frampton narrates. Steve Luongo, who helped produce and direct the film, was a close friend of Entwistle who also played drums in the John Entwistle Band.