When The Who formed in 1964, the London quartet dubbed their sound "Maximum R&B". The tag said plenty about the kinds of artists they held in high esteem: wild rock 'n' soul kingpins like James Brown, Little Richard and Chuck Berry, whose antics directly influenced the young band's explosive style. Pete Townshend's titanic riffs, meanwhile, also stemmed from the stripped-down sound of instrumental rockers like The Ventures and Link Wray.