Yesterday, throughout Mexico and in certain U.S. neighborhoods, the Day of the Dead (with its roots in ancient Aztec culture) was celebrated. On this occasion, the dearly departed are honored with church services, processionals, feasts and decorated shrines heavy on humorous skeleton models. It’s poignant, it’s visually stunning, it’s a little mystical, and it’s a little unsettling. And it seems like a good time to rail about a rather morbid fact of rock and roll life: The bands that, for better or worse, refuse to die.So there’s a new album by “The Who.” It’s been quite a while since the last release by an entity with that name: 1982’s “It’s Hard.” This new collection is called “Endless Wire.” I haven’t heard it yet. I’m sure it’s worth a listen. It features two crucial members of the Who -- guitarist/singer/composer Pete Townshend and lead singer Roger Daltrey. These guys have been mainstays of the Who since the band helped spark the British rock explosion of the mid-1960s. They are massive talents, and significant to the history of pop music. And the Who’s discography (with only a few exceptions) is nothing short of monumental.I was and continue to be a big fan of the Who -- and of Townshend’s solo work. But I’d argue that “Endless Wire,” “It’s Hard,” and 1981’s “Face Dances” are not Who albums. Since original drummer/designated madman Keith Moon died in 1978, the Who hasn’t been the same. Nor has the band sounded the same without his magnificent, idiosyncratic percussion as its driving wheel. And the death of equally distinctive, virtuoso bass player/composer/macabre spirit John Entwistle in 2002 was the final nail in the coffin. Without that unparalleled rhythm section, they could never really be the Who again.Keith Moon and John Entwistle on the cover of The Who Sell OutThe truly great rock bands -- especially the titanic British Invasion triumvirate of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Who – are as much about personality and alchemy as they are about musicianship and songwriting. Greater than the sum of their parts. Unlike musical ensembles where a single person calls the shots, these bands are/were inimitable life forms. Sever a limb or lose a major organ, and nothing is quite the same again.What would have been so bad about releasing “Endless Wire” under the name “Townshend and Daltrey,” or something comparable? Why do the Stones continue to record and tour as the Stones when guitarist Brian Jones (long deceased) and bassist Bill Wyman (retired) are gone? It’s a desire to take advantage of familiar brands for commercial purposes. But it’s dishonest, creatively sketchy, and besmirches the band’s brand, er, name.You will note that Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr never recorded anew and toured as the Beatles after John Lennon’s death. It would have been viewed as sacrilege. There were even some who blanched when the Beatles’ Anthology albums were released in 1995-96, featuring Lennon’s ghostly voice on two post-mortem Beatles tunes “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love” (both Lennon compositions that he recorded as demos). The rest of the band members overdubbed their parts years after he died. That’s as close as they were ever gonna get to a reunion, and it kept the Beatles’ legacy and good name intact.Wish I could say the same for the Rolling Stones and the Who.