DALTREY AND THE WHO--WHO KNOWS?

First things first.

Sure, singer Roger Daltrey has a new Atlantic Records solo album, “Can’t Wait to See the Movie,” and he wants the world to know about it. But what is it that rock music fans really want to know about Daltrey?

It’s probably not his solo albums, but his association with the Who.

Daltrey, 43, was the lead singer for this legendary English rock band since it started recording in 1965. But Pete Townshend, the band’s songwriter, guitarist and unofficial leader, decided in 1982 that he was too burned out to continue working with the Who, and the band has been in limbo ever since. The only glimpse of the group was a brief reunion for the Live Aid concert in 1985. Though ragged, the performance whetted fans’ appetites for more.

So Daltrey, on the promotional trail for his own album, can’t escape a barrage of Who questions.

The main ones: Will the Who tour again? Will the Who record again?

“Aaaahhh, the Who,” Daltrey sighed wistfully when these questions came up during a recent interview.

In the quiet, chilly courtyard of a Beverly Hills hotel, he leaned back in his chair and smiled quizzically, mulling over an answer. “Who knows about the Who?” he said. “It’s a mystery. I don’t know. It’s not up to me.”

Daltrey, a snazzy dresser who was decked out in whites and pastels, seemed genuinely puzzled. “I’m not putting you on,” he added. “I really don’t know what’s going to happen with the Who.”

Surprisingly, Daltrey didn’t get huffy or annoyed about this umpteenth revival of the what’s-happening-with-the-Who issue. He was both affable and candid throughout. Though he could have skirted the Who speculations and steered the focus to his solo career, he didn’t.

It’s possible that he sees interviews as messages to Townshend, who’s the obstacle to a reunion. “I didn’t want it to end,” he said. “It was stupid to end it. I understand the pressure on Pete, because he’s the songwriter. But it was the height of stupidity to build up a name for over 20 years and then throw that name in the dust heap.

“We needed to stop what we were doing and take a break. Pete needed a rest from the Who. But we didn’t have to end it.”

After five years, is Daltrey still in the mood for a Who reunion? “If Pete wanted to do it tomorrow, I’d say yes so fast you wouldn’t believe it.”

As a solo artist, Daltrey has been a bust so far. In fact, many pop fans will probably be surprised to learn that he’s been making solo albums since 1973.

Daltrey recognizes that his ‘70s LPs weren’t very good. Quality rarely results from lackadaisical efforts. “I was in the Who and I treated the solo albums very lightly,” he admitted. “I didn’t give them my all. While the Who was going it was a hobby to do solo albums. It was something to do while the Who wasn’t doing anything, to stave off the boredom of doing nothing.”

His first album after the Who split, “Parting Should Be Painless,” a 1984 release, wasn’t a gem either. But he defended that one: “It was a depressing album. It wasn’t what people wanted to hear from me. To appreciate it you have to be depressed. That’s the frame of mind I was in.”

However, Daltrey said he’s been serious about his last two solo albums--the new one and 1985’s “Under a Raging Moon.”

The “Raging Moon” album was, he said, the grand finale for that raging, Who-style singing: “I purged myself of that style. I got it all out of my system.”

Who fans apparently like Daltrey singing in that style, but only on Who material. So he tried something else on his new album. “This puts Roger Daltrey firmly in the ‘80s,” he said. “I tried to get music (this time) that was more accessible. I’ve changed my performance to an ‘80s style and retained the good things from the previous style--the vibrance and the energy.”

True, his vocals this time are toned down and more geared to the pop mainstream. While he’s likely to pick up some new pop followers, the approach may cost him some Who fans who will undoubtedly accuse him of compromising. Yet Daltrey didn’t seem worried.

“Offending the Who fans with my solo albums isn’t a problem,” he said. “They’re not really that into my solo projects anyway. They’re just waiting for the return of the Who.”

In a way, so is Daltrey.

“I haven’t been very ambitious about my solo career,” he admitted. “I know it frustrates the hell out of my record company. If this album is a big success, I’d be happy. But if it just sells enough to recoup its costs, that’s OK by me too.

“I’m not making them for the money. I’m just doing these solo albums because I want to keep singing. I don’t have the Who to sing in anymore. If I had the Who. . . .”

While waiting for the Who revival, Daltrey has also been acting. He has done considerable British TV and starred in three films: “Tommy” (1975), “Lisztomania” (1975) and “McVicar” (1981).

If the right script comes along, he’ll resume his film career, he said. Meanwhile, though, he’s concentrating on solo singing. However, his plans do not include touring.

“I don’t like to tour,” he said. “I’ve had enough of it to last me a lifetime.”

Daltrey’s all-out style is an emotional and physical drain. The problem is that these ferocious vocals and wild-man antics have been one of the primary attractions of Who concerts.

“I’m a gut singer,” he said. “I sing with my very life force. I don’t have a cruise control. I need to be completely out of control when I’m performing. I almost die on stage every night. It takes a lot to put myself back together the next day. That’s the part I hate. I’m getting a bit lazy in my old age. If I do a six-week tour, it might be the end of me.”