Product Description

By the early 1970s, rock & roll had been around long enoughto begin to examine its own past. In the States, this resulted in Sha Na Na, but in Great Britain, where the popular culture of the young was more complex and coded, the Who's QUADROPHENIA was the most powerful example of this nostalgic view. Reviews at the time focused primarily on the obscure psychological aspect of the story--supposedly, the four sides of the original double-album set are meant to examine the four sides of the main character's personality, each one represented by a different member of the Who. However, the most interesting aspect of QUADROPHENIA is its seamy but poetic depiction of London's early-'60s Mod subculture, from which theWho originally sprang.
Set during the weekend of a climactic seaside gang fight between the Mods and their archenemies the Rockers, Townshend's story follows Jimmy, the archetypal Mod. The impressionistic songs tell an elliptical tale, but also function on their own as vintage '70s Who at their hard-rock height--the sneering "The Punk and the Godfather",the driving "5:15" and the anthemic, redemptive closer "Love, Reign O'er Me" are among Townshend's finest work.

Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. I Am The Sea
2. The Real Me
3. Quadrophenia
4. Cut my hair
5. Punk and the godfather
6. I'm one
7. Dirty jobs
8. Helpless dancer
9. Is it in my head
10. I've had enough
11. 5.15
12. Sea and sand
13. Drowned
14. Bell boy
15. Dr Jimmy
16. Rock
17. Love reign o'er me

Disc 2:

1. 5:15
2. Sea And Sand
3. Drowned
4. Bell Boy
5. Doctor Jimmy
6. The Rock
7. Love Reign O'er Me

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #642 in Music
• Released on: 1996-06-24
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Box set, Original recording remastered
• Running time: 82 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
An excellent and frequently astonishing album, Quadrophenia is both more ambitious and less accessible than Tommy, the first and most well known rock opera. At its simplest level, Quadrophenia is a coming-of-age story with an awesome soundtrack. The album features some of the Who's finest material, in songs like the enraged "Real Me", the cynical "Punk Meets the Godfather", the wistful "5:15" and "Sea and Sand", and the powerful "Love, Reign O'er Me". The songwriting (courtesy of Pete Townshend) is top-notch, as is the production (the Who actually managed to use synthesizers in an original manner, something few rock bands can aspire to). The mix of powerful songwriting and skilful composition makes this one of the Who's finest moments. --Genevieve Williams

From Amazon.com
An excellent and frequently astonishing album, Quadrophenia is both more ambitious and less accessible than Tommy, the first and most well known rock opera. At its simplest level, Quadrophenia is a coming-of-age story with an awesome soundtrack. The album features some of the Who's finest material, in songs like the enraged "Real Me," the cynical "Punk Meets the Godfather," the wistful "5:15" and "Sea and Sand," and the powerful "Love, Reign O'er Me." The songwriting (courtesy of Pete Townshend) is top-notch, as is the production (the Who actually managed to use synthesizers in an original manner, something few rock bands can aspire to). The mix of powerful songwriting and skillful composition makes this one of the Who's finest moments. --Genevieve Williams

Customer Reviews

Flamin' Albert... this is still brilliant!
Coming back to this album after many years without hearing it, I'm struck by the complexity of the songs, the wit and emotion of the lyrics and the sheer quality of the musicianship. If anyone tries to tell you that The Who were overrated, play them this album.

Just from the opening song 'The Real Me', you hear the most extraordinary rhythm-section in rock as Moon and Entwistle lock in and syncopate more tightly and intensely than they ever had before, and it's right at the front of the mix! The slicing of Townshend's guitar and Daltrey's raw vocal almost feel like afterthoughts. But everyone is operating at the peak of their ability.

Personally, my favourite song is 'Sea and Sand'. The protagonist is Jimmy, the young Mod eventually played by Phil Daniels in the 1979 film. He describes his disfunctional family-life juxtaposed with the fantasies fuelled by his nightlife at the dancehall. All the highs and lows he experiences seem to desolve into insignificance when he spends his early a.m. hours seeking sleep on the beach. Among the elements, he tries to make sense of his whole crazy existance. This song contains some of Pete Townshend's finest lyrics, and is a terrific musical showcase.

Overall, this album is a masterpiece.

BEN DINSDALE c/o Bali
An old mod named Ben Dinsdale gave me this classic album in 1996 before we attended the Hyde Park concert in July of that year -- The Who play Quadrophenia for the Princes Trust Charity. This album has since become my favourite. It is the best Who album. It is perfect.

At the time of the release of their second double album rock opera Quadrophenia at the end of 1975, The `Beatles' had long since gone and never played any real live concerts as we know them today. 'The Rolling Stones' had just lost their second lead guitarist in Mick Taylor, and were being led down a very disco-orientated channel by the camp Mick Jagger. Only Keith Richards could really claim to be a true rocking Stone. 'Led Zeppelin' was still around of course, but they were almost on another plain. So we can safely say that in the early seventies `The Who' was one of the biggest rock 'n' roll bands around.

Already with many landmark albums behind them, Tommy (1969), Live at Leeds (1970), and the sublime Who's Next (1972), not to mention a mass of hit singles and historic appearances at such events as Monterey Pop Festival 1967 (see Youtube), Woodstock, and the Isle of Wight in both 1969 and 1970, were backed up by saturation touring to bigger and bigger audiences all over the world.

Of course, like all of the rock greats, 'The Who' was not only known for their recording and spectacular stage shows, but stories of their on the road excesses are now part of rock 'n' roll mythology -- a famous story of Moon the Loon dressed up as Rommel and biting Steve McQueen's dog when they were neighbours in L.A. is my favourite Loon story.

Anyhoo, the release of Quadrophenia was the major rock release and it went straight into the charts at number two in the U K and the U S A remaining in the top thirty for over six months, a phenomenon almost unheard of for a double album in those far off days.

Quadrophenia found 'The Who' at the peak of their collective powers. Peter Townshend wrote all the songs, and never before had he put together such a continuous package of solid arrangements with such strong emotions bursting through in every song. The story follows the early years of a young man, Jimmy, growing from adolescence to nearly killing himself due to his fall into the depths of depravity in the whirlwind world of the Mods and Rockers on the south coast of England in the early sixties; a gripping tale of youth culture from those heady days.

Peter Townshend's guitar playing here also finally raised him onto the same level as his peers like Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page. Roger Daltrey is the person who puts his throat on the line to give the feeling to Townshend's words. Roger Daltrey was at the peak of his powers when he sings the final stanza's of 'Love Reigns O'er me' and brings the album to its shattering climax. One wonders if he still had a larynx left.

For the one time in the Who's career all the songs on one album were written by their principal songwriter, not leaving room for any of John Entwistle's often entertaining songs. John Entwistle shows more than ever here how essential he was to the Who with his fluid bass lines giving the songs real substance. John Entwistle's way of playing the bass was not only to nail down the theme of the songs, but also as a lead instrument. On Quadrophenia, more than any other Who album, the bass is pushed right to the front of the mix, quite deservedly so. John's fine French horn playing also adds a haunting air to some of the songs.

Then driving the band ever forward was everybody's favorite rascal Keith Moon, not only is his drumming superb and distinctive (only Keith Moon could drum like Keith Moon), but his vocal contribution to 'Bellboy' always brings a smile to your face. The fine piano playing of Chris Stainton should also be given a mention as it compliments the other players perfectly. Perhaps the Who should of added a keyboard playing then, instead of waiting till poor old Keith had shuffled off this mortal coil. It would have helped the band immensely trying to play these songs on stage instead of messing about with pre-recorded backing tapes.

The album open ups with the sound of the sea washing up on the beaches and snatches of refrains from the main themes of what is to come. The band comes crashing in with the rocker 'The Real me' and from then on you are taken on the roller coaster ride of a young impressionable wannabe Mod with plenty of highs as well as deeply disturbing lows. One of the highs is of Jimmy actually going to see his favorite band 'The Who' in concert. As Jimmy tries to emulate his heroes, his life spirals more and more out of control. With this the band's playing becomes more and more frenzied, climaxing in the nine minutes of 'Doctor Jimmy', where, if you listen carefully, you can hear Roger Daltrey's microphone being spun round the heads of all in the studio on its lead wire, and Townshend windmills his arm around his axe, building to the next frantic chorus. You can imagine the whole studio being destroyed at the song's climax.

`Doctor Jimmy', played in all it's glory on stage at Charlton Football ground in 1974 in front of 95-thousand people, was the highlight of the Who's set. The album closes out with the triumphant instrumental `The Rock', just before 'Love Reigns O'er me' brings the proceedings to a dramatic and satisfying conclusion. Quadrophenia is a great rock band at the top of its game. Logically, later it turned into a movie with Phil Daniels playing Jimmy and Sting the Bellboy, which was excellent.
Steph: "Going to be one of the faces?"
Jimmy: "What do you mean going to be? I AM one of the faces!"

After a shag in an alleyway during a riot:
Steph : "It didnt mean anything Jimmy."
Jimmy : "It fu%%ing did to me" he screams as the heart is ripped from his chest.


Dr GOnzo Clarke. Quadrophenia the album : 10/10.

Spoilt in the lab
This is a superlative album - but the sound HAS been altered!!! Not only have bits of music gone awol/been rearranged, but at least some of the vocals seem to have been "re-sung". There is a definitely more melodious tone to Pete's and even Roger's vocals, where on the vinyl you could feel the raw anger/emotion. For me, this has hugely spoilt my absolutely favourite album, to the extent that I now don't want to listen to it, as virtually every note and sound of the original tracks have been imprinted on my brainbox, after 30 years of listening. Guess I'll just have to find an old vinyl record...