by Noah S. Grausz
Major:  Communication, Media Production & Criticism

During the early 70s, rock music had taken over the mainstream, with Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones being the biggest bands in the world. Classic rock radio continues to showcase the legendary artists from that era, characterized by guitar riffs, bass grooves, thunderous drums, and captivating frontmen. The Who stood out from the rest by pushing the genre further into a more narrative and conceptual direction. After experimenting with long-form suites and rock operas, The Who's 1973 album Quadrophenia combined their arena rock pedigree and narrative ambition with sweeping orchestral arrangements, creating a unique, personal, and unforgettable listening experience.

The musical group known as The Who originated outside of London during the early sixties. Their most well-known lineup was established in 1964, consisting of Pete Townshend on guitar, Roger Daltrey on vocals, John Entwistle on bass, and Keith Moon on drums. This lineup remained intact until Moon's passing in 1978. Following the release of singles and a successful debut album, the band began to experiment with conceptual exploration on their second album, A Quick One (1966). This album featured a 9-minute multi-part musical suite with lyrics telling the story of an unfaithful partner. The Who Sell Out (1967) continued this trend by presenting the album as if it were part of a radio show, complete with brand jingles and show interstitials. According to Montgomery (2002), the term "concept album" refers to a style of presentation, or format, utilized in the creation, marketing, and distribution of vinyl long-playing records. The Who Sell Out contained one of the group's most commercially successful singles, "I Can See For Miles," and helped to legitimize concept-based rock music on a mass scale, along with Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, which was also released in 1967.

The Who pushed the boundaries of innovation with their next big project, which would become their most ambitious one yet. Tommy, a rock opera, revolutionized the expectations for a rock act during that time. The story follows the life of Tommy, who becomes deaf, dumb, and blind after a traumatic family incident. Upon freeing himself from his mental confinement, he transforms into a new-age religious figure. Although rock operas like The Who's Tommy or Andrew Lloyd Weber's Jesus Christ Superstar could be considered concept albums, the term "rock opera" was most commonly used for works with a strong narrative and potential for stage performances. (Montgomery)

The album was released to critical and commercial praise, and the ensuing tour the band embarked on in support of the album only furthered their growing following. Tommy now ranks as one of the 100 greatest-selling albums of all time and, according to bestsellingalbums.org, currently stands as the third best-selling album of the 1960s. To follow up on the recent success of Tommy, Townshend attempted to put on another rock opera but to middling results. The project known as Lighthouse was less narratively clear than his prior work, and the futuristic concepts involving digital communication were incomprehensible to most at the time. Despite the project eventually being scrapped, many Lighthouse tracks became the basis for 1971’s Who’s Next, including hits “Baba O’Reilly” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again.”

After facing disappointment with his last concept, Townshend decided to return to his roots and write in the style that made Tommy such a hit (pun intended). He began crafting a new album inspired by the mod culture that defined British post-war youth. Mod culture, popular in the early sixties, was a youth movement that embraced fashionable clothing, Vespa scooters, and less traditional rock and pop groups like The Kinks and The Who. Mods were a countercultural response to the blue-collar, leather-wearing rocker culture in the U.K. that drew inspiration from American artists like Elvis.

As you listen to Quadrophenia, you'll immediately notice the difference in its opening compared to Tommy. While Tommy starts with a grand overture that highlights the upcoming musical themes in a way similar to traditional opera, "I Am The Sea" takes a different approach. It incorporates the album's four major themes into ocean sounds and gentle piano before launching into the lively "The Real Me" as an introduction to the main character, Jimmy. Through Daltrey's singing from Jimmy's point of view, we're introduced to a young man searching desperately for answers but coming up short as he enters adulthood. With this understanding of Jimmy's struggles, the title track serves as the album's musical overture. The instrumental track returns to the four main musical themes introduced in the opening, one for each band member and key characteristics of Jimmy, and fleshes them out into complete orchestral arrangements. By arranging the tracks in this manner, listeners are already familiar with the musical motifs and eager to hear them in their full form.

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The fourth track of the album, called "Cut My Hair," is sung from Jimmy's perspective. It sheds light on the Mod mentality and the pressure to conform to social movements. The track showcases The Who's inclination towards experimenting with studio effects and production. It includes old news tapes at the end, informing listeners about the escalating tension between rival mods and rockers. On the other hand, "The Punk and the Godfather" is the most self-referential song on the album. Townshend writes about the relationship between Who fans and their persona as celebrities. Apart from its reflexive qualities, the song rocks hard. Daltrey's sneering vocals, Townshend's power chords, and Keith Moon's energetic fills wrap up side one of the album on a high note.

Double albums, in general, can struggle with song quality issues due to the increased amount of material needed, and the same is true for concept albums if the premise is not strong enough to support the entire album length. Unlike their contemporaries that orbited around a songwriting partnership, such as Lennon and McCartney or Page and Plant, Townshend served as the primary creative force behind The Who and is the credited songwriter on many of their most known songs. Quadrophenia stands as a true testament to Townshend’s songwriting ability based on the consistent quality over the 80-minute runtime. Side two feels distinctly more intimate than the first with “Helpless Dancer” and “I’ve Had Enough” being emotional highlights. Narratively, Quadrophenia doesn’t tell its story in full detail, focusing on the emotion of the moment rather than the conflict itself. For example, “I’ve Had Enough” falls midway through the album and although it contains an important story moment when Jimmy crashes his prized Vespa scooter, the focus is on what Jimmy is feeling leading up to the accident.

On the third side of the album, we follow Jimmy's journey on a train towards the beach after his unfortunate scooter accident. He has been kicked out of his house and has lost his faith in the mod culture he once cherished. The album takes a turn towards hard rock, reflecting Jimmy's troubled state. "Bell Boy" is a powerful rock track where Jimmy sees his Mod hero, "Face," working a grueling job that has left him broken. The track also showcases Moon's vocals as the titular Bell Boy, switching between a bold attitude while working and a hidden optimism within.

The three songs that compose the fourth and final side of Quadrophenia do so in grand fashion. “Doctor Jimmy” is the longest track and follows Jimmy as he spirals downward into bitterness and aggression exacerbated by drugs and alcohol. Musically, the song goes from classic 70’s rock into a more chilling mix of horns, synths, piano, and drums. As the track contains John’s theme, it is no surprise that Entwistle’s spotlight would include prominent horns, as he played French Horn on The Who’s albums on top of the bass. The song comes to an end, and with a piano flourish we are into “The Rock” the second instrumental on the album. Like the song “Quadrophenia” on side one, “The Rock” utilizes the four main themes but combines them into one unified piece of music, signifying a oneness between the band and Jimmy’s internal struggle. The final track of the album, and maybe the most well-known, is “Love Reign O’er Me.” As Jimmy stares out into the sea, he gives one last plea before the album ambiguously ends with his fate unknown.

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Despite receiving positive reviews from both critics and fans, Quadrophenia did not achieve the same level of financial success as their previous rock opera. However, in 1979, a film adaptation of the album was released, directed by Franc Roddam, which brought more attention to the concept. According to Mulholland (2016), Roddam successfully created a cohesive blend of kitchen-sink drama and enigmatic mysticism, with dramatic set-pieces accentuating a relatively simple coming-of-age story. Unlike the 1975 Tommy film, which adapted the opera directly, Roddam took a more traditional approach with a screenplay, using the album's music to complement corresponding moments on screen.

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Quadrophenia has stood the test of time and remains a significant influence in the world of rock operas. The Who's transition away from operatic music made way for other bands to carry the torch. In the 70s, Roger Waters and Pink Floyd's The Wall achieved critical and commercial success, also receiving a film adaptation. Green Day revitalized the genre in the 2000s with American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown. Although punk-inspired, these productions showcase the enduring impact of The Who's Quadrophenia, proving the foundation laid half a century ago still supports the evolution of rock music today.