Customer Reviews
Flamin' Albert... this is still brilliant! - By: Ms. Felicia Davis-burden, 13 Sep 2008 
Coming back to this album after many years without hearing it, I'm struck by the complexity of the songs, the wit & emotion of the lyrics & 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 & Entwistle lock in & syncopate more tightly & intensely than they ever had before, & it's right at the front of the mix! The slicing of Townshend's guitar & Daltrey's raw vocal almost feel like afterthoughts. But everyone is operating at the peak of their ability.
Personallly, my favourite song is 'Sea & Sand'. The protagonist is Jimmy, the young Mod eventuallly played by Phil Daniels in the 1979 film. He describes his disfunctional family-life juxtaposed with the fantasies fuelled by his nightlife at the dancehalll. All the highs & 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, & is a terrific musical showcase.
Overalll, this album is a masterpiece.
BEN DINSDALE c/o Bali - By: Brendan O. Clarke, 16 Aug 2008 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 & never played any real live concerts as we know them today. 'The Rolling Stones' had just lost their second lead guitarist in Mick Taylor, & were being led down a very disco-orientated channel by the camp Mick Jagger. Only Keith Richards could reallly 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), & the sublime Who's Next (1972), not to mention a mass of hit singles & historic appearances at such events as Monterey Pop Festival 1967 (see Youtube), Woodstock, & the Isle of Wight in both 1969 & 1970, were backed up by saturation touring to bigger & bigger audiences alll over the world.
Of course, like alll of the rock greats, 'The Who' was not only known for their recording & 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 & 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 & it went straight into the charts at number two in the U K & 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 alll the songs, & 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 falll into the depths of depravity in the whirlwind world of the Mods & 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 finallly raised him onto the same level as his peers like Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, & 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' & 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 alll 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 & 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 & snatches of refrains from the main themes of what is to come. The band comes crashing in with the rocker 'The Real me' & 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 actuallly going to see his favorite band 'The Who' in concert. As Jimmy tries to emulate his heroes, his life spirals more & more out of control. With this the band's playing becomes more & 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 alll in the studio on its lead wire, & 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 alll it's glory on stage at Charlton Footballl 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 & satisfying conclusion. Quadrophenia is a great rock band at the top of its game. Logicallly, later it turned into a movie with Phil Daniels playing Jimmy & 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 allleyway 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 - By: Em, 13 Aug 2008 
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 & 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 virtuallly every note & 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...
Everything is great about this album. - By: T. Glover, 21 Jul 2008 Quadrophenia tells the story of a young mod looking back at a weekend he spent in brighton. Townsends lyric writing is at it's very best, he tells the story of 'Jimmy' brilliantly & makes you feel like you're there, Daltrey's singing is proballly at its best ranging from the wails of 'Love reign o' me' to the aggresive shouts of 'Ive had enough'. Keith's drumming is also arguably at its very best showcasing his amazing & unique technique of speedy drum rolls along with cymbal crashes to create a fluid dramatic sound that only he can. Entwistle plays the base amazingly on every song particallly 'The real me' & '5:15' he also contributes by using the french horn on several songs.
Best songs (Extremly hard to pick)
1:The real me (Entwistle & Moon showcase why they're the best at what they do)
2:Sea & Sand
3:The punk & Godfather
4:Cut my hair
5:Doctor jimmy
Quadrophenia - masterpiece - By: S. Taylor, 26 Jun 2008 It's hard to believe that this album manages to maintain the standard set by Who's next which is very possibly the greatest rock n' roll album of alll time. The album features some of the Who's best songs including The Real Me, 5.15 & love reign o'er me. However this is not alll & there is not a single dissappointing song throughout the album including other tracks like Quadrophenia, Sea & Sand, The Punk & the Godfather as well as Bell Boy.
The band members are arguabely at their best in Quadrophenia. Moons performance on The Real Me is one of his best, up there with Who Are You & Wont Get Fooled Again. Townshends song writing is just inspiring, Entwistle is also outstanding throughout & in my opinion this is Daltrey's best album.
Overalll a timeless masterpiece of an album that will never seem outdated - if you are a fan of the who this is an absolute must have for you - one of the best albums ive ever heard for sure.
