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DISCID=4309c607,4809c407
DTITLE=The Who / Quadrophenia - Disc 2 of 2
DYEAR=1973
DGENRE=Rock
TTITLE0=5:15
TTITLE1=Sea And Sand
TTITLE2=Drowned
TTITLE3=Bell Boy
TTITLE4=Doctor Jimmy
TTITLE5=The Rock
TTITLE6=Love, Reign O'er Me
EXTD=Quadrophenia (Original CD Edition) - Disc 2 of 2\n1985 MCA Record
EXTD=s, Inc.\n\nOriginally Released in U.K. as Track 2657 013 on Novem
EXTD=ber 16, 1973. It reached #2.\nOriginally Released in the U.S. as 
EXTD=MCA2 1000 4 on November 3, 1973, it reached #2. \nCD Edition Rele
EXTD=ased April 1985\nMFSL Gold CD Edition Released June 1, 1991\nRemi
EXTD=xed + Remastered CD Edition Released July 2, 1996\n\nAMG EXPERT R
EXTD=EVIEW: Pete Townshend revisited the rock opera concept with anoth
EXTD=er double-album opus, this time built around the story of a young
EXTD= mod's struggle to come of age in the mid-'60s. If anything, this
EXTD= was a more ambitious project than Tommy, given added weight by t
EXTD=he fact that the Who weren't devising some fantasy but were re-ex
EXTD=amining the roots of their own birth in mod culture. In the end, 
EXTD=there may have been too much weight, as Townshend tried to combin
EXTD=e the story of a mixed-up mod named Jimmy with the examination of
EXTD= a four-way split personality (hence the title Quadrophenia), in 
EXTD=turn meant to reflect the four conflicting personas at work withi
EXTD=n the Who itself. The concept might have ultimately been too obsc
EXTD=ure and confusing for a mass audience. But there's plenty of grea
EXTD=t music anyway, especially on "The Real Me," "The Punk Meets the 
EXTD=Godfather," "I'm One," "Bell Boy," and "Love, Reign o'er Me." Som
EXTD=e of Townshend's most direct, heartfelt writing is contained here
EXTD=, and production-wise it's a tour de force, with some of the most
EXTD= imaginative use of synthesizers on a rock record. Various member
EXTD=s of the band griped endlessly about flaws in the mix, but really
EXTD= these will bug very few listeners, who in general will find this
EXTD= to be one of the Who's most powerful statements.  -- Richie Unte
EXTD=rberger\n\n\nAmazon.com essential recording\nAn excellent and fre
EXTD=quently astonishing album, Quadrophenia is both more ambitious an
EXTD=d less accessible than Tommy, the first and most well known rock 
EXTD=opera. At its simplest level, Quadrophenia is a coming-of-age sto
EXTD=ry with an awesome soundtrack. The album features some of the Who
EXTD='s finest material, in songs like the enraged "Real Me," the cyni
EXTD=cal "Punk Meets the Godfather," the wistful "5:15" and "Sea and S
EXTD=and," and the powerful "Love, Reign O'er Me." The songwriting (co
EXTD=urtesy of Pete Townshend) is top-notch, as is the production (the
EXTD= Who actually managed to use synthesizers in an original manner, 
EXTD=something few rock bands can aspire to). The mix of powerful song
EXTD=writing and skillful composition makes this one of the Who's fine
EXTD=st moments. --Genevieve Williams \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW
EXTD=\nThe Who's finest moment, April 7, 2007 \nBy  T. Fisher "general
EXTD= nerd" (Budapest, Hungary)\nQuadrophenia is where The Who reached
EXTD= their creative zenith. Who's Next had more brilliant moments, bu
EXTD=t as an overall album, this is as good as it gets. The scoring is
EXTD= complex, with plenty of John Entwhistle's horns, Rabbit Bundrick
EXTD='s keyboards, and some of the finest musicianship Pete Townshend 
EXTD=and Keith Moon ever turned out. Roger Daltry is also at the heigh
EXTD=t of his game -- old enough to put some real power behind it, you
EXTD=ng enough to hit notes that sadly he might not be able to any mor
EXTD=e. \n\nThere is a story in here somewhere, but don't spend too mu
EXTD=ch time trying to look for it. I've watched the movie a number of
EXTD= times, and seen the live DVD as well, and I'm still confused. Th
EXTD=at's the whole point -- it's about Jimmy, a confused teenage mod 
EXTD=with a personality disorder. That's all you really need of the st
EXTD=ory to enjoy this album. \n\nIf you only get one album by The Who
EXTD=, this should be it. If you get two, Who's Next is the other one.
EXTD= But these guys are so good, why would you want to stop there? \n
EXTD=\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nStill an earfull, February 6, 200
EXTD=7 \nBy  J. Parchois (Albuquerque, NM)\nIt's the other rock opera.
EXTD= Some might call it a mod opera. While Quadrophenia is in several
EXTD= respects a more effectively realized piece of work than Tommy, i
EXTD=t's also somewhat less memorable. Perhaps it fell victim to the d
EXTD=ecidedly less serious zietgeist of the early '70s. Too bad becaus
EXTD=e it benefits from better production (despite sundry complaints f
EXTD=rom individual band members), more narrative focus and greater em
EXTD=otional impact. What the two do have in common are large doses of
EXTD= inspired, Townsend-crafted majesty. Despite a bevy of great tune
EXTD=s like "The Real Me," "I'm the One," "Helpless Dancer" and "Sea a
EXTD=nd Sand," none of them quite stick in the mind like a "Pinball Wi
EXTD=zard" or "Overture." (There were no charting singles stateside, a
EXTD=lthough "5:15" did reach #20 in the UK). Another reason this albu
EXTD=m has suffered from undeserved neglect is that it's best enjoyed 
EXTD=in its 80-minute-plus totality. Not practical, but rewarding. Yes
EXTD=, it's ambitious, overstuffed and complicated, but the record is 
EXTD=more than redeemed by its sheer weight of melodic invention. Look
EXTD=ing back, Quadrophenia stands as The Who's last great (and consis
EXTD=tent) statement of purpose. Feel like you need a fix of quality c
EXTD=lassic rock that's blessedly off the beaten path? Just call Docto
EXTD=r Jimmy. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nThey Just Don't Write 
EXTD='Em Like -That- Anymore, December 29, 2005 \nBy  Rodger Garrett "
EXTD=raj-in-california" (Loma Linda, CA USA)\nThe emotionally disengag
EXTD=ed -- and intellectually dishonest -- may heap their disdain on s
EXTD=uch stuff, but "deep meaning" lyric lovers of anything from U2's 
EXTD="Boy" to the Moody Blues' "For Our Children's Children's Children
EXTD=" to Alanis's "Jagged Little Pill" will find a real home here. Am
EXTD=ateur Developmentalists and Attachment Theory freaks will have -n
EXTD=o- problem whatsoever grasping the relevance of Uncle Petey's dim
EXTD=ly remembered masterpiece. \n\nTownshend struggled with his demon
EXTD=s for decades; 1968's "Tommy" made -that- much clear. This, at le
EXTD=ast for the reasonably educated psychobabbler, makes it far -clea
EXTD=rer-... not in the least because "Q4" is more of a participative 
EXTD=collaboration -between- the four High Numbers than a demonstratio
EXTD=n of Townshend's points of view by each one. Moon gets into a -ro
EXTD=le- (and reveals -himself- in the process?). Entwistle uses his f
EXTD=ingers for new and remarkable purposes. Daltry sheds his struttin
EXTD=g. \n\nThe protagonist / narrator goes Schizophrenicly Dissociati
EXTD=ve, but -we- get to hear all four of his reality states (or ego d
EXTD=efenses) in the remarkable lyrics millions dug because of the equ
EXTD=ally remarkable musical packaging. It's not that the packaging is
EXTD= just so compelling for the sake of marketing, either. Townshend'
EXTD=s lengthy tolerance for neurochemical stimulation served him well
EXTD= for years, but I think never so well as here: The Romanticist in
EXTD= him provided an inner ear for -exactly- the musical expressions 
EXTD=needed to convey to emotional experiences of his problem (inner) 
EXTD=child's verbal expressions. And the mechanic in him and -all- his
EXTD= bandmates -- especially John Entwistle on the keys -and- the kno
EXTD=bs this time around -- provided the ability to manifest what he h
EXTD=eard (and felt) in his own head. \n\n"They just don't write 'em l
EXTD=ike -that- anymore," Greg Kihn sang almost a decade later. He cou
EXTD=ld have been taking about -this-. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIE
EXTD=W\nGreatest album ever. By anyone., December 9, 2005 \nBy  Christ
EXTD=opher Curtis "Chris" (Concord, MA United States)\nIf you've read 
EXTD=the reviews before mine, you already know that you should have th
EXTD=is album. And see the movie. And read the story (if you can find 
EXTD=any of the old vinyl copies that contain it). And then think abou
EXTD=t it. And then do it all over again. \n\nRepeat as necessary. \n\n
EXTD=No other band has ever grabbed hold of all that Rock has to offer
EXTD= and condensed it into one fully realized work of art (yes, this 
EXTD=is opera) before or since. Pete's other two operas pale in compar
EXTD=ison (Tommy, which seems a little silly at times when held up to 
EXTD=Quadrophenia, and Lifehouse, which was stillborn, and whose tidbi
EXTD=ts were assembled into Who's Next). \n\nI can't tell you how to r
EXTD=eact to art, that is part of the joy of it. Just play this album.
EXTD= Loud. And know that there will always be something new to learn 
EXTD=from it every time you hear it. \n\nThe first time I saw the Who 
EXTD=in concert it started to rain just as Love Reign O'er Me began. W
EXTD=hen the song ended so did the rain. Pete walked up to the mike an
EXTD=d said 'Even the Stones couldn't pull that one off!" \n\nNo, they
EXTD= couldn't; and no one ever has. \n\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIE
EXTD=W\na little dissapointing, March 30, 2005 \nBy  Erick Cohn "Erick
EXTD= Cohn" (Seattle, WA)\nI have to admit that I find the remix of th
EXTD=e Who's Quadrophenia a little dissapointing. Don't get me wrong, 
EXTD=parts of it sound really incredible with clarity and definition. 
EXTD=The problem I have is first of the lack of consistancy and then, 
EXTD=well the sort of whimpishness of many of the re-mixed tracks. I k
EXTD=now that members of the who weren't satisfied with the original m
EXTD=ix, but at least it rocked. It had energy and feeling that really
EXTD= made a lot of the songs meaningful to me. The re-mix pushes the 
EXTD=vocals to the front, most of the time and the guitar tracks to th
EXTD=e rear. There is a sacrifice of energy for the sake of "cleanline
EXTD=ss". I am not impressed with most of the re-mix. I mean, if this 
EXTD=album expresses teen angst, then there should be a lot of raw ene
EXTD=rgy and maybe even a lot of distortion. Maybe the vocals should b
EXTD=e a little buried most of the time to exemplify the alienation th
EXTD=at a lot of teens feel, not being able to express themselves effe
EXTD=ctively. This is my favorite Who album and although I might keep 
EXTD=a copy of this re-mix, I will refer to my vinyl original mix to e
EXTD=njoy the album as I feel it should be, for better or worse. So wh
EXTD=at if the Who weren't happy with this mix, it is what the mix was
EXTD= for over 20 years and the re-mix falls flat for the majority of 
EXTD=the time. I wish it weren't the case. I do enjoy hearing the clea
EXTD=n tracks and things you can't hear clearly in the original mix. I
EXTD=t just doesn't move me as much. It is too clean. The vocals are f
EXTD=ront and center all of the time. The guitar tracks that rocked ar
EXTD=e now buried. Sure the bass sounds incredible and the drums do to
EXTD=o, the overall mix lacks consistancy. It is suprising to me how d
EXTD=ifferent this mix is from the original. The other thing is how th
EXTD=is mix is all over the place. It isn't just set a certain way and
EXTD= then applied to all the tracks, it differs on all the tracks. Th
EXTD=is provides a lack of cohesiveness that makes this mix effort fal
EXTD=l short. I appologize for the negativity, I really wish that this
EXTD= was the great incredible mix that should have been applied in th
EXTD=e first place, but I don't hear it that way. Maybe they should tr
EXTD=y to mix it again. Get the vinyl mix and hear it at least better 
EXTD=than what was released in 1996. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\n
EXTD=Remastered Mess, September 1, 2004 \nBy  M. Ernst (Eau Claire, WI
EXTD=)\nEven though Quadrophenia is my favorite Who album, this remast
EXTD=ered version pales in comparison to the original CD version relea
EXTD=sed in the early 90's. It's actually muddy in spots, and as a res
EXTD=ult sounds that you're used to hearing have been quieted or lost 
EXTD=altogether. For example, in "The Dirty Jobs," after Daltrey sings
EXTD=, "You men should remember how you used to fight," there used to 
EXTD=be what sounded like seal noises (which fit in well with the ocea
EXTD=n and water images and sounds of the album), perhaps to indicate 
EXTD=how spineless these "men" have become. In the remastered version,
EXTD= these noises are gone. Later, in "Drowned," the piano is reduced
EXTD= to a less prominent role, particularly in the central section wh
EXTD=ere the horns come in and overpower the piano, and that's a shame
EXTD= since the playing on the original is so inspired and thrilling. 
EXTD=But, perhaps the greatest tragedy of this remastered version is h
EXTD=ow forced to the background Townshend's rhythm guitar is during "
EXTD=Love, Reign O'er Me", especially in the solo--and we're talking f
EXTD=erocious, adrenaline-causing strumming in the original. Find a us
EXTD=ed CD copy of the original or buy the gold CD. Anything but this 
EXTD=mangled version. It's as if the person in charge of remastering t
EXTD=he album didn't appreciate the finer points of the original produ
EXTD=ction or wasn't even a Who fan. Maybe, in overseeing this, Townsh
EXTD=end didn't have his hearing aid in, and Entwistle was too busy sn
EXTD=orting coke. Either way, they goofed. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER R
EXTD=EVIEW\nThe Who at the height of their musical powers, February 10
EXTD=, 2003 \nBy  "pvsdkn" (Redwood City, CA United States)\nOn its in
EXTD=itial release in late 1973, Quadrophenia appeared in the U.S. aro
EXTD=und the same time as the movie "American Graffiti" and, on the Br
EXTD=oadway stage, a controversial British psycho drama called "Equus"
EXTD= starring Anthony Hopkins was at the height of its success and po
EXTD=pularity. As a work of art, Quadrophenia harkens to both of its c
EXTD=inematic and theatrical contemporaries as a sort of musical cross
EXTD= between the two (note: Pete Townsend later wrote a book of short
EXTD= stories called "Horse's Neck"). While "American Graffiti" was th
EXTD=e "Happy Day's" nostalgic look at late 50s, early 60s American te
EXTD=enagers on the brink of extinction, Quadrophenia was a look back 
EXTD=at the early and mid 60s British youth known as the Mods and Rock
EXTD=ers. The LP, unlike the CD, included a black and white "photo" al
EXTD=bum depicting this story in a style evoked from the existential, 
EXTD=overcast, grayness, of the British cinema of the early 60's calle
EXTD=d "angry young men" films; especially, Tony Richardson's "Lonelin
EXTD=ess of the Long Distance Runner". But, alternatively, Quadropheni
EXTD=a, is also like its more colorful predecessor "Tommy", by being a
EXTD=n even more ecstatic, soaring, symphonic, rock opera, whose lyric
EXTD=s continue on the themes of psychological wounds and trauma induc
EXTD=ed by fear and alienation as a result of family abuse, self-consc
EXTD=iousness, poverty, and personal/social rejection. A lot of the so
EXTD=ngs like "The Real Me", "Is It in My Head", and "Dr. Jimmy" repre
EXTD=sent the madness, drug abuse, despair and violent reactions to th
EXTD=ese conditions. Other songs like "Cut My Hair", "The Dirty Jobs",
EXTD= and "Bell Boy" simply focus on work, i.e. the lack of it, or the
EXTD= ... of it. Yet, other songs, like "Drowned" and "Love, Reign O'e
EXTD=r Me" express great joy, hope and release. Musically, it represen
EXTD=ts the Who at the height of their musical powers. It influenced o
EXTD=ften diametrically opposed musical styles like Punk and Prog Rock
EXTD=. But the production values made it, for many years, a studio bou
EXTD=nd work, which became a rock around the collective necks of a roc
EXTD=k band known for it's tremendously, spontaneous, live performance
EXTD=s. Consequently, it never got the recognition for being the work 
EXTD=of genius that it truly is. Nonetheless, it stands as possibly Ro
EXTD=ger Daltrey's best work as a singer and also the best instrumenta
EXTD=l work of the band. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nCAN YOU SEE
EXTD= THE REAL ME?, July 17, 2002 \nBy  J. C. Bailey (East Sussex Unit
EXTD=ed Kingdom)\nIn common I'm sure with many other fans, the tragedy
EXTD= of John "The Ox" Entwhistle's premature death a couple of weeks 
EXTD=ago drove me to dig out my dusty old Who albums and have another 
EXTD=listen. Now the Who are a band you can always go back to after a 
EXTD=break - from decade to decade they go on sounding fresh and chall
EXTD=enging. But I was particularly moved by my re-acquaintance with Q
EXTD=uadrophenia, and to my own surprise I have discovered (or re-disc
EXTD=overed) that it still ranks as one of my favourite albums of all 
EXTD=time.\nOf course Quadrophenia was an exercise in nostalgia from t
EXTD=he outset, and as such it still works as a window on an earlier t
EXTD=ime. The Who had a massive following in their early years from a 
EXTD=British youth style cult of the mid-sixties called the Mods. Unli
EXTD=ke their arch-rivals the Rockers (who favoured beer, greasy motor
EXTD=cycles, black leather and rock'n'roll), the Mods went for pills, 
EXTD=heavily accessorised Italian motor-scooters, fashion suits and R&
EXTD=B. Hundred of both tribes from inner London used to descend on so
EXTD=uth coast resort towns on warm summer days, and for a couple of y
EXTD=ears riots were commonplace. They weren't good times, but this wa
EXTD=s the first generation of British kids for whom the dream of mobi
EXTD=lity and escape had a decent chance of realisation, and the multi
EXTD=ple-mirrored Lambretta was a potent symbol of freedom. \n\nBut Qu
EXTD=adrophenia wasn't just about nostalgia. Its point seems to have b
EXTD=een to explore the inner life of urban tribalism (in the same way
EXTD= that "Tommy" had done for religion and stardom). In that sense i
EXTD=ts insights still hold true, and it's no surprise that even in th
EXTD=e more dangerous streets of today, special big-screen showings of
EXTD= the movie "Quadrophenia" (made a few years after the original al
EXTD=bum) still attract sizeable audiences. \n\nIn the eyes of some ha
EXTD=rd-core fans, the project was a failure. "Why can't Townsend stop
EXTD= trying to produce another Tommy, and get back to playing proper 
EXTD=rock" was a typical comment from this segment of the band's follo
EXTD=wing. But in Quadrophenia the Who arguably realised fully what To
EXTD=mmy only managed in part. It offers a cycle of thematically conne
EXTD=cted songs of uniformly exceptional quality. Together they tell a
EXTD= poignant story in an almost impressionistic way, that's to say t
EXTD=hey don't get bogged down carrying the burden of a literal event-
EXTD=by-event narrative. Each of the band's four members seems to have
EXTD= hit their personal peak performance at the same time. Even the i
EXTD=nstrumental interludes, a conceit that brought many concept album
EXTD=s of the era grinding to a halt, are miniature triumphs of musica
EXTD=l eloquence, and the sound quality was good even before re-master
EXTD=ing for the current CD edition. \n\nThe title "Quadrophenia" (i.e
EXTD=. four-way schizophrenia) is the key to a further (and now the mo
EXTD=st poignant) theme of the album, namely introspection by the four
EXTD= members of the Who into their own inner lives. "Can you see the 
EXTD=real me?" asks the band, through the vehicle of Daltrey's first r
EXTD=aging vocal. And the answer is a resounding Yes. While every one 
EXTD=of the Who's projects is somebody's favourite, it is hard to resi
EXTD=st the conclusion that Quadrophenia captures one of the greatest 
EXTD=rock bands of all time at its all-time peak. My copy will not be 
EXTD=making a return journey to the attic. \n\n\nHalf.com Details \nCo
EXTD=ntributing artists: Chris Stainton \n\nAlbum Notes\nThe Who: Pete
EXTD= Townshend (vocals, guitar, keyboards); John Entwistle (vocals, b
EXTD=ass, horns); Roger Daltrey (vocals); Keith Moon (drums, percussio
EXTD=n, vocals).\n\nAdditional personnel: John Curle (spoken vocals); 
EXTD=Chris Stainton (piano).\nRecorded at The Kitchen, Battersea, Engl
EXTD=and.\nIncludes a 56-page booklet.\n\nBy the early 1970s, rock & r
EXTD=oll had been around long enough to begin to examine its own past.
EXTD= In the States, this resulted in Sha Na Na, but in Great Britain,
EXTD= where the popular culture of the young was more complex and code
EXTD=d, the Who's QUADROPHENIA was the most powerful example of this n
EXTD=ostalgic view. Reviews at the time focused primarily on the obscu
EXTD=re psychological aspect of the story--supposedly, the four sides 
EXTD=of the original double-album set are meant to examine the four si
EXTD=des of the main character's personality, each one represented by 
EXTD=a different member of the Who. However, the most interesting aspe
EXTD=ct of QUADROPHENIA is its seamy but poetic depiction of London's 
EXTD=early-'60s Mod subculture, from which the Who originally sprang.\n
EXTD=Set during the weekend of a climactic seaside gang fight between 
EXTD=the Mods and their archenemies the Rockers, Townshend's story fol
EXTD=lows Jimmy, the archetypal Mod. The impressionistic songs tell an
EXTD= elliptical tale, but also function on their own as vintage '70s 
EXTD=Who at their hard-rock height--the sneering "The Punk and the God
EXTD=father," the driving "5:15" and the anthemic, redemptive closer "
EXTD=Love, Reign O'er Me" are among Townshend's finest work.\n\nIndust
EXTD=ry Reviews\n8 (out of 10) - ...it is only now that a fully remast
EXTD=ered...full, double CD version has been released....Townshend's w
EXTD=indmilling riffing arm has never been busier, John Entwistle rema
EXTD=ins the finest bass player breathing, and Keith Moon...is truly m
EXTD=agnificent...\nNew Musical Express (06/29/1996)\n\n5 Stars - Indi
EXTD=spensible - ...it abides as one of The Who's peaks because...its 
EXTD=instant, push-button atmosphere is always lifted from the realms 
EXTD=of ham by some heartfelt Daltrey shout'n'croon, a bit of comedy M
EXTD=oon...and the antemic elegance of the last two tracks...\nQ (08/0
EXTD=1/1996)\n\nROLLING STONE REVIEW\nQuadrophenia is the Who at their
EXTD= most symmetrical, their most cinematic, ultimately their most ma
EXTD=ddening. Captained by Pete Townshend, they have put together a be
EXTD=autifully performed and magnificently recorded essay of a British
EXTD= youth mentality in which they played no little part, lushly endo
EXTD=wed with black and white visuals and a heavy sensibility of the w
EXTD=et-suffused air of 1965.\n\nNonetheless, the album fails to gener
EXTD=ate a total impact because of its own internal paradox: Instead o
EXTD=f the four-sided interaction implicit in the title and overriding
EXTD= concept, Quadrophenia is itself the product of a singular (albei
EXTD=t brilliant) consciousness. The result is a static quality which 
EXTD=the work never succeeds in fully overcoming. Townshend has taken 
EXTD=great pains with the record, has carried it within him for over a
EXTD= year, has laboriously fitted each piece of its grand scale in pl
EXTD=ace. Yet in winning the battle, he's lost the war and more's the 
EXTD=pity.\n\nThe hero of Quadrophenia is Jimmy, a young motor-scooted
EXTD= Mod in the throes of self-doubt and alienation. Unlike Tommy, to
EXTD= whom he's destined to be inevitably compared, Jimmy is no simpli
EXTD=stic parable or convenient symbol. His loner qualities set him ap
EXTD=art from both friends and foes, and though he's more than willing
EXTD= to be led, somehow even that security seems to elude him. Torn b
EXTD=etween identities, Townshend has gifted him with four, all compet
EXTD=ing for top seed in Jimmy's confused psyche. In one he is forcefu
EXTD=l and determined, a master of his fate; another finds him full of
EXTD= brazen daring and rollicking jingoism; yet another softens and r
EXTD=omanticizes his nature, giving him a quiet inner strength; and st
EXTD=ill another reveals him as insecure, searching, the promise of sa
EXTD=lvation granted and hovering over the next hillrise.\n\nSuch is q
EXTD=uadrophenia, schizophrenia times two, and Townshend maneuvers thi
EXTD=s conflict on several levels, each to noticeably good (if fairly 
EXTD=evident) effect. Most important of these manifold hooks is the Mo
EXTD=d generation out of which the Who sprang, and only secondary (tho
EXTD=ugh admittedly the most personally interesting) is the Who itself
EXTD=, four themes ("Helpless Dancer," "Bell Boy," "Is It Me?" and "Lo
EXTD=ve Reign O'er Me") wrestling, congealing, splitting apart through
EXTD=out the album. As for Jimmy, his frustration at being unable to r
EXTD=esolve his separate selves suddenly overwhelms him, so that he sm
EXTD=ashes his scooter, flees to Brighton on the shore, finally puttin
EXTD=g to sea in a boat with the vague aim of suicide. This is where w
EXTD=e find him at the beginning of side one, lost amidst his flashbac
EXTD=ks and disjointed memories, and this is where we leave him, on a 
EXTD=note of spiritual uplift and transcendence, at the end.\n\nThese 
EXTD=are not new concerns for the Who, by any means. Whereas the Kinks
EXTD= always seemed preoccupied with the staid and comfortable middle 
EXTD=class in an archetypal love-hate relationship, Townshend and Co. 
EXTD=early on turned an affectionate camera eye to their contemporarie
EXTD=s, culminating in such landmark classics as "Substitute," "Anyway
EXTD= Anyhow Anywhere" and a flailing "My Generation" yet to be equale
EXTD=d in definitive power.\n\nQuadrophenia, in taking that time in re
EXTD=trospect and examining its implications, lingers over the artifac
EXTD=ts of the period as if they might in themselves provide a clue. T
EXTD=ea kettles whistle over the ominous voicings of the BBC, hints of
EXTD= the Who in concert cut in and out of Jimmy's fragmented dreaming
EXTD=s, slim and checked jackets mingle with seersucker and neatly cut
EXTD= hair. To the American mind, Quadrophenia might thus seem as stra
EXTD=nge as portions of American Graffiti could appear to English expe
EXTD=rience, but it's to be assured that the appeal of semi-nostalgic 
EXTD=shared memories must perforce work as well for one as the other.\n
EXTD=\nIt is to Townshend's credit that his is not a disengaged overvi
EXTD=ew, pious and self-righteous after all these years. In seeking to
EXTD= understand Jimmy, he apparently is also trying to understand the
EXTD= roots of the Who, its attraction as rallying point and its event
EXTD=ual rejection by such as Jimmy ("The Punk Meets the Godfather") a
EXTD=nd--more appropriately--himself. To set the stage for Jimmy's fin
EXTD=al leap to faith, Townshend must question why the religion of roc
EXTD=k & roll (as well as GS scooters and purple hearts) had to be rep
EXTD=laced by something less temporal and untrustworthy, detail the st
EXTD=eps toward the higher goal, describe its draining holocaust.\n\nT
EXTD=he interior episodes where all this is hashed out are the most su
EXTD=ccessful on Quadrophenia, impeccably outlined by Townshend and st
EXTD=unningly executed by the Who. Jimmy attempts to mesh with his fam
EXTD=ily, his peer group, his girl, and yet remains an outsider, wonde
EXTD=ring why in his just-so clothes "the other tickets look much bett
EXTD=er/Without a penny to spend they dress to the letter." Meeting an
EXTD= old idol on the beach, now reduced to subserving as a local hote
EXTD=l bellboy, he is moved to remember: "Ain't you the guy who used t
EXTD=o set the paces/Riding up in front of a hundred faces?"\n\nAn eff
EXTD=ective moment, yet when judged against the broader scope of Quadr
EXTD=ophenia it seems as if all Townshend has constructed is a series 
EXTD=of such effective moments. Pete, for better or worse, is possesse
EXTD=d of a logic riveting in its linearity, and if in effect we are b
EXTD=eing placed in the mind of an emotionally distressed adolescent, 
EXTD=neither the texture of the music nor the album's outlook is able 
EXTD=to rise to this challenge of portraiture. Despite the varied them
EXTD=es, Jimmy is only seen through Townshend's eyes, geared through T
EXTD=ownshend's perceptions, and the aftermath as carried through four
EXTD= sides becomes a crisis of concept, the album straining to break 
EXTD=out of its enclosed boundaries and faltering badly.\n\nThis is re
EXTD=flected in the songs themselves, vastly similar in mode and const
EXTD=ruction, running together with little differential to separate th
EXTD=em. Only a few stand on their own as among the best the Who have 
EXTD=done ("The Real Me," "Is It in My Head?," "5:15," the Townshend t
EXTD=heme of "Love Reign O'er Me"), and of those it's interesting to n
EXTD=ote that several are holdovers from the lost Who album Glyn Johns
EXTD= and the band worked on before the onset of Quadrophenia. Also, g
EXTD=iven the inordinately complex personalities that make up the grou
EXTD=p, little is sensed of any Moon, Entwhistle or Daltrey contributi
EXTD=ons to the whole. Their roles are subdued, backing tracks when th
EXTD=ey should rise to shoulder the lead, pressed on all fronts by the
EXTD= sweep of Townshend's imagination.\n\nOn other Who albums this mi
EXTD=ght be acceptable, even welcome; surely Pete has been the Who's g
EXTD=uiding force, their hindsight and hellbound inspiration. It is hi
EXTD=s mastermind that has created the tour-de-force recording breakth
EXTD=roughs of the album, the realistic and panoramic landscape of pre
EXTD=-Carnaby Street England, arranged the setting so that each member
EXTD= of the band could give full vent to his vaunted and highly uniqu
EXTD=e instrumental prowess. Indeed, it might easily be said that the 
EXTD=Who as a whole have never sounded better, both ensemble and solo,
EXTD= proving unalterable worth and relevance in an age that has long 
EXTD=passed others of their band's generation into fragments of histor
EXTD=y.\n\nBut on its own terms, Quadrophenia falls short of the mark.
EXTD= Jimmy Livingston Seagull, adrift on a stormless sea, with only h
EXTD=is shattered wings and sharded memories to keep him company--so c
EXTD=lose, and yet so far. (RS 150 -- Dec 21, 1998)  -- LENNY KAYE
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