Quadrophenia is the Who at its most symmetrical, its most cinematic, and ultimately its best. Captained by Pete Townshend, the band put together a beautifully performed and magnificently recorded essay of a British youth mentality in which they played no little part, lushly endowed with black and white visuals and a heavy sensibility of the wet-suffused air of 1965.
A beautiful 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, it's a coming-of-age story with an incredible 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," the powerful "Love, Reign O'er Me" and the self-affirming "I'm One." The songwriting is top-notch, as is the production (the Who had by now mastered the use synthesizers, to a level few rock bands have achieved since).
The hero of Quadrophenia is Jimmy, a young motor-scootered Mod in the throes of self-doubt and alienation. Unlike Tommy, Jimmy is no simplistic parable or convenient symbol. His loner qualities set him apart from both friends and foes, and though he's more than willing to be led, somehow even that security seems to elude him. Torn between identities, Townshend has gifted him with four, all competing for top seed in Jimmy's confused psyche. In one he is forceful and determined, a master of his fate; another finds him full of brazen daring and rollicking jingoism; yet another softens and romanticizes his nature, giving him a quiet inner strength; and still another reveals him as insecure, searching, the promise of salvation granted and hovering over the next hillrise.
Quadrophenia means schizophrenia times two, and Townshend maneuvers the conflict on several levels. Most important is the Mod generation out of which the Who sprang, and only secondary (though the most interesting) is the Who itself, four themes ("Helpless Dancer," "Bell Boy," "Is It Me?" and "Love Reign O'er Me") wrestling, congealing, splitting apart throughout the album. As for Jimmy, his frustration at being unable to resolve his separate selves suddenly overwhelms him, so he smashes his scooter, flees to Brighton on the shore, finally putting to sea in a boat with the vague aim of suicide. This is where we find him at the beginning of side one, lost amidst his flashbacks and disjointed memories, and this is where we leave him, on a note of spiritual uplift and transcendence, at the end. The Who's teen angst themes, first expressed through songs like "Substitute," "Anyway Anyhow Anywhere" and the flailing "My Generation," are all revisited here with epic-like results.
Roger Daltrey discovered himself as a vocal dramatist while the group was recording `Tommy'. The full power of his vocal range came out during the tours that followed and in the subsequent recording of `Who's Next'. He made full use of both, and did so with flair, style and confidence on this record. There are points where he sings softly and plaintitively, points where he roars in anger and times when he does both. His best moments come during "The Real Me," "Love Reign O'er Me" and on "Bell Boy" where he beautifully sets the stage for Keith Moon's best and most heartfelt vocal performance on record. Dartley is intense and sings like his life depends on it.
John Entwistle came up with the clinic on how to use the bass as a lead instrument. His great moment comes early, midway through `The Real Me' when he and Moon take up the entire melody of the song and carry it under Daltrey's vocal line. However, his work on the album is very subtle at times, carrying much of the melody while providing an excellent platform for the layers of guitar and synth work that ride over-top. "Cut My Hair," "The Punk Meets the Godfather" and "Is It In My Head" are all perfect examples.
Moon gave his best studio performance on this set. The way he and Entwistle work together is nothing short of astounding. The symphonic element Moon lends `Dr. Jimmy' is something few other drummers could pull off, as is his phrasing on "Sea and Sand" and "The Dirty Jobs." His use of cymbals to close, open and join the song's musical phrases is nothing short of remarkable.
Not to be left behind, Peter Townshend's guitar playing here puts him on the same level as peers like Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page. Regal and passionate work from the composer himself.
Quadrophenia has stood the test of time. There's a lot to absorb on this record and it's well worth the effort to do so. Townshend's writing approaches volatile subject matter thoughtfully and with great insight. The band's delivery is powerful. It reaches the heart as well as the mind. Find it and listen to it!
