Quadrophenia

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For the film based on this album, see Quadrophenia (film).
Quadrophenia
Quadrophenia cover
Studio album by The Who
Released October 19, 1973
Recorded May 1972 and June 1973 at Olympic Studios and "The Kitchen" in Battersea, London
Genre Rock/Progressive Rock
Length 81:33
Label Track, Polydor (UK)
Track/MCA, MCA (U.S.)
Producer(s) The Who, Kit Lambert, and Glyn Johns
Professional reviews
The Who chronology
Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy
(1971)		 Quadrophenia
(1973)		 Odds and Sods
(1974)


Quadrophenia is a double album released by The Who on October 19, 1973, one of the group's two full-scale rock operas.[1] Its story involves social, musical, and psychological happenings from an English teenage perspective, set in London and Brighton in 1964 and 1965.

The name is a variation on the incorrect popular usage of the medical diagnostic term schizophrenia as multiple personality disorder to reflect the four distinct personalities of Jimmy, the opera's protagonist. It was also tied in to the Quadrophonic sound schemes then being introduced.

Contents

[edit] History

Quadrophenia was originally released as a two-LP set with a butterfly jacket and a thick booklet containing lyrics, a text version of the story, and photographs illustrating the tale. MCA Records re-released it as a two-CD set in 1985 with the lyrics and text story line on a thin fold-up sheet but none of the photographs. The remastered CDs of 1996 include the full original booklet in miniature.

In the liner notes to the remastered Odds and Sods Townshend revealed that Quadrophenia evolved from an idea for a self-indulgent autobiography of the band. Two of the opera's tracks date from 1972, a year that also produced The Who's singles "Join Together" and "Long Live Rock" (the latter not actually released until 1974). However, by the time Quadrophenia was released the band's role in the story was only symbolic, via Jimmy's four personalities.

Quadrophenia reached #2 on the U.S. Billboard album chart and was kept away from #1 by Elton John's album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

The tour in support of the album was disastrous according to the band. Many of the shows were plagued by malfunctioning backing sound effects tapes and once the tape started playing the band had to play to them because prior to the Quadrophenia tour the band played in almost a free-form sort of manner on stage.

On the first night of the U.S. leg at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, California, drummer Keith Moon collapsed onstage before the show ended and an audience member was brought on to finish the show.

[edit] Story

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The story covers about two days of the life of a certain Jimmy, a participant in the circa 1964 Mod lifestyle in England. "The story is set on a rock!" announced the composer, Pete Townshend, at one live performance, indicating that the opera represents Jimmy's looking back at the events of the previous day or two that led him into the gloomy situation where he finds himself at the end of the story. The narrative is difficult to derive from the lyrics alone, but becomes clearer with the benefit of a short story (also written by Townshend) related from Jimmy's first person perspective, that is included in the album's booklet.

The first half of the opera treats us to the frustrations and insecurities that govern Jimmy's life, including brief glimpses of his home life, his job, his psychoanalyst, and his unfruitful attempts to have a social life. Halfway through the opera he sings "I've Had Enough", finds himself kicked out of his home when his parents find his dope (this happens in the song Cut My Hair "...But my mother found a box of blues, And there doesn't seem much hope They'll let me stay."), gets pilled up and takes a train ride to the coast (Embodied in the song 5:15, which is supposed to be the time when the train departs). During his stay near the beach in Brighton, he encounters a former "Ace Face" (leader) Mod whom he admires greatly. However, the ace face now works as a bell boy at a nearby hotel. Ironically, he had smashed the windows of this very same hotel two years before. This display of masculine bravado had earned him the admiration of many of his fellow Mods two years before during Jimmy's first stay in Brighton. Jimmy is disgusted to learn that the person he had admired as a Mod had "sold out" (Although his disgust may stem from similar weaknesses that Jimmy sees in himself).

At this point, Jimmy is inconsolable. Everybody from his parents to his girlfriend had disappointed him before, but he had never expected the Mod lifestyle to let him down. Drunk and depressed, he steals a motorboat and takes it out to a barren rock protruding from the sea, and crashes psychologically. With nothing left to live for he finds redemption in the pouring rain, which is expressed in the final song, "Love, Reign o'er Me".

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Musical structure

Each of Jimmy's four personalities is supposed to be associated with one of the four musicians in The Who. The liner notes illustrate this concept as follows (names added):

In addition to describing a personality/band member, the four descriptions refer to four theme songs that portray Jimmy's personalities in the opera: "Helpless Dancer", "Is It Me?", "Bell Boy", and "Love Reign O'er Me". The four musical themes (or "leitmotifs" as described by Townshend) are mixed together in both the title track (bridging "The Real Me" and "Cut My Hair"), and the penultimate track, "The Rock," (bridging "Doctor Jimmy" and "Love, Reign O'er Me"). The two pieces were the most musically complex pieces that Townshend ever wrote for The Who, combining all four themes into two six-minute musical medleys. The two pieces have neither a definite beginning or end, as they begin with a fade-in from the previous track, starting with the theme of "Bell Boy" (Moon's theme). This is followed by the themes of "Is It Me" (Entwistle's Theme), "Helpless Dancer" (Daltrey's theme), and "Love, Reign O'er Me" (Townshend's theme). "Quadrophenia" fades into rain sound effects after the "Love Reign O'er Me" theme. "The Rock" however ends with a combination of the four different themes, using the "Bell Boy" theme as the chord sequence, the "Helpless Dancer" theme as the melody, the "Is It Me?" theme as a lead (played on guitar and synthesizer), and the piano part to "Love Reign O'er Me" as a countermelody. The whole song abruptly ends on a downbeat layered with the sound of thunder and descends into "Love Reign O'er Me" proper.

[edit] Theme

There are many themes in Quadrophenia. Some of the notable ones are the sense of belonging somewhere, rebellion, trying to find yourself, and a sense of humbleness. The story outlines Jimmy's search to find himself and trying to belong somewhere. He is confused by his personalities and doesn't know what to do. He's frustrated with everything in the world, and he thinks that everyone is against him. Eventually, he has a spiritual realization and forsakes the Mod lifestyle and turns a new leaf.

[edit] Critical reaction and impact

The lyrics to the song "The Punk and the Godfather" leave the mistaken impression that Townshend was aware of a musical rebellion called punk as early as 1973, with a dual interpretation of Townshend as the punk and his record company's executives as the godfather and/or younger musicians working in new styles as the punks and Townshend as the godfather. The term "punk" was already well-established in a non-musical sense.

In 2000 Q magazine placed Quadrophenia at number 56 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever. In 2001, the TV network VH1 named it the 86th greatest album of all time. In 2003, the album was ranked number 266 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

[edit] Subsequent productions

In 1979 the film Quadrophenia was released, with several additional songs done by Pete Townshend for the soundtrack.

In summer 1996, The Who, with a large backing group featuring among others Zak Starkey on drums (his first appearance as The Who's drummer), Geoff Whitehorn and Simon Townshend on electric guitar (the former played lead guitar on almost all of the songs) and keyboardists Jon Carin and John "Rabbit" Bundrick, performed Quadrophenia in its entirety for the first time in many years in London's Hyde Park, with guest performers Phil Daniels as the Narrator/Jimmy, Gary Glitter as The Rocker, Adrian Edmonson as the Ace Face/Bellboy, Stephen Fry as the hotel manager (screaming, "Bellboy!"), Trevor McDonald as the newsreader and Pink Floyd's David Gilmour as the bus driver. Gilmour also played additional lead guitar for that first performance – he sang and played lead guitar on The Dirty Jobs, plus performed lead guitar on Sea and Sand, Dr. Jimmy, The Rock, Love, Reign O'er Me and 5:15 (Reprise). For the subsequent extensive tour of the UK and the USA, Daniels was replaced and Gilmour's role was taken over by Simon Townshend. Gary Glitter and P.J. Proby (subsequently) made guest appearances as The Godfather, and Billy Idol also guested as the Ace Face/Bellboy, also subsequently being replaced.

In 2005, A live performance of Quadrophenia from The Who's late 1996/early tour was included in a 3-disc DVD box set released by Rhino Entertainment, also featuring a live performance of Tommy from 1989 as well as other hit songs performed live. Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey provided special commentary, and an interview with Billy Idol was also included.

The album was covered in its entirety by Phish on October 31, 1995 as part of the band's "Halloween musical costume extravaganzas", which was later released as Live Phish Volume 14.

In 2005, Luna C Productions staged a theatrical tribute to Quadrophenia in Los Angeles, starring Stephen Shareaux as Jimmy. Additional performances occurred in March and November 2006, and a touring company is in discussion for 2007. [1]

[edit] Track listing

All songs written by Pete Townshend (the only such instance in The Who's career).

[edit] Disc one

[edit] Side one

  1. "I am the Sea" – 2:08
  2. "The Real Me" – 3:20
  3. "Quadrophenia" – 6:15
  4. "Cut My Hair" – 3:46
  5. "The Punk and the Godfather"[2] – 5:10

[edit] Side two

  1. "I'm One" – 2:39
  2. "The Dirty Jobs" – 4:30
  3. "Helpless Dancer" – 2:32
  4. "Is It in My Head" – 3:46
  5. "I've Had Enough"– 6:14

[edit] Disc two

[edit] Side three

  1. "5:15" – 5:00
  2. "Sea and Sand" – 5:01
  3. "Drowned" – 5:28
  4. "Bell Boy" – 4:56

[edit] Side four

  1. "Doctor Jimmy" – 8:42
  2. "The Rock" – 6:37
  3. "Love, Reign O'er Me" – 5:48

[edit] Personnel

[edit] Additional personnel

[edit] Production personnel

  • Pete Townshend – pre-production, special effects
  • Chris Stamp – executive producer
  • Pete Kameron – executive producer
  • Kit Lambert – executive producer
  • Ron Nevison – engineer, special effects
  • Ron Fawcus – mixing continuity, engineering assistance
  • Bob Ludwig – Remastering
  • Rod Houison – special effects
  • Graham Hughes – front cover design and photography
  • Ethan Russell – art direction, insert photography

[edit] Charts

Album

Year Chart Position
1973 Billboard Pop Albums 2

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
1973 "Love, Reign O'er Me" Billboard Pop Singles 76
1974 "The Real Me" Billboard Pop Singles 92
1979 "5:15" Billboard Pop Singles 45

[edit] Certifications

Organization Level Date
RIAA – USA Gold October 29, 1973
BPI – UK Gold December 1, 1973
RIAA – USA Platinum February 2, 1993

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ In a conventional use of the word "opera" as Quadrophenia is mostly a monologue work rather than a varied drama.
  2. ^ On the U.S. release of the album, "The Punk and the Godfather" was renamed "The Punk Meets the Godfather"

[edit] External links

The Who
Roger Daltrey | Pete Townshend | John Entwistle | Keith Moon
Kenney Jones - John "Rabbit" Bundrick - Pino Palladino - Zak Starkey
Simon Townshend - Jon Carin - Simon Phillips - Doug Sandom - Colin Dawson
Listings
Personnel - Discography - Filmography - The Who in popular culture
Other related people
Peter Meaden - Kit Lambert - Chris Stamp
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