The Who
Quadrophenia

When the Who released 'Quadrophenia,' it was 'only' 1973, but the album already had to contend—with even before its release—with previous works like 'Tommy,' 'Live At Leeds,' and 'Who's Next': not exactly insignificant pieces of work, as others would have given up on such an ambitious project, having already undoubtedly delivered three works to the history of rock. Any other band that had produced this double album would have entered the Sacred Chronicles, the Lives of the Saints, but the misfortune of this album is arriving chronologically seventh, and although absolutely distinctive and possessing its own personality and pronounced characteristics, the work will always struggle to receive the rightful recognition.

At the end of a career, one might wonder what kind of person Pete Townshend must have been, an atypical guitarist who never quite managed with solos (not exactly an advantage in those years) but always composed fairly complex stuff with the inspiration, technique, versatility, and eloquence of Mozart and is undoubtedly the best rhythm guitarist ever. He is as far as one can imagine from the figure of the intellectual of rock—wild, instinctive, a punk ante litteram in destroying instruments and constantly risking his neck on stage—and yet he meditates on visionary and psychedelic universes and narratives, keyboard counterpoints worthy of Wakeman, songs with multi-composed rhythms with ten/fifteen chords, overtures, and recitatives from opera. The excellent early mod and garage days quickly evolve, the Who manage to take their fans by the hand and bring them to the presence of the keyboards and instrumental tracks of Tommy ('Underture,' ten minutes!), then they demonstrate their value live and thus allow themselves a third mature and multifaceted masterpiece.

The most courageous among the fans of 'Baba O'Riley,' 'Won't Get Fooled Again,' and 'Song Is Over' clearly perceive a new epic and undoubtedly progressive characteristics in the composition and execution. The Who aspire to be the only garage-prog band in history, strong with four unique and very personal instrumentalists, and there's no need to recall here what the untamed bass of Entwistle and the stentorian voice of Daltrey are, not to mention the mad percussive genius of Keith Moon, one who threw out the hi-hat from day one. The new album will either confirm or deny this, the guys are young, energetic, and famous, and they can still give a lot.

In recent years, it has been clarified that the epic of 'Quadrophenia' had nothing to do with the aborted 'Lifehouse' project, as was hypothesized in the years immediately following. The fact is that after 'Tommy,' Pete was publicly contemplating the second rock opera (no less), but he couldn't come to grips with a complicated ecological-futuristic concept, which would only be completed in 1999; some songs ended up on 'Who's Next,' but the total recycling of the copious musical ideas never happened, and the matter was set aside awaiting complete inspiration. However, the work had to be realized, the Who had set their minds on it, and Pete had even talked about it publicly, thus the leader fishes again from his inexhaustible artistic source and within a year, first a rehearsal-opera called 'Long Live Rock,' still unreleased, was recorded, then (with some difficulties and great means) four new sides dedicated to the socio-existential malaise of a mod boy and his battles with the rocker gangs, a subject of which they know more than a bit.

The setting and story factor in 'Quadrophenia' (a more severe form of schizophrenia) is not actually as important as it was for 'Tommy': the story of social and generational discontent and annihilation, more concrete but weak and vague compared to the wildly visionary one of the pinball prophet, is just a pretext and conceptual unity for a not particularly focused critique of English society (especially of social and school education) and for a series of important and autonomous songs, so much so that in the subsequent tour the work will not be presented in its entirety (as it was for the previous one), and the best snippets will be performed independently from the context, and freely accompanied by the classics of the past.

Opening the famous cover with the multi-mirrored Vespa, the first track that makes us jump out of our chairs is 'The Real Me,' where guitar and horns benefit from the most frenetic rhythm section ever heard in the rock sphere (to the chagrin of Grand Funk Railroad). The start is explosive, but the subsequent title track pins us to the same chair, it seems like Led Zeppelin playing King Crimson's repertoire, and Townshend even grants a commendable solo at the beginning of the track: crazy stuff.

It must be said, and I cannot hold back: it is also progressive, forward-looking, muscular progressive rock, energetic and lyrical: as keyboard-driven as 'Kashmir' three years before 'Kashmir,' complex and multifaceted, the entire Side 4 is pure symphony in a crescendo of synthesizers and guitars, and piano. Keith Moon starts the legendary cymbals going, and off they go, with Entwistle, the rock intensity remains high but counterpoints and melodies are inexhaustible, the eight minutes of 'Doctor Jimmy' and the six of the instrumental summation 'The Rock' land in the rain in one of the most beautiful and emotional piano-orchestral ballads, where Daltrey finally exhausts himself after the splendid performance in the famous '5:15.'

The vibrant 'I've Had Enough,' the reflective 'Sea And Sand,' the very rock 'Drowned,' the confrontational 'The Punk And The Godfather' are also wonderful: arpeggios in the style of 'Behind Blue Eyes' flow into the most vibrant Rock and Roll, but the synthesizers and horn parts (written and arranged by John Entwistle) spring out everywhere, and the overall energy is greater than on 'Tommy,' especially for the soaring growth of the Who's sound and style. It is the best union ever between Eddie Cochran and Beethoven, the only one truly convincing and truly rock, the contemporary 'ELO II' vaguely approaches the idea, but it is merely pop, albeit excellent.

The many difficulties in the studio and even greater ones on tour stress out the irascible Townshend beyond measure, who, after literally kicking out all the studio technicians and mobile engineers, takes almost two years of break before leading the Who to a negligible new release, light-years away from the glory of 'Quadrophenia' (and he will have the pleasure of bringing the work back to the stage, this time properly and entirely, in 1996). 'Quadrophenia' becomes a good film in 1979 (not a musical film like 'Tommy'), featuring Sting and Toyah and using alternative versions, remixed or with parts re-recorded from many tracks of the album. After 1973, the Who would never be the same: rather disappointing and interim 'Who By Numbers,' quite unfocused 'Who Are You,' and only interesting the production of the Eighties. This wonderful double album is the last great gift of an indomitable rock group with undeniably superior artistic ambitions to their background, the last successful synthesis between antithetical genres and inspirations, the fourth and last masterpiece to be handed down to posterity before a dignified journey toward substantial retirement. Thanks also to the help of loyal friends (Kenny Jones above all), the tour performances will remain exciting for many years even after the passing of Keith Moon, but the best inspiration ends exactly here, plus or minus one track.