I agree with those who think that Quadrophenia is the Who's best album... (though their best "work" is probably the live sets from '69-70). But in one way, it's a step back from Who's Next -- the use of synths. On Who's Next, the synths are uniquely minimal, drony, making their own sounds. On Quadrophenia, they're mainly just substitutes for strings. So, more of an imitation/replacement for natural instruments (the pathway to the awful '80s) than forging new sounds.

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dcba

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tatters
I know this has absolutely nothing to do with Quadrophenia, but check THIS one out!

It's horrible. Sounds and looks like an "Instituteofbass" instructor showing off in front of his students. Coke makes you do evil things...

We had this conversation about Entwistle a while back. I don't think his ambition to be a lead guitarist served him well in later years, particularly live. I could not stand the sound of his "bass" anymore toward the end, there was no more bass to it. I saw The Who at MSG right after he died and was pleasantly surprised that Pino Palladino sounded like the old Entwistle.

With the Who, he played the bass. On his solo records, and performing with his own band, he played the bass guitar. Even his early solo stuff has that trebly bass sound. This is from 1971.






Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 2011-06-05 20:33 by tatters.

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tatters
With the Who, he played the bass. On his solo records, and performing with his own band, he played the bass guitar. Even his early solo stuff has that trebbly bass sound. This is from 1971.

With The Who live, in later years, he played the super-trebly bass guitar. I saw numerous shows where there was basically no bass whatsoever.

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71Tele

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tatters
With the Who, he played the bass. On his solo records, and performing with his own band, he played the bass guitar. Even his early solo stuff has that trebly bass sound. This is from 1971.

With The Who live, in later years, he played the super-trebly bass guitar. I saw numerous shows where there was basically no bass whatsoever.

Well somebody had to play electric guitar!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2011-06-05 20:34 by tatters.

The rock star who wrote “Hope I die before I get old” is now 66. Pete Townshend of The Who tells Simon Garfield about life in a “celebration machine”—and the moment that was nearly his downfall ...

From INTELLIGENT LIFE Magazine, Summer 2011

Rock music in 2011 is not quite what it was in the mid-1960s. For one thing, it is full of challenging coincidences, such as the one reported by Pete Townshend in a recent e-mail. “I was supposed to be sailing in the St Barth’s Bucket Race on March 24th,” he wrote. That’s right: the writer of “My Generation”, “Substitute” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again” now spends part of his time as a yachtsman in the Caribbean. “This was arranged last August,” he added. “In a challenging coincidence Roger Daltrey will be performing ‘Tommy’ on that very day for Teenage Cancer [Trust] at the Royal Albert Hall.”

[moreintelligentlife.com]

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dcba

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tatters
I know this has absolutely nothing to do with Quadrophenia, but check THIS one out!

It's horrible. Sounds and looks like an "Instituteofbass" instructor showing off in front of his students. Coke makes you do evil things...

That's like someone saying they were a fan of Buddy Rich, but didn't like his show-offy drum solos.

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To me, Tommy always was better live. Their live versions had much more power, less pomp and circumstances. The album Tommy underwhelmed me for what I had been expecting. And this is something The Who often had a hard time with, replicating their on stage power on vinyl. Tommy's production is very tame, and in fact I really don't think it sounds a lot like The Who, more like them trying to replicate Abbey Road's sounds... The record has very little of Townshend's incendiary electric leads, and is more acoustic and orchestral, that just doesn't have the punch that I wished it had. Again, listen to their version of I'm Free live, it is stunning, especially from the Kelburn DVD. AMAZING! And so much better than the studio recording. Quadrophenia has the power and punch that I expect from The Who, with a more developed and emotive story that resonates more with the confusion and angst of youth, and adult (paradise lost). Not only a very interesting and relevant story. But performed and produced with a punch of aggression, even on the gentler acoustic numbers. Brilliant! And their musicianship was arguably at their peek. Keith is tightly locked in with Entwistle, and Entwistle not only did the bass, but all the horns on the disc! INCREDIBLE! For me there is so much to discover on Quadrophenia that it always surprises me to hear some new nuance or allusion that is powerful and emotional. I also love how the themes repeat themselves embedded within various songs, then to glide back to the main riff of the song. Brilliant, and far more operatic than Tommy. And this is a complete statement! Who's Next is brilliant, but seems a bit fragmented, and too short. I am always wanting more and baffled that they didn't put Pure And Easy and The Naked Eye on it.

Whitey, for once, I have absolutely nothing to disagree with you about. Spot on. About both albums. Hope you're well, man.

My fellow Bowie freak Nikolai:-) ! For once?? Awe...thanks! I am doing better thanks, foot is still on the mend, but I am walking and dancing, so life is good. Hope you are well!

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Nikolai

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whitem8
To me, Tommy always was better live. Their live versions had much more power, less pomp and circumstances. The album Tommy underwhelmed me for what I had been expecting. And this is something The Who often had a hard time with, replicating their on stage power on vinyl. Tommy's production is very tame, and in fact I really don't think it sounds a lot like The Who, more like them trying to replicate Abbey Road's sounds... The record has very little of Townshend's incendiary electric leads, and is more acoustic and orchestral, that just doesn't have the punch that I wished it had. Again, listen to their version of I'm Free live, it is stunning, especially from the Kelburn DVD. AMAZING! And so much better than the studio recording. Quadrophenia has the power and punch that I expect from The Who, with a more developed and emotive story that resonates more with the confusion and angst of youth, and adult (paradise lost). Not only a very interesting and relevant story. But performed and produced with a punch of aggression, even on the gentler acoustic numbers. Brilliant! And their musicianship was arguably at their peek. Keith is tightly locked in with Entwistle, and Entwistle not only did the bass, but all the horns on the disc! INCREDIBLE! For me there is so much to discover on Quadrophenia that it always surprises me to hear some new nuance or allusion that is powerful and emotional. I also love how the themes repeat themselves embedded within various songs, then to glide back to the main riff of the song. Brilliant, and far more operatic than Tommy. And this is a complete statement! Who's Next is brilliant, but seems a bit fragmented, and too short. I am always wanting more and baffled that they didn't put Pure And Easy and The Naked Eye on it.

Whitey, for once, I have absolutely nothing to disagree with you about. Spot on. About both albums. Hope you're well, man.

My fellow Bowie freak Nikolai:-) ! For once?? Awe...thanks! I am doing better thanks, foot is still on the mend, but I am walking and dancing, so life is good. Hope you are well!

I'm good man, thanks. Glad your foot's healing up.

A while ago (this being around 1998/1999) I'd read that there was going to be a series of archive live Who releases from the Moon era. A complete Quadrophenia show from the US 1973 leg was pencilled in for release. Not sure what happened, but the plans were scrapped.

I hope we get some live material with the forthcoming Quad box, but I somehow doubt it. Did you ever get Live at Leeds (and Hull)?

Yeah I got the Deluxe Leeds box set, that is already out of print. I thought it was very well done, nice package and great to have all the discs and the original vinyl. The Hull show is good, but the fact that Entwistle's bass was overdubbed from the Leeds, combined with some rougher Daltry vocals, leaves me to conclude that they were right to release Leeds! But some of the Tommy stuff on Hull is better than Leeds...

I have also read about those archive live releases and was really waiting in anticipation...I hope they still do it though!

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whitem8
Yeah I got the Deluxe Leeds box set, that is already out of print. I thought it was very well done, nice package and great to have all the discs and the original vinyl. The Hull show is good, but the fact that Entwistle's bass was overdubbed from the Leeds, combined with some rougher Daltry vocals, leaves me to conclude that they were right to release Leeds! But some of the Tommy stuff on Hull is better than Leeds...

I have also read about those archive live releases and was really waiting in anticipation...I hope they still do it though!

I doubt they will now. Which is a shame. Still, that's why we have bootlegs.

I like the way The Who have handled their legacy. Their reissues are always worth getting for the bonus material. The Stones are still lagging waaaay behind.

Yes, I liked the re-releases with the bonus material. Especially Who's Next Deluxe and The Who Sell Out deluxe. Both very well done. And I love the Vic show on Who's Next. Awesome. That is another reason i am so excited by the Quadrophenia release, as they didn't ever re-release that with bonus tracks. And strangely, with their re-release program I became reaquainted with It's Hard, which I thought was a rather weak effort, but then listening to it again, and the live bonus tracks, it is a damn fine album. I especially like A Man is A Man. And Cry if You Want live.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-06-07 06:07 by whitem8.

yes it was weird it was not released with bonus tracks the first time they did all of the reissues

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whitem8
Yes, I liked the re-releases with the bonus material. Especially Who's Next Deluxe and The Who Sell Out deluxe. Both very well done. And I love the Vic show on Who's Next. Awesome. That is another reason i am so excited by the Quadrophenia release, as they didn't ever re-release that with bonus tracks. And strangely, with their re-release program I became reaquainted with It's Hard, which I thought was a rather weak effort, but then listening to it again, and the live bonus tracks, it is a damn fine album. I especially like A Man is A Man. And Cry if You Want live.

Cry if You Want is my favorite song off It's Hard. It almost sounds like the protagonist of My Generation has grown up and had to mature. Plus the driving drums and Townshend's cutting guitar at the end make it a great track, sadly overlooked.

Yeah, I agree, actually there are serveral very good songs on It's Hard, Emmenance Front, Cry if You Want, I've Known No War, A Man is a Man... But I especially like the live version of Cry if You Want.

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whitem8
Yeah, I agree, actually there are serveral very good songs on It's Hard, Emmenance Front, Cry if You Want, I've Known No War, A Man is a Man... But I especially like the live version of Cry if You Want.

I wouldn't call It's Hard a 'fine album'. It has one great song on it (Eminence Front), and a few good ones - Athena, Cry if You Want, and the title track.

Conversely, I really like most of Face Dances. Yes, the production was wrong, and yes, Pete's demos were better, in some cases, than the band versions (Cache Cache in particular), but all but one of Pete's songs on that album were terrific - Another Tricky Day, Don't Let Go The Coat, You Better ..., Did You Steal My Money (ok, maybe not a terrific song, but Pete's refrain on it is chilling), How Can You Do It Alone. It's a very dark album, without sounding it.

It's Hard is an abyssmal album that does a real disservice to the rest of The Who's canon. Overblown songs that only reveal how out of touch Townshend had become with the music scene. This was the sound of The Who not even treading water but sinking deep into it.

And yes, Face Dances does have some lovely moments on it...Don't Let Go The Coat, Cache Cache and Another Tricky Day. Even Entwhistle's token song, The Quiet One, is a stormer. But like Who Are You and to a lesser extent The Who By Numbers it lacks the cohesion of the Sell Out to Quadrophenia period. In short, too many weak songs.

Unlike the Stones, who occasionally do make an album that's better than the one that proceeded it, the Who have been in an inexorable, depressing, downhill slide ever since they peaked in 1971 with Who's Next. Every album since then (including the great Quadrophenia), has not been as good as the one that came before it. If, God help us, they make another one, not only won't it be as "good" as Endless Wire, it will make It's Hard sound like a masterpiece by comparison.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2011-06-07 16:25 by tatters.

Tatters, I love your posts, but I completely disagree with you. Tommy was bettered in the form of Who's Next. For me, Quadrophenia was the pinnacle, and better in many ways than Who's Next. Who By Numbers, while not better than Quadrophenia, was a very solid release and very different from Quadrophenia, so not worse, just different. Who Are you was a fantastic album! But again not better than Who By Numbers, but different. Face Dances, as Nikolai stated, suffered from some dreadful production, but the material was fantastic with some very dark writing from Townshend. And then It's Hard, which I feel has gotten a bum rap in some ways. WHile I will admit not as solid as the albums before it, it still had some merits. And I for one was thrilled with Endless Wire! I thought it was fantastic with some of the old Who magic on it.

Endless Wire was a superb album. Compare it to Bigger Bang!

Townshend never seems to stick to a formula, which may be why people think the Who peaked with Who's Next or Quadrophenia. After these synth laden albums, the Who come back with a very personal, guitar layered (though not bombastic in all cases) album in the form of WHo By Numbers (still one of my favorites). I think fans were let down because outside of Dreaming from the Waist (the best song of this album) and maybe Slip Kid, none of the other songs had the loud abrasive style people had come to expect from the Who. Still Squeeze Box was a throwback to the old-Who of the sixties with its cute double entedre's.
After By Numbers, the Who took such a long break that I think most people thought they were done. Instead they came back with Who Are You, which I feel is a great album. There are some weak moments on it (Love is Coming Down, which not a bad song, but not a great one either) and strong moments (title track, Sister Disco, even the jazzy/blues of Music Must Change) and middle of the road songs (Guitar and Pen). It was still a consist album showing that the Who were willing experiment, rather than stick to a formula.
Face Dances reflects the current trend of music at the time, e.g new wave. I don't feel it suffers from it, and like others have pointed out, it has some great songs on it. Finally It's Hard I think suffers from Townshend's almost writers block. The band told him they didn't want his personal feelings and wanted something more reflective of the political or social state at the time. The result was Its Hard, a seemingly forced effort that still produces some solid efforts. As for Endless Wire, I listen to this more than A Bigger Bang. Townshend proved he can still write great lyrics and great music. Some standouts for me include Mike Post Theme, It's Not Enough, Sound Round, Black Widow's Eyes. It shows the Who once again experimenting with themes and sound. Sure In The Ether may not be a great Who song, but at least its not a predictable song.

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whitem8
Tatters, I love your posts, but I completely disagree with you. Tommy was bettered in the form of Who's Next. For me, Quadrophenia was the pinnacle, and better in many ways than Who's Next. Who By Numbers, while not better than Quadrophenia, was a very solid release and very different from Quadrophenia, so not worse, just different. Who Are you was a fantastic album! But again not better than Who By Numbers, but different. Face Dances, as Nikolai stated, suffered from some dreadful production, but the material was fantastic with some very dark writing from Townshend. And then It's Hard, which I feel has gotten a bum rap in some ways. WHile I will admit not as solid as the albums before it, it still had some merits. And I for one was thrilled with Endless Wire! I thought it was fantastic with some of the old Who magic on it.

Great post, Whitey. I agree with you about Who Are You. Highly underrated. Love Is Coming Down is the only weak song on an album that teeters close to greatness. The mighty title track, Sister Disco, Music Must Change, New Song, Guitar and Pen, and even all three of John's songs are great. Recorded in trying circumstances - Moon overweight and out of shape, Pete and John having massive drinking bouts, Daltrey flying in and out of the sessions by helicopter, permanently pissed off. Daltrey chinning Glynn Johns ... And then Moon died. Not To Be Taken Away indeed.

The Who By Numbers is probably their last truly great album, I think. It's a companion piece to Townshend's solo masterpiece, Empty Glass (or the last great Who album that never was). It's like a very English version of Tonight's The Night - inward, resigned, sad. Real dark night of the soul stuff. Blue Red and Grey is a tearjerker. Keith Moon apparently burst out crying after he heard How Many Friends?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-06-07 21:20 by Nikolai.

Couldn't agree more with both you super Who fans Nikolai and Happy Jack! Who By Numbers, again, very much like a Townshend solo album, but a unsung hero in The Who's cannon. A very interesting and introspective journey through Townshend's 70's disillusionment with his bandmates, himself, and his fans. A very somber (not sober!) affair with some stunning results. Yes, it was very different from Quadrophenia, and many fans were probably asking, "where do they go from here?" And Townshend answered with a very personal open letter to the public. I love that album! How Many Friends and Imagine a Man are two of his most touching songs that he has ever written, full of the sardonic Townshend wit, reflection, and passion. And Daltry interprets his mates angst perfectly with that sly touch of macho bravado that teeters on the edge of emotional devastation, as if he wants to cry for Townshend. And I can just imagine Moonie crying when he heard How Many Friends...And then ending the album with In A Hand Or A Face was brilliant. The aggressive riff juxtaposed with the swirling harmonies of "round and round..."
And then we get to Who Are You..."not to be taken away..." such a sad and angry album. Townshend penning New Song which spits venom on his own writer's block and the music press. A great punk song infused with the very thing the punks were rallying against, the progressive rock synths that ooze all over the entire album like a taunting landscape of defiance. And what hasn't been mentioned in the wonderful posts above is that we get three of Enwistle's finest compositions! 905, Had Enough, and Trick of the Light! Wonderful hard rock candy with some fantastic lyrics, and very melodic hooks that are turned into wonderful soundscapes. And it really showed that Townshend wasn't joking when he wrote New Song, his writer's block meant that Entwistle had to carry a third of the album with is material. I remember being very excited by Who Are You because it seemed to meld Townshend's uncanny knack for the master riff with his love of layered synths, much like Quadrophenia. Guitar and Pen is a wild song! Full of very interesting progressions, intricate keyboards, strange guitar fills and some wonderful slashing. And Roger's voice on it soars! Ah the joys of remembering discovering those two albums for the first time!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2011-06-08 00:57 by whitem8.

I will agree anout Who By Numbers...a very underappreciated album. Who Are You is important because it was the last one with Mooney, of course. I don't like Guitar and Pen, as Pete started writing songs about writing songs (also "New Song"). It seemed he was running out of inspiration by this point, and the strain really started to show in Roger trying to interpret some of these songs.

Sorry Nikolai! YOU did mention the Ox's stuff on Who Are You!!

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ablett
Endless Wire was a superb album. Compare it to Bigger Bang!

I compared it to Psychoderelict, Pete's worst solo album, which, depressingly enough, is better.

i liked endless wire

Wow! that is harsh Tatters. I agree that Psychoderelict is a crap solo album. But Endless Wire I felt was very well done. First, the guitar on it is superb! Townshend had a later day renniassance as a guitarist, as wittnessed in The Who's live shows earlier in the decade. And with some of the great guest spots he had, especially on Bowie's Slow Burn. So Endless Wire continued that trend with some very solid riffing and great leads. And the melodies of a lot of the disc are classic Townshend, with catchy riffs and good solid melody. As was posted above some highlights, Black Widow Eyes, Them From Mike Post-which harkens back to Punk Meets the Godfather with the beautiful crunching opening riff. So all in all a very welcome return from The Two.

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vancouver
i'm a great who fan (1964-1972), ! but i think this album is not so good..

sorry, but that makes you not a great who fan

Or not a great music fan. I'm sure he/she/them/it was more comfortable listening to GHS/IORR, i.e., the dulcet tones of the Stones slowly starting to p-ss their legacy away! Quadrophenia, while ridiculously overblown in parts, is probably the last great art rock record.

what makes something an art rock record?

An art rock record I'd describe as an album that it is made to be taken as a serious work, with a unifying theme.

The best art in rock n' roll is incidental or often, accidental. Pete's attempt to top himself after Tommy by making The Great Statement succeeded (Who's Next ) only when he failed in his attempt to create Lifehouse.

I like moments of Quadrophenia, but I think it sinks because of it's own weight. They did a better job of expressing teen angst on one single ("Substitute" ) than they did on four sides of that album. I find all the bombast of it to be too much.

The Who By Numbers is a favorite because it was a deliberate attempt to take a step back from the synth overkill of Quadrophenia (and the Tommy movie soundtrack) and get back to basics. Perhaps the drums are a little too muted, but the songs like "How Many Friends" and "They Are All In Love" "However Much I Booze" are of the moment. Like IORR the previous year, it's rockers grappling with feeling old (30!!).

Who Are You is a classic Who track, but the album itself is dreadful. As noted, too many songs about songs. I wish it they had left it to the 45 (b/w "Trick Of the Light" ) and ditched the rest of the album.

Townshend was saving his best songs for his solo work when Face Dances and It's Hard were released. On paper. Bill (syx whatever his name is, the guy with no vowels) should have been a good producer, especially when you hear his work with Joe Walsh and the James Gang. Not only does the whole record seem directionless, but it just sounds bad. Not a good debut for Kenney Jones.

Glyn Johns gets much better performances out of Jones on It's Hard, and it at least sounds like a Who record. Like some have said, there are some great overlooked songs like "Cry If You Want" "One Life's Enough" "I've Known No War" "Cooks County." Never liked "Eminence Front." Sounded like Pete was copying Talking Heads.