Who Quadrophenia CD

Originally released on Polydor (6235).
Digitally remastered by Jon Astley (Close To The Edge).
The Who: Pete Townshend (vocals, guitar, keyboards); John Entwistle (vocals, bass, horns); Roger Daltrey (vocals); Keith Moon (drums, percussion, vocals).
Additional personnel: John Curle (spoken vocals); Chris Stainton (piano).
Recorded at The Kitchen, Battersea, England.
Includes a 56-page booklet.
This 1996 digitally remastered reissue of QUADROPHENIA contains remixed versions of "The Real Me," "Quadrophenia," "Dr. Jimmy" and "The Rock." It comes with a 52-page booklet.
Originally released on MCA (10004).
Composer: Pete Townshend.
Original Soundtrack/The Who: Pete Townshend (various instruments, background vocals); John Entwistle (bass instrument, background vocals); Keith Moon (drums, background vocals); Roger Daltrey.
Personnel: John Entwistle (vocals, horns); Keith Moon (vocals, percussion); Roger Daltrey (vocals); Chris Stanton (piano); Pete Townshend, Rod Houison, Ron Nevison (sound effects).
Additional personnel: John Curle (spoken vocals); Chris Stainton (piano).
Audio Mixers: Ron Fawcus; Bobby Pridden.
Audio Remasterer: Bob Ludwig.
Audio Remixers: Andy McPhearson; Jon Astley.
Recording information: The Kitchen, Thessally Road, Battersea, Ontario, Canada.
Photographer: Graham Hughes.
Unknown Contributor Roles: Jon Astley; Kit Lambert; Andy MacPherson; Bob Ludwig.
The film adaptation of the Who's rock opera Quadrophenia couldn't have been different than the film of Tommy. Where that was garish, star-studded, and wrong-headed, Franc Roddam's Quadrophenia was lean, incisive, and nearly brilliant, thanks in no small part to his gritty, matter-of-fact approach and a searing, star-making performance by Phil Daniels. It was focused, dramatic, and affecting, the best illustration of what a rock musical can do, so it shouldn't be a surprise that the accompanying soundtrack is equally fine. It repeats much of the Who's album of the same name, plus a generous share of re-recordings, which may be subtly different (there are an abundance of grace notes on "I'm One," for instance), but different, more produced all the same. Even better, they're all pretty good, and help give this a different -- yet, again, subtly different -- feel than the album that's welcome. Then there's the last side of the record, containing a bunch of mod anthems -- which means there's a bunch of early-'60s soul, plus a couple of girl group numbers and "Louie Louie," all of which are familiar, yet still offer a good portrait of what mods actually listened to. Along the way, a song by the High Numbers -- the early incarnation of the Who -- is thrown in for good measure, along with the Cross Section's take on "Hi Heel Sneakers," plus three new songs, all added to assist the film narrative, all enjoyable but only "Four Faces" really standing out (and it sounds more Who by Numbers than Quadrophenia, anyway). So, unlike the Tommy soundtrack, this not just stands apart from the film, it's a nice little record on its own merits -- one that many passionate Who fans will enjoy, even as they realize it's hardly a monumental effort. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Pete Townshend revisited the rock opera concept with another double-album opus, this time built around the story of a young mod's struggle to come of age in the mid-'60s. If anything, this was a more ambitious project than Tommy, given added weight by the fact that the Who weren't devising some fantasy but were re-examining the roots of their own birth in mod culture. In the end, there may have been too much weight, as Townshend tried to combine the story of a mixed-up mod named Jimmy with the examination of a four-way split personality (hence the title Quadrophenia), in turn meant to reflect the four conflicting personas at work within the Who itself. The concept might have ultimately been too obscure and confusing for a mass audience. But there's plenty of great mQ (6/00, p.69) - Ranked #56 in Q's "100 Greatest British Albums"
Q (8/96, p.143) - 5 Stars - Indispensible - "...it abides as one of The Who's peaks because...its instant, push-button atmosphere is always lifted from the realms of ham by some heartfelt Daltrey shout'n'croon, a bit of comedy Moon...and the anthemic elegance of the last two tracks..."
Q (8/96, p.143) - 5 Stars - Indispensible - "...it abides as one of The Who's peaks because...its instant, push-button atmosphere is always lifted from the realms of ham by some heartfelt Daltrey shout'n'croon, a bit of comedy Moon...and the antemic elegance of the last two tracks..."
NME (Magazine) (6/29/96, p.54) - 8 (out of 10) - "...it is only now that a fully remastered...full, double CD version has been released....Townshend's windmilling riffing arm has never been busier, John Entwistle remains the finest bass player breathing, and Keith Moon...is truly magnificent..."