Hello again everyone, I apologize for this taking so long as I have been busy working two jobs and finding replacements for my old headphones pairs. I think from now on I am doing monthly releases. I am likely to be less negative on this review as I really love The Who, so I do have a pre-existing bias. However I will be grading the songs on how enjoyable they are, as always. According to the ever trusty Wikipedia, Quadrophenia was The Who's second concept album and was about a teenager with four split personalities growing up in Brighton and London in 1964-65 as a member of the Mods gang, and each of the personalities are rumored to represent each member of The Who. Quadrophenia is a term that means Schizophrenia.
Title: Quadrophenia
Year: 1972-73
Genre: Classic Rock, Country, British Rock, Rock Opera
Artist(s): The Who
Copyright: © 1973 Track/M.C.A. US
Songs:
1. I am The Sea-
This song opens up with foreign vocals and piano sounds being heard behind sounds of ocean waves along with a trumpet. The lyrics are foreshadowing themes seen later in the album as Jimmy is questioning who he is and asking for love to come to him. Later in the song Rodger Daltry can be heard singing four lines, each consecutively representing the band members with "Is it Me?" representing bass player John Entwistle, "Bell Boy" representing drummer Keith Moon, "Love Reign O'er Me" representing guitar player Pete Townsend, and "Helpless Dancer" representing Daltry him self. Then the song smoothly transitions to the next. What makes this song interesting is how well the band organized the music around the sound of waves and the fact that they used ocean waves to introduce an album about the Mods and Rockers fighting on a beach. Overall this is an interesting simple opening track. 5 out of 5 stars.
2. The Real Me-
The song opens up immediately on loud and expressive bass and drums with repetitive but very fitting guitar playing. Daltry comes in not too long afterwards with his exciting vocals with his signature vocal scream. Jimmy is questioning everyone he knows to see if they know which personality is the real him. His mother understands him, his doctor and girl friend have abandoned him, and the preacher wants nothing to do with him. What makes this song interesting is Daltry's emoting on playing the part of Jimmy, how well the band creates the emotions behind the lyrics, the brass section heard during the chorus, and the constant amounts of solo playing by bass legend Entwistle. Overall, a great piece that is very exciting and expressive. It is easy for me to see why this is the main single on the album. 5 out of 5 stars.
3. Quadrophenia-
Note: this is the instrumental version. The song opens on piano and acoustic guitar, a guitar soloing, and steady playing from the bass and drums; it becomes calmer and then changes to climatic again. The song goes through many sound and time changes to represent Jimmy's emotions and to show that the Who knew how to write instrumentals to keep up with their rivals at the time, like Yes and Pink Floyd. What makes this song is how it never leaves you board or annoyed because it has the right amount of time and key changes. The solos for guitar, piano, and synthesizer are also really good. Overall this is a great piece that demonstrates The Who's technical abilities. 5 out of 5 stars.
4. Cut My Hair-
The song opens up with loud bass and drums and quiet guitar playing calmly, and the vocals sound very soft and emotional. In this song Jimmy is being told by his old man that he doesn't want to cut his hair because it will threaten his lifestyle of being a member of the Mods that fought on a beach 100 miles south of London yearly in the 60s. The chorus is much happier sounding but it makes the band sound out of time with each other with and this is the main place, but corrects to the slower pace in the verse with use of brass. What makes this song special is how beautiful Townsend's guitar playing is, how Entwistle can play so many notes but manage to create a solid foundation, how the drums are really driving the song full throttle, the use of the Radio broadcast, and how amazing Townsend's voice sounds when he sings during some of the verses on his own. Overall, a great piece with solid instrumentation that just has a silly sounding chorus. 4 out of 5 stars.
5. The Punk and The God Father-
The song opens in The Who's classic style. There is an acoustic guitar with loud bass, driving drums, and Daltry and Townsend doing angry sounding vocals.
The punk is the youth of Britain and America, and the God Father is the President of the United States. The Punk says he put the God Father in power and he hasn't done anything to help people, and the God Father said "Too bad, I own you and everything else." What makes this song special is the emoting by the singers, the balance in power of the instruments, and the surprising number of climaxes and slow sections through out the song. Overall this is a fun piece with a nice story behind it. 5 out of 5 stars.
6. I'm One-
The song opens up in a kind of soft 70s Country style of way with acoustic guitar and lap steel guitar. Daltry sounds very sad but determined while singing. In this song Jimmy is saying he doesn't really fit no matter what he does, but he is still always him self and will continue to be him self and is proud of that and the song later turns into a classic Rock and Roll song when the bass and drums come in. What makes this song special is how the instruments fit into two distinct styles, how laid back the song is for something that is kind of sad, and how the band proves they don't need a thousand effects to make them sound good. 5 out of 5 stars.
7. Dirty Jobs-
The song opens up with loud bass, piano, drums, and keyboard. Daltry sings the lead vocals very dedicated, even though he sounds like my cat Starligt during the choruses. In this song I believe Jimmy is talking to numerous people who are being beat up by the enemy gang and he is telling them that they should stand up for themselves and that it is good that they do not weep for it. What makes this song interesting is the emoting in the singing, how Entwistle is taking the backseat and doing a good job-allowing Moon to show off his skills a little more, the people cheering representing common people being empowered, and how the keyboard and piano seem to steal the attention along with Daltry's cat like shrieking. Overall, a good song but has some silly sounds to it. 4 out of 5 stars.
8. Helpless Dancer-
The song opens up on some very nice tremolo piano playing along with horns and an acoustic guitar, and the song then gets slower with only piano and Daltry along with Townsend. They are trading off vocals in the left and right speakers angrily. In this song Jimmy is seeing him self as a dancer and is slowly realizing all the problems and injustices in the world and it makes him stop dancing. What makes this song special in how it is mostly horns, piano, vocals, and guitar because I'm amazed Entwistle and Moon agreed to not play for an entire song. The song also ends with a classic rockabilly piece and the "Is it me?" theme. Overall this is a very abstract but also angry and entertaining sounding piece. 5 out of 5 stars.
9. It is In My Head-
This piece opens up as a rock ballad with all of the instruments. The bass and drums are a bit more laid back, especially in the chorus. The verse has Daltry singing alone, but the chorus has Daltry, Entwistle, and Townsend harmonizing together.
In this song Jimmy is slowly going crazy because he feels like he is being followed, that no one loves him, and his head is empty yet he still functions. What makes this song special is the laid back feel of the verses are, but how serious the chorus sounds. What also makes this song special is the guitar solo, the breakdown, and the ending with the bass fading away. Overall, a very enjoyable piece that shows The Who can write a song in multiple styles, as this was a bit more traditional sounding but they still make it their own. 5 out of 5 stars
10. I've Had Enough-
The song opens up much livelier than before with the drums stealing all of the attention in the intro. As the verse comes in the bass and guitar expand their roles to accompany Daltry. In the second verse we get to hear Townsend sing. During the chorus Daltry asks for love to reign over him. Jimmy is tired of being told how to live his life by society and wants to put his devotion in the gang he is in. He is also tired of most thing including human emotions, though he was asking for love to reign over him. What makes this song interesting is how this songs manages to switch between exciting British Rock music to soft old country music, then to sort of a spacy sound with Jimmy praying to the heavens, then to an exciting old country sound. I also like the random scream and sound of a jet falling at the end. lol Overall, a nice climax with clean transitions of different styles and enjoyable playing and singing. Definitely a good to close disc one. 5 out of 5 stars.
Audio Mixing:
One word, balanced. The mixing was a nice balance of warmth and clarity, the bass and drums were loud but never overpowering, the guitar was clear but also blended in well, and the singing never stole away the attention but was certainly audible. Overall I'd say the mixing was done very solidly for this album so far.
Singing:
Daltry, Entwistle, and Townsend all have really good singing voices. Daltry got the most attention because he is the lead vocalist, Townsend got some attention by singing verses in certain songs, and Entwistle did backing vocals most of the time. Each has a different tone that fits the music well and they sound even better when they harmonize. However, I will say that the fact that Daltry sounded like my cat on "Dirty Jobs" whenever he sang words like "round" on the "I'm getting pushed round" part is hilarious.
Instrumentation:
The instrumentation is varied, the rhythm section is probably one of the most energetic and attention stealing rhythm sections in Rock and Roll at the time, and that is because Entwistle and Moon were fantastic players who could play lead bass and drums or switch back to support roles when they needed to without trouble. The guitar is unique as it never leads the band but certainly guides them at a certain pace. The use of banjo and slide guitar was also very beautiful, which reminds of how older country was more relaxing and pleasant to the ear rather than a distorted Fender guitar playing the same chords and scales all the time like in modern country. I also enjoyed how the band used a Brass section as I feel it added a lot to the emotion of the songs by making it more lively and climatic.
What I didn't like:
I guess maybe that Daltry sounded like my cat, but that is still an accomplishment as she is a butch alto silver tabby cat. Also, some of the songs didn't transition as smoothly as I would have liked.
What I did like:
The playing, singing, story, and overall feel of the first disc.
Who would enjoy this album:
Fans of old British Rock Music and Country, fans of The Who, and people from my generation who aren't afraid to listen to older music just because "It was before my time."
Overall:
It was a solid album, one that I would define as British Country Rock that had good playing from the instruments, good emoting form the singers, and overall a very enjoyable and sometimes funny disc to listen to. Next time I will continue with disc two of Quadrophenia.
Rating: *****
I am The Sea and The Real Me from the film "Quadrophenia" By The Who Films:
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