Tag Archives: quadrophenia

#1132: The Who – The Rock

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And here we are again. Another last song from an album that’ll be written about on here, but certainly not the last you’ll see from the band. Out of the 17 songs from The Who’s Quadrophenia, I’ve talked about ten of them, with ‘The Rock’ bringing it to a total of 11. Without looking back in those posts, I’m sure that I’ve mentioned in nearly all of them how the album is my favourite of the band’s. And I guess through that sentence, I’ve done it again. But it really is fantastic though. Was a teenager myself when I first heard it, and even though the story revolves around a character whose scene was very much of its time and place, the thoughts and feelings expressed in the lyrics are pretty much universal. Plus, the music’s top-notch. ‘The Rock’ arrives as the album’s penultimate track and the second instrumental song on there after the title track which appears earlier.

I prefer ‘The Rock’ to the ‘Quadrophenia’ song and always have done. They do almost mirror each other in terms of their structure, but the former comes at a climactic point in the album’s story, and as a result the music was made to be that little more intense. It’s here that the album’s protagonist Jimmy steals a boat and uses it to sail to a rock overlooking the sea, which is the rock referred to in the title, acting as the transitional piece between him having an almighty drug-fuelled rampage in ‘Doctor Jimmy’ and screaming for salvation in the album’s final track. Utilising the four musical themes established in the album that represent the individual members of the band, the instrumental is split into four/five sections. I’m telling you, it’s better to listen to than to read about, so maybe I won’t go through them all. Leave it to you to discover.

The best one however is clearly the ‘Helpless Dancer’ section that begins at 2:45, with Townshend’s guitar mirroring the vocal melody of that song while Keith Moon thrashes some serious thundering drum rolls on top. The vocoder-affected ‘Love Reign o’er Me’ refrain that pops in near the end is quite neat too. The track finishes with an explosive crash and the sound of thunder and rain, leading perfectly into the record’s closer. What amazed me, when the deluxe edition of the album was reissued in 2011, was finding out that the final version of the track was essentially ripped straight from Pete Townshend’s demo recording of it with John Entwistle and Keith Moon adding their respective bass guitar and drums on top. I don’t know, it just floored me. Goes to show that Townshend really was on something during the making of the record. And to think it’s not in the 1001 Albums You Must Hear book I have. Doesn’t make any sense to me.

#1099: The Who – The Real Me

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Goodness, the amount of times I’ve written about songs from The Who’s Quadrophenia on here. One of the most represented albums on this blog. But I can’t say anything else apart from it’s just that good. To me, anyway. Anyone who’s been reading these for the longest time will know how I feel about that record. There’s only one more song to be covered here, I swear, just if you were getting sick of all the Quadrophenia coverage. That should be coming relatively soon too, if you’re thinking about what track it could possibly be. Then that’ll be it. No more. Until then, though, I have to make some notes on the album’s outright introduction (following its opening overture) of ‘The Real Me’ where we’re introduced to the story’s main character, Jimmy, and all of his problems.

The premise of Quadrophenia is that this central character suffers from a multiple-personality disorder, four personalities which each possess characteristics of the four Who members, who’s trying to deal with this alongside handling familial and sexual relationships, and battling with his identity as a Mod of the 1960s. ‘The Real Me’ spells out to the listener that this narrator is not all that right, and we follow his journey for initial help as he asks his doctor, his mother and, finally, a preacher for any solution, to get to the bottom of what exactly is going on in his head. His questions are left unanswered by the end of it all, leaving the narrator with just a tad of unresolved confusion, leading into the album’s instrumental title track.

‘The Real Me’ hits right out of the gate, with aggressive guitar chords from Pete Townshend, a bustling drum pattern from Keith Moon, and an off-the-wall bass guitar performance by John Entwistle that he knocked out in the first take. Quoted that he was was only “joking around” when doing it, he certainly puts a different spin on laying a bass line under a song in the fact that it doesn’t really match a chord progression or follow any melodic element within the song. It’s truly a beast in itself. Very sure you can hear his fingers smacking the strings around 2:10 too. And plus, he’s also on those blasting horns that come through on the choruses too. The Who didn’t have splash out on those brass bands, Entwistle always had those covered. Daltrey’s trademark growling vocals have become even more pronounced following their last effort with Who’s Next, and I can always try and match the anger, the grit and overall attitude when I attempt to sing along myself. I even try to replicate that voice break on the final “Can you SeE the real me” before he roars out that “mother”at the end of the track. Suffice to say, it doesn’t end so well for me. If there’s another album opener that’s as full-throttle as this, I like to be pointed to its way. This one would take a beating.

#1074: The Who – The Punk and the Godfather

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Been a long time since I’ve written about a track from Quadrophenia. Looking at my phone, it appears the previous song from it would have come in the ‘I’ series. Couldn’t even begin to remember what year I was doing that in. I’m sure I would have discussed how much the album means to me (for lack of any less melodramatic phrase) in at least one post out of the eight songs I’ve covered from there in the past. But I’ll sum it up here by saying simply it’s my favourite Who album by miles, came across it when I was 15 and feeling a bit lost and it seemed like the perfect soundtrack for the whole time. Plus, the four band members are firing on all cylinders on every cut. I’m a big fan of By Numbers too, but there is a reason why many a person including Pete Townshend himself regards Quadrophenia as the last great Who album.

The big point about Quadrophenia is that it’s a rock opera. One about a kid named Jimmy who’s a Mod, trying to find where he belongs in the Mod scene, all while having a sort of split personality disorder, separated into four different characters based on the four individuals of The Who. These four personalities also have their own individual musical motifs that will appear in one song, become the main refrain in another, before then appearing again as maybe a little melodic hook somewhere else. It’s a whole thing. You really should hear the record in its entirety. In the album’s fifth track, ‘The Punk and/meets the Godfather’, Jimmy goes to see a band to find some kind of inspiration in the dull life. The track takes on the narrative perspectives of who I think are the security letting the people into the venue, or the punks, and the performers onstage who try to possess the audience in the palms of their hands.

This might just be my favourite Who song. It’s definitely up there. Like I said earlier, every instrument strum/strike/finger pick is delivered with a ferocious urge. Those slamming beginning power chords set the scene, Keith Moon amps it up with his hectic drum fills. John Entwistle enters the frame by mimicking the strum pattern of the guitar chords on his bass guitar and they all fall together to allow Roger Daltrey to begin his vocal. Daltrey knocks it out the park here too. Upon the initial listen years ago, I thought another person began singing when it came to the “I’m the guy in the sky…” choruses. But it’s just him putting on a voice, I guess to just help him reach those notes. Townshend offers his own vocal during the song, coming in during the gentler, introspective bridge – one where he harmonises with himself too. After the final chorus, the dust settles with the melodic stuttering of ‘My generation’ among a twinkling acoustic guitar, a fantastic bass riff and the sound of an audience cheering. It’s like they’re applauding the song that’s just happened. In the story though, Jimmy’s left disappointed and disillusioned by it all. It’s a beautiful track. Might just listen to it right now.

#642: The Who – Is It in My Head?

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The ninth track on The Who’s 1973 rock opera Quadrophenia is just another introspective moment out of many on the album. Its protagonist has…. a lot on his plate – to keep it short and sweet – and is trying to figure out things he can do to try and make himself a better person without coming across as too eager or looking a fool in the process. By the end of the track, he gives up altogether and declares total apathy for anything in the following song ‘I’ve Had Enough’.

For the longest time I thought Pete Townshend sang the chorus. In actual fact, it’s bassist John Entwistle who takes the lead with Roger Daltrey singing the verses. Speaking on Daltrey, this album was definitely his vocal peak. He belts out every howl and bellow from the gut. I can only try and replicate the song’s ‘I feel I’m being followed’ bridge but would never be able to reach those notes with as much gusto.

Daltrey’s voice is really the focal point throughout. As the track is quite mid-tempo, there isn’t as much room for the rapid drum fills or inventive bass lines from the rhythm section. Townshend does add some guitar flourishes here and there, particularly to transition between verses and choruses. Still, it’s another emphatic and cathartic performance by all four members capped off with some warm synthesisers in the mix too.

#599: The Who – I’m One

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Three out of the four albums The Who released in the 70s contained songs that featured only Pete Townshend, John Entwistle and Keith Moon performing with lead singer Roger Daltrey possibly absent from the recording session. ‘Going Mobile’ (Who’s Next, 1970), today’s song ‘I’m One’ from 1973’s Quadrophenia, and ‘However Much I Booze’ (The Who By Numbers, 1975) are where the band essentially becomes a power trio; even without Daltrey’s powerful vocals the three remaining members still kick up a storm, seemingly without any sign of struggle.

To anyone who hasn’t heard Quadrophenia, do it now! What are you doing? Sorry. It’s a bit difficult to try and explain tracks from there without having to recap its story so far. It’s a rock opera. Basically, it is about a youth called Jimmy who has four split personalities – with each one representing a member of The Who – who has problems with his parents, relationships, the mod scene he desperately wants to be a part of, and himself in general. Though it’s much more better actually hearing it for yourself.

‘I’m One’ is the sixth track on the album, coming after a point where Jimmy has left home feeling misunderstood by his parents, tries to become a mod by having the right haircut, and sees The Who in concert but leaves disenchanted by the whole affair. Things aren’t going to well for him but at least he’s someone in his own eyes. Quite ironic in that really he’s four people sort of, but at least he’s trying to figure himself out.

Townshend, Entwistle and Moon kill their respective performances here. Starting off slow with reverberated acoustic guitar and Townshend’s shimmering lead vocal, everything turns on its head about 50 seconds in when Moon’s drum fill comes in and introduces Townshend’s electric guitar and Entwistle’s bass into the frame. It is more or less agreed that John Entwistle was one of the best rock bassists – if not, the best – to have ever existed, able to play such complex lines at an alarming rate. On this track, he plays his bass quite straight. As straight as it could be if you were him. Keith Moon’s drums propel the song to another level with emphatic drum rolls and cymbal crashes. It’s a determined and very forward-moving two and a half minutes of music and one of my personal highlights from the album.