“…Set in London and Brighton in 1965, the story follows a young mod named Jimmy and his search for self-worth and importance”.
This was a Christmas present which Santa left for me at my grandparent’s (from the Sicilian side) house in Brooklyn. My brother got Let it Be and I got Quadrophenia…Santa was both a rocker and a mod. So, Christmas day, 1973, we listened to the Beatles and the Who on my grandfather’s mahogany credenza that doubled as a Victrola. Everyone loved the Beatles, but when the needle dropped onto this bad boy, they thought I broke the record player. Job done.
It is the only album where every piece was written exclusively by Townsend. Following up Tommy with Quadrophenia is a combination punch better than Tyson’s and you’d be hard pressed to find 3 better follow ups in the entire rock and roll hall of fame.
The album opens with the sounds of crashing waves and distant voices in “I am the Sea”. As the crashing waves fade away, the band kicks into “The Real Me” and Entwistle’s jackhammer bass line coupled with Moon’s drumming gymnastics is a tour de force seldom matched by any rhythm section. And, if that wasn’t enough, Daltrey growls “I went back to my mother I said I’m crazy ma, help me. She said I know how you feel son cause it runs in the family”.
To help you catch your breath, the next number, the title track “Quadrophenia”, is an instrumental which introduces the listener to the 4 major musical themes that will repeat throughout the double album set. The music is gorgeous and the horns (arranged by Entwistle) and sweeping and sometimes pizzicato strings add a musical sophistication to what is, in essence, a loud, raucous, but melodic rock album.
With the musical themes set, the next track opens to Townsend’s strumming the power chord introduction to “Punk Meets the Godfather”. Daltrey sings “You declared you would be three inches taller…you only became what we made you” and the rest is rock and roll history.
5:15 (“out of my brain on the 5:15 train”) and Sea and Sand (“here on the sea and sand where nothing ever goes as planned)…open up side three of the second album. These gems made you forget about the previous gems. Driving pop tunes with horns, bass, and drums that are instantly hummable and memorable, inducing adrenaline that no amount of exercise could induce. It doesn’t get better than this until you hear side 4.
Side 4 opens with Dr Jimmy. OMG. The lyrics are ugly and graphic and left your parents asking what happened to “I want to hold your hand”. This is Daltrey’s finest singing on the album and you knew that he knew when he sang ”laugh and say I’m green, I’ve seen things you’ve never seen”. Line after line is an instant classic …”I’ll take on anyone, ain’t scared of a bloody nose. Drink till I drop down with one eye on my clothes”. Some of the lyrics are not repeatable…
The final song is “Love, Reign o’er Me”. Townsend saved the best for the last. Throughout the lyric, there is wordplay between Reign and Rain, but make no mistake, Townsend wills love to Reign over him like master and commander. “Only love can make it rain, the way the beach is kissed by the sea”.
This was a great Christmas present…right up there with my chemistry set.