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 music anyway, especially on "The Real Me," "The Punk Meets the Godfather," "I'm One," "Bell Boy," and "Love, Reign o'er Me." Some of Townshend's most direct, heartfelt writing is contained here, and production-wise it's a tour de force, with some of the most imaginative use of synthesizers on a rock record.
Various members of the band griped endlessly about flaws in the mix, but really these will bug very few listeners, who in general will find this to be one of the Who's most powerful statements.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I Am the SeaPete Townshend | The Who | Play | 02:08 | 4 MB | 11 MB |
| 2 | The Real MePete Townshend | The Who | Play | 03:20 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 3 | QuadropheniaPete Townshend | The Who | Play | 06:12 | 14 MB | 38 MB |
| 4 | Cut My HairPete Townshend | The Who | Play | 03:49 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 5 | The Punk and the GodfatherPete Townshend | The Who | Play | 05:14 | 12 MB | 32 MB |
| 6 | I'm OnePete Townshend | The Who | Play | 02:39 | 6 MB | 15 MB |
| 7 | The Dirty JobsPete Townshend | The Who | Play | 04:29 | 10 MB | 28 MB |
| 8 | Helpless DancerPete Townshend | The Who | Play | 02:35 | 5 MB | 13 MB |
| 9 | Is It in My Head?Pete Townshend | The Who | Play | 03:45 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 10 | I've Had EnoughPete Townshend | The Who | Play | 06:16 | 14 MB | 37 MB |
| 11 | 5:15Pete Townshend | The Who | Play | 05:02 | 11 MB | 31 MB |
| 12 | Sea and SandPete Townshend | The Who | Play | 05:06 | 11 MB | 31 MB |
| 13 | DrownedPete Townshend | The Who | Play | 05:27 | 12 MB | 33 MB |
| 14 | Bell BoyPete Townshend | The Who | Play | 04:59 | 11 MB | 30 MB |
| 15 | Doctor JimmyPete Townshend | The Who | Play | 08:33 | 19 MB | 52 MB |
| 16 | The RockPete Townshend | The Who | Play | 06:41 | 15 MB | 40 MB |
| 17 | Love, Reign O'er MePete Townshend | The Who | Play | 05:53 | 13 MB | 33 MB |
| 82 mins | 188 MB | |||||
| 82 mins | 496 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jon Astley | Reissue Producer, Reissue Remastering, Reissue Remixing, Remixing |
| 2 | Chris Charlesworth | Executive Producer |
| 3 | Bill Curbishley | Executive Producer, Management |
| 4 | John Curle | Spoken Word, Voices |
| 5 | Roger Daltrey | Concept, Member of Attributed Artist, Vocals |
| 6 | John Entwistle | Bass, Bass Instrument, Horn, Member of Attributed Artist, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 7 | Richard Evans | Art Direction, Design |
| 8 | Richard Evans | Reissue Art Director, Reissue Design |
| 9 | Ron Fawcus | Assistant Engineer, Continuity, Engineer, Mixing |
| 10 | Rod Houison | Sound Effects, Special Effects |
| 11 | Ron Houison | Special Effects |
| 12 | Graham Hughes | Design, Photography |
| 13 | Glyn Johns | Associate Producer, Audio Engineer, Engineer |
| 14 | George Jones | Mastering |
| 15 | George Jones | Mastering |
| 16 | Pete Kameron | Executive Producer |
| 17 | Kit Lambert | Executive Producer, Pre-Production |
| 18 | Bob Ludwig | Reissue Remastering, Remastering |
| 19 | Andy MacPherson | Reissue Remixing |
| 20 | Andy McPhearson | Remixing |
| 21 | Keith Moon | Drums, Member of Attributed Artist, Percussion, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 22 | Ron Nevison | Audio Engineer, Engineer, Sound Effects, Special Effects |
| 23 | Bobby Pridden | Mixing |
| 24 | Robert Rosenberg | Executive Producer |
| 25 | Ethan Russell | Art Direction |
| 26 | Ethan A. Russell | Art Direction, Photography |
| 27 | Chris Stainton | Piano |
| 28 | Chris Stamp | Executive Producer |
| 29 | Chris Stanton | Piano |
| 30 | Pete Townshend | Composer, Lyricist, Member of Attributed Artist, Multi Instruments, Pre-Production, Producer, Sound Effects, Special Effects, Various Instruments, Vocals (Background) |
| 31 | The Who | Audio Production, Group, Original Recording Producer, Primary Artist, Producer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |