True story of my introduction to this fantastic work of art: I was 15 years old and woke up in a sweat in the hot summer on '73. I couldn't get back to sleep due to heat so I turned on the radio. What I heard was my first listen to Love Reign O"er Me. It spoke to me deeply especially when I heard the part "The night is hot and black as ink. Oh God I need a drink of cool cool rain." It made quite an impression and I bought the album and have heard Quadrophenia more times in my life than any other album. Even now the finale brings years to my eyes.
A great album that is just a notch below WHO’s Next musically, song by song. The story is quite complex and beyond what could understand when I was in my mid teens in 1973!
@@joelliebler5690 Are you insane? Quadraphenia is at least twice as good as Who's Next. I don't know what standard you use to measure the musical quality of songs but I'd be interested in hearing it. I suspect whatever it is, is of highly dubious merit considering the conclusions you've reached.
My son passed away a few years ago. He was an incredible fan of The Who. We used "Love Reign O'er Me" as a recessional. So many were touched by that song.
love reign o'er me in my opinion is one the greatest rock songs ever written and performed. Roger Daltrey sang his heart out on this track, considered to me as one of the greatest ever singing performances period.
I saw The Who in Cincinnati this year. First time back since the trampling and killing of fans incident in 1979. All the tickets back then were general admission. The fans outside heard the soundcheck and thought the show was starting and rushed the gate. Some fans got trapped and crushed. They did Reign late in the show. It was nice to see them make it back. They donated the gate to scholarships in the names of the fans killed in 79.
not sure if anyone cares but if you're bored like me atm then you can watch pretty much all of the new movies and series on InstaFlixxer. Been binge watching with my brother during the lockdown :)
Each side build off the one before it. When you listen to it at 50, it'll effect you the same as it does now at 17. In concert...Quadrophenia and the Rock are performed with the house lights on and with no spotlights or special effects..
I've just done 2 weeks of nights with 1 night off last week. I'm off for 3 days now. I've come home from last nights shift. I'm listening to this "Loud". My singing has woke my wife up and my son. DO I CARE!!!
Running through the rain is AWESOME!!! I used to wash my hair in the rain 🌧️ when I was in my 20's - living in Florida! Great memories! *Great Job, Daniel!*
There is a documentary about how the album was created. It's all explained by Pete Townshend with a good variety of pictures from those years and more. It's called "Can You See The Real Me" by BBC Four 2014. Highly recommended.
This is one of the best albums ever recorded. seen these guys twice and they are every bit as good on the stage as what you're hearing on vinyl or CD. Amazing concert band!
You are right about their on stage show, certainly one of the best years ago. I have seen them several times, with all three of their drummers over the years
@@HamiltonRb I saw a really cool video the other day of Phil Collins playing drums on Pete's solo song "Slit Skirts". They say The Who came really close to hiring Phil Collins as their new drummer after Keith died.
"Quadrophenia" has stood the test of time. I'm convinced that 200 years from now people will still be listening to the story of Jimmy. A great work, the best (imo) The Who ever produced. It was so cool to see you experience this, and to hear your take on all this. Thank you again. P.S. I'll bet you are the kind of actor who could act out Jimmy in those last overwhelming moments as he asks love to reign over him. You wouldn't just say it--you'd FEEL it.
When this song was new, I was your age, and ripe to look for America with only the use of a thumb. And twenty bucks. By the time I hit the midwest, I thought: Oh shit. The good music has probably not made it here yet. But then, in a bar in Iowa, I heard this song come on the jukebox, and I was free. Which is to say the twenty bucks was gone. I had tasted Olympia!
Funny thing ... RAIN... I spent my first 31 years in Wichita Kansas pretty much./.. but I grew to almost hate extremes. I got tired of 100 degree days and 90 degree nights with no air conditioning. And I got real tired of below zero winters. We had visited my dad while he was doing temporary work for Boeing in Seattle in 1967 and 1968, only for a summer in 68 and just a month in 67, but it was enough to know that it was perfect for me. So different then Kansas in every.. single... way. Long story shot, dad moved here in 81... mom followed in 84 with the youngest son... the middle son followed in early 88 and I was here in September 88, some 32 years ago. It has hit 100 degrees one time.. and NEVER below zero... rarely below 20.. because we are next to Puget Sound... a part of the Pacific Ocean. The water never goes below 43 degrees.. and rarely above 45... and to the east are the Cascade mountains. About 45 minutes away nowadays. So its a temperate climate and if you like rain... this is the place for you. I knew I loved rain even as a child.. I love standing in it and letting it cleanse me.. Its just so real.. There is a place in the Cascades, we call it the Jumpin Hole.. and just above it are these little falls you can stand under... and shower.. if you dare.. not because its dangerous at all but because its glacier water... and it is ice cold.. but so cleansing.. so... real.
I had the album Tommy and waited with great anticipation for Quadrophenia to arrive at our local music store. When I listened to it my high expectations were more than met. It is a wonderful and special work of art. Love it.
@@Lightmane , I know you knew but it's funny that it seems to happen the most when I'm addressing you for some reason or another. You have a spell over me. Bahahaha. Get it a spell. 😊
The last time The Who performed Quadrophenia live in its entirety was 2012. But in every tour since then "The Rock" has been included in the show. Seeing The Who performing "The Rock" at Fenway Park in Boston on September 13, 2019 (just a few months before the pandemic struck) was surreal!!! To me "The Rock" and "La Villa Strangiato" from Rush are the 2 greatest instrumental songs ever!
Doctor Jimmy is the point where Jimmy hit rock bottom. He was so messed up he had no problem thinking: "What is it? I'll take it. Who is she? I'll rape it". It's about as dark as you can get. One thing is for certain, in the song Doctor Jimmy - Roger Daltrey delivers the greatest F-bomb in history! "Her fella's gonna kill me? OHHHH, F*ckin' *WILL* he".
I saw The Who Quadrophenia concert @ Madison Square Garden in the 90s. Roger Daltry blew me away with his voice on.this song. Ringo’s son, Zach Starkey played drums.
I was fortunate enough to see The Who perform Quadrophenia live. I was immensely impressed and I could see the difficulty in performing the piece. All the horns and synths were tapped tracks that were cued in and out, synced with the band. Literally, a tech behind a mixing board on the stage to the left of Townshend with *reel-to-reel* tape decks. It didn't always go smoothly. In particular, Keith, (true to form, bless his heart) consistently deviated from the tapes causing the band to go out of sync in a song. That poor guy cueing the tapes got yelled at several times by Pete during one of the two shows I saw. A really spectacular show but one I think The Who slogged through that tour. I even recall a headline from a music publication of the day that read something like, "Quadrophenia, spooky tour". Truth according to what I saw. (Actually, while writing this I recall that there was a fight right in front of the stage that was persistent and the band stopped playing at one point. Roger jumped into the crowd(!) and came up holding some kid by his collar and yelling at him. He got a ovation from the crowd. The fighting stopped.) Pete once said in an interview that Tommy was originally intended, aspired to be, more orchestral, while Quadrophenia was supposed to be a more back to basics 3-piece rock band format. Ironically the reverse turned out to be the reality. Tommy is 3-piece rock band all the way while Quadrophenia had to wait decades to be performed by all the musicians required to be on stage to do it justice. Great job! That's why I'm subscribed. 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍✌
This is The Who at their best. I get a tear in my eye almost everytime Rain Over Me. Pete Townsend is a genius. Great vocals and of course bass and drums bust most of the credit has to go to Pete.
Love Reigh O'er Me is a powerful and intense song. I love every bit of it. Thank you for playing this entire album, AND for doing it one side at a time because it can be overwhelming all at once (I know I have listened to it that way on many occasions).
Takes me back to 1988 my first job used to listen to this album all day on my sony turbo walkman then ride round my mates house on me vespa px 125 , the album that made me fall in love with Moony
During the Rock in concert, at least the 2012 tour, during the Helpless Dancer riffs, they play very powerful imagery on the screen. If you can find a video, please watch it.
Loved your story about running home in the rain. I had a similar experience many years ago, it really was a seminal moment and I’ve encouraged my son to do the same whenever he gets the chance (warm summer rain of course. It’s not such a liberating experience in the middle of winter 🥶). Great reactions by the way, you really do put in the leg work.
Classic album that has retained its place in the pantheon of rock opera.While Tommy has become known as the quintessential rock opera mainly because of its playlist being truncated for radio station listening, but also for relatability of its nominal character, Quadrophenia eschewed both that hit list mentality and makes the listener work to understand, if not entirely connect with, its main protagonist. That said, like any opera worth its salt, Quad does have its individual moments, none more than Love Reign O’er Me heard here which closes the curtain and sends you out to the streets with that refrain echoing in your head over and over and over. Thanks for covering the entire album...it deserves the effort. Maybe some additional thoughts on Patreon as I go over this in my head a little longer.
I'd just turned 16 in the summer of '79. I saw the film s few times, and listened to the Soundtrack album (as well as the original album) a LOT that year. As a teenage punk/new wave addict (a late-'70s genre whose music was rooted in the mid-'60s), "Quadrophenia" and "The Who Sell Out" were on heavy rotation in those days.
You nailed it bro. Best rockband ever. Saw them urly 70's... Best sound i've ever heard.check out Live at Leeds...best live album ever. Greetings from the Netherlands, love your channel 👍💪🎸🌷
Awesome comment. Yes, definitely sympathetic towards the character Jimmy. Although for me, I'm not sure if he finds peace as much as he becomes self-aware or achieves some sort of understanding about himself and the world he lives in. But yes definitely feel some sort of resolution or release in the final movement of Love Reign O'er Me. It's just such an awesome song full of complex emotions.
Excellent reaction to this masterpiece! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and emotions. The way it makes us all relive moments in our lives is exhilarating. I suggest you watch the film to see how the characters does in the end.
Jimmy has 4 personalities he does not have schizophrenia but Quadrophenia get it! the album has the 4 themes one for each member of the band Keith Moon's best work !
You reminded me of that feeling when you finish a wonderful book, relishing the last few pages and wanting to stay in that place forever, but knowing you have to come back to reality. And yet you are forever changed, lifted up to become a better person and more hopeful for what you can become. Love will do that.
I'd say it's essentially the story of one young man, but one who has many conflicting personality traits, and one who is concerned about broader social issues, at times. Bellboy is explicitly about Jimmy's reaction to seeing his hipster, older fellow Mod working as a bellboy, which fatally tarnishes his coolness in Jimmy's eyes.
So glad you got to listen to this. This album helped me get through high school, and that was 40+ years after this came out. The Punk and the Godfather has always been my favorite Who song and always will be, but The Rock to me has always been the band at their best. The four themes coming together for each member of the band, just as they're alluded to in the third track on the first side. The last minute of that song is untouchable especially. As far as Love Reign O'er Me, I've always had the same feeling as you about the liberation and vindication when Daltrey shouts "cool, cool Rain!" So happy you enjoyed John, Keith, Pete and Roger and the best damn rock opera ever.
Great reaction from a true masterpiece of the classic rock era. The album is so satisfying on pretty much all levels - the playing, singing, arrangements, songwriting & concept. Of course it wasn't just The Who's records that set them apart but also and maybe more so the playing live side of them. It would be an awesome reaction to do their 1970 Isle Of Wight concert. They didn't come on till 2am but jeez, what a miraculous performance before 600,000 people. It really is barely believable how energetic & compelling a performance it is!
Thanks for the ride...that was great! One of my all time favs. If I could only take 5 albums to the proverbial deserted island, QUADROPHENIA would top the list (Power Windows from RUSH would be another...hope you get a chance to review that one as well. Im sure you'd dig it) Ive been playing bass for 35 plus years and this album along with Hemispheres by RUSH were the two albums I learned how to play when I was a teenager that really set me along the path of being a lifelong musician. So fun watching your enjoyment of this masterpiece!
Great reaction. I am much less confused than I used to be about this work because of your analysis. I think your story about the umbrella is a perfect analogy to the finalé of the album. Love reign o’er you too. Thanks Daniel.
Tales From Topographic Oceans The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway London Calling Quadrophenia It seems that my four favorite albums ever are all double albums. What does this mean?
Next up, do yourself a favor and listen to all of Who's Next. Not a bad track on that one, either. (I stand by my assertion that "The Song Is Over" is best of the lot, but it's a very high-quality lot.)
I think you would *love* the movie, "My Immortal Beloved." It's one of my favorites! (WOW! "Love, Reign o'er Me" is playing while I'm typing! Love it!) 💜💫✌🏼🎵
One of my top 5 rock albums of all time. I truly feel this is Pete & Company's finest hour. I never got to see them with Keith (I bought Who Are You when it was new - and Keith was gone mere weeks later), but I've seen the band multiple times, including at Madison Square Garden in '96 when they staged this full album - so amazing! The whole band is just giving it their all on this album and Roger's voice is so full of passion - particularly on the finale Love Reign O'er Me. All of the pain and anguish of the character's struggle with his 4 competing personalities come to a head. It's a cathartic, primal expression of everything that's built up for the whole album. Ultimately, it feels triumphant, yet bittersweet. The feelings are so intense, and that final crashing end, with Keith just killing it, it's almost too much to bear (tears are inevitable). I'm so glad you enjoyed it as much as you obviously did. Please, please, please: I would love for you to follow this up with one of their most ferocious live performances - Young Man Blues (a cover of Mose Allison that was a staple of their early shows) from their awesome performance at the Isle of Wight in 1970, just a few months after Woodstock. I guarantee you will love it! th-cam.com/video/M9boFzhUVG4/w-d-xo.html
I only came across your review of Quadrophenia today. Whilst Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon always remains my favourite piece of music, Quadrophenia is second and nothing has ever come close to toppling these two giants for me. Discovering both albums as I became a teenager, they spoke volumes to me. The powerful impression they made on me on first hearing them has never dwindled. As a troubled teen, Quadrophenia seemed to mirror all I felt at the time. So glad you reviewed this and loved how you loved it too. Thanks.
Thanks, Daniel for reacting to this album. It’s one of my favorite albums of all time! I think the Dr Jimmy and Mr Jim song signified the character’s state of confusion and teen angst! I’m 63 now, but I remember having those feelings as a teenager.
I was lucky to catch the Quadrophenia tour at the Staples Center in 2013, and as much as a Who fan as I am I was prepared to be gravely disappointed. I mean how could they possibly do it justice without Moon and Entwistle? How could Roger ever hit those high notes again? Well they did, and he did, and it was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. The sound and stage production were over the top good, and the band was totally on point. I remember The Rock as being a particular high point.
Saw them several times over the decades including 2013 (in Brooklyn). I couldn’t believe how great they still were. Roger Daltry’s voice was amazing; Townshend still did his windmills effortlessly. They sang all their hits. I was very moved.
A friend had the music- including tab for this album. It had notes from Pete scattered through it, the most memorable for me was play "Loud, proud and Wagnerian" which seems appropriate. Thanks Daniel.👍
There's a great documentary about the making of the album. I think it might have been a VH1 Behind The Music production, but not sure about that. It's likely here on TH-cam. Well worth watching for any Quadrophenia fan.
The Rock obviously shows the personalities separate and then in end they all merge together. So I take it that Jimmy overcomes his illness and figures it out. Love, Reign O'er Me is the peace he has at last from that. You can see how rain plays a part in release in various stories, such as that iconic scene in Shawshank Redemption - and like the "get busy living or get busy dying" concept in that film, it is apparent as well in Quadrophenia. But that's just one example of rain device for deep thinking and release. Numerous other examples of this show up in Blade Runner, etc. I was about 19 when I first heard Quadrophenia and delighted when there was a film coming out the following year. Quadrophenia ends the concept album cycle the Who began with The Who Sell Out. The aborted Lifehouse concept album became Who's Next. Quadrophenia is the apex of it all. Great music and really great rock album.
That's how you end a album My No1 on my list , once a Mod always a Mod don't now why not sure but it was a way of life for us in 1980 onwards the best time of my life and still go on scooter runs today its still a part of my life.
art, architecture, science, math, literature, poetry, space exploration, water purification, modern plumbing, dams, locks, ships, electricity, dance, clothing and costumes, charity organizations, the Red Cross, modern education, Civil Rights laws, Suffrage laws, child protection laws, democracy, modern farming - I'm sure we could come up with a hundred other things that prove our species isn't "benighted" if you open your eyes. Listen to the music but ignore the noise.
@@emanonfox1709 Also war, genocide, slavery, totalitarianism, pollution, climate change, ad nauseum. The Anthropocene may well come crashing down in a mass extinction event of out own making. Despite our manifest flaws, I actually remain rather fond of humanity for many of the reasons that you cited. However, a tipping point is not all that far off. I hope we have the wisdom to turn back from the abyss.
@@emanonfox1709 In words from those wiser than I: "There's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for." -- J. R..R. Tokien a. k. a. Samwise Gamgee Fighting does not necessarily involve violence. It is harder to change hearts and minds, but that is ultimately the way most likely stick. We are demonstratively a schizoid species with much baggage in that kludge that is the human central nervous system, but I hold fast to the hope that we are not beyond redemption. "And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." -- 1 Corinthians 13:13
That song...you know which one...it makes me cry every time 😭 I liked your story about the lemonade stand. I have had many moments enjoying the cleansing effects of rain/water filling me happiness and washing the negativity from my soul. I think maybe this is why it makes me emotional...memories. 😉
"O'er" is a poetic device to make "over" a single syllable. The word "over" is trochaic, that is, the first syllable is stressed and the second unstressed. "Iambic" is the opposite, unstressed/stressed.
I LOVE it when Jamel.....Justin......and you give that look that says, "Are you kidding me!!!" Cracks me up!!! Hahahaha....lol......hahahaha....it's like this music is a way out of pocket look!!!!! LMAO!!!!! It's The Who with The Beatles one of the gods of Rock n' Roll!!!!
I've been enjoying your reactions for a while now, and I'm so impressed! As far as Quadrophenia, in my opinion it's right up there with their best work, and, sad to say, they never came near that standard again. I have a thought about one aspect of this album, but it seems to me that one underlying influence was the British history of being a seafaring nation, going way back, you know "Brittania Rules the Waves," Lord Nelson and all that. I think Townshend like all the British kids were brought up with that, and maybe in some way it's behind the nautical sounding orchestral themes that keep repeating through the whole album, of course the songs themselves lyrically: Drowned, Sea and Sand, so many refer to the water; of course England is an island nation. Just my impression, maybe others have mentioned this, probably better and deeper than I could. Anyway, keep up the great work Daniel, you're very perceptive, creative, and wise beyond your years!
Your next WHO adventure should be "The Kids are Alright". A collection of live tracks spanning their early days through the late seventies, including Woodstock. There is also a movie if you wanted to do each songs live performance.
I'd love to see Daniel react to perhaps the most underrated Who album of them all: "The Who Sell Out". It was recently re-released in a box set and it is an absolute masterpiece. It is pre-Tommy and so it is completely different than anything from The Who Daniel has heard yet.
Welcome back....my friend...ah...to the show that never ends! Ps, what’s up with O’er. Would it have killed them to put a v in it? I suppose you can be rained on but not reigned on, so you have to use over...but that adds an extra syllable when singing. But I digress...best scream in Rock history!
Quadrophenia is an incredible work of musical art. If you get it, you really get it. If you don't it's meaningless. The generosity of Townsend to hang back and play rhythm guitar with frequent lead fills. And let Keith play lead with the drums, instead of just setting the pace with occasional fills. Instead he will sometimes echo or substitute the vocal. Other times he take full control of the the lead, playing what a guitar would normally play. The bass would also stand out with major foreground fills and semi solos, never just setting the pace. The outstanding vocals in the finally, Love Rein Over Me is Roger's best work. Everyone has a reaction, this is only mine. After fifty years it still isn't old.
The Who's masterpiece. It elevates rock music to the same plane as Beethoven's Ninth /Fourth Movement. Both cry out a desperate plea for The Creator to have mercy on the Created, begging for A Loving Kiss from a Loving Father, one that can then be shared to all mankind.
My favorite part of your four reactions to this album was your story of abandoning your umbrella and walking home through the rain! Every time I see hail I run out into it to feel it splatter down on me! Thanks for your reactions to this classic LP! You may have read this before in my previous comments on parts 1 - 3, but please add "Crime of the Century" and "Crisis? What Crisis?" both by Supertramp, and "Queen II" by Queen. I would love to watch your reactions to those albums! Peace!!
Kennedy Center Honors for The Who is great. Betty LeVette did an amazing version of Love Reign. Townsend and Daltry were impressed. You should check it out
I have just discover that Yes has a new album quietly released in 2020 and is now out selling on Amazon. I got to hear one of their songs which is quite different from past albums and songs. It does not have as many transitions in the songs and is still quite Lovely. "Words From A Page" is the new song and on You Tube. Check it out!!!!
Thank you so much, Daniel, for this. I believe Townshend is a genius. If you lean that way, it might be worth sometimes during your life to check out his solo stuff. Who Came First, Empty Glass, and All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes. All are informed by Pete's spirituality and brokenness. Thanks again for the time you put into this one.
Late subscriber to this channel so just catching up: superb album, one of my all-time top 20. Great reactions… Dr Jimmy’s lyrics to me show the change in personality caused by the overuse of drugs
The album is about 1 person who has 4 different personalities. Hence the name "Quadrophenia," rather than Schitzophrenia, (a person with split personalities.) It's enhanced with 4 different themes, one representing each member of "The Who." If you look closely at the motor scooter on the cover, you will see a photo of each of the 4 faces of the band's members in the mirrors on the scooter, representing the 4 themes. ( Easier seen on the large, vinyl edition rather than the CD.)
True story of my introduction to this fantastic work of art:
I was 15 years old and woke up in a sweat in the hot summer on '73. I couldn't get back to sleep due to heat so I turned on the radio. What I heard was my first listen to Love Reign O"er Me. It spoke to me deeply especially when I heard the part "The night is hot and black as ink. Oh God I need a drink of cool cool rain." It made quite an impression and I bought the album and have heard Quadrophenia more times in my life than any other album. Even now the finale brings years to my eyes.
A great album that is just a notch below WHO’s Next musically, song by song. The story is quite complex and beyond what could understand when I was in my mid teens in 1973!
@@joelliebler5690 Are you insane? Quadraphenia is at least twice as good as Who's Next. I don't know what standard you use to measure the musical quality of songs but I'd be interested in hearing it. I suspect whatever it is, is of highly dubious merit considering the conclusions you've reached.
My son passed away a few years ago. He was an incredible fan of The Who. We used "Love Reign O'er Me" as a recessional. So many were touched by that song.
love reign o'er me in my opinion is one the greatest rock songs ever written and performed. Roger Daltrey sang his heart out on this track, considered to me as one of the greatest ever singing performances period.
If you've ever been a teenager you can identify to this masterpiece on some level. The genius of Pete Townsend. The Who's masterpiece IMHO. ✌
The emotion in your eyes in the finale says it all...you barely even blinked.
This album was meant to be listened to OVER and OVER!! 🔥🔥🔥
40 years later for me and it only gets better
I'm 18 years old and this is the greatest album I've ever listened.
49 years and counting !
I saw The Who in Cincinnati this year. First time back since the trampling and killing of fans incident in 1979. All the tickets back then were general admission. The fans outside heard the soundcheck and thought the show was starting and rushed the gate. Some fans got trapped and crushed. They did Reign late in the show. It was nice to see them make it back. They donated the gate to scholarships in the names of the fans killed in 79.
Congratulations! You have listened to the Greatest Rock Opera in history. The main character is Jimmy. Check out the film from 1979.
not sure if anyone cares but if you're bored like me atm then you can watch pretty much all of the new movies and series on InstaFlixxer. Been binge watching with my brother during the lockdown :)
@Neil Jamie yup, I've been watching on InstaFlixxer for years myself =)
@Neil Jamie yea, have been watching on instaflixxer for years myself :)
@@neiljamie3122 shut up you bots
Each side build off the one before it. When you listen to it at 50, it'll effect you the same as it does now at 17.
In concert...Quadrophenia and the Rock are performed with the house lights on and with no spotlights or special effects..
I've just done 2 weeks of nights with 1 night off last week. I'm off for 3 days now. I've come home from last nights shift. I'm listening to this "Loud". My singing has woke my wife up and my son. DO I CARE!!!
Love reign o'er me sends me into another dimension. One of the best! Rainy cloudy days are also the best :)
Running through the rain is AWESOME!!!
I used to wash my hair in the rain 🌧️ when I was in my 20's - living in Florida! Great memories!
*Great Job, Daniel!*
There is a documentary about how the album was created. It's all explained by Pete Townshend with a good variety of pictures from those years and more. It's called "Can You See The Real Me" by BBC Four 2014. Highly recommended.
Thanks, I will definitely check that out 👍
In that documentary I love how Pete describes the lyrics in 5:15!
This is one of the best albums ever recorded. seen these guys twice and they are every bit as good on the stage as what you're hearing on vinyl or CD. Amazing concert band!
You are right about their on stage show, certainly one of the best years ago. I have seen them several times, with all three of their drummers over the years
@@HamiltonRb they’ve had 5 drummers: Moon, Jones, Phillips, Starkey, Devours
@@sheatiller2465 I saw Moon, Jones and Starkey and honestly never knew the other two popped in briefly
@@HamiltonRb I saw a really cool video the other day of Phil Collins playing drums on Pete's solo song "Slit Skirts". They say The Who came really close to hiring Phil Collins as their new drummer after Keith died.
1970, Amsterdam, old RAI building, support act Golden Earring, main act The Who, best concert i have ever seen. There is no band like The Who
I'm a Beatles freak. For me, this album and Sgt Pepper are the two greatest albums of all time.
"Quadrophenia" has stood the test of time. I'm convinced that 200 years from now people will still be listening to the story of Jimmy. A great work, the best (imo) The Who ever produced. It was so cool to see you experience this, and to hear your take on all this. Thank you again. P.S. I'll bet you are the kind of actor who could act out Jimmy in those last overwhelming moments as he asks love to reign over him. You wouldn't just say it--you'd FEEL it.
I think he'd certainly appreciate the role. Hope Daniel watches the movie and sees the great performance of Jimmy.
So true
When this song was new, I was your age, and ripe to look for America with only the use of a thumb. And twenty bucks. By the time I hit the midwest, I thought: Oh shit. The good music has probably not made it here yet. But then, in a bar in Iowa, I heard this song come on the jukebox, and I was free. Which is to say the twenty bucks was gone. I had tasted Olympia!
Funny thing ... RAIN... I spent my first 31 years in Wichita Kansas pretty much./.. but I grew to almost hate extremes. I got tired of 100 degree days and 90 degree nights with no air conditioning. And I got real tired of below zero winters.
We had visited my dad while he was doing temporary work for Boeing in Seattle in 1967 and 1968, only for a summer in 68 and just a month in 67, but it was enough to know that it was perfect for me. So different then Kansas in every.. single... way. Long story shot, dad moved here in 81... mom followed in 84 with the youngest son... the middle son followed in early 88 and I was here in September 88, some 32 years ago. It has hit 100 degrees one time.. and NEVER below zero... rarely below 20.. because we are next to Puget Sound... a part of the Pacific Ocean. The water never goes below 43 degrees.. and rarely above 45... and to the east are the Cascade mountains. About 45 minutes away nowadays. So its a temperate climate and if you like rain... this is the place for you. I knew I loved rain even as a child.. I love standing in it and letting it cleanse me.. Its just so real.. There is a place in the Cascades, we call it the Jumpin Hole.. and just above it are these little falls you can stand under... and shower.. if you dare.. not because its dangerous at all but because its glacier water... and it is ice cold.. but so cleansing.. so... real.
When I first heard Love Reign O'er Me on the radio I didn't know what I was listening to, but I knew I was listening to greatness.
I had the album Tommy and waited with great anticipation for Quadrophenia to arrive at our local music store. When I listened to it my high expectations were more than met. It is a wonderful and special work of art. Love it.
@@melissakhalar1842 awesome
@@Lightmane I'm giggling at my miss spelling. Lol Did you chuckle as well?
@@melissakhalar1842 Yes, but I knew what you meant 🙂
@@Lightmane , I know you knew but it's funny that it seems to happen the most when I'm addressing you for some reason or another. You have a spell over me. Bahahaha. Get it a spell. 😊
The last time The Who performed Quadrophenia live in its entirety was 2012. But in every tour since then "The Rock" has been included in the show. Seeing The Who performing "The Rock" at Fenway Park in Boston on September 13, 2019 (just a few months before the pandemic struck) was surreal!!! To me "The Rock" and "La Villa Strangiato" from Rush are the 2 greatest instrumental songs ever!
The tour of this album, played entirely, was amazing. I will never forget it.
Love your whole album takes, hope you do some more. The 1970 album "Jesus Christ Superstar" is brilliant and would be well worth a listen. Thanks.
Epic! Do it Daniel, please!!!
Doctor Jimmy is the point where Jimmy hit rock bottom. He was so messed up he had no problem thinking: "What is it? I'll take it. Who is she? I'll rape it". It's about as dark as you can get. One thing is for certain, in the song Doctor Jimmy - Roger Daltrey delivers the greatest F-bomb in history! "Her fella's gonna kill me? OHHHH, F*ckin' *WILL* he".
I saw The Who Quadrophenia concert @ Madison Square Garden in the 90s. Roger Daltry blew me away with his voice on.this song. Ringo’s son, Zach Starkey played drums.
I was fortunate enough to see The Who perform Quadrophenia live. I was immensely impressed and I could see the difficulty in performing the piece. All the horns and synths were tapped tracks that were cued in and out, synced with the band. Literally, a tech behind a mixing board on the stage to the left of Townshend with *reel-to-reel* tape decks. It didn't always go smoothly. In particular, Keith, (true to form, bless his heart) consistently deviated from the tapes causing the band to go out of sync in a song. That poor guy cueing the tapes got yelled at several times by Pete during one of the two shows I saw. A really spectacular show but one I think The Who slogged through that tour. I even recall a headline from a music publication of the day that read something like, "Quadrophenia, spooky tour". Truth according to what I saw.
(Actually, while writing this I recall that there was a fight right in front of the stage that was persistent and the band stopped playing at one point. Roger jumped into the crowd(!) and came up holding some kid by his collar and yelling at him. He got a ovation from the crowd. The fighting stopped.)
Pete once said in an interview that Tommy was originally intended, aspired to be, more orchestral, while Quadrophenia was supposed to be a more back to basics 3-piece rock band format. Ironically the reverse turned out to be the reality. Tommy is 3-piece rock band all the way while Quadrophenia had to wait decades to be performed by all the musicians required to be on stage to do it justice.
Great job! That's why I'm subscribed. 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍✌
This is The Who at their best. I get a tear in my eye almost everytime Rain Over Me. Pete Townsend is a genius. Great vocals and of course bass and drums bust most of the credit has to go to Pete.
Each member is at their absolute peak!
Masterpiece. Musicianship and writing is an 11 (out of 10). The drumming alone on this album is freaking incredible.
Love Reigh O'er Me is a powerful and intense song. I love every bit of it. Thank you for playing this entire album, AND for doing it one side at a time because it can be overwhelming all at once (I know I have listened to it that way on many occasions).
Thank you for taking me on this journey again.
Takes me back to 1988 my first job used to listen to this album all day on my sony turbo walkman then ride round my mates house on me vespa px 125 , the album that made me fall in love with Moony
Quadrophenia and Lamb Lies Down On Broadway were our answers to the great operas and classical master pieces.
So true
MASTERPIECE of rock music!
My favorite side 4 great ending to a masterpiece
During the Rock in concert, at least the 2012 tour, during the Helpless Dancer riffs, they play very powerful imagery on the screen. If you can find a video, please watch it.
Loved your story about running home in the rain. I had a similar experience many years ago, it really was a seminal moment and I’ve encouraged my son to do the same whenever he gets the chance (warm summer rain of course. It’s not such a liberating experience in the middle of winter 🥶). Great reactions by the way, you really do put in the leg work.
Classic album that has retained its place in the pantheon of rock opera.While Tommy has become known as the quintessential rock opera mainly because of its playlist being truncated for radio station listening, but also for relatability of its nominal character, Quadrophenia eschewed both that hit list mentality and makes the listener work to understand, if not entirely connect with, its main protagonist. That said, like any opera worth its salt, Quad does have its individual moments, none more than Love Reign O’er Me heard here which closes the curtain and sends you out to the streets with that refrain echoing in your head over and over and over. Thanks for covering the entire album...it deserves the effort.
Maybe some additional thoughts on Patreon as I go over this in my head a little longer.
I'd just turned 16 in the summer of '79. I saw the film s few times, and listened to the Soundtrack album (as well as the original album) a LOT that year.
As a teenage punk/new wave addict (a late-'70s genre whose music was rooted in the mid-'60s), "Quadrophenia" and "The Who Sell Out" were on heavy rotation in those days.
I loved watching your face when Love Reign O'er Me played- I knew it would touch you!
Thank you! What a great afternoon I’ve had revisiting this beautiful music. It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Maybe The Who’s most beautiful album. ❤️
You nailed it bro.
Best rockband ever.
Saw them urly 70's...
Best sound i've ever heard.check out Live at Leeds...best live album ever. Greetings from the Netherlands, love your channel 👍💪🎸🌷
I love a good Qudrophenia party 🔥
Thanks for doing this masterpiece Daniel. Watched all four.
Townsend actually sounds like Dave Gilmour during "The Rock" when he plays the "Love Reign O'er Me" part.
Side 4 really brings the story home and gets me emotional. Jimmy has led a tough life in his young existence and finally reaches peace at the end.
Awesome comment. Yes, definitely sympathetic towards the character Jimmy. Although for me, I'm not sure if he finds peace as much as he becomes self-aware or achieves some sort of understanding about himself and the world he lives in. But yes definitely feel some sort of resolution or release in the final movement of Love Reign O'er Me. It's just such an awesome song full of complex emotions.
Excellent reaction to this masterpiece!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and emotions.
The way it makes us all relive moments in our lives is exhilarating. I suggest you watch the film to see how the characters does in the end.
Fascinating album and great review. Keep rambling ;)
Literally gives me chills every time I hear it. What a great Quadrophenia party this has been! 👍😘
Jimmy has 4 personalities he does not have schizophrenia but Quadrophenia get it! the album has the 4 themes one for each member of the band Keith Moon's best work !
This ^^^
Incredible album! What a MASTERPIECE of a song to end the album.. Love Reign O'er Me!!😎🎼🎶🎵🇨🇦
These guys were so great live!!!
You reminded me of that feeling when you finish a wonderful book, relishing the last few pages and wanting to stay in that place forever, but knowing you have to come back to reality. And yet you are forever changed, lifted up to become a better person and more hopeful for what you can become. Love will do that.
I'd say it's essentially the story of one young man, but one who has many conflicting personality traits, and one who is concerned about broader social issues, at times. Bellboy is explicitly about Jimmy's reaction to seeing his hipster, older fellow Mod working as a bellboy, which fatally tarnishes his coolness in Jimmy's eyes.
Sweet way to sign off.
Liked it. Thanks.
So glad you got to listen to this. This album helped me get through high school, and that was 40+ years after this came out. The Punk and the Godfather has always been my favorite Who song and always will be, but The Rock to me has always been the band at their best. The four themes coming together for each member of the band, just as they're alluded to in the third track on the first side. The last minute of that song is untouchable especially. As far as Love Reign O'er Me, I've always had the same feeling as you about the liberation and vindication when Daltrey shouts "cool, cool Rain!" So happy you enjoyed John, Keith, Pete and Roger and the best damn rock opera ever.
Greatest musical composition ever.....
Great reaction from a true masterpiece of the classic rock era. The album is so satisfying on pretty much all levels - the playing, singing, arrangements, songwriting & concept. Of course it wasn't just The Who's records that set them apart but also and maybe more so the playing live side of them. It would be an awesome reaction to do their 1970 Isle Of Wight concert. They didn't come on till 2am but jeez, what a miraculous performance before 600,000 people. It really is barely believable how energetic & compelling a performance it is!
Nearly 48 years later, this album still blows me away. Townsend is a genius. Top 10 album of all time for me.
this brings back some memories...thank you my friend
Thanks for the ride...that was great! One of my all time favs. If I could only take 5 albums to the proverbial deserted island, QUADROPHENIA would top the list (Power Windows from RUSH would be another...hope you get a chance to review that one as well. Im sure you'd dig it) Ive been playing bass for 35 plus years and this album along with Hemispheres by RUSH were the two albums I learned how to play when I was a teenager that really set me along the path of being a lifelong musician. So fun watching your enjoyment of this masterpiece!
watch the movie of this album, it's AWESOME
Great reaction. I am much less confused than I used to be about this work because of your analysis. I think your story about the umbrella is a perfect analogy to the finalé of the album. Love reign o’er you too. Thanks Daniel.
Tales From Topographic Oceans
The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
London Calling
Quadrophenia
It seems that my four favorite albums ever are all double albums. What does this mean?
Next up, do yourself a favor and listen to all of Who's Next. Not a bad track on that one, either. (I stand by my assertion that "The Song Is Over" is best of the lot, but it's a very high-quality lot.)
I think you would *love* the movie, "My Immortal Beloved."
It's one of my favorites!
(WOW! "Love, Reign o'er Me" is playing while I'm typing! Love it!) 💜💫✌🏼🎵
One of my top 5 rock albums of all time. I truly feel this is Pete & Company's finest hour. I never got to see them with Keith (I bought Who Are You when it was new - and Keith was gone mere weeks later), but I've seen the band multiple times, including at Madison Square Garden in '96 when they staged this full album - so amazing! The whole band is just giving it their all on this album and Roger's voice is so full of passion - particularly on the finale Love Reign O'er Me. All of the pain and anguish of the character's struggle with his 4 competing personalities come to a head. It's a cathartic, primal expression of everything that's built up for the whole album. Ultimately, it feels triumphant, yet bittersweet. The feelings are so intense, and that final crashing end, with Keith just killing it, it's almost too much to bear (tears are inevitable). I'm so glad you enjoyed it as much as you obviously did. Please, please, please: I would love for you to follow this up with one of their most ferocious live performances - Young Man Blues (a cover of Mose Allison that was a staple of their early shows) from their awesome performance at the Isle of Wight in 1970, just a few months after Woodstock. I guarantee you will love it! th-cam.com/video/M9boFzhUVG4/w-d-xo.html
I only came across your review of Quadrophenia today. Whilst Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon always remains my favourite piece of music, Quadrophenia is second and nothing has ever come close to toppling these two giants for me.
Discovering both albums as I became a teenager, they spoke volumes to me. The powerful impression they made on me on first hearing them has never dwindled. As a troubled teen, Quadrophenia seemed to mirror all I felt at the time.
So glad you reviewed this and loved how you loved it too. Thanks.
The Best reviews of `Tommy & Quadrophenia that I've heard. Great work for a member of the young generation ...... well done.
John Entwistle also played French horn on Who recordings. It’s a beautiful thing.
I saw The WHO Perform Quadrophenia live in 1997 in their North American tour.Zak Starkey played drums.
Thanks, Daniel for reacting to this album. It’s one of my favorite albums of all time! I think the Dr Jimmy and Mr Jim song signified the character’s state of confusion and teen angst! I’m 63 now, but I remember having those feelings as a teenager.
I hadn’t listened to this in many years. What a discovery it was, back in the day. It’s even better than I remembered.
I was lucky to catch the Quadrophenia tour at the Staples Center in 2013, and as much as a Who fan as I am I was prepared to be gravely disappointed. I mean how could they possibly do it justice without Moon and Entwistle? How could Roger ever hit those high notes again? Well they did, and he did, and it was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. The sound and stage production were over the top good, and the band was totally on point. I remember The Rock as being a particular high point.
Saw them several times over the decades including 2013 (in Brooklyn). I couldn’t believe how great they still were. Roger Daltry’s voice was amazing; Townshend still did his windmills effortlessly. They sang all their hits. I was very moved.
Absolutely Love Reign O'er Me!
A friend had the music- including tab for this album. It had notes from Pete scattered through it, the most memorable for me was play "Loud, proud and Wagnerian" which seems appropriate.
Thanks Daniel.👍
Thanks so much, Daniel
There's a great documentary about the making of the album. I think it might have been a VH1 Behind The Music production, but not sure about that. It's likely here on TH-cam. Well worth watching for any Quadrophenia fan.
I saw The Who do Quadrophenia at Madison Square Garden with Billy Idol. They actually made it seem like it was gonna rain right in the Garden.
Only love can make it rain. Agree I want it to be raining when I die.
The Rock obviously shows the personalities separate and then in end they all merge together. So I take it that Jimmy overcomes his illness and figures it out. Love, Reign O'er Me is the peace he has at last from that. You can see how rain plays a part in release in various stories, such as that iconic scene in Shawshank Redemption - and like the "get busy living or get busy dying" concept in that film, it is apparent as well in Quadrophenia. But that's just one example of rain device for deep thinking and release. Numerous other examples of this show up in Blade Runner, etc. I was about 19 when I first heard Quadrophenia and delighted when there was a film coming out the following year. Quadrophenia ends the concept album cycle the Who began with The Who Sell Out. The aborted Lifehouse concept album became Who's Next. Quadrophenia is the apex of it all. Great music and really great rock album.
That's how you end a album
My No1 on my list , once a Mod always a Mod don't now why not sure but it was a way of life for us in 1980 onwards the best time of my life and still go on scooter runs today its still a part of my life.
This👏is👏a👏masterpiece👏
Love is the best thing that our benighted species still manages to pull off. Music is a close second.
art, architecture, science, math, literature, poetry, space exploration, water purification, modern plumbing, dams, locks, ships, electricity, dance, clothing and costumes, charity organizations, the Red Cross, modern education, Civil Rights laws, Suffrage laws, child protection laws, democracy, modern farming - I'm sure we could come up with a hundred other things that prove our species isn't "benighted" if you open your eyes. Listen to the music but ignore the noise.
@@emanonfox1709 Also war, genocide, slavery, totalitarianism, pollution, climate change, ad nauseum. The Anthropocene may well come crashing down in a mass extinction event of out own making. Despite our manifest flaws, I actually remain rather fond of humanity for many of the reasons that you cited. However, a tipping point is not all that far off. I hope we have the wisdom to turn back from the abyss.
@@stephensmith3111 then why are you bothering?
Duality. Dig it.
@@emanonfox1709 In words from those wiser than I:
"There's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for."
-- J. R..R. Tokien
a. k. a. Samwise Gamgee
Fighting does not necessarily involve violence. It is harder to change hearts and minds, but that is ultimately the way most likely stick. We are demonstratively a schizoid species with much baggage in that kludge that is the human central nervous system, but I hold fast to the hope that we are not beyond redemption.
"And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love."
-- 1 Corinthians 13:13
You are incredibly perceptive in seeing all the layers of meaning.
That song...you know which one...it makes me cry every time 😭 I liked your story about the lemonade stand. I have had many moments enjoying the cleansing effects of rain/water filling me happiness and washing the negativity from my soul. I think maybe this is why it makes me emotional...memories. 😉
"O'er" is a poetic device to make "over" a single syllable. The word "over" is trochaic, that is, the first syllable is stressed and the second unstressed. "Iambic" is the opposite, unstressed/stressed.
The drums on The Rock. Such control for a madman. -both aspects on display here.
My favourite studio album of all time.
I LOVE it when Jamel.....Justin......and you give that look that says, "Are you kidding me!!!" Cracks me up!!! Hahahaha....lol......hahahaha....it's like this music is a way out of pocket look!!!!! LMAO!!!!! It's The Who with The Beatles one of the gods of Rock n' Roll!!!!
I've been enjoying your reactions for a while now, and I'm so impressed! As far as Quadrophenia, in my opinion it's right up there with their best work, and, sad to say, they never came near that standard again. I have a thought about one aspect of this album, but it seems to me that one underlying influence was the British history of being a seafaring nation, going way back, you know "Brittania Rules the Waves," Lord Nelson and all that. I think Townshend like all the British kids were brought up with that, and maybe in some way it's behind the nautical sounding orchestral themes that keep repeating through the whole album, of course the songs themselves lyrically: Drowned, Sea and Sand, so many refer to the water; of course England is an island nation. Just my impression, maybe others have mentioned this, probably better and deeper than I could. Anyway, keep up the great work Daniel, you're very perceptive, creative, and wise beyond your years!
Your next WHO adventure should be "The Kids are Alright". A collection of live tracks spanning their early days through the late seventies, including Woodstock. There is also a movie if you wanted to do each songs live performance.
Daniel should actually watch the movie. It’s really good
I'd love to see Daniel react to perhaps the most underrated Who album of them all: "The Who Sell Out". It was recently re-released in a box set and it is an absolute masterpiece. It is pre-Tommy and so it is completely different than anything from The Who Daniel has heard yet.
Welcome back....my friend...ah...to the show that never ends!
Ps, what’s up with O’er. Would it have killed them to put a v in it? I suppose you can be rained on but not reigned on, so you have to use over...but that adds an extra syllable when singing. But I digress...best scream in Rock history!
Quadrophenia is an incredible work of musical art. If you get it, you really get it. If you don't it's meaningless. The generosity of Townsend to hang back and play rhythm guitar with frequent lead fills. And let Keith play lead with the drums, instead of just setting the pace with occasional fills. Instead he will sometimes echo or substitute the vocal. Other times he take full control of the the lead, playing what a guitar would normally play. The bass would also stand out with major foreground fills and semi solos, never just setting the pace. The outstanding vocals in the finally, Love Rein Over Me is Roger's best work. Everyone has a reaction, this is only mine. After fifty years it still isn't old.
The Who's masterpiece. It elevates rock music to the same plane as Beethoven's Ninth /Fourth Movement. Both cry out a desperate plea for The Creator to have mercy on the Created, begging for A Loving Kiss from a Loving Father, one that can then be shared to all mankind.
My favorite part of your four reactions to this album was your story of abandoning your umbrella and walking home through the rain! Every time I see hail I run out into it to feel it splatter down on me! Thanks for your reactions to this classic LP! You may have read this before in my previous comments on parts 1 - 3, but please add "Crime of the Century" and "Crisis? What Crisis?" both by Supertramp, and "Queen II" by Queen. I would love to watch your reactions to those albums! Peace!!
Kennedy Center Honors for The Who is great. Betty LeVette did an amazing version of Love Reign. Townsend and Daltry were impressed. You should check it out
I have just discover that Yes has a new album quietly released in 2020 and is now out selling on Amazon. I got to hear one of their songs which is quite different from past albums and songs. It does not have as many transitions in the songs and is still quite Lovely. "Words From A Page" is the new song and on You Tube. Check it out!!!!
Thank you so much, Daniel, for this. I believe Townshend is a genius. If you lean that way, it might be worth sometimes during your life to check out his solo stuff. Who Came First, Empty Glass, and All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes. All are informed by Pete's spirituality and brokenness. Thanks again for the time you put into this one.
Late subscriber to this channel so just catching up: superb album, one of my all-time top 20. Great reactions…
Dr Jimmy’s lyrics to me show the change in personality caused by the overuse of drugs
Brilliant!
The album is about 1 person who has 4 different personalities. Hence the name "Quadrophenia," rather than Schitzophrenia, (a person with split personalities.) It's enhanced with 4 different themes, one representing each member of "The Who."
If you look closely at the motor scooter on the cover, you will see a photo of each of the 4 faces of the band's members in the mirrors on the scooter, representing the 4 themes. ( Easier seen on the large, vinyl edition rather than the CD.)
I believe you've crossed the Rubicon.