Tommy vs. Quadrophenia
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Topic: Tommy vs. Quadrophenia
Posted By: progistoomainstream
Subject: Tommy vs. Quadrophenia
Date Posted: January 31 2012 at 17:54
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Replies:
Posted By: Fox On The Rocks
Date Posted: January 31 2012 at 18:38
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Quadrophenia. I've never been a big fan of Tommy.
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Posted By: Horizons
Date Posted: January 31 2012 at 18:38
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Tommy, preferably Live at Leeds version. ------------- Crushed like a rose in the riverflow. |
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: February 16 2012 at 12:11
| I like Tommy quite a bit more. |
Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: February 16 2012 at 12:28
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Everyone knows that Quadrophenia is superior. ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: February 16 2012 at 13:51
I certainly think it is. ------------- Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org Now also broadcasting on www.progzilla.com Every Saturday, 4.00 p.m. UK time! |
Snow Dog wrote:Posted By: HolyMoly
Date Posted: February 16 2012 at 16:05
As do I. ------------- My other avatar is a Porsche It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it is lightly greased. -Kehlog Albran |
Posted By: Textbook
Date Posted: February 23 2012 at 02:52
| Quadrophenia, easily. |
Posted By: Ludjak
Date Posted: February 23 2012 at 07:45
| Quadrophenia without a doubt, though Tommy worked better live. |
Posted By: clarkpegasus4001
Date Posted: February 24 2012 at 09:03
Quadrophenia for me, great film too I watched it a couple of days ago actually 
------------- Tony C. |
Posted By: Svetonio
Date Posted: February 24 2012 at 14:06
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I prefer Quadrophenia more than that flat Tommy the original 1969 album; but, Townshend's re - writed Tommy 1975 ( the film music) is more funky and better an album than Her Majesty Quadrophenia, IMHO. I voted for Quad because the poster have in mind the original 1969 Tommy album, not the soundtrack. |
Posted By: Sagichim
Date Posted: February 25 2012 at 02:42
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Not a hard choise to make. Quadro.... |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: February 25 2012 at 13:49
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Tommy! The album one, the movie music didn't work with me at all. |
Posted By: jean-marie
Date Posted: March 20 2012 at 16:48
Love both but give my vote to Thommy to balance 
------------- FAIS QUE TON REVE SOIT PLUS LONG QUE LA NUIT HAVE YOUR DREAM LASTING LONGER THAN THE NIGHT |
Posted By: colorofmoney91
Date Posted: March 20 2012 at 17:10
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Quad is more interesting, IMO. ------------- http://hanashukketsu.bandcamp.com" rel="nofollow - Hanashukketsu |
Posted By: The Dark Elf
Date Posted: March 20 2012 at 19:01
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Both albums are great in their own way, but Tommy was merely a starting point, and the following albums Who's Next and Quadrophenia reflect the band's greatest achievements. Ummm...so Quadrophenia. ------------- ...a vigorous circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area, but destined to take the place of the mud shark in your mythology... |
Posted By: Svetonio
Date Posted: March 21 2012 at 03:33
I understand you - not many people love it; a huge majority of really hardcore English fans are hate the film and music with passion.
Well, Tommy the film music was made by many musicians out of The Who, although The Who were played in many songs and acting themself in the movie. Whole stuff, together with great film by Ken Russel (RIP) for me as foreigner and casual The Who fan aswell fan is something best what I ever saw and heard. (BTW, I love to say that Tommy the film music is the best mr. Townshed' "solo album with a lot of guests"). Her Majesty Quadrophenia which I love so much because of music (of course!) have a story line about English mods movement in early 60's what, naturaly, don't touch me. Also with Quadrophenia movie, what is "too English" movie for my foreigner taste.
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Posted By: someone_else
Date Posted: March 21 2012 at 06:01
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Quadrophenia by a nautical mile. ------------- 
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Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: March 21 2012 at 12:45
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Could never get into Tommy. I like the part in Quadrophenia when Jimmy tells the milkman to f**k off. That's what I like about quadrophenia. That was my favourite part. The one I liked the most. Ahem. You may will ask what is my favourite part of Qudrophenia. Ahem my favourite part of Quadrophenia is as follows. The part where Jimmy tells the milkman to f**k off.
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Posted By: RoyFairbank
Date Posted: March 25 2012 at 11:37
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Quadrophenia in a Himalaya landslide. Tommy is like a middle school version of Quadrophenia. Quadrophenia is in the top 10 most important albums in human history, Tommy is in the top 10 albums in Who man history. |
Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: April 04 2012 at 14:04
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Hi,
The sad part of it all? ...
TOMMY was far more important to the time and place and what it wanted to do and represent. Pete had talked about this being a "rock opera", which of course got all the academics laughing and trashing it, but got all the rock fans to go listen to it ... and a couple of songs made this album really big ... and its impression on radio at the time was massive ... and then you heard The Who at Woodstock ... an image that is one of the strongest in the whole concert ... that illuminates what a whole generation is/was and hoped to be.
QUADROPHENIA was more of it, but in the end, by that time, it had lost its luster, although there are some outstanding musical passages in there that are an absolute treat in music ... but we no longer "cared" about music anymore ... and there were no "hits" in that album ... which was trashed senselessly by reviewers ...
It is an amazing tribute that this PA Board can recognize the immense work in QUAD and how important it was ... at the expense of not knowing/understanding, the immense value ... of the other work as well.
I had a dream once, and it was right about the time that The Who did their thing in Knebworth, and I saw that moment on the stage ... and Roger takes a step from the microphone, looks at it lovingly, then looks down ... and his mind was saying ... "I don't want to do this anymore!" ... because the meaning and understanding of what it all meant and the fight that was put together to help people understand and know more and better ... is all lost ... we just want to hear the hits and the songs. We don't give a cahoot about the art, the artist ... there is nothing in our lives that means anything that anyone else does ... because we have our own dope ... our favorite songs!
Now you know what that scream is all about! ------------- Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com |
Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: April 04 2012 at 14:08
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^How do you know what "we" want? Why do you always make these assumptions? ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: Man With Hat
Date Posted: April 04 2012 at 21:51
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Tommy ------------- Dig me...But don't...Bury me I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect. |
Posted By: dennismoore
Date Posted: April 05 2012 at 10:15
Yipes! Where is this "everyone" committee? I need to find them cause they appear to know all, and they would be quite helpful in a jam!
I voted for Quadrophenia, but this is a case of why these polls are silly. This is not an apples to apples comparison at all and the two records shouldn't be compared.
Tommy was The Who really begining to find themselves as a band and leaving the pop rock world behind, where most rock bands simply followed each other and imitated each other.
Tommy was a true birthing of an original band, yet it was marred with many pains of that birth. Several songs like "I'm Free" and "We're Not Gonna Take it" had Roger sing every phrase exactly the same, robotic and devoid of emotion. The 1975 Tommy shows The Who giving better attention to the tracks(those didn't get farmed out to other bands.) the difference is night and day.
Tommy was great for what is was, especially in 1969. Quadrophenia came out in 1973 which was 100 years ahead in recording production and rock band progressiveness.
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Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: April 05 2012 at 10:20
I preferred Tommy. After all it has prettier tunes and nice melodies and some nice musical interludes. I found Quadrophenia a hard listen by comparison. However it slowly gave more and more eventually surpassing Tommy in masterliness. Soon as I realised this and knew I was right.....I knew that everyone had to agree with me. ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: April 05 2012 at 11:41
I won't say which is better, but wow, I believe that Tommy a much more important album in the annuls of rock music than Quadrophenia, and much more of a milestone release for The Who. I think it much more important historically. As far as most important musical compositions in human history (rather than particular album releases), I rather think that Quadrophenia would barely get a footnote (okay, in the rock section of Music Through the Ages, The Who is a very important band so it would be listed in more than a footnote and it is commonly considered to be one of the greatest rock albums). Tommy paved the way for Quadrophenia to quite an extent, and even if Quadrophenia is more mature, Tommy was more ahead of its time -- although only a few years apart, Quadrophenia is of a different time. If the question was, which I do like more, about equal for me. Both albums were favourites of mine at one time. Another question might be, which movie is better, Tommy or Quadrophenia? I guess I liked Quadrophenia more, but Tommy did have Oliver Reed going for it (not a favourite Ken Russell film of mine). |
Posted By: Svetonio
Date Posted: April 07 2012 at 07:36
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I think that the tracks from Tommy are working much better live than Quad tracks. |
Posted By: The Dark Elf
Date Posted: April 07 2012 at 23:08
If you only knew how incredibly pretentious your post sounds. "we no longer 'cared' about music"? Speak for yourself, or better yet, don't generalize your platitudes. Also, many of us are quite aware of the enormity of Tommy in context with the era it was released; that does not mean, however, that Quadrophenia cannot be considered a better, more cohesive album. On the contrary, I consider it a far more mature, complex and satisfying composition than Tommy. That being said, I still think Who's Next is better than both of them. ------------- ...a vigorous circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area, but destined to take the place of the mud shark in your mythology... |
Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: April 08 2012 at 05:45
Also 5:15 was a huge hit off that album.  ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: Gerinski
Date Posted: April 08 2012 at 06:51
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Regardless of how undoubtedly significant Tommy was (and I certainly enjoy it, both music and film), musically I hold Quadrophenia a lot higher, actually in another dimension altogether. After all these years I still listen to Quadrophenia from time to time and recently I even watched the movie again, while it's a couple of years since the last time I listened to Tommy or felt like watching the movie.
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Posted By: dennismoore
Date Posted: April 08 2012 at 09:31
Understood. Also, I guess it depends on the order or when one hears them. I first heard Tommy from the 1975 soundtrack record, then I heard Quadrophenia, Quadrophenia struck me as utter perfection (modern rock or prog or whatever label one uses), for the simple reason that from start to finish each track was strong, of all the great bands of the times, non had made and album so strong, and Quadrophenia was a double album! 4 sides, amazing to this day nobody has done that. After hearing both the soundtrack Tommy & Quadrophenia, it was quite hard to hear the original Tommy with Roger's monotone singing. I wish the Who would have done all the songs on the1975 remake and then offered the guest versions(Elton John , Tina Turner, Clapton, etc..) on 45s or another release. I still think the Who versions on the 1975 soundtrack are one thousand time better then on the 1969 Tommy. ------------- "Yeah, people are unhappy about that - but you know what, it's still Yes." - Chris Squire |
Posted By: dennismoore
Date Posted: April 08 2012 at 09:38
@The Dark Elf, I think moshkito is writing in 3rd person like he is an historian or something, I see his point but it does seems a bit condescending. About your point about Who's Next: No way, no how, so sorry dude. Who's Next is a single album masterpiece. Quadrophenia is a double album masterpiece. 2 beats 1 ------------- "Yeah, people are unhappy about that - but you know what, it's still Yes." - Chris Squire |
Posted By: The Dark Elf
Date Posted: April 09 2012 at 22:30
Okay, I suppose you've got me there.  ------------- ...a vigorous circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area, but destined to take the place of the mud shark in your mythology... |
Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: April 10 2012 at 20:29
Yep, a top 20 hit in 1973. And a classic if ever I heard one.
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Posted By: dennismoore
Date Posted: April 10 2012 at 21:10
I was always good at math.  Quadrophenia & Who's Next. Two of the greatest recordings ever. I am a huge prog fan but we could cause some real trouble/damage around here. What do you think of this thread idea?: Quadrophenia & Who's Next: My two Who records will kick any of your two records all across town, even if one IS Close To The Edge! I am almost tempted, but then I love YES so much this may cause a war between my brain's two hemispheres  ------------- "Yeah, people are unhappy about that - but you know what, it's still Yes." - Chris Squire |
Posted By: Horizons
Date Posted: April 10 2012 at 21:19
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Quadrophenia is their best album. Complete magic. ------------- Crushed like a rose in the riverflow. |
Posted By: smartpatrol
Date Posted: April 16 2012 at 13:19
| Quadrophinea! |
Posted By: The Bearded Bard
Date Posted: May 01 2012 at 17:16
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Tommy for me. Never liked Quadrophenia much. It even bores me a bit to be honest. -------------  
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Posted By: Tonester66
Date Posted: June 07 2014 at 01:24
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I love the Overture from Tommy, but overall, it seems to have to much info for an album. And I heard an interview with Roger Daltrey, where he said that Quadrophenia was a much better album musically, than Tommy. I would tend to agree with him.
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Posted By: Altairius
Date Posted: June 07 2014 at 01:54
| Quad |
Posted By: smartpatrol
Date Posted: June 07 2014 at 02:05
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Storyline and the way it's told; Quadrophenia. Music; Tommy, which I went with since I usually consider the music more important. ------------- http://bit.ly/1kqTR8y" rel="nofollow">  The greatest record label of all time! |
Posted By: Michael678
Date Posted: June 07 2014 at 06:50
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god its hard to choose since both are damn right awesome! i guess it has to be Tommy for now so it can raise its self-esteem a bit more. ------------- Progrockdude |
Posted By: Xonty
Date Posted: July 11 2014 at 09:16
| Quadrophenia - much more refined and consistent. Something doesn't quite fit on Tommy for me, even though I love the themes and most of the songs... |
Posted By: N-sz
Date Posted: July 11 2014 at 09:49
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I LOVE Tommy, but I still haven't heard Quadrophenia, so I can't vote. I don't know what's taking me so long--I'm sure I'll love it too. ------------- https://blankspacerecords.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow - Blank Space Records |
Posted By: Gerinski
Date Posted: July 11 2014 at 10:09
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The story theme of Tommy was great, and my perception of Tommy will always be hugely enhanced by the wonderful movie adaptation by Ken Russell. But musically it was a bit too primitive for my taste, in terms of the music I very much prefer Quadropenia, which I consider a fantastic album, although the movie adaptation was much less strong than Tommy's. I will rarely listen to Tommy unless it is for a re-watch of the movie, while I will spin the Quadrophenia album now and then but I will rarely re-watch the Quadrophenia movie.
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Posted By: ole-the-first
Date Posted: July 11 2014 at 10:46
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Tommy. I just don't get Quadrophenia at all. Although I would prefer The Who Sell Out to both of them. ------------- This night wounds time. |
Posted By: Kirillov
Date Posted: July 11 2014 at 11:19
| Quadrophenia. I still tresaure my vinyl copy with the photo booklet. |
Posted By: Gerinski
Date Posted: July 11 2014 at 11:52
Mine got lost at some point
 (lending & borrowing albums got out of control among friends and friends of friends and their friends and some who were probably not friends but pretended they were...) |
Posted By: floflo79
Date Posted: July 12 2014 at 01:18
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Quadrophenia is really great (The Real Me is amazing) but i vote for Tommy because I think that it is my 2nd favourite album of all time. ------------- 
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Posted By: proggman
Date Posted: July 13 2014 at 00:43
Quadrophenia.------------- When he rides, my fears subside. For darkness turns once more to light. Through the skies, his white horse flies. To find a land beyond the night. |
Posted By: addictedtoprog
Date Posted: July 24 2014 at 01:17
| Quadrophenia |
Posted By: geekfreak
Date Posted: March 13 2015 at 03:28
as a above...  ------------- Friedrich Nietzsche: "Without music, life would be a mistake." Music Is Live Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. Keep Calm And Listen To The Music… < |
Posted By: Michael678
Date Posted: March 29 2015 at 06:39
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both albums are great.....but i'm a Tommy guy........i have my hands up i swear (wait, how is that possible if i'm typing this........DUN DUN DUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) ------------- Progrockdude |
Posted By: Bitterblogger
Date Posted: January 17 2016 at 23:13
This.
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Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: January 18 2016 at 07:28
So do I. ------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy! |
Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: January 19 2016 at 04:07
I also think so.... but to me, Quadro is not sounding as "prog" as Tommy. I always thought Tommy was somewhat of a tour de force, but sometimes embarrassingly naïve, while Quadro is not as "prog" (read as symphonic) and has some un-prog moments, but it's far more accomplished.
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Posted By: Barbu
Date Posted: January 21 2016 at 12:56
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Tommy ------------- |
Posted By: Intruder
Date Posted: February 19 2016 at 15:24
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Tommy opened a lot of doors; it allowed bands to look beyond the 3 minute single as record companies saw the success of the album as proof that "progressive" music could sell as well as any Herman's Hermits record. Quadrophenia is a much more mature album - from music to lyrics, Quad was a story that listeners could follow and identify with.....Tommy just had too many holes in the narrative. I'll go with Quad despite how influential Tommy became. ------------- I like to feel the suspense when you're certain you know I am there..... |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: February 19 2016 at 21:56
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Bitterblogger bumped the thread back up on Jan 17 or I wouldn't have noticed it probably.......at any rate I would rather listen to Tommy if I was at a friends house having a beer. It was a seminal album for me when I started college in 69 and by the time Quadrophenia came around I had started to move on to other bands especially after Who's Next which imho is the best thing they ever did. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: The.Crimson.King
Date Posted: February 20 2016 at 11:28
Definitely Quad...Tommy is too repetitive and mostly bores me to death  ------------- https://wytchcrypt.wixsite.com/mutiny-in-jonestown" rel="nofollow - Mutiny in Jonestown : Progressive Rock Since 1987 |
Posted By: uduwudu
Date Posted: February 22 2016 at 03:46
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Better? How is this to be defined? If I hear the climactic numbers Love Reign O'er Me and See Me Feel Me then I only say that each is an amazing classic of beautifully written, superbly performed music that touches deeply. The Underture / Overture themes from Tommy (love 'em), the big hit Pinball Wizard the imagination and talent it took for the young Peter Townshend to put all this together, from vision to reality is clearly demonstration of an immense talent. The dedication of getting a "pop group" to put this complex piece into four man rock action in the studio and live is mind-boggling. They did not have too much of an example before. Except of course their own Sell Out album, possibly one of the three best from the UK at the time. Days Of Future Passed, Are You Experienced and Piper being the others. (IMHO Sgt Pepper only has one number close to that standard). But Tommy has a scarcely credible story line but I don't really care. In opera there are much worse and less credible and frankly Tommy beats the pants off the last one I saw, some Rossini thing that was well performed and sung but far too long with a silly visual presentation. Quadrophenia is wall to wall brilliance of rock songs woven to a cohesive whole. I love my Japanese LP replica, beautiful production and all the additions. This notion of pitting one versus another as though that has some significance is I suppose one way of getting people to all get in line and choose imaginary sides. Or an ingenious way of getting prog heads to focus. Who knows. But I need the option of choosing both. I'm a bit of a Who fan from My Generation to Who Are You. Oddly not much after that really gets to me. Just me I suppose. But the dozen years these guys put some of the most fun, interesting, witty, powerful, lyrical damned emotion raising music together demands a tad more respect when it xcomes to polls. Tommy - get it. Quadrophenia - get it. Who's Next - what you do NOT have a copy? There is a wealth of music here and if the academics get all snooty about "mere" rock music, and I know they do, that is their loss at least in the incidences of Quadrophenia, Tommy and Who's Next. Now just to go off topic a bit and improv. Y'know the tech/ death metal growl? Of course you do. The reason I can not take this seriously ever - is due solely to The Who in general and Entwistle in particular. So if I hear some death growl I think automatically of Boris The Spider and ache to hear some vocal going creepy, crawly, creepy creepy, crawly crawly (repeat). This will no doubt annoy the death fans who take all this seriously. But there we are, the problem is all mine not theirs or yours. Does humour belong in music? Right, back to Rush In Rio pour moi. |
Posted By: Wreck
Date Posted: April 07 2016 at 07:24
| Both are great rock albums but i choose Quadrophenia since it has a more serious concept. |
Posted By: Cambus741
Date Posted: April 07 2016 at 09:54
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Tommy OST for me. love it |
Posted By: Affek
Date Posted: April 09 2016 at 14:32
| I've gotta admit I'm completely in love with Quadrophenia. The concept and music play together beautifully, really complex and amazing work. After I found Tommy a little too abstract, I was a little reserved when I discovered Quadrophenia, but it was instant. After "The Real Me" riff, it only got better. There's no song better than "Love, Reign O'er Me", and I think that second The Who rock opera is my favourite album. |
Posted By: TheLionOfPrague
Date Posted: April 15 2016 at 17:03
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Quadrophenia is almost flawless, Tommy has some boring moments. ------------- I shook my head and smiled a whisper knowing all about the place |
Posted By: TexasKing
Date Posted: December 01 2017 at 04:16
| Both great albums but I went with Quad. |
Posted By: Squonk19
Date Posted: December 01 2017 at 10:39
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Quad is much more consistent and has a stronger concept - with some real highlights. A higher prog quotient too. Tommy has its moments though, so no disrespect to that one either. ------------- “Living in their pools, they soon forget about the sea.” |
Posted By: Mortte
Date Posted: December 09 2017 at 05:41
| Tommy. It has lot of light, although Quadrophenia is great too, it´s quite depressive. |