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Topic ClosedTommy vs. Quadrophenia

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Poll Question: Which Who opera is Better: Tommy or Quadrophenia?
Poll Choice Votes Poll Statistics
23 [29.11%]
56 [70.89%]
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The Dark Elf View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 07 2012 at 23:08
Originally posted by moshkito moshkito wrote:

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.
 
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.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 07 2012 at 07:36

I think that the tracks from Tommy are working much better live than Quad tracks.

 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 05 2012 at 11:41
Originally posted by RoyFairbank RoyFairbank wrote:

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.


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).
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 05 2012 at 10:20
Originally posted by dennismoore dennismoore wrote:

Originally posted by Snow Dog Snow Dog wrote:

Everyone knows that Quadrophenia is superior.
 
Yipes!  Where is this "everyone" committee? 
 

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.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 05 2012 at 10:15
Originally posted by Snow Dog Snow Dog wrote:

Everyone knows that Quadrophenia is superior.
 
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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Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2012 at 21:51
Tommy
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2012 at 14:08
^How do you know what "we" want? Why do you always make these assumptions?
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2012 at 14:04
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!


Edited by moshkito - April 04 2012 at 14:10
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 25 2012 at 11:37
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.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 21 2012 at 12:45
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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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 21 2012 at 06:01
Quadrophenia by a nautical mile.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 21 2012 at 03:33
Originally posted by historian9 historian9 wrote:

Tommy! The album one, the movie music didn't work with me at all.
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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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 20 2012 at 19:01
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.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 20 2012 at 17:10
Quad is more interesting, IMO.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 20 2012 at 16:48
Love both but give my vote to Thommy to balance Big smile
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 25 2012 at 13:49
Tommy! The album one, the movie music didn't work with me at all.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 25 2012 at 02:42
Not a hard choise to make.
Quadro....
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 24 2012 at 14:06

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.

 
 
 
 
 


Edited by Svetonio - February 24 2012 at 14:45
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 24 2012 at 09:03
Quadrophenia for me, great film too I watched it a couple of days ago actually Cool
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 23 2012 at 07:45
Quadrophenia without a doubt, though Tommy worked better live.
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