The Who’s sixth album is many things to many people. To some it’s the musical comedown that followed the R&B-infused mod scene of the early 60s. To others it’s the template for the subsequent film, which was more of a late 70s period piece. Then there are those who consider it to be The Who hitting a creative peak that would never be topped.
One thing is certain: for all its nostalgia for a previous decade, Quadrophenia is a product of the early 70s prog scene, influenced in scope and structure by emerging bands who helped make 1973 arguably the genre’s most vintage year. ELP, Genesis, Caravan, Yes, Rick Wakeman and Gong all put out key albums within weeks either side of Quadrophenia, while earlier that year saw the release of Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon, which The Who’s opus sits comfortably beside as a progressive, occasionally pastoral, often challenging and quintessentially English work.
