Bravado The Who Quadrophenia T-Shirt

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They’re two of my best songs,” Townshend agrees. “ Drowned is wonderful to perform. They belong in Quadrophenia. The songs that have been most cathartic for me are probably the angrier ones. This kind of writing has always been, for me, an attempt to make the spiritual journey accessible as an idea, using watery metaphors. I explain in some detail in the [ Quadrophenia reissue] liner notes how I came to write Love Reign O’er Me. It’s a kind of ‘scoop’, so I don’t want to spoil the surprise. I think Roger has dozens of fine moments, and his many live renditions of Love Reign O’er Me on recent tours have always blown me away. Quadraphonic sound was one of the first attempts at surround sound and typically used four speakers for stereo instead of two. Although the trend didn’t catch on, in the early 1970s, it was embraced by some music lovers who could afford the equipment’s high price tag. Iconic albums, such as Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’, were released in the Quadraphonic format. Directed by Franc Roddam, Quadrophenia, released in 1979, is a British drama film co-written by Pete Townshend, co-founder of The Who, and is loosely based on The Who’s album of the same name. And what of Drowned and Love Reign O’er Me, two of the choicest moments The Who have ever pressed to vinyl?

Meat People’ on 4-6 Essex Road has all the original art-deco features thanks to it being a Grade II listed building. A visit will evoke memories of the scenes played out in the café. Mod leader Ace Face is played by Sting, who was about to achieve global success with The Police at the time of the film’s conception. To Jimmy, the life he loves begins at night when he hangs out with his clique of Mod friends, rides his Lambretta scooter, takes amphetamines, and parties.On location in Brighton, Brighton Pier, The Grand Hotel, and the ballroom’s exterior from the film (which is now Brighton Sealife Centre) all have their original features. However, the iconic scene from the ballroom where Jimmy jumps from the balcony was filmed in Southgate, North London, at the old Royalty Ballroom (now a fitness centre). PeteTownshend: "Entwistle was stunning, he was also wonderful to work with" (Image credit: Redferns) The week of Quadrophenia’s release wasn’t quite as beatific though. At least one quarter of The Who seemed a little disgruntled. Part of what I wanted to do was re-establish with our fans the principles they themselves had set up when we’d started. I think The Who had been servants of the audience in 1964/65, not the other way around. Our job was always to give our audience something they needed, not make them think we were stars. Although relatively new and budding actors at the time, Quadrophenia’s cast members featured a stellar line-up of some of today’s greatest actors and performers.

His parents throw him out of the house after discovering his stash of amphetamine pills, then he quits his job and spends his severance on more, before finding out that his new love Steph is actually in a relationship with his friend Dave. The Who’s music and the film’s fashions live on today, as the stylish, music-loving youth still embrace the coolness and the belonging of what it is to be a Mod. Although Jimmy pulls away when he realises it’s his friend Kevin, he doesn’t stop the fight, he rides away on his scooter. It was, in fairness, hardly unique behaviour. The Who’s formidable reputation was partly based on such wanton acts of violence against unsuspecting hardware, though the sudden assault on Pridden was altogether more extreme. This was different. Townshend’s tipping point was the result of sustained pressure and frustration.

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The tension heightens when Jimmy crashes his beloved Lambretta scooter so, he takes the train to Brighton to relive his favourite Mod memories.

One of the central themes of Quadrophenia is the idea of joining a tribe or gang for the purposes of personal development, perhaps best expressed by the song I’m One. Townshend: “As a young man I needed, and wanted, to be part of a gang of young men. I’d grown up in a gang, one that started when I was a street kid in Acton when I was four years old, running wild when it was still safe to do so. This product is in no way associated or endorsed by any of the brands or figures included within the design**Although not defined in the film, Quadrophenia is mentioned in the album’s sleeve notes and is an amalgamation of two words, Quadraphonic and Schizophrenia. Jimmy and Steph get up close and personal in an alley by 11 East Street in Brighton. Now dubbed ‘Quadrophenia Alley’, it’s a hotspot for all Quadrophenia fans. Although many of the locations have since changed, here are some of the famous places you can still visit if you want to take in the Quadrophenia experience: The brawls between the two subcultures featured in the film did take place over two bank holiday weekends in 1964 and led to a media-fuelled, widespread perception that the two groups were nothing but troublemakers. Townshend today describes Entwistle’s input as “Stunning, he was also wonderful to work with: meticulous, disciplined, funny and inspired. I loved it that he wrote out his brass parts on music manuscript paper like a proper composer. What he arranged and played on a whole variety of exotic brass instruments fit my own synthesiser and string arrangements perfectly.