State University of New York College at Buffalo - Buffalo State College Digital Commons at Buffalo State Shakin Street Gazette, Student Music Magazine Buffalo State Archives: History of the College 11-29-1973 The Shakin' Street Gazette, Volume 4 The Shakin' Street Gazette Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/shakinstreet Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation The Shakin' Street Gazette, "The Shakin' Street Gazette, Volume 4" (1973). Shakin Street Gazette, Student Music Magazine. 4. https://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/shakinstreet/4 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Buffalo State Archives: History of the College at Digital Commons at Buffalo State. It has been accepted for inclusion in Shakin Street Gazette, Student Music Magazine by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons at Buffalo State. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Quadrophenia: The Past is the Future SHAKIN' STREET GAZET1E than even he realized, was. the rationale behind individual solo efforts, which were always interesting but never as satisfying as the Who in entity. "Quadrophe-n-ia," the latest Who effort, presents this entity. "Quadrophenia" is the story of Jimmy, a mod-kid in mid-sixties London. He does all the things that mods did. He chases roe ke rs, smashes windows, takes pills, picks up birds, and goes to see the Who in concert. He is also seeing a psychiatrist who says he is a schizophrenic. From another angle, Quadrophenia is . do is keep on Rockin • • \ . Volume One, Number Four (' also the story of the Who; what they are today fused with what they were at one The Who Makin' Waves: The Past is the Future. time. This very fusion is the concept of "Yeesh, thank God I don't have to do this 9 to 5 anymore . ... " Quadrophenia. Re al Me" an earnest, hard rock song ... " but he is also---------- the same man who can Peter T,ownshend, the innovative Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band), approached, let alone to be toppled by The vision of Quadrophenia is one expressing Jimmy's p\ea to the doctor, only stutter my generation in his perfectionist of rock music, and the Townshend was experimenting with what those hard rockers who could see for that took Peter TowJ1shend two years to preacher, and ~is motMr, all of whom say con.fusion rather than accusingly as he did '., whiz-kid of those punkish mongrels · he called a '!mini-rock opera" (A Quick miles and miles but maybe not far realize, and for the Who to mature known as the Who, has composed and one while he's away) and later, on their enough. , they want to help him. It is a plea for in the past. towards. Townshend offers, us a surface Side two begins with "I'm one (at conducted a piece of music called first attempt at a concept album, "The The group, swallowed by the them to see the "real him." level plot, the teen angel embedded in his least)" a number which reasserts Jimmy's Quadrophenia. Who Sell Out," he had an extended cut outrageous proportions that "Rock The next cut is a beautiful own confusion. Perhaps the deaf, dumb as well as Townshend's uniqueness as an Townshend has all the intuition of a with several themes called "Rael." Opera" came to symbolize, sensed that instrumental, r~peating the four themes. and blind kid revisited. But there is that individual in space and time. It begins as a showman, as well as the the only follow-up that They are played with an orchestral other level of involveme"nt, which soft song which later swings into a full cold, seemingly sterile they could present was synthesizer/horn background, superbly Townshend and his compatriots struggle rock sound. This pattern of a song of expertise of a master a live album. "Live At ,,, dramatic drumming from Keith Moon, ,) with, a progressivism which returns the confusion of identity followed by a song · producer. As the layed Leeds" presented them and some uncharacteristically melodic Who to their past, their roots perhaps. It of. reassertion of personality is a constant back extrovert of the as a tight, theatrical lead guitar from Townshend. is this conflict of past and present image, on this album and reoccurs again and -;, Who, .he ; has guided . rock band with their what they stand for, which makes ''Cut My Hair" follows with a soft their succ.esses feet firmly planted in pretty verse and pulsating nervous chorus, again. Quadrophenia so enticing. Each of the This number is followed by "The ,, ecstatically and the Rock and Roll of one representing the pseudo quietude of four dominant themes of Quadrophenia, Dirty Jobs," one of th'e standouts on the carefully .. As the the later 50's. Their Jimmy's home life, the other the presents a personality of the Who, Daltry, album. John Entwhistle's growling bass undisputed creator of studio efforts were excitement of being out with fellow Entwhistle, Moon and Townshend works with a pleasant guitar/synthesizer the Who's nrusicanci' mainly confined to mods. He feels uncomfortable in both himself. ' They ask each other why they intro, and then carries a throbbing violent lyrics, it is through his individual roles however, and the cut ends with a are doing what they must do. Why they arrangement of a song about being put eyes that the story of experimentation. 'radio newscaster reporting a gang fight as symbolize what they must symbolize. down, pushed round and screwed with : Quadrophenia is the morning kettle comes to a boil. With "Who's Next " The Quadrophenia booklet which menial dirty work and drudgery. This one handed to us as Side one ends with "The Punk Meets Townshend was again comes with the album is illustrative of a ends with carnival so~nds as Jimmy quits ·' revelation. experimenting. Several the Godfather," described as "A mini fusion between these two plots, as Jimmy his job as a dustman after seeing people Townshend, in the opera with real characters and plot." The cuts displayed his floats through the streets of London. But who had been doing it for years and are early years, was able to synthesizer work, Godfather exhaults himself, the star of .I ever present are pictures, advertisements, stuck with low pay and garbage. write some very tightly the show, the great hero. The ·Punk cuts attempts rangil'_lg from and symbolic tokenisms of the Who, who Roger's theme (Helpless Dancer) arranged and him down by exposing him for what he an ever present drone are ever present .in Jimmy's saga, just as follows. This is Jimmy's evaluatibn of life ·· effectively expressive is, a product of the people and a facetious to orchestral jimmy is a crucial symbol of entity in the at this point and the very struggle for it ,. songs for singles. Hits fraud. This is another urgent rocker and it background (best st6~y of the WhGJ. This fusion, a seeming by every one. With a very simple like !'My Generation," exemplified on "You beau ti fully combines Roger Dal trey's diversion of interests, is actually piano/horn arrangement, Daltry begins ''Substitute," "Can't strong vocal with Townshend's biting Won't Get Fooled enlightening insofar as Townshend's the vocal for the first . two lines. He is Explain,'' "The Kids Again"). Included on lyrics. This number purposefully eludes message is concerned as the series of however disguised, replaced or mimed as are All Right," "Happy the surface level plot of Jimmy the mod, the album, also pictures, graphic spaces of time, illustrate. the voices that follow take on, strikingly, Jack," and "I Can See significantly, was "The The piece itself opens with a rush of and concerns 'itself with two ambiguous characters, the punk and the godfather. characteristics of the other' members of For Miles" had tunes Song Is Over" the water and crashing, breaking waves; ' I On carefuly examination of the lyrics, the Who, Not always vocally reminiscent :- which caught the ear remnants of an abortive snatches of music and singing are heard one can see that. both of these characters of their counterpart, but lyrically each quickly and had attempt at a second em bedded in the sound, presenting us 1 are Townshend, an introspective process member of the Who is done to a tee, best " enough nervous energy rock opera. · wi t h the four themes which make up called schizophrenia. Townshend the exemplified by Keith Moon's line "If you ·' to keep the hyper acti','.e kids of the "Tommy," the first full length rock After Who's Next however, the desire Quadrophenia: "Helpless Dancer," "ls It one-time punk, is now the fat cat complain, you disappear, just like the . middle and late 60's interested. opera, soon followed. to be heral.ded as rock and roll innovators Me," "Bell Boy" and "Love Reign O'er 1 godfather of rock and he knows it. He lesbians and queers." Remember Moon is But he perfected/this so quickly that "Tommy, " while being a unique became apparent as· the distance between Me ." Each theme reflects a member of blatant; not subtle, eccentric (remember he needed something bigger to sink his musical expression, surpassed even what the group and the recording studio the Who, and each represents a part of comes to wonder who controls who; does generation · motivate spokesman or Uncle Ernie)., The lyrics, written by ' musical teeth into. On the Who's second Townshend conceived it and it led the loomed ever .more enormou s. Jimmy's character. Townshend, fit Moon's person~ity.