1. The WhoQuadrophenia
I remember avoiding Quadrophenia when it came out. It was later on that I ‘got’ this album and was totally blown away by it. I’ve always admired Pete Townsend as a lyricist and I love the idea of concept albums. I come from the real old fashioned world. I don’t like download tracks and I remember listening to Quadrophenia on my dad’s 8-track stereo.
When I go to make an album I apply myself to making sixty minutes of music and I tend to hang it around some kind of concept or theme and Quadrophenia is just beautiful in terms of this. The majesty of it and the attack, the power of it all and the emotion Daltrey gets over in his voice. The way he takes on Townsend’s lyrics.
It’s basically progressive rock. During my time with Marillion everyone would go on about Genesis or Yes, that kind of thing, but I think Quadrophenia is the epitome of an amazing conceptual piece, wrapped up in pure rock. Many a time I’ll be sitting there with a few friends and rack it up on the hi-fi and annoy the neighbours. Quadrophenia came along at a time in my life where it captured the feelings that were going on inside me – rebellious teenager and sexual frustration, blah, blah. In one album it wrapped up everything I was feeling at that time.
