"I won't get to get what I'm after 'till the day I die" -- Pete Townshend

 

                                 

  

A long, long time ago when I was just a young pup, an undergraduate, I took a challenging course, " The History of the Novel ." During one of his lectures, my esteemed professor pointed out the merits of the great literary novels; his discourse somehow transitioned into rock and roll, which he then made the claim that though the genre would eventually fade away, The Who's music would survive.

H is argument: Pete Townshend pioneered the Rock Opera, and therefore Tommy and Quadrophenia along with The Who will endure. In other words, Townshend's musical compositions have made him a truly great artist, but it's his innovation of the Rock Opera that will immortalize him and The Who .

E ddie Vedder of Pearl Jam has said, " on albums like  Tommy  and  Quadrophenia , [The Who] coupled that raw energy with precision and desire to complete musical experiments on a grand scale. They asked, "What were the limits of rock & roll? Could the power of music actually change the way you feel?"

When Tommy was released, some critics thought the album was a masterpiece, the rise of a new musical genre, while some thought it was mere overindulgence. 

Musically, Tommy  is centered around Pete Townshend's acoustic guitar and supported by John Entwistle's bass and horns, Keith Moon's frenetic percussion orchestra, and three-part vocal harmonies with Roger Dalltrey on lead vocals. Townshend mixes fingerpicking with his trademark power chords and chunky riffs. 

" P inball Wizard " reached the top 20 in the U.S. and the top five in the UK. " See Me, Feel Me/Listening To You " was in the top 20 in the U.S., and " I'm Free " reached the top 40.  

T ommy  was ranked #96 on  Rolling Stone's  list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The album was also ranked #90 on VH-1's 100 Greatest Albums of Rock & Roll and appears in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. It was 16th on NME's "NME Writers All-Time Top 100."  Q  magazine  ranked it 9th on their list of "The Music That Changed The World: Part One 1954-1969."

T ommy  is a ground-breaking album, but  Quadrophenia  is truly a masterpiece. Townshend experimented lyrically, with recording techniques, synthesizers and arrangements on Tommy; he perfected them all on  Quadrophenia . Pete Townshend reflected on the album: "The music is the best music that I've ever written, I think, and it's the best album that I will ever write."

At the end of  " Love Reign O'er Me, " I get chills and goosebumps -- the same thing happens when I hear  Won't Get Fooled Again -- when  Roger Daltrey  belts out, "LOOOOOVE." According to music critic Mark Deming at Allmusic , " Love Reign O'er Me " is one moment where his golden-haired rock-god persona truly works and gives this song all the force it truly deserves." The song peaked at #76 on the Billboard charts.

In "5:15," John Entwistle's bombastic brass section extends Herculean muscle to the song. Keith Moon's drumming propels the song forward, while Chris Stainton's bouncy piano playing complements Roger Daltrey's brusque vocals. "5:15" landed at #45 on the Billboard charts.

Although "The Real Me" only reached #92 on the Billboard charts, it's perhaps the highlight of the album. Pete Townshend plays his trademark chunky chords; Keith Moon holds down a stunning beat; Roger Daltrey screeches and screams; John Entwistle's sublime bass playing is at the center of this gem. Recorded in just one take, Entwistle has said that he was only "joking around," when he stumbled upon his memorable bass line.

Q uadrophenia  reached #2 on the U.S. Billboard album chart and was the highest position of any  Who  album in the U.S; the #1 position has always eluded The Who .

Q magazine placed  Quadrophenia  at #56 on its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever. VH-1 named it the 86th greatest album of all time. The album was ranked #266 on Rolling Stone's list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. IGN placed  Quadrophenia  at number 1 in their list of the greatest classic rock albums of all time.

N owadays t he thought of Pete Townshend evokes an assortment of images: the smashing of Rickenbacker and Stratocaster  guitars, for instance, or his windmill style of strumming, perhaps the thunderous power chords he helped pioneer.  According to  Rolling Stone ,  " Townshend was   arguably the first in rock to use feedback as a soloing tool. "  T ownshend  has always had a unique style, but it's his innovations, his crowning achievements, Tommy and Quadrophenia , that will withstand the test of time.

Happy birthday, Pete.