The Who to re-record Quadrophenia with an Orchestra!

[bobg56]

Having this Alfie Boe guy singing is reminding me of Ian Anderson having that young guy sing for him on Ian's recent tour. (Sorry I forget his name.)

In defense of Daltrey, I saw the Daltrey does Tommy show 3 years ago and I thought it was fine. Old guys can sing.

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

There's a trailer out. The music sounds good, but Boe's voice is all wrong for it. Too operatic.

[Mr. Toad]

As I have said before on this site, Quadrophenia is the Greatest Rock Album ever made! This attempt with an orcestra is Pete just milking it (which is OK. It is his work) and I would not buy it nor pay to see it.

Some things should be left alone...

[Dan Roth]

There's a trailer out. The music sounds good, but Boe's voice is all wrong for it. Too operatic.

Agreed. This is a live performance of Alfie singing Love Reign O'er Me with an orchestra - his vocal just doesn't fit (imho)

[Big Ears]

I liked the Alfie Boe version.

[Oreb]

I liked the Alfie Boe version.

Is that why you have him as your avatar ?

Seriously, I like it too. I think he does very well. Of all those popera stars the Great British Public have fallen for he's by far the most talented.

[trurl]

Agreed. This is a live performance of Alfie singing Love Reign O'er Me with an orchestra - his vocal just doesn't fit (imho)

I'm not going to sit here and say Alfie doesn't have talent but if 1973 Pete could time travel he'd beat the shit out of 2014 Pete for that.

[Oreb]

if 1973 Pete could time travel he'd beat the shit out of 2014 Pete for that.

I think you're right. This from the official site (and presumably put up with Pete's imprimatur):

The new incarnation of this classic rock opera is the latest chapter in Townshend’s lifelong mission to break the three-minute mould of the traditional pop song and take rock music to a higher artistic level.

The younger Pete's genius was to recognise (and demonstrate) how facile the distinction between trad pop and high art is. He'd not have endorsed it in that way. It is, after all, a fucking rock and roll concert, not a tea party.

[JKL2000]

Pete's trying to suckle at our teats.

[Big Ears]

Is that why you have him as your avatar ?

Seriously, I like it too. I think he does very well. Of all those popera stars the Great British Public have fallen for he's by far the most talented.

I don't think he wears glasses?

Alfie Boe has a strong pedigree as he auditioned successfully for the D'Oyly Carte and studied at the Royal College of Music. The real test of an opera singer is whether or not they perform unamplified and I do not know if he has done this. Katherine Jenkins and Andrea Boccelli do not, whereas Rolando Villazon definitely does. Although his voice is operatic, much of Boe's career has been spent in classical festivals and musical theatre. Apparently, he performed with Michael Ball in Kizmet, which I would imagine to be pretty good.

If the singing on the remainder of the orchestrated version of Quadrophenia is as good as Alfie Boe's Love Reign O'er Me, bring it on is what I say. I do not expect the reworked version of Quadrophenia to be better than the original, but Tommy and Quadrophenia have both been successsfully reworked before. Why not again?

[Rufus]

For those that fancy seeing it a show has just been announced at The Royal Albert Hall. Expect a super duper blu-ray & CD box set to follow!

[ronmac]

Tommy and Quadrophenia have both been successsfully reworked before. Why not again?

Or, better yet, why again?

If Pete keeps this up, his legacy will not be his music, it will be what he's done to his legacy of music.

[Nijinsky Hind]

Pete's trying to suckle at our teats.

Lol... Yeah
These poor guys used to make tons-o-money. I think the tits gettin dry.

[Jerjo]

I thought the only reason they were touring for a while was to support John's perpetual financial crisis. You'd think Pete and Roger would have enough from those big tours to retire.

[GuitarGeek]

I thought the only reason they were touring for a while was to support John's perpetual financial crisis. You'd think Pete and Roger would have enough from those big tours to retire.

The 1989 tour was to bail Entwistle out of whatever financial problems he was in. I don't know about the subsequent tours, though.

Given that Pete allows his songs to be used as theme music for tacky police dramas, I think he's got similar motivations as a certain Israeli born, flying, tongue wagging, fire breathing bass player we all love to hate.

[Rufus]

Daltry & Townshend are multi-millionaires!

[Frumious B]

That clip of Alfie Boe confirms that this thing has PBS programming interrupted by frequent pledge breaks written all over it.

[Oreb]

Having owned this for a while now I have to say that I'm pretty content with it.

What's good? The vocals work for me, and the recording sounds fantastic.

What could be better? The orchestration is pretty flat. It's not bad - it's just bland. IMO an orchestra is the most versatile instrument in the world - and this doesn't really scratch the surface of what it can do.

What's bad? The choir. It just doesn't work.

What's thought provoking? I see this as the latest installment in Pete's on-going search for a meaning in his music beyond the passion of performance. IMO it's way more than an attempt to cash-in (not that I would have any particular objection to it if that's all it was: nothing wrong with people making a living from their work). To me Quadrophenia is a song cycle that sits alongside Schubert's Die schöne Müllerin (i.e. it's great, but not quite Winterreise-great. Not to worry - hardly anything is). It's a profound, spiritual piece of work that functions on a whole range of levels.

As such, the music and lyrics transcend any single performance or presentation. But Rock hasn't yet solved the problem of what a valid interpretation looks like: for the average punter rock songs are intrinsically linked to the personalities writing or performing them. That means the music's chances of invigoration are limited to constant reissuing in multiple forms (thus the sad resurgence of vinyl and remsaterings/deluxe editions) or the surfacing of live recordings, often of pretty dubious quality. And 'cover versions' too often slide into the absurdity of impersonation.

It's entirely reasonable, I guess, to say that music is always ephemeral - that the music of the past can't grow or tell us anything beyond what its originators drew from it (and therefore we need to be looking forward) and I've got some sympathy for the conclusion at least. But the trouble is I think the best of rock is better than ephemera - and IMO Quadrophenia is very much in the 'best of rock' category.

So this is Pete's latest solution - a reworking in orchestral form. Like I said, it's too conservative orchestrally to really convince me: whatever the solution is, it certainly doesn't involve treating the orchestra's potential as if nothing's been done with it since Rachmaninoff). But it's a good enough stab at a disturbing problem.

[rael74]

Without doubt one of the most over-rated albums ever made.

There are many outstanding tracks, but, as with almost all double albums it comes across incredibly padded out.
I think I would struggle to cut Quadrophenia down to a decent single album and the keyboards just ruin it.

I pity any mod who picked this up thinking it was a return to the good old days.

Surely Tommy would have been a better contender (especially considering it was supposed to have strings on it)
Hopefully a more subtle job than the mess released in 1972 with the LSO.

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

Without doubt one of the most over-rated albums ever made.

There are many outstanding tracks, but, as with almost all double albums it comes across incredibly padded out.
I think I would struggle to cut Quadrophenia down to a decent single album and the keyboards just ruin it.

Pfffft. I suppose the keyboards ruin "Won't Get Fooled Again" also?

I can't think of a song on this album I'd cut.

[Jeremy Bender]

I can't think of a song on this album I'd cut

Quadrophenia (instrumental) 6:14
The Rock (instrumental) 6:38

I especially find The Rock to be filler, but as a bonus, cut both of those and the album fits on one CD.

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

Quadrophenia (instrumental) 6:14
The Rock (instrumental) 6:38

I especially find The Rock to be filler, but as a bonus, cut both of those and the album fits on one CD.

Whereas "The Rock" is my favorite piece on the whole record. Go figure.

[miamiscot]

Without doubt one of the most over-rated albums ever made.

There are many outstanding tracks, but, as with almost all double albums it comes across incredibly padded out.
I think I would struggle to cut Quadrophenia down to a decent single album and the keyboards just ruin it.

I pity any mod who picked this up thinking it was a return to the good old days.

Surely Tommy would have been a better contender (especially considering it was supposed to have strings on it)
Hopefully a more subtle job than the mess released in 1972 with the LSO.

Wow. Opinions surely differ and it's remarkable how the crusty old double album seems to divide like nothing else (even though modern CD run times are often analogous to a 1970's double LP.)

I, for one, love Quadrophenia and would not change a single note but (full disclosure) I feel the same way about Tales From Topographic Oceans and The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway. All the above feel sort of anti-commercial, anti-establishment statements from bands at their absolute creative peaks. What's not to love?

[trurl]

I tend to be in the same camp. I love all the "filler". I do think Quadrophenia has weaker moments but they're songs like Dr. Jimmy, not the instrumental bits. I wouldn't change any of it though. It's what it is.

[Jeremy Bender]

Whereas "The Rock" is my favorite piece on the whole record. Go figure.

Hahaha. I think my problem with it is that while I get where it fits conceptually --all four member's themes merging in to one-- by that by point in the record I'm kinda tired of being hit over the head with said themes.

Tales From Topographic Oceans

For me, The Remembering and The Ancient could do with some editing, but I love The Revealing Science of God and Ritual as they are. Just wish the album had the stellar production of Close to the Edge and a keyboard player who gave a damn, but oh well.

The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway

I saw The Musical Box perform this twice, it blew me away how consistently good it is both times. Though, to be fair, Silent Sorrows in Empty Boats and Riding the Scree have been mentioned by others as being disposable. The first is there so Gabriel could put on the Slipperman costume, but still.