The first music from the orchestral remake of Pete Townshend’s 1973 rock opera ‘Quadrophenia’ has been released. You can listen to the new version of The Who’s timeless anthem ‘Love Reign O’er Me’ in the clip above, with vocals by British tenor Alfie Boe.
The clip combines clips from the 1979 film version of ‘Quadrophenia,’ starring Phil Daniels, with new footage filmed with Alfie Boe on Brighton Beach on the English south coast. The recording also features the London Oriana Choir and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and is part of the ‘Classic Quadrophenia’ album, to be released by Deutsche Grammophon via Universal on June 8th (a day later in North America).
Orchestrations for the new album rendition of the piece are by Townshend’s partner, Rachel Fuller, with the RPO conducted by Robert Ziegler. Billy Idol also guests on the album. On July 5th, Boe will join Townshend and the RPO in performing the album at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Ahead of that, The Who are currently on the first leg of their North American tour, which played at the New Orleans Jazz Fest on Saturday (25) and last night (Monday) was at the Frank Erwin Centre in Austin, Texas. Those dates continue until May 30th, after which the band return home for UK and Irish shows including a June 26 headliner at Barclaycard Presents British Summer Time Hyde Park.
As a founding member of The Who, Roger Daltrey played a critical role in 1960s as well as 1970s music. While Pete Townsend wrote most of the band’s music and lyrics, it was Roger Daltrey’s powerful voice that brought the songs to fruition. Though, the Who’s early work was textually so different in contrast to their later work, they enjoyed hits as “I Can’t Explain” and “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere.” However, it was the song “My Generation” that connected with the emerging counter culture and put the band on the Rock and Roll map. Arguably, The Who recorded the first concept album, “Tommy”. And when casting began for the film based on the record in 1975, Daltrey got the nod to play the lead role for which he won a Golden Globe. With his long golden locks and stunning good looks, he looked the part as a rock god. On stage the band was explosive as Roger Daltrey would whip his mic 10 feet in the air and catch it with ease. Considered by many to be the band’s swan song, Who’s Next, featured such memorable tracks as “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” “Bargain,” “The Song is Over” and the seminal track “Baba O ‘Riley.”
Never one to rest on his laurels, he began his solo career in 1973 with the release of “Daltrey”. While the record was a hit in Europe, it failed to chart in the States. Since then, he has released seven solo projects and has appeared on recordings by Meat Loaf, Barry Gibb, Joe Strummer and Barbra Streisand. Roger Daltrey is a songwriter, singer, performer, actor and icon who has received countless awards including induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
In May 1971 The Whowere in London’s Olympic Studios recording ‘Join Together’ which came out a year later as a single in both the UK and America. Pete Townshend’s lyrics include the line, “It’s the singer not the song that makes the music move along.” And that is so, so true of the way that Roger Daltrey has propelled the Who from his position out front of the band. He is arguably the greatest rock singer that has fronted any band in that same half century .
‘My Generation’ with Roger’s unique stuttering vocal that is one of the greatest singles to be released in the 1960s. Not far behind it is ‘Pinball Wizard’ from Tommy, which has Daltrey in imperious form. Then the next single is ‘I Can See For Miles’, another great driving vocal. ‘Behind Blue Eyes’ comes from the Who’s fifth album, Who’s Next and it demonstrates the maturing of Roger’s voice; in fact it is one of his finest ever rock-god vocals. The same can be said of ‘Love Reign O’er Me’ from “Quadrophenia”. ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’ is another that is from the god-like rock locker. Can’t you just see Roger marching as he sings this powerful vocal and the scream towards the end is one of the finest moments in all rock.
One of Roger’s great gifts is that he seemed able to reproduce his powerful recorded vocals on stage, making it seem effortless in the process. ‘Summertime Blues’ from “Live At Leeds” is just perfection.Thirteen years earlier his rendition of ‘See Me, Feel Me/Listening To You’ from a Canadian concert is among the best versions of these moments from Tommy that the band has released.
‘Baba O’Reilly’ was a stand out from “Who’s Next” and the version from a concert at Shepperton, London in May 1978 is another outstanding example of Roger’s brilliance. The other non Pete Townshend song where Roger excelled is Bo Diddley’s ‘I’m A Man’ which harks’ back to the band’s early blues influences and it has Roger giving it his all in what is the greatest ever cover of this classic.
According to The Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne “You don’t realize how great a singer Roger Daltrey is until you try to do it yourself.” He’s talking generally about Roger’s singing but it could especially be applied to ‘The Real Me’ from “Quadrophenia”. In a similar voice ‘Who Are You’ from the album of the same name bears out Coyne’s assertion. It’s also one of those songs that converted many a non-believer into believing that The Who are the greatest rock band in the world.
‘We’re Not Going To Take It’ became one of the highlights of the Woodstock Festival but the “Tommy” original version which spotlights both sides of Daltrey’s voice, from bombast to beauty.
‘Long Live Rock’ is another incredible vocal, with Pete singing the verses, and yes he does, but it is Roger that lifts this song to the giddy heights of a rock anthem. ‘Slip Kid’ comes from the 1976 album, “The Who By Numbers” and might not be the most obvious song to include but it features Roger Daltrey showing how controlled his vocals can be.
‘I Can’t Explain’ is 20 year old Roger and while it may lack some of the power of our other selections, just listen to it in context. Try hearing it alongside other 1965 pop singles and you hear the vocal brilliance when compared to the kind of dull stuff that was being churned out by most bands.
“Quadrophenia’s” ‘5.15’ is another of Roger’s rock-god vocals – this is turbocharged! The same can be said of ‘Join Together’, but the absolute pinnacle of this number is just after the final verse. Roger hits a high note, while singing, “well everybody come on” that seems inhuman, it send him off into another place.
the later tracks is ‘Music Must Change’, a hidden gem of a track from “Who Are You”. Roger sings the verses in his lower register, saving his falsetto for later in the song before the final 30 seconds when vocally he just explodes.
Possibly there’s only one song that could end a list of the greatest of Roger Daltrey classics and it is ‘The Song Is Over’ from “Who’s Next”. It’s majestic, at times gentle, at others unbelievably tough and it has everything that makes Roger Daltrey brilliant. His voice is every bit as powerful as Pete’s guitar sound and his gift is to be whatever Pete has written for him to sing. He becomes Townshend’s characters and as Roger says, “That’s why I shut my eyes when I sing — I’m in another space, and the characters are living in me.”
Pete Townshend’s solo work is almost as prodigious as his work with The Who, The 11 album releases cover “Who Came First”, his 1972 album and his first away from The Who. The album is a collection of music dedicated to Meher Baba, Townshend’s spiritual master and includes fellow Baba followers, including Ronnie Lane and Billy Nicholls.
Townshend’s first proper solo album (following two tribute albums to his spiritual adviser Meher Baba) features demos he recorded for the Who’s ‘Lifehouse’ project, which turned into 1971’s ‘Who’s Next.’ Songs from the earlier solo records — which were collaboration LPs with limited distribution — are also included. Before the various ‘Scoop’ albums and the expanded versions of Who LPs that include early sketches of songs, ‘Who Came First’ was the closest peek inside Townshend’s songwriting process.
In “Rough Mix”, he teamed up with Ronnie Lane on what is a fine record that features Eric Clapton, John Entwistle and Charlie Watts that includes material written by Townshend and Lane. Among the standout tracks is the beautiful, ‘Heart To Hang Onto.’ Co-credited to Ronnie Lane, the Small Faces bassist who earlier had worked with Townshend on the 1970 Meher Baba tribute LP ‘Happy Birthday,’ ‘Rough Mix’ started as a Lane solo album that was supposed to be produced by Townshend. They eventually found themselves in a full collaborative project that also includes help from friends . The result is more of a folk-rock record by the two vets used to more aggressive forms of rock ‘n’ roll. A curious but enjoyable detour.
Empty Glass included ‘Let My Love Open The Door’ as well as ‘Rough Boys’, ‘Empty Glass’ and ‘A Little Is Enough’. Townshend was going through a lot when ‘Empty Glass’ was released in 1980: the death of Who bandmate Keith Moon, a fractured marriage, a drinking problem and the fact that punk was making groups like the Who obsolete. He pours it all out on his best solo album, the first to include all new material written specifically for a project. He confronts all of his demons here; he came out with scars and a Top 10 single with “Let My Love Open the Door.” His best work since the Who’s 1973 LP ‘Quadrophenia’ and his most personal ever.
1982’s All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes includes ‘Face Dances pt 2’ and ‘Uniforms (Corps D’Espirit)’ and a companion promotional video featuring seven of the tracks was made for the fledgling MTV Network. Between 1980’s ‘Empty Glass’ solo outing and this LP, the Who released ‘Face Dances’ and were wrapping up work on one final album (before a reunion LP nearly a quarter century later) and then mounted a farewell tour (that turned out not to be). So Townshend, working as a solo artist with few band commitments to weigh him down, made a record that indulged in his winding wordplay and his sometimes impenetrable cultural theories and criticisms. It’s every bit as heavy-handed as you would expect from a guy whose rock ‘n’ roll dissections often went over the heads of the average Who fan.
For White City, Pete returned to the concept based song cycle that had utilised in The Who. The album tells the story of life on a working class council estate in Pete Townshend’s old West London stomping ground. The songs deal with lost love, racial tension and broken dreams. this one based on a real-life London district from his childhood. He doesn’t paint a pleasant picture: brewing race wars and crushed dreams are commonplace. David Gilmour adds some bite with his guitar, but ‘White City’ doesn’t have a whole lot to say, and sorta just spins in place once it gets moving. Like many Townshend solo LPs, the music seems like an afterthought to the narrative.
The Iron Man is Pete’s version of the Ted Hughes story of the same name. Townshend’s Who bandmates Roger Daltrey and John Entwistle join him on two songs from this musical adaptation of Ted Hughes’ 1968 sci-fi novel. Released in 1989 Pete had met Hughes when he was working at the publishing house Faber and Faber. The album features contributions from music luminaries Nina Simone and John Lee Hooker(who performs as the eponymous ‘Iron Man’).
1993’s Psychoderelict is a multi-layered concept album featuring dialogue harking back to his ‘Lifehouse’ project. It’s another concept album by Townshend, ‘Psychoderelict’ centers on a washed-up rock star who returns to the spotlight after a press-grabbing controversy is cynically hatched. Like ‘Empty Glass,’ the album digs deep into Townshend’s personal life, but the story is kind of a mess — which led to a new version of the album to be released without the interlocking dialogue pieces. Characters here would resurface on the Who’s 2006 album ‘Endless Wire.’The resulting tour featured actors performing alongside the live band.
The critically acclaimed “Scoop” series of albums gives the listener a privileged peek behind the scenes of one of popular music’s greatest songwriters. The albums showcase Pete’s demos for both The Who and his solo recordings. Scoop, was released in 1983 and includes versions of Who classics such as ‘So Sad About Us’, ‘Squeeze Box’, ‘Circles’, ‘Behind Blue Eyes’ and ‘Love Reign O’er Me’. Another Scoop followed in 1987 and includes demos of ‘Pinball Wizard’, ‘Substitute’, ‘You Better You Bet’ and ‘Pictures of Lily’. Scoop 3’ surfaced in 2001 and included Pete Townshend’s initial versions of the classics ‘The Real Me’, ‘ Sea and Sand’ and ‘Eminence Front’.
In February 1985 Pete performed two charity shows at London’s Brixton Academy. The sold out shows benefitted the ‘Double O’ charity, which was formed by The Who in the 1970s. The band, performing under the banner ‘Deep End’, featured Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour. They performed ‘I Put A Spell On You’ and ‘Barefooting’ as well as more contemporary songs like The Beat’s ‘Save It For Later’ as well as classics such as ‘Pinball Wizard’ and ‘Behind Blue Eyes’ also make an appearance on the album, Deep End Live.
The Who released this album WHO’S NEXT on the 13th August 1971 featuring the classic songs “Won’t Get Fooled Again” and “Baba O’Reilly” both still in their live set, Roger Daltrys incredible vocalon “The Song Is Over” and “Bargain” John Entwhistles song “My Wife” and Pete Townshends ballad “Behind Blue Eyes” . Recorded at London Olympic Studios between March-May 1971 and produced by the Who and Glyn Johns . With parts of the Album coming from Pete’s “Lifehouse” a further sci-fi rock opera project which did’nt come to fruition became the fifth studio album and almost certainally their most instant accesible finest record. the Who’s sound changed with Townshend become infatuated with the fairly devolping sound of the synthesiser during the recording of the album adding texture and amplifying the sound. Named as one of the best rock albums of all time and one of Classic Guitars best ever albums and featured in the VH1 “Classic Albums” series
from one of the first ever TV performances from the WHO on the Smothers Bros Television show the band have announced a tour of the UK and a new album, touring later this year with a number of dates around the UK. with a show at Nottingham Capital Arena on the 5th December with Daltrey who is now 70 years old and Townshend the younger at 69 years old the only original members the band will be touring as a 50th Anniversary show with the hits promised PINBALL WIZARD, WHO ARE YOU and BABA O’REILLY, in a retrospective look at their career.
The Fat Angel Sings 