The rock opera celebrates 50 years
Rock journalist and author Martin Popoff takes a deep dive into The Who’s legendary sprawling rock opera, Quadrophenia, in a new book titled The Who & Quadrophenia, in celebration of the album’s 50th anniversary.
The project, released in 1973, was The Who’s second full-blown rock opera, the first and last album completely written by Pete Townshend, at a perilous time in the band’s career, emotionally, creatively, and financially. Popoff leaves no stone unturned in taking apart the creation of this generation-spanning masterpiece, exploring each of the album’s 17 tracks and their themes of identity, anxiety and mental health.
Popoff also takes you on side journeys examining each band member, mod verses rocker culture, the album’s famous graphic design, manager/producers Chris Stamp and Kit Lambert, Quadrophenia collectibles, and more. There’s even a brief discography and complete LP tour dates.
Presented in a 10-inch by 10-inch slipcased book, The Who & Quadrophenia is illustrated with 150 images, including stunning performance and candid off-stage photography, as well as rare memorabilia. The result is a richly presented celebration and your ultimate tribute to the rock opera masterpiece.
Working out of Toronto, Canada, Martin Popoff has penned more than 100 books on hard rock, heavy metal, classic rock, and record collecting, including Rush: The Illustrated History, Led Zeppelin: Song by Song, Pink Floyd: Album by Album, Bowie at 75, AC/DC at 50, Kiss at 50, and In the Groove. In addition, he has appeared in Revolver, Guitar World, Goldmine, Record Collector, bravewords.com, lollipop.com, and hardradio.com. Martin also worked on the award-winning documentaries Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage and ZZ Top: That Little Ol’ Band From Texas for Banger Films.
