THE VOICE OF AN ANGRY GENERATION
1979 was an odd time. Punk Rock had fizzled and from its ashes came the rebirth of SKA. American bands were translating the Punk message to more radio friendly New Wave. New York was taking the punk message and splintering off the No Wave sound. MTV was about to bring some of that energy into every living room in the country.
The WHO released their epic rock motion picture. "QUADROPHENIA". This movie showcased a slice of time in the UK centered around the early 60's. It was a violent time of social and musical change of Mods vs Rockers through the eyes of a young schizophrenic named Jimmy Cooper. The music isn't what you think it might be. Its American doo wop and the Quadrophenia soundtrack is chopped up and inserted into the film somewhat unevenly. The dialect is distinctly tied to the neighborhood of Sheppards Bush so it is somewhat hard to distinguish at times. All in all this film is highly entertaining.
The album was re-introduced to American audiences with a tour. Keith Moon had already OD'd and was replaced by Kenny Jones. This tour became infamous for its stampede where some kids in the audience were trampled to death as fans rushed the stage. This led to some controversy over the "Festival Seating" arrangements in big arena concerts. The film promotion was shown to the audiences and its reception was luke warm. This was to become a great cult film in later years and a college campus favorite.
Quadrophenia had the same problem when the studio album was released in America. The 1973 tour was often interupted with Roger Daltrey having to explain the meaning and significance of the songs. But the sound system was poor and people in the audience had to strain their ears to hear what he was saying. In certain aspects this tour was a flop. But musically it was a brilliant acheivement.
Director Frank Roddam added a real urban direction to the film. Guitarist Pete Townshend originally wanted the characters to sing their own parts as in the film, "Tommy". I would have liked to have seen that version as well. It would have been strange but I think it also may have taken the severity out of the premise.
Keith Moon actually brought one of his bodyguards with him to the set. He was drunk and wanted to direct the film with Roddam as a team. He died shortly after this encounter. I was glad that this film only had the direction of one main artist. Its a strong peice that holds up quite well especially when you compare it next to what passes for entertainment today.
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Ted Cantu is the creator of Mobile Cast and http://www.911copywriters.blogspot.comhe has handled the marketing for such innovative groups like http://www.WindsorBeauty.com and contributes to several blogs and podcasts such as….. http://911copywriters.podomatic.com. He served as a top rated art director for Interactive Web Marketing groups in Chicago and New York City.
1979 was an odd time. Punk Rock had fizzled and from its ashes came the rebirth of SKA. American bands were translating the Punk message to more radio friendly New Wave. New York was taking the punk message and splintering off the No Wave sound. MTV was about to bring some of that energy into every living room in the country.
The WHO released their epic rock motion picture. "QUADROPHENIA". This movie showcased a slice of time in the UK centered around the early 60's. It was a violent time of social and musical change of Mods vs Rockers through the eyes of a young schizophrenic named Jimmy Cooper. The music isn't what you think it might be. Its American doo wop and the Quadrophenia soundtrack is chopped up and inserted into the film somewhat unevenly. The dialect is distinctly tied to the neighborhood of Sheppards Bush so it is somewhat hard to distinguish at times. All in all this film is highly entertaining.
The album was re-introduced to American audiences with a tour. Keith Moon had already OD'd and was replaced by Kenny Jones. This tour became infamous for its stampede where some kids in the audience were trampled to death as fans rushed the stage. This led to some controversy over the "Festival Seating" arrangements in big arena concerts. The film promotion was shown to the audiences and its reception was luke warm. This was to become a great cult film in later years and a college campus favorite.
Quadrophenia had the same problem when the studio album was released in America. The 1973 tour was often interupted with Roger Daltrey having to explain the meaning and significance of the songs. But the sound system was poor and people in the audience had to strain their ears to hear what he was saying. In certain aspects this tour was a flop. But musically it was a brilliant acheivement.
Director Frank Roddam added a real urban direction to the film. Guitarist Pete Townshend originally wanted the characters to sing their own parts as in the film, "Tommy". I would have liked to have seen that version as well. It would have been strange but I think it also may have taken the severity out of the premise.
Keith Moon actually brought one of his bodyguards with him to the set. He was drunk and wanted to direct the film with Roddam as a team. He died shortly after this encounter. I was glad that this film only had the direction of one main artist. Its a strong peice that holds up quite well especially when you compare it next to what passes for entertainment today.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Ted Cantu is the creator of Mobile Cast and http://www.911copywriters.blogspot.comhe has handled the marketing for such innovative groups like http://www.WindsorBeauty.com and contributes to several blogs and podcasts such as….. http://911copywriters.podomatic.com. He served as a top rated art director for Interactive Web Marketing groups in Chicago and New York City.
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