THIS DAY: THE WHO RELEASES QUADROPHENIA
On this day in 1979, The Who released its second rock opera film, Quadrophenia. The title refers to a disorder (not, in reality, called "Quadrophenia") in which an individual suffers from four separate personalities. In the case of the movie's hero Jimmy, those split personalities represent The Who's Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle, and Keith Moon.
Despite being based on some of The Who's most compelling music -- compare it to the band's first overwrought rock opera Tommy -- the film is perhaps best known for the appearance of a youthful Sting, new to acting, who plays key figure Ace Face, the leader of "The Mods."
The impressionable Jimmy looks up to Ace Face, and is let down years later to find that his idol has ended up as nothing more than a hotel bellman. In a fit of anger (at Ace Face, at society as a whole), Jimmy steals, then crashes, Ace Face's motocycle near the close of the film.
The anniversary of this unusual British movie's release is as good a time as ever to revisit Sting as Ace Face. Here, watch him dance in that familiar hyper-serious way to the otherwise fun classic, "Louie, Louie."
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Holworks Music says
Oh yeah, a concept album, what the heck is a concept album when you can have a concept song? Did we lose this art? Are not many songs reflecting a bigger idea what it is all about? I heard that Mark Holman from Holworks is making a concept album called Carolina Commons and he even has songs from it posted on Music Nation for the entire musical world to smile at.http://musicnation.com/music/holworks/playlist/211041