The Who to Issue ‘Quadrophenia: Live in London’ Concert Film
The Who celebrated the 40th anniversary of their 1973 rock opera Quadrophenia by playing the double record in its entirety all over the world, and now they are issuing a concert film of their performance from that tour at London’s Wembley Arena in 2013. Quadrophenia: Live in London, out June 10th, contains all 17 tracks on the album as well as a six-song set of some of the rockers’ greatest hits, including “Who Are You” and “Pinball Wizard.” The film also comes in Blu-ray, standard DVD and video download formats, as well as a deluxe edition. The group is also releasing a 5.1 Surround Sound mix of the original 1973 release in Blu-ray Pure Audio to coincide with the release.
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The concert film somewhat updates the story of the album’s protagonist, Jimmy, who is a mod coming of age in the mid Sixties, with archival footage and images that would have affected Jimmy in the past four decades, all of which was chosen by frontman Roger Daltrey.
A limited, five-disc edition of Quadrophenia: Live in London includes the performance on Blu-ray and DVD, as well as a two-CD soundtrack of the show and the 5.1 surround mix of the original album. That edition also includes a sticker, a button and a 32-page book of liner notes and photos, all of which comes in a 10-inch metal box with art inspired by the Quadrophenia movie, specifically the group’s “mod” target logo on a scooter headlight.
In 2011, the band released a “director’s cut” of the album before the tour. “I am really enjoying this work,” guitarist Pete Townshend said while he was working on it. “My demos are among the best I’ve ever done, and include some real quirky tracks that didn’t make it onto the final album.”
The Who have been teasing fans with promises of one “last big tour,” to launch in 2015, and maybe even another record. In January, Daltrey said that the possibility of a new album came down to a question of “when,” rather than “whether.” “Pete’s got hundreds of songs, so the only question is whether we get around to it,” he said. “But he wants to make an album and I’m always ready and raring to go. We’ll see.”