Re: QUAD reviews

[daelliott@lucent.com (Dave Elliott)]

I wrote:  
> > As I recall, Quad was received pretty well by most critics, and was 
> > not panned.

Mark Leaman replied:  
> As I remember it, the album was panned by the major mags.  Once again, 
> the amazing Brian comes through with proof:  
>>> Lenny Kaye in Rolling Stone (Dec.  20, 1973) a wordy and somewhat negative 
>>> review.  
>>> Dave Marsh in Creem (Jan.  1974) a negative review.  
>>> Lester Bangs in Stereo Review (Feb.  1974) As good as any records being 
>>> produced by current rock bands but Bangs questions the need for anyone to
>>> record a rock opera.  
>>> Mike Jahn in High Fidelity (Feb.  1974) a negative review.  

> Rolling Stone was THE music magazine at the time (boy has that 
> changed!).  I didn't look to Newsweek etc.  for my album reviews (guess I 
> should have, and you must have).  I recall reviews that said things like:  
> "All the songs sound the same," "There's something going on in there, 
> but it's impossible to get to it," "One long song," and "Muddy; hard to 
> penetrate."

I did a paper on The Who (and got a mediocre grade - teacher said the
subject matter was too lightweight) in high school, and I used the Newsweek
review as a source.  That's why I remember it so well.  It absolutely gushed
over Quad.  I read other reviews, but obviously didn't remember them as well
as the Newsweek one.

The Johnny Mendolson review in the RS Ten Great Years book was very negative
(he's the one who said it was easier to appreciate than enjoy), but he
pretty much hated all of their post-Tommy work (which at the time was LAL,
WN, and Quad, as well as a few singles) in his discography summary in the
back of the book.

Based on Brian's summary, I guess Quad's American reviews as mixed, with
the major sources that young readers cared about being negative.


> I also remember that, contrary to WN, QUAD got almost NO airplay.  I 
> never heard the single 5:15 on the radio ONCE.

Very true, which is a reflection of its modest popularity in comparison to
Who's Next, and especially Tommy.  Considering all that he had put into
making Quad, this must have felt like a crushing defeat for Townshend.


BTW, Mendolson, while having extremely questionable judgement for hating the
post-Tommy Who, wrote an incredible introduction to the Ten Great Years
book.  It gives you goosebumps to read about his first encounter with The
Who live around 67.  This book is worth finding just for that.


Dave Elliott