The Who: Quadrophenia Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.5

The Who: Quadrophenia Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 9, 2014

It’s a simple rule of rock math that “rock opera” plus “The Who” equals Tommy, but I’d argue that there is another equally valid “solution” to that problem: namely The Who’s Quadrophenia, a piece that I personally have always felt was dramatically more coherent and maybe even relevant than the tale of the Pinball Wizard. Quadrophenia also has a somewhat more plangent, less abrasive, quality than The Who’s first rock opera masterpiece, and the good news is fans of this second long form piece have both this original album version out on audio Blu-ray, but also The Who - Quadrophenia: Live in London (also available in this standalone version) to keep them asking “Is it me. . .for a moment?” for some time to come.

Though fans of course have also had the Quadrophenia film to enjoy, purists will probably admit to preferring the original version, and this new audio Blu-ray offers not just the original album version but a sterling surround mix supervised by Pete Townshend. The music of Quadrophenia is perhaps slightly less overtly "theatrical" than some of Tommy is, but it's some of Townshend's most effortlessly melodic and effective writing, and it's a real treat to rediscover it in this lossless setting.

The Who: Quadrophenia Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

This is the first HFPA Blu-ray "audio" disc that I've personally reviewed that has some actual video content other than static menu screens, at least in a manner of speaking. An enjoyable enough photo montage that plays like a kind of looped screensaver offers AVC encoded 1080p 1.78:1 stills of The Who as well as scenes from the film version of Quadrophenia.

The Who: Quadrophenia Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The biggest calling card for some audiophiles will be the new surround mix produced by Pete Townshend and engineered by Bob Pridden and Richard Whittaker, available on the Blu-ray in either DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (streaming in the high 8 Mbps, with occasional forays into 9 territory) or Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (averaging around 7.0 Mbps). The original 1973 stereo mix of the album is also included via LPCM 2.0 (a steady 4.6 Mbps, as has been the case with the other HFPA Blu-rays I've personally reviewed). The surround mixes are astounding, offering a hugely splayed soundfield and crystalline clarity. To my ears, the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix is just slightly brighter, with a minimally more pronounced high end, but both of these tracks sound absolutely fantastic. While the original stereo mix is certainly great, once you've heard either of the surround mixes, my hunch is you'll want to spend more time with them than with the original version. Fidelity is beyond reproach and dynamic range is beautifully wide.

The Who: Quadrophenia Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

While there are no supplements per se, there is a nice accordion folded insert booklet that offers lots of pictures and production data, but no lyrics.

The Who: Quadrophenia Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Quadrophenia may be The Who's "historical" rock opera (dedicated to all the people The Who played to in the summer of '65), but this new (mostly) audio Blu-ray proves just how timeless this achievement remains. Highly recommended.