An excellent and frequently astonishing album, Quadrophenia is both more ambitious and less accessible than Tommy, the first and most well known rock opera. At its simplest level, Quadrophenia is a coming-of-age story with an awesome soundtrack. The album features some of the Who's finest material, in songs like the enraged "Real Me", the cynical "Punk Meets the Godfather", the wistful "5:15" and "Sea and Sand", and the powerful "Love, Reign O'er Me". The songwriting (courtesy of Pete Townshend) is top-notch, as is the production (the Who actually managed to use synthesizers in an original manner, something few rock bands can aspire to). The mix of powerful songwriting and skilful composition makes this one of the Who's finest moments. --Genevieve Williams