10 Overshadowed Albums By Famous Musicians

A maverick and a creative force like few others before or since, Pete Townshend has never been one to shy away from a hefty workload. With his ability to craft perfect pop tracks and soundtrack the dancehalls of the the late 60's intact, The Who's primary songwriter set about constructing grandioise, conceptual pieces that were far more rewarding than the fleeting rush of a three minute outing specifically designed to cater to the masses.

Luckily for both the guitarist and the band, they had a whole host of converts waiting to embark on any journey that they wished to taken them on. It is this ethos that would be the calling card of the band's career and supplied them with what many believe to be the band's two most instantly recognisable and best albums in the shape of 'Tommy' and 'Who's Next', an album birthed around the ultimately failed 'Lifehouse' concept yet but was no less praised for its continuity.

With praise regularly heaped on both the album and film interpretation of Tommy for its dramatic yet deeply clever songs and thought provoking subject matter, it often leaves the band's other fully fledged rock opera 'Quadrophenia' in the lurch. Centered on a plotline of a young mod named Jimmy that struggles with the rigors of his social life and an incompatible desire to please both his parents and his friends, it's an amphetamine-fuelled thrill ride which contains much of Townshend's strongest songwriting and a litany of unheralded classics.

Kicking things off in style with the bombast of 'The Real Me', the album expertly explores what Townshend saw as the four clashing personalities that made up the band of himself, Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle and Keith Moon before expressing them through the story's protagonist.

Despite tracks such as '5:15' and 'Love Reign O'er Me' rightfully taking their places as classics in The Who's setlists after receiving prominent places in the subsequent film adaption that would follow, the tragedy of the album is that Townshend's aptitude for biting social commentary and introspection on 'Helpless Dancer', 'Cut My Hair', 'Sea and Sand', The Dirty Jobs' and many more is left to the ears of hardcore fans due to this rock opera's comparative lack of general acclaim.