12 Perfect Classic Rock Albums With NO Bad Songs
10. Quadrophenia - The Who
Most of the Who aficionados would probably be shocked that something like Tommy isn't on this list. Since its known as the record that created the rock opera, how in the hell is the inferior sequel sitting on top of it in this entry? When you look at Quadrophenia as a whole though, there's a lot more going on that shows Pete Townshend at his strongest.
Having put one rock opera in the rearview and shelving Lifehouse into Who's Next, Quadrophenia feels like the peak of the Who's strengths, with every single person on their A-game. Having turned in time with the narrative structure before, this entire album feels like the Who have morphed into much better songwriters, with songs like the Real Me even giving them time to grandstand like with John Entwistle's maniacal bass breaks.
In fact, the entire band have their moments to shine, with this record probably being the best guitar performance that Townshend had ever turned in up until this point, making each section spring to life from the moment you hear his six string come roaring in. There's also an enhanced gravitas that comes with this record, aiming to serve the story just as much as provide an album of music. Whereas Tommy may have been the proof of concept, this is where the novelty of a rock opera stops being a joke.