“Has it all”: Ann Wilson’s favourite album by The Who
More so than most people, Ann Wilson knows a thing or two about the construction of groundbreaking albums. As the first frontwoman within the realm of hard rock, with Heart, the Californian singer completely revolutionised the genre back in the 1970s and continues to showcase her incredible talents to this very day. Throughout her illustrious career, Wilson has drawn upon a wide variety of influences, but the defiant sounds of The Who were always a favourite.
As one of the biggest rock and roll outfits of all time, it would be easier to list those who were not influenced by The Who than those who were. The incredible songwriting talents of Pete Townshend helped to define the swinging sixties era in the UK, but the band also showcased an innate ability to adapt and develop their sound with the changing tides of rock and roll. Their early period as mod rockers soon gave way to the profound rock operas of records like Tommy.
These albums represented the maturing of Townshend as a songwriter, as well as the band moving on from the adolescent rebellion of their earlier material. Tommy is often hailed as one of the most notable concept albums of all time, and it is easy to see why. The record was unlike anything that audiences had ever heard previously. However, the reputation of the album meant that many subsequent releases were overshadowed. The 1973 album Quadrophenia, for instance, is not afforded the same praise as Tommy, but it remains a firm favourite for Heart’s Ann Wilson.
In 2021, Wilson compiled a list of her all-time favourite records for Spin. Included within that list was Quadrophenia, which has consistently provided inspiration for the hard rock icon. “I love this album because I feel it’s The Who with all cylinders firing,” Wilson explained, before clarifying, “Don’t hate me for not thinking Tommy was the one. I just feel Quadrophenia has more depth, more beauty… it has it all.”
Following the story of a young mod named Jimmy, Quadrophenia is largely autobiographical of the band’s early experiences immersed in the vibrant modernist subculture. The album was later immortalised in cinema when Phil Daniels played the character of Jimmy in Franc Roddam’s 1979 film. “This music and story of alienation feels to me like Pete Townshend and the lads could really relate close up,” Wilson shared, adding, “and so can I”.
Continuing in her deep-rooted love of the double album, the Heart singer said, “The songwriting is iconic and shows a band at the apex of their development. ‘Love, Reign o’er Me’ and ‘The Real Me’ alone are worth the price of admission, and the whole piece is a beauty, full of power, poetry and ‘Who-ness’.”
“All my favourite albums are timeless and ageless, and this is another. I could listen to Quadrophenia all my life,” Wilson concluded. The inspiration provided by profound records like Quadrophenia is clear when listening to some of Heart’s best love tracks, which expanded upon the foundations of defiant hard rock during the early 1970s.
