’Bored with hate and passion’: Should The Who have split up after ‘Quadrophenia’
You’ve got to know when to stop, particularly within the world of rock and roll. After all, the sounds of rock and roll were forged on youth rebellion, not geriatric angst. Rock is a young man’s game, yet here we are in 2025, and the poster boys of 1960s rock, The Who, have finally announced a farewell tour…over 40 years since their first ‘farewell’ tour. Although the news has been met with an expectable degree of cynicism, the band’s 21st-century farewell does beg the question of ‘when should The Who have called it a day?’
It was back in 1964 that the world was first exposed to the songwriting mastery of Pete Townshend, with the release of The Who’s groundbreaking debut single ‘I Can’t Explain’. That track, along with the other mod rock masterpieces that followed, defined the swinging sixties generation, evoking a feeling of cultural revolution among Britain’s disenfranchised post-war youth.
There was an unwavering sense of excitement when it came to The Who back in that golden period, particularly when it came to their anarchic and unpredictable live shows, typified by walls of amplifiers, end-of-set destruction, and a small explosion courtesy of drummer Keith Moon.
Inevitably, the sense of youth that surrounded the group was never going to last forever, but, to their credit, The Who managed to roll with the punches. As time went on, Townshend’s songwriting adapted and improved to suit this changing cultural landscape, moving into experimental postmodern efforts like The Who Sell Out, and later defining the art of the rock opera through revolutionary records like Tommy.
While many of the swinging sixties peers fell by the wayside during the following decade, The Who consistently managed to stay on top of the rock pyramid, boasting a consistently inventive and dynamic discography that always moved with the times. In fact, it was only after the tragic death of drummer Keith Moon that things started to go downhill. Reportedly, the band thought about throwing in the towel following Moon’s death; after all, his blitzkrieg drumming style was an utterly essential aspect of the band’s appeal. Instead, they chose to soldier on, citing a need to ‘honour’ their fallen comrade.
That decision was followed by the release of two horrendously bad albums, Face Dances and It’s Hard, which soiled The Who’s nearly flawless discography up until that point. It was after the release of It’s Hard that the band announced a farewell tour, but they returned for sporadic shows throughout the rest of the 1980s, including performances at Live Aid.
Since then, The Who have toured pretty regularly, playing stadiums and arenas across the world as an unstoppable – if ageing – force. Even the death of bassist John Entwistle in 2002 didn’t spell the end of their performing career, with the band going back out on the road in 2004.
Obviously, there is nothing inherently wrong with continuing to tour, so long as there is an audience who wants to come and see you. However, there is something inherently depressing about a band that once sang “I hope I die before I get old” being wheeled out time and time again to put on a lacklustre greatest hits show.
So, when should the band have quit? Townshend seemed to write a poetic end to the band on their 1973 record, Quadrophenia. A profound semi-autobiographical rock opera telling the tale of a young mod, Jimmy, struggling to find his place in the world, the album is an infallible gem within The Who’s discography and features some of Townshend’s all-time greatest songwriting efforts. What’s more, the message of the album appeared to provide The Who with a profound full-circle moment.
The Who had started out as young, rebellious mods, like Jimmy, but gradually, they had found their own unique voice–their place in the world. Quadrophenia marks a moment of maturity, particularly on the track ‘I’ve Had Enough’, which closes side two of the album. Seeing Jimmy reject the street fights, drugs, and phoney masculinity of his youth, the song is a profound and woefully underrated effort that sees The Who move away from the connotations of their early years.
Despite the inarguable quality of the band’s following records, The Who By Numbers and Who Are You, Quadrophenia could have provided The Who with their stunning grand finale. If they had called it quits after that album, the band would have bowed out at the very top of their game, with nowhere left to go creatively but with their artistic integrity intact. If you had to mark the moment in which The Who should have come to an end, there aren’t many better options than that stunning 1973 album.
