Pete Townshend: 'Quadrophenia' box set in June, says he's contemplating retirement

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Pete Townshend Announces 'Quadrophenia' Box Set
Singer doesn't address the future of the Who, but recently said he's contemplating retirement

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/pete-townshend-announces-quadrophenia-box-set-20110602



By
Andy Greene
June 2, 2011 1:30 PM ET

Pete Townshend has posted a rare blog entry to announce a new Quadrophenia box set that's coming out in October. He used to blog all the time, but he got so angry about journalists taking quotes out of context he largely abandoned the practice. With that in mind, here's the complete text of his statement:

I am shut away in my home studio at the moment working to restore the demos of Quadrophenia. Bob Pridden is doing surround-sound mixes of selected tracks. Jon Astley is remastering the original vinyl mix, and evaluating his own 1996 remix (the one where you can properly hear Roger's astonishing vocals). I am sitting in a pile of notes, desk diaries, photos (I took a lot of my own between 1971-1973 when Quadrophenia emerged), original lyrics and writing liner notes.

I am really enjoying this work. Bob's mixes are mind-blowing. My demos are among the best I've ever done, and include some real quirky tracks that didn't make it onto the final album. I still find studio work strange – I have to have the speakers very low in volume, not what I'm used to. This package, due in October if all goes well, is another Live at Leeds and Hull – or even another Lifehouse Chronicles – in the making. You are going to love it. I hope so, because I am missing this summer sunshine to get it completed on time.

In my recent interview with my friend Simon Garfield for INTELLIGENT LIFE, I professed some difficulty in my interaction with fans as I grow older. What is so wonderful about working on Quadrophenia is that back in 1970, all the way through to the recording in 1973, the primary challenge for me was to tell the story of the Who's fans and at the same time address the wayward creative needs of the band as individuals and artists. The Who, and Jimmy as a kind of model for one or all of our fans, really had developed a powerful symbiosis that deserved a project like Quadrophenia both to honour the mechanism and address why it started to fail almost a soon as it had begun.

[Donnachaidh]

1. How bad is his hearing now?

I'm a hardcore Who fan, but if Pete can't hear anymore he should retire. He's certainly making enough money selling his previous work out to advertisers and TV -- go for it Pete! We love ya always.

[nxylas]

5. Beethoven didn't retire, why should Pete?

Like anyone with a disability, he knows what he is and is not capable of better than well-meaning outsiders.

[chelsea0011]

2. I've got tickets to see Roger Daltrey doing Tommy live. Daultry had said

earlier that a Quadrophenia tour with Townsend was being discussed with the understanding that Daltrey's voice would not be able to go through the whole performance if they waited much longer to try and do a tour of Quadrophenia. I guess that won't be happening.

[idiotgardener]

4. I'm going to see that too. Can't wait!

[brewens]

3. I'll be getting that. I just had the unremastered CD release. Awesome

enough as it was. I'd love to hear it cleared up a little.