Quadrophenia by The Who 1973

This one is all about the packaging. I loved the Who but it was the sixties I was really into. Quadrophenia music-wise was never a big deal for me. There were times I loved it but often I would ignore it. I bought it because I was interested in the whole Mod thing at the time. But unfortunately, this is not Mod music. Indeed I haven't listened to it for a long time. Well not properly because it's there when I play the film. In the background.
But that's not why this album is important to me. When I bought the album. When it was just vinyl it came inside a big 12 by 12 book of photos. I would pore over the photos of sixties Mod culture over and over. It was what I harked back to. Maybe it was because I left England in 1965 just when it was about to explode (though I was only 8) but I kept returning to the book. Totally fascinated. Something that not many kids will get to see nowadays.
And of course, there was the film. As Mods, it shaped our lives in 1979. And so we'd come back to the album to relive the film. Or play the soundtrack album. It all just went round and round. But it's always been there. A bit like a musical.
So I would play Quadrophenia and other Who albums as I turned the pages. There are some great songs here. The Real Me & 5:15 are standouts. I also by this stage I was preferring Pete Townshend's voice to Roger's.

In 2019 I was in San Francisco and spent a day by myself checking out the town. I went into this photo art gallery and began chatting to the daughter of the owner about the fantastic photos on the walls. Maybe it was a quiet day but she let me go back into the storeroom where they kept work not on display. Work after work blew my mind. Duffy Bowie negatives for Alladin Sane! Original artwork for many albums I loved. Oh, my God1 The original artwork for Quadrophenia was there too. Much bigger and more exciting. I was afraid to ask the price. 

They also brought out Eric Clapton's 'Blackie' Stratocaster guitar for me to look at. The original which they were commissioned to sell. ( the story of a lot of the things they were selling came from divorce settlements) Did I know anyone in Australia who might want to buy it? Even I didn't realise at the time that it was worth over a million dollars.  No big Clapton fan myself I was still pretty much in awe as I held the guitar. The first thing I noticed was the cigarette burns on the headstock. The lightness of the guitar when I picked it up. The balance was amazing.  

What a day that turned out!