Claim: The Who included a drummer.

Quadrophenia is the sixth studio album by the English rock band The Who , released on 26 October 1973 by Track Records . It is a double album and the group 's second rock opera . The story follows a young mod named Jimmy and his search for self-worth and importance , set in London and Brighton in 1965 . It is the only Who album to be entirely composed by Pete Townshend .   The group started work on the album in 1972 , trying to follow up Tommy and Who 's Next , which had both achieved substantial critical and commercial success . Recording was delayed while bassist John Entwistle and singer Roger Daltrey recorded solo albums and drummer Keith Moon worked on films . Because a new studio was not finished in time , the group had to use Ronnie Lane 's Mobile Studio . As well as the group 's typical playing styles , especially from Moon , the album makes significant use of Townshend 's multi-tracked synthesizers and sound effects , and Entwistle 's layered horn parts . Relationships between the group and manager Kit Lambert broke down irretrievably during recording and he had left the band 's services by the time the album was released .   Quadrophenia was released to a positive reception in both the UK and the US , but the resulting tour was marred with problems with backing tapes replacing the additional instruments on the album , and the stage piece was retired in early 1974 . It was revived in 1996 with a larger ensemble , and a further tour occurred in 2012 . The album made a positive impact on the mod revival movement of the late 1970s , and the resulting film adaptation , released in 1979 , was successful . The album has been reissued on compact disc several times , and seen a number of remixes that corrected some perceived flaws in the original .