Pete Townshend

In 1993, Pete Townshend issued his fourth true studio solo album for Atco (not counting a live album, a couple of demo collections, and a collaboration with Ronnie Lane), entitled Psychoderelict. Perhaps best known for his conceptually based works (the Who's Tommy, Quadrophenia, etc.), Townshend did indeed thread a storyline throughout the album, which appeared to be the tale of an aging rock star. Psychoderelict includes Townshend's hardest-rocking songs since his 1980 solo album, Empty Glass, such as "English Boy" and "Let's Get Pretentious." Three instrumental tracks paying tribute to Townshend's spiritual mentor, Meher Baba, incorporate the synth loop from the Who's "Baba O'Riley," the best being "Meher Baba M4" (although strangely, the synths sound remarkably similar to the Who's 1978 hit "Who Are You").

White City: A Novel is a solo concept album by Pete Townshend of The Who, released in 1985 on Atco. After the experimental All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes, Pete Townshend returned to a more traditional form of concept album with White City: A Novel. Built around a loose narrative concerning urban despair, the album doesn't work very well conceptually, yet a handful of the individual songs are among his finest solo work, including the punchy "Face the Face" and the anthemic "Give Blood."

Pete Townshend was the guitarist and primary songwriter for the Who from 1964 to 1982, also participating in the group's occasional reunions after its formal breakup. Best-known for his conceptual works, he wrote Tommy and Quadrophenia for the band, as well as the bulk of its other material.
Pete Townshend was heading toward collapse as the '70s turned into the '80s. He had battled a number of personal demons throughout the '70s, but he started spiraling downward after Keith Moon's death, questioning more than ever why he did what he did (and this is a songwriter who always asked questions). Signs of that crept out on Face Dances, but he saved a full-blown exploration of his psyche for Empty Glass, his first solo album since Who Came First, a vanity project released to little notice around Who's Next..