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"). [Psychoderelict was released on orange vinyl in 2017.] ~ Greg Prato