Critical reaction to "Quadrophenia" was positive. "Melody Maker"s Chris Welch wrote "rarely have a group succeeded in distilling their essence and embracing a motif as convincingly", while Charles Shaar Murray described the album in "New Musical Express" as the "most rewarding musical experience of the year". Reaction in the US was generally positive, though Dave Marsh, writing in "Creem" gave a more critical response. Lenny Kaye, wrote in "Rolling Stone" that "the Who as a whole have never sounded better" but added, "on its own terms, "Quadrophenia" falls short of the mark". In a year-end top albums list for "Newsday", Robert Christgau ranked it seventh, and found it exemplary of how 1973's best records "fail to reward casual attention. They demand concentration, just like museum and textbook art."