a b Segretto, Mike (2014). The Who FAQ: All That's Left to Know About Fifty Years of Maximum R&B. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-480-39253-3 . Retrieved 6 October 2019. In 2013, Townshend and Daltrey participated in a documentary about the making of the album Tommy. The documentary is titled Sensation: The Story of the Who's Tommy and features in-depth interviews with them. [75] Editions and cover art [ edit ]

a b Tommy (Media notes). The Who. Polydor. 531–043–2. {{ cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) ( link) It would be remiss of me not to say that looking at such issues found on Tommy does not have merit, as certainly anyone who enjoys this release should not be considered to support the notion of child abuse, very much like the book “The Basketball Diaries” by Jim Carroll, who kept detailed notes, poems and thoughts during his downward spiral into drug addiction, where simply watching or reading his story is not tantamount to supporting or glorifying drug addiction ... it is all a visual and musical journey, dark as it may be, in the life of one of the greatest musicians of our time. Tommy ranked 190th greatest album by Rolling Stone magazine". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 2 March 2022. The Who continued to play a smaller selection of Tommy live in subsequent tours throughout the 1970s. [102] They revived Tommy as a whole for its twentieth anniversary during their 1989 reunion tour, reinstating the previously overlooked "Cousin Kevin" and "Sensation" but still omitting "Underture" and "Welcome". Recordings from this tour can be found on the Join Together live album and the Tommy and Quadrophenia Live DVD. The Los Angeles version of this show featured Phil Collins as Uncle Ernie, Patti LaBelle as the Acid Queen, Steve Winwood as the Hawker, Elton John as the Pinball Wizard, and Billy Idol as Cousin Kevin. [103] [104] Other incarnations [ edit ] 1970 Les Grands Ballets Canadiens [ edit ] So, coupled with the aforementioned hi-res editions, I was contented enough over the years with the versions of Tommy that I do have. I eventually upgraded my much-loved and played American copy of Tommy — which got me through high school and college in the late ’70s and early '80s, truth be told — with a nice, near-mint copy that sounds pretty good for what it is. (Yes, I know, dear AP friends, the UK version would likely trounce it.)

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Released in 1967, The Who Sell Out was the third album released by the band and is revered for being one of the first concept albums, celebrating the short-lived pirate radio stations of the late 60s with its groundbreaking use of fake adverts and jingles between songs. Another common theme throughout the album is glass and mirrors, which is representative of reflections of identity and the concept of smashing and releasing. The song “I’m Free” is extremely cathartic and wonderful feeling as Tommy can finally sense and a lot of this symbolism goes along with smashing a mirror. This is all about destroying what people expect of you and why you’re supposed to see. It’s a liberation. Washburne, Christopher; Derno, Maiken, eds. (2013). Bad Music: The Music We Love to Hate. Routledge. p.314. ISBN 978-1-135-38547-7. Today, 7 July, sees the release of the third and fourth in a series of half-speed mastered studio albums from The Who: The Who Sell Out and Tommy.

Cousin Kevin” sounds incredible here, with Moon’s manic, circular orchestral-flavored tom-tom rolls on the choruses almost stealing the show. John Entwistle’s midrange harmony on the choruses is haunting and much more apparent than on other versions I’ve heard. Indeed, the level of detailing apparent now on “Underture” is truly magnificent — just listen for those cymbal splashes and the depth of ambient space surrounding the tympani and tambourine.

Release

With this strategy in mind, you’ll at least have Polydor/UMC’s fine new 180g 2LP edition of Tommy in hand, and eventually can pair it with an “OG” copy for your collection, if you so desire. That’s my plan, at least! As beautifully done and artistically excellent as this album is, this is still nothing more than pornography, yet another exploration into the “Story Of O,” where the truly helpless come out on the other side pleased that the lessons they have learned at the hands of others have valued their lives and made them the successes they are. Unfortunate that’s just not true, and the life of Pete Townshend proves that ultimately with a great deal of sadness. Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time". Rolling Stone. 2012 . Retrieved 19 September 2019. By 1968, Townshend was unsure about how the Who should progress musically. The group were no longer teenagers, but he wanted their music to remain relevant. [12] His friend, International Times art director Mike McInnerney, told him about the Indian spiritual mentor Meher Baba, [13] and Townshend became fascinated with Baba's values of compassion, love and introspection. [14] The Who's commercial success was on the wane after the single " Dogs" failed to make the top 20, and there was a genuine risk of the band breaking up. [15] The group still performed well live and spent most of the spring and summer touring the US and Canada, [16] but their stage act relied on Townshend smashing his guitar or Keith Moon demolishing his drums, which kept the group in debt. Townshend and Kit Lambert realised they needed a larger vehicle for their music than hit singles and a new stage show, and Townshend hoped to incorporate his love of Meher Baba into this concept. [17] He decided that the Who should record a series of songs that stood well in isolation but formed a cohesive whole on the album. He also wanted the material performed in concert, to counter the trend of bands like the Beatles and the Beach Boys producing studio output that was not designed for live performance. [18]

Also, something I didn’t see until now is a serial number printed on the booklet — 3345. Curiously, I never noticed if the U.S. edition indeed includes the wording “limited edition number” in the same spot, but there is no number printed there — at least not in mine, nor every copy I’ve ever seen and/or owned. I’ll be looking into the reasoning behind the serial-replication of the number 3345 in this new edition when I get a chance, of course — but please feel free to respond in the Comments section below if you know of the reasoning why it was used. I also love the masterful musicianship of the band on this album. Every instrument is fantastic. I love how the vocals incorporate harmonies from the other bandmembers, like the Beatles would, and how the lead singer uses a lot of vocal distortion, soul, screaming, and explores his vocal style throughout. He’ll switch between clean and raw and incorporate some elements of normal singing versus goofy singing versus spoken word. One of the biggest things about the album is the drums. They are incredible and prominent throughout, specially with the dotted eighth note rhythm that stands out throughout the album. This album is super bold including a subplot that only lasts one song. It’s about the story of Sally Simpson who is a fan of Tommy’s and accidentally got slashed in the face being at the front of the stage, and then moved on and got married to someone else and forgot about him. It’s not completely relevant to the entire story but it’s such an interesting, short story that connects some of the themes and plays off the main narrative. This is one of the earliest examples of postmodern storytelling that I could think of in music. Dimery, Robert; Lydon, Michael (2011). 1001 Albums: You Must Hear Before You Die. Hachette UK. p.455. ISBN 978-1-84403-714-8.

Macek III, J.C. (24 April 2014). " 'Sensation: The Story of the Who's Tommy' Lives Up to Its Name". Pop Matters . Retrieved 12 January 2023. All of these remarkable observations are made through brand new interviews with lead guitarist, singer, lead songwriter and Tommy creator Pete Townshend, as well as the dynamic lead singer (who portrayed Tommy Walker himself in the original opera and the 1975 motion picture) Roger Daltrey (who still looks about 20 years younger than he is). In that these are some of the first interviews that truly delve into the somewhat recently unearthed facts about Townshend's childhood sexual abuse, this is an exceptionally noteworthy documentary. In 1991, Townshend broke his wrist in a cycling accident and could not play guitar. Looking for alternative work while recuperating, he responded to a request from the PACE Theatrical Group for the rights to a Broadway musical adaptation of Tommy. The group introduced him to La Jolla Playhouse director Des McAnuff, and the pair began to develop the musical together. It opened at La Jolla in summer 1992 and was an immediate commercial success. [124] Townshend wrote a new song, "I Believe My Own Eyes", to explain the relationship between Tommy's parents, but otherwise tried to be faithful to the music on the original album. [125]