Tommy - The Who

It is not easy knowing where to start with this subject - the first Magnum Opus by Pete Townshend. A review of 'Tommy' cannot do it justice by reference merely to one aspect of the work. In this respect I am sympathetic to the problems that another contributer encountered in a review of the DVD of the Ken Russell film recently. 'Tommy' is a rock opera. More than that it is a phenomenon, a unique piece of rock writing that is unlikely ever to be matched. Written in 1969 it was recorded by The Who and released initially as a double (vinyl) record album. This has subsequently been re-released as a double CD boxed set and I will be concentrating ...  Read the complete review

Wow! What an album! This really is truly a rock masterpiece. I never thought I would like an opera even if it is a Rock opera. This blew me away. There is a total of 22 songs on this long album with a mixture of styles,moods and tastes which are reflected in the music. The actual story of Tommy the deaf,dumb and blind kid that plays Pinball is quite far fetched but very good at the same time. The songs on the album are great. I actually think Pinball Wizard is one if the best ever written. A musical masterpiece. If you listen to the Lyrics, it explains what Tommy is really like. "Cant Hear no buzzers or Bells.....Plays by Sense of ...  Read the complete review

The CD revolutionised the music industry, but there was a downside. Millions of great records were lost because they were only on vinyl. Once my wife threw out my crackly old record deck I lost access to lots of quality music. Thankfully the back catalogues of many great names are being reissued in CD form. And as a bonus they usually cost less then you paid for them first time around! What's more the quality is much improved as many have been remastered from the original recordings. Such is the case with the seminal rock record Tommy. Originally released at the very end of the 60s Tommy encapsulates the mood of the time. To paraphrase the sleeve ...  Read the complete review

Tommy is a majestic rock opera that proved The Who to be one of the greatest rock bands of all time (they didn't play at Woodstock '69 for nothing) and that they had the albums market licked as well. OK, it isn't as good as Who's Next but it still must be owned. Fanastic stand out tracks such as Pinball Wizard and We're Not Gonna Take It, coupled with the breataking ending of See Me, Feel Me and Listening To You really soar you into greater depths of magic. The Who even used to play the whole album live on stage, as well as all of their other hits. I'd see them this October if I wasn't at Uni. ...  Read the complete review

'Pinball wizard, yeah great rock song, Elton John covered that too' The pinball wizard is more than that. Tommy IS the pinball wizard, the unfortunate boy whose tale is told from birth to manhood... The Who unearthed the taboo subject of autism in 1969 - a time when few knew about it and other rock bands merely hinted at social issues. Mr Townsend at the age of 23 tackled the subject extremely well. It gets my goat that people who hear Tommy including some here still haven't mentioned it's direct link with autism. There are various forms of autism. Male babies are more prone to autism than girls, which is a life long disability. ...  Read the complete review