Can you hear me? (Tommy - The Who)

Member Name: northernlight

Product:	Tommy - The Who
Date:	19/04/01 (127 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: breathtaking originality

Disadvantages: not in this life

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 notes, it is an everyday story of murder, trauma, bullying, child molesting, sex, drugs, illusion, delusion, altered conciousness, spiritual awakening, religion, charlatanism, succes, superstardom, faith, betrayal, rejection and pinball. Not bad in just over 70 minutes, eh?

The storyline for the worlds first rock opera tells of a boy who witnesses the tragic homecoming of dad (missing in action but assumed by mum to be dead) to find mum with a new man. The subsequent events make the boy a "deaf, dumb and blind kid". We eavesdrop on his growing up via doctors and faith-healers and various unsavoury friends and relations until he discovers an ability to play pinball. (How 60s can you get?) He "plays a mean pinball" and becomes a superstar. His senses return and he forms a religious movement. (Townshend at this time was heavily influenced by Meher Baba) Now that he is normal people lose interest in him and he is left abandoned.

The range of musical styles on this incredibly original recording is breathtaking, and Daltrey's strong vocal talents are stretched to the limit. This record opened the door to a horde of concept albums from other, lesser bands, but none can match the quality of this.

If you only know Tommy from the Ken Russell film then you s
hould try to hear the music the way it should be heard. Lets be honest, singing was never a strong feature in Oliver Reed's portfolio.

At twenty four tracks for a fiver this is an unmissable reminder of the time when music was the real power among youth. Treat yourself.

PS I have been deliberately vague about the musical style. This is in tribute to it's uniqueness. Words won't do it justice, you must hear it.

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