The Who – Tommy (1969)

My introduction to this was the 1975 Ken Russell film, which we all dashed to see on release, and it was only later that I borrowed (and of course, taped) the album from a friend. I picked the CD album up in a sale much, much later - this version being the 1996 reissue.

I think it still stands up today, even if only as a naive attempt by a young man to do something a little more than the standard ten song album, and create something bigger than the band had previously done. Few of the songs are going to be numbered among the Who's greats, but many are worthwhile in their own right, and are more than just a mechanism to push the narrative. The most famous is, of course, Pinball Wizard, but for me, and I don't know if it's overfamiliarity (it was a song I knew well before encountering Tommy) it's one of the more ordinary of the proper songs.

So, like any opera / musical, there's an overture, surprisingly good listening, especially Entwhistle's French horn playing, introducing many of the main themes later to be heard. In the first half, 1921 is strong, while Christmas is an enjoyable song. John Entwhistle's Cousin Kevin isn't enjoyable listening, but is one of his better songs, while the stand out is The Acid Queen, with Townshend handling the vocals himself. The Underture picks up where Overture left of, a long instrumental conclusion to the first half.

The second half relies far more on the songs, alongside shorter pieces to drive the narrative. Do You Think It's Alright / Fiddle About are uncomfortable now (not amusing as they might have seemed then), especially in the light of Pete's Townshend's revelations of his childhood, and his caution for viewing child sex images. The aforementioned Pinball Wizard follows, a decent listen, while Smash The Mirror is the song which revives the main Overture theme, as well as introducing the much repeated See Me, Feel Me bridge, and the later "listening to you.... section.

Sensation is possibly my favourite stand alone song from the album, after a couple of other songs followed by the anthemic I'm Free, and the finale, We're Not Gonna Take, which starts of a little limply, but comes to a grand conclusion with the See Me Feel Me, and Listening To You themes.

It's an album which is bigger than the sum of its musical parts, many of which are disposable, but it's nevertheless an important album in its ambition, from a relatively young man (Townshend was 23 when most of this was written). Certainly, the genre of Rock Opera was born (and arguably died) with this album (unless you count Rice/Lloyd-Webber as anything more than straight musical theatre), and only Pink Floyd's The Wall has come close to Tommy in impact.

Link to album tracks

4* - the original 'rock opera'