Tommy. The Who’s defining, breakthrough concept album – a full-blown rock opera about a deaf, dumb and blind boy that launched the band to international superstardom, written almost entirely by Pete Townshend. At a career crossroads – known mainly as a singles band – this project launched them as a serious ‘albums band’.
Released in May 1969, it followed Who Sell Out (1967) and marked a complete change in style. Townshend's lengthy conceptual narrative brought exciting new opportunities to rock music – an ambitious, complex and controversial work – it was initially banned by the BBC!
It's become known for the spin-off cult 1975 film directed by Ken Russell and starring Roger Daltrey as Tommy, and featured the other members of the Who, plus a supporting cast that included Ann-Margret as Tommy's mother, Oliver Reed, Elton John, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton, and Jack Nicholson.
1-CD remastered version
- Original album remastered (1CD)
Review:
The full-blown rock opera about a deaf, dumb, and blind boy that launched
the band to international superstardom, written almost entirely by Pete
Townshend. Hailed as a breakthrough upon its release, its critical standing has
diminished somewhat in the ensuing decades because of the occasional pretensions
of the concept and because of the insubstantial nature of some of the songs that
functioned as little more than devices to advance the rather sketchy plot.
Nonetheless, the double album has many excellent songs, including “I'm
Free,” “Pinball Wizard,” “Sensation,” “Christmas,” “We're Not
Gonna Take It,” and the dramatic ten-minute instrumental “Underture.”
Though the album was slightly flawed, Townshend's ability to construct a
lengthy conceptual narrative brought new possibilities to rock music. Despite
the complexity of the project, he and the Who never lost sight of solid pop
melodies, harmonies, and forceful instrumentation, imbuing the material with a
suitably powerful grace.
Richie Unterberger, AllMusic.com