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{{good article}} {{Infobox album | name = Tommy | type = studio | artist = [[the Who]] | cover = Tommyalbumcover.jpg | alt = | released = {{start date|1969|05|19|df=y}} | recorded = 19 September 1968{{snd}}7 March 1969 | studio = [[IBC Studios|IBC]] and [[Morgan Studios|Morgan]], London | genre = *[[Rock music|Rock]] *[[hard rock]] | length = {{duration|m=74|s=44}} | label = *[[Track Records|Track]] (UK) *[[Decca Records|Decca]] (US) | producer = [[Kit Lambert]] | prev_title = [[Direct Hits (The Who album)|Direct Hits]] | prev_year = 1968 | next_title = [[Live at Leeds]] | next_year = 1970 | chronology = [[The Who]] UK | misc = {{Extra chronology | artist = The Who US | type = studio | prev_title = [[Magic Bus: The Who On Tour]] | prev_year = 1968 | title = Tommy | year = 1969 | next_title = [[Live at Leeds]] | next_year = 1970 }} {{Singles | name = Tommy | type = studio | single1 = [[Pinball Wizard]]" / "Dogs Part Two | single1date = 7 March 1969 | single2 = [[I'm Free (The Who song)|I'm Free]]" / "[[We're Not Gonna Take It (The Who song)|We're Not Gonna Take It]] | single2date = July 1969 | single3 = [[See Me, Feel Me]]" / "[[Overture (The Who song)|Overture from Tommy]] | single3date = September 1970<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/greatrockdiscogr00stro/page/896/mode/|title=The Great Rock Discography|page=896}}</ref> }} }} '''''Tommy''''' is the fourth [[studio album]] by the English [[rock music|rock]] band [[the Who]], released on 17 May 1969.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/|title=Gold & Platinum|website=RIAA}}</ref> Written primarily by guitarist [[Pete Townshend]], ''Tommy'' is a [[double album]] and an early [[rock opera]] that tells the story of the fictional Tommy Walker and his path to becoming a spiritual leader and messianic figure.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Beaumont |first=Mark |date=2016-09-22 |title=The Who's 'Tommy': An In-Depth Look At Their Groundbreaking Rock Opera Album |url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/the-whos-tommy-anatomy-1554947 |access-date=2024-05-20 |website=NME |language=en-GB}}</ref> Townshend came up with the concept of ''Tommy'' after being introduced to the work of Indian spiritual teacher [[Meher Baba]], and he attempted to translate Baba's ideas into music. Recording of the album began in September 1968, but took six months to complete as material needed to be arranged and re-recorded in the studio. The Who promoted the album's release with an extensive tour, including a live version of ''Tommy'', which lasted throughout 1969 and 1970. Key gigs from the tour included appearances at [[Woodstock]], the [[Isle of Wight Festival 1969|1969 Isle of Wight Festival]], the [[University of Leeds]], the [[Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center)|Metropolitan Opera House]], and the [[Isle of Wight Festival 1970|1970 Isle of Wight Festival]]. The live performances of ''Tommy'' drew critical praise and revitalised the band's career. Upon its release, ''Tommy'' was acclaimed by critics, who hailed it as the Who's breakthrough. Several writers view it as an important and influential album in the history of rock music. In 1998, ''Tommy'' was inducted into the [[Grammy Hall of Fame Award|Grammy Hall of Fame]]. Subsequently, the rock opera was developed into other media, including a ballet in Montreal in 1970, a [[Seattle Opera]] production in 1971, an orchestral version by [[Lou Reizner]] in 1972, a [[Tommy (1975 film)|film]] directed by [[Ken Russell]] and featuring [[Jack Nicholson]] and [[Oliver Reed]] in 1975, and a [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] [[The Who's Tommy|musical]] in 1992. ''Tommy'' has been reissued several times on CD, including a remix by [[Jon Astley]] in 1996, a deluxe [[Super Audio CD]] in 2003, and a super deluxe box set in 2013, including previously unreleased demos and live material. ==Synopsis== <!-- Per the source given, citing the original synopsis in concert programmes, the lover is murdered by the father. In the film, it is the other way round. --> ''Tommy'' tells the story of a fictional character<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/first-rock-opera-the-who-recorded/|title=The first rock opera The Who ever recorded|date=27 January 2024|website=faroutmagazine.co.uk|last=Potter|first=Jordan}}</ref> named Tommy Walker.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://consequence.net/2009/06/rock-history-101-the-whos-tommy/|title=Rock History 101: The Who's Tommy|website=consequence.net|date=20 June 2009|last=Young|first=Alex}}</ref> The following synopsis of ''Tommy'' was published following the original album's release.{{sfn|Atkins|2000|p=121}} British Army Captain Walker goes missing during an expedition and is believed dead ("[[Overture (The Who song)|Overture]]"). His wife, Mrs. Walker, gives birth to their son, Tommy ("[[It's a Boy (The Who song)|It's a Boy]]"). Years later, Captain Walker returns home and discovers that his wife has found a new lover. The Captain kills the lover in front of Tommy. <!-- This is the synopsis for the original album, not per any other adaptations that might be different --> Tommy's parents coerce Tommy into believing he did not see or hear anything. Tommy begins to disassociate and becomes deaf, dumb and blind to the outside world ("[[1921 (song)|1921]]"). Tommy now relies on his sense of touch and imagination, developing an inner [[Psyche (psychology)|psyche]] ("Amazing Journey/Sparks").{{sfn|Atkins|2000|pp=121β122}} A doctor claims his wife can cure Tommy ("[[Eyesight to the Blind|The Hawker]]"). Tommy's parents are increasingly frustrated that he will never find religion in the midst of his isolation ("[[Christmas (The Who song)|Christmas]]"). Tommy's parents neglect him, leaving him to be tortured by his [[Sadistic personality disorder|sadistic]] "Cousin Kevin" and [[Child molestation|sexually abused]] by his uncle Ernie ("[[Fiddle About]]"). The Hawker's drug-addicted wife, "[[The Acid Queen]]", gives Tommy a dose of [[Lysergic acid diethylamide|LSD]], causing a [[psychedelic]] experience that is expressed musically ("Underture").{{sfn|Atkins|2000|pp=121β122}} As Tommy grows older, he discovers that he can feel vibrations sufficiently well to become an expert [[pinball]] player ("[[Pinball Wizard]]"). His parents take him to a respected doctor ("There's a Doctor"), who determines that the boy's disabilities are [[Psychosomatic illness|psychosomatic]] rather than physical. Tommy is told by the Doctor to "[[Go to the Mirror!]]", and his parents notice he can stare at his reflection. After seeing Tommy spend extended periods staring at a mirror in the house, his mother smashes it out of frustration ("Smash the Mirror"). This removes Tommy's [[mental block]], and he recovers his senses, realising he can become a powerful leader ("Sensation"). He starts a religious movement ("[[I'm Free (The Who song)|I'm Free]]"), which generates fervour among its adherents ("Sally Simpson") and expands into a [[holiday camp]] ("Welcome" / "Tommy's Holiday Camp"). However, Tommy's followers ultimately reject his teachings and leave the camp ("[[We're Not Gonna Take It (The Who song)|We're Not Gonna Take It]]"). Tommy retreats inward again ("[[See Me, Feel Me]]") with his "continuing statement of wonder at that which encompasses him".{{sfn|Atkins|2000|pp=121β122}} ==Background== Townshend had been looking at ways of progressing beyond the standard three-minute pop single format since 1966.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=214}} Co-manager [[Kit Lambert]] shared Townshend's views and encouraged him to develop musical ideas,{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=215}} conceiving the term "[[rock opera]]". The first use of the term was applied to a suite called ''Quads'', set in a future where parents could choose the sex of their children. A couple want four girls but instead receive three girls and a boy, raising him as a girl anyway. The opera was abandoned after writing a single song, the hit single, "[[I'm a Boy]]".{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=217}} When the Who's second album, ''[[A Quick One]]'', ran short of material during recording, Lambert suggested that Townshend should write a "mini-opera" to fill the gap. Townshend initially objected, but eventually agreed to do so, coming up with "[[A Quick One, While He's Away]]", which joined short pieces of music together into a continuous narrative.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=227}} During 1967, Townshend learned how to play the [[piano]] and began writing songs on it, taking his work more seriously.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=283}} That year's ''[[The Who Sell Out]]'' included a mini-opera in the last track, "Rael", which like "A Quick One{{nbsp}}..." was a suite of musical segments joined together.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|pp=282, 283}} {{quotebox|width=50%|quote=The package I hope is going to be called ''"Deaf, Dumb and Blind Boy."'' It's a story about a kid that's born deaf, dumb and blind and what happens to him throughout his life ... But what it's really all about is the fact that ... he's seeing things basically as vibrations which we translate as music. That's really what we want to do: create this feeling that when you listen to the music you can actually become aware of the boy, and aware of what he is all about, because we are creating him as we play."|source=[[Pete Townshend]] talking to [[Jann Wenner]], August 1968{{sfn|Marsh|1983|pp=313,314}}}} 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.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|pp=293β294}} His friend, ''[[International Times]]'' [[art director]] Mike McInnerney, told him about the Indian spiritual mentor [[Meher Baba]],{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=294}} and Townshend became fascinated with Baba's values of compassion, love and introspection.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=296}} The Who's commercial success was on the wane after the single "[[Dogs (The Who song)|Dogs]]" failed to make the top 20, and there was a genuine risk of the band breaking up.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=308}} The group still performed well live and spent most of the spring and summer touring the US and Canada,{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|p=190}} 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.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=309}} 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.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=310}} In August 1968, in an interview to ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', Townshend talked about a new rock opera and described the entire plot in great detail, which ran to 11 pages.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|pp=313β316}} The Who biographer [[Dave Marsh]] subsequently said the interview described the narrative better than the finished album.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=316}} Townshend later regretted publishing so much detail, as he felt it forced him to write the album according to that blueprint.{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|p=191}} The rest of the Who, however, were enthusiastic about the idea, and let him have artistic control over the project.{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|p=192}} ==Recording== The Who started recording the album at [[IBC Studios]] on 19 September 1968.{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|p=210}} There was no firm title at this point, which was variously referred to as ''Deaf, Dumb and Blind Boy'', ''Amazing Journey'', ''Journey into Space'', ''The Brain Opera'' and ''Omnibus''. Townshend eventually settled on ''Tommy'' because it was a common British name and a nickname for soldiers in the [[First World War]].{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=317}} Kit Lambert took charge of the production, with Damon Lyon-Shaw as engineer. Sessions were block-booked from 2pm β 10pm, but recording often spilled over into the early morning.{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|p=210}} The album was recorded using an [[Multitrack recording|eight-track system]], which allowed various instruments to be [[overdubbed]]. Townshend used several guitars in the studio but made particular use of the [[Gibson J-200]] acoustic and the [[Gibson SG]].<ref name="www2.gibson.com">{{cite news |url=http://www2.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Features/en-us/pinball-wizard-0305-2012.aspx |work=Gibson Guitars |title=Pinball Wizard: Pete Townshend Finds His Signature Guitar Sound |first=Ted |last=Drozdowski |date=3 May 2012 |access-date=9 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419095036/http://www2.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Features/en-us/pinball-wizard-0305-2012.aspx |archive-date=19 April 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> As well as their usual instruments, Townshend played [[piano]] and [[Hammond organ|organ]] and bassist [[John Entwistle]] doubled on [[french horn]]. [[Keith Moon]] used a new double bass drum kit owned by roadie Tony Haslam, after [[Premier Percussion|Premier]] had refused to loan him any more equipment due to the items repeatedly being abused.{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|p=210}} Though Townshend wrote the majority of the material, the arrangements came from the entire band. Singer [[Roger Daltrey]] later said that Townshend often came in with a half-finished [[demo recording]], adding "we probably did as much talking as we did recording, sorting out arrangements and things."{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|p=219}} Townshend asked Entwistle to write two songs ("Cousin Kevin" and "Fiddle About") that covered the darker themes of bullying and abuse. "Tommy's Holiday Camp" was Keith Moon's suggestion of what kind of religious movement Tommy could lead. Moon got the songwriting credit for suggesting the idea, though the music was composed and played by Townshend.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=323}} A significant amount of material had a lighter style than earlier recordings, with greater prominence put on the vocals. Moon later said, "It was, at the time, very un-Wholike. A lot of the songs were soft. We never played like that."{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|p=220}} Some of the material had already been written for other projects. "Sensation" was written about a girl Townshend had met on the Who's tour of Australia in early 1968, "Welcome" and "[[I'm Free (The Who song)|I'm Free]]" were about peace found through [[Meher Baba]] and "Sally Simpson" was based on a gig with [[the Doors]] which was marred by violence.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|pp=316, 318}} Other songs had been previously recorded by the Who and were recycled; "It's A Boy" was derived from "Glow Girl", an out-take from ''[[The Who Sell Out]]'', while "Sparks" and "Underture" re-used and expanded one of the instrumental themes in "Rael".{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=318}} "Amazing Journey" was, according to Townshend, "the absolute beginning" of the opera and summarised the entire plot.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=318}} "The Hawker" was a cover of [[Sonny Boy Williamson II|Sonny Boy Williamson]]'s "Eyesight to the Blind". A cover of [[Mercy Dee Walton]]'s "One Room Country Shack" was also recorded but was scrapped from the final track listing as Townshend could not figure out a way to incorporate it in the plot.{{sfn|Atkins|2000|p=114}} Recording at [[IBC Studios|IBC]] was slow, due to a lack of a full plot and a full selection of songs. The group hoped that the album would be ready by Christmas 1968, but sessions dragged on. ''[[Melody Maker]]''{{'}}s [[Chris Welch]] visited IBC studios in November and while he was impressed with the working environment and the material,{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=321}} the project still did not have a title and there was no coherent plotline.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=323}} The Who's US record company, [[Decca Records]], got so impatient waiting for new product that they released the compilation album ''[[Magic Bus: The Who on Tour]]'' which received a scathing review from Greil Marcus in ''Rolling Stone'' over its poor selection of material and misleading name (as the album contained studio recordings and was not live).{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=319,320}} The Who took a break from recording at the end of 1968 to tour, including a well received appearance at ''[[The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus]]'' on 10 December.{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|p=216}} They resumed sessions at IBC in January 1969, block booking Monday to Thursday, but had to do gigs every weekend to stop going further into debt.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=324}} A major tour was booked for the end of April, and the group's management insisted that the album would have to be finished by then, as it had been well over a year since ''[[The Who Sell Out]]''.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=325}} Kit Lambert wrote a script, ''Tommy (1914β1984)'', which he professionally printed and gave copies to the band, helping them focus on the storyline and also deciding to make the album a double.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=324}} The group were still coming up with new material; Lambert insisted that the piece should have a proper overture,{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=325}} while Townshend wrote "Pinball Wizard" so that [[Nik Cohn]], a pinball fan, would give the album a favourable review in ''[[The New York Times]]''.{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|p=221}} Lambert wanted an orchestra to appear on the album, but Townshend was strongly against the idea, and time and budget constraints meant it could not happen anyway.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=325}} By March 1969, some songs had been recorded several times, yet Townshend still thought there were missing pieces.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=327}} Entwistle had become fed up with recording, later saying "we had to keep going back and rejuvenating the numbers ... it just started to drive us mad."<ref name="www2.gibson.com"/> The final recording session took place on 7 March, the same day that "Pinball Wizard" was released as a single.{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|pp=227, 228}} The group started tour rehearsals and promotional activities for the single and Lambert went on holiday in [[Cairo]]. The mixing was left to Damon Lyon-Shaw and assistant engineer Ted Sharp, who did not think [[IBC Studios|IBC]] was well suited for the task.{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|p=228}} The album overshot its April deadline, as stereo [[Mastering (audio)|mastering]] continued into the end of the month.{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|p=230}} ==Release and reception== After delays surrounding the cover artwork, ''Tommy'' was released on 19 May 1969 in the US by [[Decca Records|Decca]] and 23 May in the UK by [[Track Records]].<ref>{{harvnb|Neill|Kent|2002|p=232}}; {{harvnb|Atkins|2000|p=282}}.</ref> The original double album was configured with sides 1 and 4 on one disc, and sides 2 and 3 on the other, to accommodate [[record changers]].{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|p=231}} The album was commercially successful, reaching No. 2 in the UK album charts. It peaked at No. 7 in the US in 1969,<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Billboard 200 Chart|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/1969-07-19|access-date=2 September 2020|magazine=Billboard}}</ref> but in 1970 it re-entered the charts, at which time it went on to peak at No. 4.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Billboard, 19 September 1970|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/70s/1970/Billboard%201970-09-19.pdf}}</ref> It sold 200,000 copies in the first two weeks in the US alone and was awarded a gold record for sales of 500,000 on 18 August.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=340}} "Pinball Wizard", "I'm Free" and "See Me, Feel Me" were released as singles and received airplay on the radio. "Pinball Wizard" reached the top 20 in the US and the top five in the UK. "See Me, Feel Me" reached the top 20 in the US and "I'm Free" reached the top 40. An [[Extended play|EP]] of selections from the album was planned to be released in the UK in November 1970 but was withdrawn.{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|p=421}} When it was released, critics were split between those who thought the album was a masterpiece, the beginnings of a new genre, and those that felt it was exploitative. The album had a hostile reception with the [[BBC]] and certain US radio stations, with [[Tony Blackburn]] describing "Pinball Wizard" as "distasteful".{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|p=230}} Nevertheless, [[BBC Radio 1]] received an advance copy of the album at the start of May and gave the material its first airplay on [[Pete Drummond]]'s show on 3 May.{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|p=231}} Townshend promoted the album's release with interviews in which he attempted to explain the plotline. Unfortunately, because it fundamentally dealt with the abstract concept of [[Meher Baba]]'s spiritual precepts, the interviews often gave confusing and contradictory details.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=330}} For ''[[Melody Maker]]'', [[Chris Welch]] went to the album's press launch show at [[Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club|Ronnie Scott's]] and although the volume left his ears ringing for 20 hours, he concluded "we wanted more." ''[[Disc and Music Echo]]'' ran a front-page headline saying "Who's Tommy: A Masterpiece".{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=340}} Critics and fans were confused by the storyline, but [[Kit Lambert]] pointed out this made ''Tommy'' no less confusing than the operas of [[Richard Wagner]] or [[Giacomo Puccini]] a century earlier.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=329}} In a 1969 column for ''[[The Village Voice]]'', music critic [[Robert Christgau]] said that, apart from the Mothers of Invention's ''[[We're Only in It for the Money]]'', ''Tommy'' is the first successful "extended work" in [[rock music]], but Townshend's parodic side is more "profound and equivocal" than [[Frank Zappa]]. He praised Townshend for deliberately constructing the album so that each song can be enjoyed individually and felt that he is determined to "give his audience what it wants without burying his own peculiarity".<ref>{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|date=12 June 1969|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/rock/who-69.php|title=Whooopee!|newspaper=[[The Village Voice]]|location=New York|access-date=3 July 2013}}</ref> [[Albert Goldman]], writing in ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' magazine, said that the Who play through "all the kinky complications" of the narrative in a [[hard rock]] style that is the antithesis of most contemporary "serious" rock. Goldman asserted that, based on innovation, performance, and "sheer power", ''Tommy'' surpasses anything else in studio-recorded rock.<ref name="Goldman">{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JFAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA20|magazine=[[Life Magazine]]|title=A Grand Opera in Rock |date=17 October 1969 |access-date=3 July 2013|page=20}}</ref> Robert Christgau named ''Tommy'' the best album of 1969 in his year-end list for ''Jazz & Pop'' magazine.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Jazz & Pop|last=Christgau|first=Robert|year=1969|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/jpballot-69.php|title=Robert Christgau's 1969 Jazz & Pop Ballot|access-date=17 April 2014}}</ref> == Legacy and reappraisal == {{Music ratings | title = Retrospective professional reviews | rev1 = [[AllMusic]] | rev1score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref name="Unterberger"/> | rev2 = ''[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]'' | rev2score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin|title=Encyclopedia of Popular Music|year=2007|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|edition=4th|isbn=978-0195313734|title-link=Encyclopedia of Popular Music}}</ref> | rev3 = ''[[MusicHound|MusicHound Rock]]'' | rev3score = 4/5{{sfn|Graff|Durchholz|1999|p=1227}} | rev4 = ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'' | rev4score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Review: Tommy|magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]|location=London|pages=116β7|date=March 2004}}</ref> | rev5 = [[Robert Christgau]] | rev5score = Aβ<ref>{{cite web|last=Christgau|first=Robert|date=27 August 2019|url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xgausez.php?d=2019-08-27|title=Xgau Sez|website=robertchristgau.com|access-date=14 March 2020}}</ref> | rev6 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' | rev6score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/tommy-deluxe-edition-20040122|access-date=3 July 2013|title=Tommy Deluxe Edition|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|location=New York|date=22 January 2004|last=Randall|first=Mac}}</ref> | rev7 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]'' | rev7score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{sfn|Kemp|2004|p=871}} | rev8 = ''[[Tom Hull β on the Web]]'' | rev8score = Aβ<ref>{{cite web|last=Hull|first=Tom|author-link=Tom Hull (critic)|date=n.d.|url=http://tomhull.com/ocston/nm/get_gl.php?n=The+Who|title=Grade List: The Who|website=Tom Hull β on the Web|access-date=19 July 2020}}</ref> | rev9 = ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]'' | rev9score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="Uncut">{{cite magazine|title=Review: Tommy|magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]|location=London|pages=110|date=March 2004}}</ref> }} According to music journalist [[Richie Unterberger]], ''Tommy'' was hailed by contemporary critics as the Who's breakthrough.<ref name="Unterberger"/> [[Robert Christgau]] wrote in 1983, "''Tommy''{{'}}s operatic pretensions were so transparent that for years it seemed safe to guess that Townshend's musical ideas would never catch up with his lyrics."<ref>{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|date=25 January 1983|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv1-83.php|title=Consumer Guide|newspaper=The Village Voice|location=New York|access-date=3 July 2013}}</ref> In his review for [[AllMusic]], Unterberger said that, despite its slight flaws, the album has "many excellent songs" permeated with "a suitably powerful grace", while Townshend's ability to devise a lengthy narrative introduced "new possibilities to rock music."<ref name="Unterberger">{{cite web|last=Unterberger|first=Richie|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/tommy-mw0000392525|title=Tommy β The Who|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=3 July 2013}}</ref> ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]'' wrote that the album "doesn't quite realise its ambitions, though it achieves a lot on the way", and felt it was not as well developed as their later album, ''[[Quadrophenia]]''.<ref name="Uncut"/> [[Mark Kemp]], writing in ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]'' (2004), felt that "in retrospect, ''Tommy'' isn't quite the masterpiece it was originally hyped to be", suggesting ''[[The Who Sell Out]]'' was better, though because of Townshend, it produced several "bona fide classic songs".{{sfn|Kemp|2004|p=872}} "Rock opera may seem like a laughable concept these days, but when the Who brought it to the world via ''Tommy'' in 1969, it was an unmatched thrill", writes Mac Randall of ''Rolling Stone'' in 2004 in a more positive appraisal. "Almost thirty-five years later, this [[classic rock|classic-rock]] touchstone still has the power to enthrall."<ref name="Mac"/> In 1998, the album was inducted into the [[Grammy Hall of Fame Award|Grammy Hall of Fame]] for "historical, artistic and significant value".<ref name="Perry">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandjazzmusic/3653281/Hope-I-dont-have-a-heart-attack.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandjazzmusic/3653281/Hope-I-dont-have-a-heart-attack.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |title=Hope I don't have a heart attack |first=Andrew |last=Perry |date=22 June 2006 |access-date=25 May 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In 2000 it was voted number 52 in [[Colin Larkin]]'s ''[[All Time Top 1000 Albums]]''.<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=[[All Time Top 1000 Albums]]|author=[[Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=2000|edition=3rd|isbn=0-7535-0493-6|page=59}}</ref> In 2003, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine ranked ''Tommy'' number 96 on its list of [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|the 500 greatest albums of all time]],<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|magazine=Rolling Stone|location=New York|page=118|date=11 December 2013}}</ref> it maintained the rating in a 2012 revised list,<ref>{{cite magazine| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/the-who-tommy-149757/|year=2012| title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time| magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]| access-date= 19 September 2019}}</ref> and was re-ranked at number 190 on the 2020 list.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/the-who-tommy-2-1063043/|title=Tommy ranked 190th greatest album by Rolling Stone magazine|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=2 March 2022}}</ref> The album is one of several by the Who to appear in ''[[1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die]]''.<ref>{{cite book | title=1001 Albums: You Must Hear Before You Die|first1=Robert|last1=Dimery|first2=Michael|last2=Lydon|publisher=Hachette UK|year=2011|page=455|isbn=978-1-84403-714-8}}</ref> According to music critic [[Martha Bayles]], ''Tommy'' did not mix rock with classical music, as its "rock opera" title may have suggested, but instead was "dominated by the Who's mature style: ponderous, rhythmically monotonous [[hard rock]]".<ref name="Bayles">{{cite book|page=224|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pmcaVNZNF-cC&pg=PA224|title=Hole in Our Soul:The Loss of Beauty and Meaning in American Popular Music|last=Bayles|first=Martha|year=1994|publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]]|isbn=0-226-03959-5}}</ref> Bayles argued that it was more acceptable to audiences than the [[art rock]] "concoctions" of the time because of the cultural climate during the late 1960s: "''Tommy'' was considered more authentic, precisely because it consists of hard rock, rather than doctored-up [[Mussorgsky]] ... and avoids the typical pseudoromantic themes of art rock (fairy-tale bliss and apocalyptic angst) in favor of the more up-to-date subject of [[popular culture]] itself."<ref name="Bayles"/> ''[[High Fidelity (magazine)|High Fidelity]]'' magazine also characterised the Who's album as a "reasonably hard-rock version" of the opera.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[High Fidelity (magazine)|High Fidelity]]|page=418|volume=23|title=Tommy|date=June 1973|issue=6}}</ref> [[Dave Marsh]] thought the problem with the album's narrative is that there isn't enough transitional material provided by the lyrics. There are no stage directions, no cast, and narration is restricted to key phrases (such as "Tommy can you hear me?"){{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=330}} Key problems included an unclear explanation of what Tommy didn't hear or see in "1921", how or why he plays pinball, why "Smash the Mirror" leads into "I overwhelm as I approach you" (the opening line in "Sensation"), why Tommy tells his followers in "We're Not Gonna Take It" they cannot drink or smoke but can play pinball, and what the "you" is in "Listening to you, I get the music".{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=332}} 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/180887-sensation-the-story-of-the-whos-tommy-2495667858.html|title='Sensation: The Story of the Who's Tommy' Lives Up to Its Name|last=Macek III|first=J.C.|publisher=[[Pop Matters]]|quote=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 Townshendβs childhood sexual abuse, this is an exceptionally noteworthy documentary.|date=24 April 2014|accessdate=12 January 2023}}</ref> ==Editions and cover art== ''Tommy'' was originally released as a two-[[Gramophone record|LP]] set with artwork designed by Mike McInnerney, which included a booklet including lyrics and images to illustrate parts of the story. Townshend asked McInnerney to do the cover artwork for Tommy in September 1968.<ref name="McInnerney">{{cite web|url=http://mikemcinnerney.com/biography/|publisher=Mike McInnerney|title=Biography|access-date=6 October 2019}}</ref> Townshend had originally considered [[Alan Aldridge]] for the cover.<ref name="McInnerney"/> The cover is presented as part of a [[triptych]]-style fold-out cover, and the booklet contained abstract artwork that outlined the story.{{sfn|Atkins|2000|p=121}} Although the album included lyrics to all the songs, indicating individual characters, it did not outline the plot, which led to a concert programme being prepared for shows, that carried a detailed synopsis.{{sfn|Atkins|2000|p=121}} Townshend thought Mike McInnerney, a fellow follower of [[Meher Baba]], would be a suitable choice to do the cover. As recording was near completion, McInnerney received a number of cassettes with completed songs and a brief outline for the story, which he immediately recognised as being based on Baba's teachings.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=336}} He wanted to try and convey the world of a deaf, dumb and blind boy and decided to "depict a kind of breaking out of a certain restricted plane into freedom."{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=337}} The finished cover contained a blue and white web of clouds, a fist punching into the black void to the left of it. The inner triptych, meanwhile, showed a hand reaching out to light and a light shining in a dark void.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=337}} Townshend was too busy finishing the recording to properly approve the artwork, but Kit Lambert strongly approved of it and said it would work. The final step was for record company approval from Polydor, making one concession that pictures of the band should appear on the cover. These were added to the globe on the front.<ref name="1996CD"/> These pictures were later removed on the 1996 CD remastered reissue.<ref name="book">{{cite book |last= Segretto|first= Mike|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ghmXAwAAQBAJ&q=baba+the+who+faq+tommy+outrageous&pg=PT129|publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |title= The Who FAQ: All That's Left to Know About Fifty Years of Maximum R&B|year= 2014|isbn= 978-1-480-39253-3|access-date=6 October 2019}}</ref> ''Tommy'' was first released on CD in 1984 as a two disc set.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/release/tommy-mobile-fidelity-mr0000485623|title=Tommy [Mobile Fidelty]|website=AllMusic|access-date=18 August 2014}}</ref> [[Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab]] subsequently released a special single-disc edition of the album in 1990, featuring an alternate take of "Eyesight to the Blind" and a low volume extensive break on the glass in "Smash the Mirror".{{sfn|Atkins|2000|p=282}} It was also remastered by Erick Labson for single disc release in 1993.<ref name="1993CD">{{cite AV media notes|title=Tommy|publisher=MCA|id=MCAD-10801}}</ref> Polydor and MCA released a newly remastered version on single disc in 1996, which had been remixed by [[Jon Astley]]. Astley was able to access the original [[8-track tape|8 track tapes]] and bring out instruments that had been buried, such as the guitar in "Christmas", the [[French horn]] in "Sparks", the cymbals in "[[The Acid Queen]]" and the organ in "We're Not Gonna Take It".{{sfn|Atkins|2000|pp=120,121}} This release came with Mike McInnerney's complete artwork and a written introduction by Richard Barnes.<ref name="1996CD">{{cite AV media notes|title=Tommy|publisher=Polydor|id=531β043β2}}</ref> For this edition, the cover was revised to remove the Who's faces, which were originally placed at the request of the record label.<ref name="book"/> In 2003 ''Tommy'' was made available as a deluxe two-disc hybrid [[Super Audio CD]] with a 5.1 multi-channel mix. The remastering was done under the supervision of Townshend and also includes related material not on the original album, including "Dogs-Part 2" (the [[A-side and B-side|B-Side]] to "Pinball Wizard"), "Cousin Kevin Model Child" and "Young Man Blues", plus demos for the album and other unreleased songs that were dropped from the final running order.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/release/tommy-deluxe-edition-mr0001390644|title=Tommy [Deluxe Edition]|first=Richie|last=JoneUnterbergers|website=AllMusic|date=15 August 2014}}</ref> ''Rolling Stone'' considered the disc sonically "murkier" than the 1996 CD and was critical of the absence of the original [[libretto]].<ref name="Mac">{{cite magazine |last=Randall |first=Mac |title=Tommy (Deluxe Edition) |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/tommy-deluxe-edition-113712/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=19 September 2018}}</ref> In 2013, a super deluxe version of ''Tommy'' was released as a 3-CD / [[Blu-ray]] box set. As well as the original album, the package includes additional demos and a live performance mostly taken from the Who's show at the Capital Theatre, [[Ottawa, Ontario]], Canada on 15 October 1969. The live disc was significant, as it debunked a long-standing myth that the tapes for the tour were burned in preference for the Leeds University show in February 1970 that made up ''[[Live at Leeds]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thewho.com/blog/story/5852/|title=The Who to release Super Deluxe Box Set and Deluxe Edition|publisher=The Who (official website)|date=11 November 2013|access-date=15 August 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140815153352/http://thewho.com/blog/story/5852/|archive-date=15 August 2014}}</ref> ==Live performances== {{main|Tommy Tour}} The Who had planned to perform ''Tommy'' live since starting the project. The group spent April 1969 rehearsing a live version of the show at the [[Hanwell Community Centre]] in [[Ealing]] including a final run down of the entire stage piece on 23 April.{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|p=230}} The running order was changed, and four songs ("Cousin Kevin", "Underture", "Sensation" and "Welcome") were dropped entirely.{{sfn|Atkins|2000|p=136}} Townshend later said the group "did the whole thing from start to finish and ''that'' was when we first realized we had something cohesive and playable."{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=339}} Roger Daltrey's singing had improved substantially since the group's early tours, and they realised their new live act could completely change their career.{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|p=230}} After a few warm up gigs towards the end of April,{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|p=231}} the group gave a preview concert to the press at [[Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club]], London on 1 May. Realising the opera's narrative was difficult to understand, Townshend explained a synopsis of the story, before the Who played ''Tommy'' all the way through at full stage volume.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=340}} The next day, the group flew out to New York to start the US tour, with the first gig on 9 May at the [[Grande Ballroom]], [[Detroit]].{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|p=231}} At the end of May, the group played four nights at the [[Kinetic Playground]], [[Chicago]], and they noticed the audience would all stand up at the same time and stay standing. This indicated that live performances of ''Tommy'' had a significant positive response.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=343}} The group continued to play large halls in the US, organised by tour promoter [[Frank Barsalona]], and generally avoided festivals,{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=346}} but made an important exception with the [[Woodstock]] festival on 16 August. After spending all night arguing with Barsalona, the band agreed to perform at Woodstock for $12,500.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=348}} The festival ran late and the Who did not take to the stage until the early morning of 17 August. During "Pinball Wizard", [[Abbie Hoffman]] took to the stage to protest about the imprisonment of [[John Sinclair (poet)|John Sinclair]] before being kicked offstage by Townshend, while during "See Me, Feel Me", the sun rose, almost as if on cue.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=350}} Two weeks later, the group played the [[Isle of Wight Festival 1969|second Isle of Wight Festival]], using one of the largest live [[Public address system|PAs]] available.{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|pp=239}} Though media attention was on [[Bob Dylan]] playing his first major live concert since 1966, the Who stole the show. Townshend later said, "We know that the stage act we had, with ''Tommy'' in it, would work under any circumstances, because it had worked many times on tour."{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|p=240}} [[File:Metropolitan Opera 2.jpg|thumb|By 1970, ''Tommy'' had achieved sufficient critical acclaim to be performed live in the [[Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center)|Metropolitan Opera House]].]] ''Tommy'' remained in the Who's live set through the rest of the year and into 1970. In October 1969, the Who played six shows at the [[Fillmore East]], where [[Leonard Bernstein]] praised them for their new music.{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|pp=241β242}} The group's show on 14 December at the [[London Coliseum]] was filmed for a possible future ''Tommy'' feature.{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|p=243}} Lambert was keen for ''Tommy'' to be taken seriously and wanted the Who to perform at [[opera house]]s.<ref>{{cite book|title=Bill Graham Presents: My Life Inside Rock and Out|first1=Bill|last1=Graham|first2=Robert|last2=greenfield|publisher=Da Capo Press|year=1922|page=321|isbn=978-0-306-81349-8}}</ref> In June 1970, the group performed two shows at the [[Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center)|Metropolitan Opera House]], which was the first time Townshend announced the show as being the "last ''Tommy'' ever".{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=353}} The group made a second trip to the Isle of Wight, appearing at the [[Isle of Wight Festival 1970|1970 festival]] on 29 August, before an audience of 600,000.{{sfn|Atkins|2000|p=136}} The last live performance for 1970 was at [[The Roundhouse]], London on 20 December. Townshend said "This is the very last time we'll play ''Tommy'' on stage", to which Keith Moon promptly cried, "Thank Christ for that!"{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|p=271}} Public reaction to the Who's concerts that included ''Tommy'' was overwhelmingly positive. The touring helped keep the album in the public eye and cleared the band's debts.{{sfn|Atkins|2000|p=137}} Several live recordings of ''Tommy'' from the Who's 1969β70 tours have been released. A complete performance is available on the 2002 ''Deluxe Edition'' of the live album ''[[Live at Leeds]]'', recorded on 14 February 1970. The second Isle of Wight performance is available on ''Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970'', released in 1996.{{sfn|Atkins|2000|p=136}} The Coliseum Theatre gig is available on the 2007 video release ''[[At Kilburn 1977 + Live at the Coliseum]]''. Portions of the Woodstock performance of ''Tommy'' were released on the documentaries ''[[Woodstock (film)|Woodstock]]'' and ''[[The Kids Are Alright (1979 film)|The Kids Are Alright]]''.{{sfn|Atkins|2000|pp=127β128}} The Who continued to play a smaller selection of ''Tommy'' live in subsequent tours throughout the 1970s.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=391}} 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 (1990 album)|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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/live-featuring-rock-opera-tommy-mw0000267855|title=Live:Featuring Rock Opera Tommy|website=AllMusic|access-date=27 September 2013}}</ref><ref name="jointogether">{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/join-together-mw0000206482|title=''Join Together'' β The Who|first=Stephen Thomas|last=Erlewine|website=AllMusic|access-date=27 September 2013}}</ref> ==Other incarnations== ===1970 Les Grands Ballets Canadiens === In 1970 Fernand Nault, choreographer of the Montreal [[ballet]] group [[Les Grands Ballets Canadiens]], created the first dance-based adaptation of ''Tommy''.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/les-grands-ballets-canadiens-de-montreal/|title=Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal|encyclopedia=The Canadian Encyclopedia|access-date=10 October 2014}}</ref> The ballet was premiered in Montreal in October 1970 and obtained a real success. The performance toured New York in April 1971, which included a light show and accompanying films by the Quebec Film Bureau.{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|p=199}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/02/09/arts/dance-ballets-canadiens.html|title=Dance: Ballets Canadiens|first=Anna|last=Kisselgoff|newspaper=The New York Times|date=9 February 1981|access-date=16 October 2014}}</ref> ===1971 Seattle Opera production=== In 1971, the [[Seattle Opera]] under director [[Richard Pearlman]] produced the first ever fully staged professional production of ''Tommy'' at [[Seattle]]'s [[Moore Theatre]]. The production included [[Bette Midler]] playing the role of the Acid Queen and Mrs. Walker, and music by the [[Syracuse, New York]] band Comstock, Ltd.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bargreen |first=Melinda |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/entertainment/2002394625_ross22.html |title=Glynn Ross, 90, turned Seattle into opera destination|work=The Seattle Times |date=22 July 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524124543/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/entertainment/2002394625_ross22.html |archive-date=24 May 2011}}</ref> ===London Symphony Orchestra version=== {{main|Tommy (London Symphony Orchestra album){{!}}''Tommy'' (London Symphony Orchestra album)}} On 9 December 1972, entrepreneur [[Lou Reizner]] presented a concert version of ''Tommy'' at the [[Rainbow Theatre (Finsbury Park)|Rainbow Theatre]], London. There were two performances that took place on the same evening. The concerts featured the Who, plus a guest cast, backed by the [[London Symphony Orchestra]] conducted by [[David Measham]].{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|pp=313β314}} The concerts were held to promote the release of Reizner's new studio recording of this symphonic version of ''Tommy'', released in October 1972.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=400}} The album and concerts featured an all-star cast, including [[Graham Bell (singer)|Graham Bell]] (as the Lover), [[Maggie Bell]] (as the Mother), [[Sandy Denny]] (as the Nurse), [[Steve Winwood]] (as the Father), [[Rod Stewart]] (as the Local Lad), [[Richie Havens]] (as the Hawker), [[Merry Clayton]] (as the Acid Queen), and [[Ringo Starr]] (as Uncle Ernie). Townshend played some guitar, but otherwise the music was predominantly orchestral.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/release/tommy-as-performed-by-the-london-symphony-orchestra-chamber-choir-mr0000287817|title=Tommy β As Performed by the London Symphony Orchestra|first=Bruce|last=Eder|website=AllMusic|access-date=18 August 2014}}</ref> [[Richard Harris]] played the role of the Doctor on the record, but he was replaced by [[Peter Sellers]] for the stage production. The stage show had a second run on 13 and 14 December 1973 with Daltrey, Graham Bell, Havens, and Clayton returning, and a new cast including [[David Essex]] (as the Narrator), [[Elkie Brooks]] (as the Mother), [[Roger Chapman]] (as the Father), [[Marsha Hunt (singer and novelist)|Marsha Hunt]] (as the Nurse), [[Bill Oddie]] (as Cousin Kevin), [[Vivian Stanshall]] (as Uncle Ernie), [[Roy Wood]] (as the Local Lad), and [[Jon Pertwee]] (as the Doctor).{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|p=340}} The orchestral version was also performed twice in Australia on 31 March 1973 at Melbourne's [[Sidney Myer Music Bowl|Myer Music Bowl]] and on 1 April at Sydney's [[Randwick Racecourse]]. Keith Moon appeared as Uncle Ernie (in Melbourne only), [[Graham Bell (singer)|Graham Bell]] as the Narrator, with local stars [[Daryl Braithwaite]] (as Tommy), [[Billy Thorpe]] (as the Local Lad), [[Doug Parkinson]] (as the Hawker), [[Wendy Saddington]] (as the Nurse), [[Jim Keays]] (as the Lover), [[Broderick Smith]] (as the Father), [[Colleen Hewett]] (as the Mother), [[Linda George (Australian singer)|Linda George]] (as the Acid Queen), [[Ross Wilson (musician)|Ross Wilson]] (as Cousin Kevin), [[Bobby & Laurie|Bobby Bright]] (as the Doctor), and [[Ian Meldrum]] (as Uncle Ernie in Sydney), and a full orchestra.{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|pp=325,326}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.milesago.com/stage/tommy.htm |title=Tommy Australian concert production 1973 |publisher=Milesago.com |access-date=13 April 2011}}</ref> The Melbourne concert was videotaped, then televised by Channel 7 on 13 April 1973.{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|p=326}} ===1975 film=== {{Main|Tommy (1975 film){{!}}''Tommy'' (1975 film)}} In 1975 ''Tommy'' was adapted as a film, produced by expatriate Australian entrepreneur [[Robert Stigwood]] and directed by British auteur [[Ken Russell]]. The movie version starred Roger Daltrey as Tommy and featured the other members of the Who, plus a supporting cast that included [[Ann-Margret]] as Tommy's mother and [[Oliver Reed]] as the Lover, with appearances by [[Elton John]], [[Tina Turner]], [[Eric Clapton]], [[Arthur Brown (musician)|Arthur Brown]], and [[Jack Nicholson]]. Russell insisted on having a known cast, though Townshend wanted people who could sing the material, and he was particularly disappointed at not being allowed to cast [[Stevie Wonder]] as the Pinball Wizard.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=440}} In several cinemas, the film supported a [[multitrack recording|multi-track]] soundtrack billed as [[Tommy (1975 film)#Quintaphonic Sound|quintaphonic sound]], which placed speaker banks in the four quadrants of the house and directly behind the centre of the screen.{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|p=369}} Townshend also oversaw the production of a [[Tommy (soundtrack)|soundtrack album]], on which the unrecorded orchestral arrangements Kit Lambert had envisaged for the original ''Tommy'' LP were realised by the extensive use of [[synthesizer]].{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=442}} He started work on the soundtrack album immediately after the Who's 1973 US tour in December and worked on it almost continuously for the next four months.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=440}} As well as the Who, the film's music track and the original soundtrack LP also employed several session musicians including [[Caleb Quaye]], [[Ronnie Wood]], [[Nicky Hopkins]], [[Chris Stainton]], and longtime Who associate [[John Bundrick|John "Rabbit" Bundrick]].{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=441}} Due to Keith Moon's commitments with the filming of ''[[Stardust (1974 film)|Stardust]]'', [[Kenney Jones]] (who would take over as the Who's drummer after Moon's death in 1978) played drums on much of the soundtrack album.{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|p=344}} "Pinball Wizard" was a major hit when released as a single. This sequence in the film depicts Elton John being backed by the Who (dressed in pound-note suits); the band portrayed the Pinball Wizard's band for filming,{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|p=350}} but on the music track and soundtrack album, the music was performed entirely by him and his regular touring band.{{sfn|Marsh|1983|p=441}} Most of the extras were students at [[University of Portsmouth|Portsmouth Polytechnic]] and were paid with tickets to a Who concert after filming wrapped.{{sfn|Neill|Kent|2002|p=353}} The film and its soundtrack album featured six new songs, all written by Townshend, and an alteration to the running order compared to the original album. The CD reissue of the film soundtrack also included an additional Overture.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/tommy-original-soundtrack-mw0000313332|title=Tommy (Original Soundtrack)|website=AllMusic|access-date=15 August 2014}}</ref> ===Stage musical=== {{Main|The Who's Tommy{{!}}''The Who's Tommy''}} 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 [[stage 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.{{sfn|Wollman|2006|p=161}} 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.{{sfn|Wollman|2006|p=165}} The musical had a mixed response from critics,{{sfn|Wollman|2006|p=168}} while Roger Daltrey and John Entwistle thought the show was too passive.{{sfn|Wollman|2006|p=165}} [[Anthony DeCurtis]], writing in ''Rolling Stone'', said the orchestra drummer had "the thankless task of having to reproduce Keith Moon's parts".{{sfn|Wollman|2006|p=169}} Townshend and Des McAnuff rewrote parts of the musical when it moved from La Jolla to [[Broadway (Manhattan)|Broadway]], to show a darker side for the title character.{{sfn|Wollman|2006|p=166}} McAnuff won a [[Tony Award]] in 1993 for [[Tony Award for Best Director|Best Director]], while [[Wayne Cilento]] won the award for [[Tony Award for Best Choreography|Best Choreography]].<ref>{{cite book|title=A History of the American Musical Theatre: No Business Like It|first=Nathan|last=Hurwitz|publisher=Routledge|year=2014|page=225|isbn=978-1-317-91205-7}}</ref> The Broadway run lasted from 1993 to 1995.<ref>{{cite book|title=Bad Music: The Music We Love to Hate|editor1-first=Christopher|editor1-last=Washburne|editor2-first=Maiken|editor2-last=Derno|publisher=Routledge|year=2013|page=314|isbn=978-1-135-38547-7}}</ref> McAnuff revisited ''Tommy'' during the 2013 season of the [[Stratford Shakespeare Festival]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stratfordfestival.ca/OnStage/productions.aspx?id=20233&prodid=47004 |title=Tommy |publisher=Stratford Festival |access-date=13 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313051240/http://www.stratfordfestival.ca/OnStage/productions.aspx?id=20233&prodid=47004 |archive-date=13 March 2013 }}</ref> and with Townshend's input, staged a 2023 [[Revival (theatre)|revival]] at the [[Goodman Theatre]] in [[Chicago, Illinois]],<ref>{{Cite news |last=Isherwood |first=Charles |date=6 July 2023 |title=βThe Whoβs Tommyβ and βAnother Marriageβ Reviews: Pinball Wizards, Coupled Writers |language=en-US |work=Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-whos-tommy-and-another-marriage-reviews-pinball-wizards-coupled-writers-1912765e |access-date=16 July 2023 |issn=0099-9660}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Who's Tommy |url=https://www.goodmantheatre.org/show/the-whos-tommy/ |access-date=16 July 2023 |website=Goodman Theatre |language=en-US}}</ref> which transferred to Broadway in 2024.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Paulson |first=Michael |date=26 October 2023 |title='Tommy,' the Who's Rock Opera, Will Return to Broadway |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/26/theater/the-whos-tommy-broadway.html |access-date=26 October 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Higgins |first=Molly |date=26 October 2023 |title=Reimagined The Who's Tommy Sets 2024 Broadway Bow |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/reimagined-the-whos-tommy-sets-2024-broadway-bow |access-date=26 October 2023 |website=Playbill}}</ref> ===Roger Daltrey live orchestral version=== {{Main|The Who's Tommy Orchestral{{!}}''The Who's Tommy Orchestral''}} In 2018, Daltrey toured the US performing the full version of ''Tommy'', with members of the Who band and an orchestra conducted by Keith Levenson. To mark the 50th anniversary of the release of the original album, a recording of the live concert was released on 14 June 2019. This live album was performed in Bethel, New York, at the site of the original [[Woodstock]] festival, and a new orchestral backing recorded by Levenson in Hungary, with the Budapest Scoring Orchestra.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Who's Tommy Orchestral Out June 14th. Available now to pre-order |url=https://www.thewho.com/the-whos-tommy-orchestral/ |website=The Who (official website) |date=9 May 2019 |access-date=15 August 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Who's Tommy Orchestral |url=https://www.rdevans.com/?portfolio=the-whos-tommy-orchestral |website=rdevans.com | date=14 May 2019 |access-date=15 August 2022}}</ref> ==Track listing== Track names and timings vary across editions; some editions have two tracks merged into one and vice versa. "See Me, Feel Me", for example, is the second half of "We're Not Gonna Take It", but is its own track as a single and on the 2003 deluxe edition.{{sfn|Atkins|2000|p=282}} {{Track listing | all_writing = [[Pete Townshend]], except where noted | headline = Side one | extra_column = Lead vocals | title1 = [[Overture (The Who song)|Overture]] | length1 = 5:20 | extra1 = <!-- The song is not entirely an instrumental, as Townshend sings from 4:05 to 4:20 --> Townshend | title2 = [[It's a Boy (The Who song)|It's a Boy]] | length2 = 0:39 | extra2 = Townshend | title3 = [[1921 (song)|1921]] | length3 = 2:49 | extra3 = Townshend, with [[John Entwistle]] and [[Roger Daltrey]] on chorus | title4 = Amazing Journey | length4 = 5:04 | extra4 = Daltrey | title5 = Sparks | length5 = 2:05 | extra5 = instrumental | title6 = [[Eyesight to the Blind#The Who version|The Hawker]] | writer6 = [[Sonny Boy Williamson II]] | length6 = 2:14 | extra6 = Daltrey | total_length = 18:09 }} {{Track listing | headline = Side two | extra_column = Lead vocals | title1 = [[Christmas (song)|Christmas]] | extra1 = Daltrey, Townshend on bridge | length1 = 4:34 | title2 = Cousin Kevin | writer2 = John Entwistle | extra2 = Townshend and Entwistle | length2 = 4:06 | title3 = [[The Acid Queen]] | extra3 = Townshend | length3 = 3:34 | title4 = Underture | extra4 = instrumental | length4 = 10:04 | total_length = 22:18 }} {{Track listing | headline = Side three | extra_column = Lead vocals | title1 = Do You Think It's Alright? | extra1 = Townshend and Daltrey | length1 = 0:24 | title2 = [[Fiddle About]] | writer2 = Entwistle | extra2 = Entwistle with Daltrey | length2 = 1:31 | title3 = [[Pinball Wizard]] | extra3 = Daltrey, Townshend on bridge | length3 = 3:00 | title4 = There's a Doctor | extra4 = Townshend, with Entwistle and Daltrey | length4 = 0:23 | title5 = [[Go to the Mirror!]] | extra5 = Daltrey, Townshend on bridge | length5 = 3:47 | title6 = Tommy Can You Hear Me? | extra6 = Townshend, Entwistle, and Daltrey | length6 = 1:35 | title7 = Smash the Mirror | extra7 = Daltrey | length7 = 1:34 | title8 = Sensation | extra8 = Townshend | length8 = 2:27 | total_length = 14:41 }} {{Track listing | headline = Side four | extra_column = Lead vocals | title1 = Miracle Cure | extra1 = Townshend, Entwistle, and Daltrey | length1 = 0:12 | title2 = Sally Simpson | extra2 = Daltrey | length2 = 4:10 | title3 = [[I'm Free (The Who song)|I'm Free]] | extra3 = Daltrey | length3 = 2:39 | title4 = Welcome | extra4 = Daltrey, Townshend on bridge, Entwistle on spoken word | length4 = 4:32 | title5 = Tommy's Holiday Camp | writer5 = [[Keith Moon]]{{refn|group=nb|The song is credited to Moon on the album because he came up with the "holiday camp" idea, but the song was actually written and solely performed by Townshend.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tommy β Song-by-song notes |url=http://www.thewho.net/linernotes/Tommy.htm |access-date=6 December 2017 |archive-date=6 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606064057/http://www.thewho.net/linernotes/Tommy.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>}} | extra5 = Townshend | length5 = 0:57 | title6 = [[We're Not Gonna Take It (The Who song)|We're Not Gonna Take It]] | extra6 = Daltrey, with Townshend and Entwistle | length6 = 7:06 | total_length = 19:36 }} ==Personnel== '''The Who''' *[[Roger Daltrey]] β vocals, [[harmonica]] *[[Pete Townshend]] β vocals, guitar, keyboards, [[banjo]] *[[John Entwistle]] β bass guitar, [[French horn]], vocals *[[Keith Moon]] β drums, vocals ==Charts== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |+1969 chart performance for ''Tommy'' ! scope="col"| Chart (1969β70) ! scope="col"| Peak<br /> position |- ! scope="row"| Australian Albums ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970β1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6}}</ref> | align="center"| 8 |- {{album chart|Canada|6|artist=The Who|album=Tommy|chartid=6061|rowheader=true|access-date=6 December 2022}} |- {{album chart|Netherlands|5|artist=The Who|album=Tommy|rowheader=true|access-date=6 December 2022}} |- {{album chart|UK|2|artist=The Who|album=Tommy|rowheader=true|access-date=6 December 2022}} |- {{album chart|Billboard200|4|artist=The Who|rowheader=true|access-date=6 December 2022}} |} {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |+1976 chart performance for ''Tommy'' ! scope="col"| Chart (1976) ! scope="col"| Peak<br /> position |- {{album chart|Germany4|50|artist=The Who|album=Tommy|id=11783|rowheader=true|access-date=6 December 2022}} |} {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |+2002 chart performance for ''Tommy'' ! scope="col"| Chart (2002) ! scope="col"| Peak<br /> position |- {{album chart|France|143|artist=The Who|album=Tommy|rowheader=true|access-date=6 December 2022}} |} {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |+2013 chart performance for ''Tommy'' ! scope="col"| Chart (2013) ! scope="col"| Peak<br /> position |- {{album chart|Flanders|181|artist=The Who|album=Tommy|rowheader=true|access-date=6 December 2022}} |- {{album chart|Wallonia|175|artist=The Who|album=Tommy|rowheader=true|access-date=6 December 2022}} |} ==Certifications== {{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for ''Tommy''}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=France|type=album|title=Tommy|artist=The Who|award=Gold|relyear=1969|certyear=1977|source=infodisc}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|type=album|title=Tommy|artist=The Who|award=Gold|relyear=1969|certyear=2016}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|artist=The Who|title=Tommy|award=Gold|id=2005-06-10|source=newchart|access-date=2024-11-20|type=album}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=album|title=Tommy|artist=Who|award=Gold|relyear=2012|certyear=2013|id=9511-1463-2|note=release of 2012}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=album|title=Tommy|artist=The Who|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=1969|certyear=1993}} {{Certification Table Bottom}} ==Notes== {{reflist|1|group=nb}} ==References== {{reflist}} ===Bibliography=== * {{cite book|last=Atkins|first=John|title=The Who on Record: A Critical History, 1963β1998|publisher=[[McFarland & Company|McFarland]]|year=2000|isbn=978-0-7864-0609-8}} * {{cite book|editor-last1=Graff|editor-first1=Gary|editor-last2=Durchholz|editor-first2=Daniel|title=MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide|publisher=Visible Ink Press|location=Farmington Hills, Michigan|year=1999|isbn=1-57859-061-2|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590612}} * {{cite book|first=Dave|last=Marsh|author-link=Dave Marsh|title=Before I Get Old: The Story of The Who|publisher=Plexus|isbn=978-0-85965-083-0|year=1983}} * {{cite book|first1=Andy|last1=Neill|first2=Matt|last2=Kent|title=Anywhere Anyhow Anywhere: The Complete Chronicle of The Who|publisher=Virgin Books|year=2002|isbn=978-0-7535-1217-3}} * {{cite book|first=Mark|last=Kemp|author-link=Mark Kemp|editor1-first=Nathan|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-link=Nathan Brackett|editor2-first=Christian|editor2-last=Hoard|title=[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide|The New Rolling Stone Album Guide]]|edition=4th|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|year=2004|isbn=978-0-7432-0169-8}} * {{cite book|title=The Theater Will Rock: A History of the Rock Musical, from Hair to Hedwig|first=Elizabeth|last=Wollman|publisher=University of Michigan Press|year=2006|isbn=978-0-472-11576-1}} ==Further reading== *Barnes, Richard and Townshend, Pete (1977). ''The Story of Tommy''. Eel Pie Publishing. pp. 128. *Cawthorne, Nigel (2005). ''The Who and the making of Tommy''. Unanimous Ltd (Vinyl Frontier 5). pp. 224. {{ISBN|1-903318-76-9}} *{{cite book|title=A Brief History of Album Covers|first=Jason|last=Draper|publisher=Flame Tree Publishing|location=London|year=2008|pages=70β71|isbn=9781847862112|oclc=227198538}} *Townshend, Pete (1993). ''Tommy : The Musical''. Pantheon. 173 pp. + a CD w/ the song ''I Can't Believe My Own Eyes''. {{ISBN|0-679-43066-0}}. Also titled ''The Who's Tommy: The Musical''. *Townshend, Pete (1996). ''Tommy : The Interactive Adventure Then and Now''. Eel Pie Publishing. Kardana & Interplay Productions. Cdrom for PC (CD-MCR-263-0 / CD-C95-263-0) or for Mac (CD-MCD β263-UK) *Charlesworth, Chris and McInnerney, Mike, (foreword) Townshend, Pete (2019). ''Tommy at 50: The Mood, the Music, the Look, and the Legacy of The Whoβs Legendary Rock Opera''. Apollo Publishers. 178 pp. {{ISBN|978-194806-240-4}} ==External links== *{{Discogs master|master=68455|name=Tommy|type=album}} *[http://www.myths.com/pub/lyrics/who_tommy.html Lyrics] *A number of interviews where Pete Townshend has commented on the concept and meaning of ''Tommy'': **[http://www.thewho.net/articles/townshen/rs68.htm a 1968 Rolling Stone Interview (by Jann Wenner)], **[http://www.thewho.net/articles/townshen/peteandt.htm ''Pete and Tommy, among others'' by Rick Sanders & David Dalton β Rolling Stone (no. 37 12 July 1969)] **[http://www.thewho.net/articles/townshen/pt_96.htm Interview with Pete Townshend at Manchester Arena, England, 12 December 1996, by Stephen Gallagher (British Youth & Popular Culture Editor, Ubu).] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20110606064057/http://www.thewho.net/linernotes/Tommy.htm Tommy notes β Song-by-song notes] {{Tommy}} {{The Who}} {{Use British English|date=August 2010}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}} {{Authority control}} [[Category:Tommy (rock opera)|*]] [[Category:1969 albums]] [[Category:1960s concept albums]] [[Category:Decca Records albums]] [[Category:MCA Records albums]] [[Category:Polydor Records albums]] [[Category:Rock operas]] [[Category:The Who albums]] [[Category:Track Records albums]] [[Category:Albums produced by Kit Lambert]] [[Category:Albums recorded at IBC Studios]]
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