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''Tommy'' is the first of artist Sonny Boy Williamson II was also incorporated into the opera. The album was also ranked #90 on VH1 's 100 Greatest Albums of Rock & Roll and appears in the book '' 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die ''.http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/steveparker/1001albums.htm SYNOPSIS Characters
Story in chronological order
In its original album version, the story is quite scattered, and details were often filled in ''post facto'' by Townshend in interviews. As other adaptations of the album appeared, some details were filled out and others were changed. Notably, some later versions change the time frame from World War I /1921 to World War II /1951. The film version of Tommy also changes a major plot point: instead of Captain Walker killing his wife's new lover, the lover kills Captain Walker. This has led to endless confusion over the storyline, as some remember the album's version of events while others recall the film's. Analysis and history When ''Tommy'' 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 "sick" and exploitative because of its dark theme. The album was banned by the BBC and certain U.S. radio stations. Ultimately, the album became a huge commercial success, as did The Who's frequent live performances of the rock opera in the following years, elevating The Who to a new level of prestige and international stardom. ( {Link without Title} ) Although ''Tommy'' is conventionally described as a rock opera, author and Who historian Richard Barnes points out that this definition is not strictly correct, since ''Tommy'' does not utilise the classic operatic formulae of staging, Scenery , acting and Recitative . According to Barnes, ''Tommy'' could be more accurately described as a "rock Cantata " or a "rock Song Cycle ". Musically, the original album is a complex set of pop-rock arrangements, generally based upon Townshend's acoustic guitar and built up with many overdubs by the four members of the band using many instruments, including bass, electric and acoustic guitars, piano, organ, drumkit, gong, tympani, trumpet, French horn, three-part vocal harmonies and occasional doubling on vocal solos. Despite this instrumental richness the sound tends to be very "stark", especially in comparison to the band's later work. Many of the instruments only appear intermittently -- the ten-minute "Underture" features a single toot on the horn -- and when overdubbed many of the instruments are mixed at low levels that require careful listening to notice. Townshend mixes fingerpicking in with his trademark Power Chord s and fat Riffs , and in some delicate moments his guitar sounds almost like a Harpsichord . Moon's drumming is controlled with a few dramatic moments; Entwistle's bass provides support and effectively takes the instrumental lead in several cuts. Daltrey swaggers as lead vocalist, but shares that role with the others on a surprising number of tracks. Townshend's later interest in synthesizers is foreshadowed by the use of taped sounds played in reverse to give a whistling, chirping sound on "Amazing Journey." "Amazing Journey" can be interpreted as the central pivot of ''Tommy'', since its Lyrics are essential to understanding what the opera is about (beyond the facile story line). "Go to the Mirror" is the climax of the opera both musically and dramatically; tradition holds that when the band was touring the show live the audiences would spontaneously stand up during "Go to the Mirror" and remain standing until the end—listening in silence, unlike the customary behavior of Who fans. "We're Not Gonna Take It / See Me, Feel Me / Listening to You" is the Denouement , with its ambiguous return to the earlier state of the story reinforced in concert by returning to the riff from "Overture" and "Go to the Mirror" at the very end rather than the long fade from the studio recording. Various themes are repeated in different songs in order to give the opera a coherent feel. The tracks "Overture", " Pinball Wizard ", "I'm Free", and the "See Me, Feel Me / Listening to You" reprise were released as singles and got a decent amount of airplay. "Pinball Wizard" reached the top twenty in the U.S. and the top five in the UK. "See Me, Feel Me / Listening To You" landed high in the top twenty in the U.S. and "I'm Free" reached the top forty. The tracks "Overture", "Christmas", "I’m Free", and "See Me Feel Me" were released on an EP in late 1970. The "Overture" was also covered by a band called The Assembled Multitude and received a lot of airplay. ''Tommy'' was inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame in 1998. The child abuse that features so prominently in the story caused a good deal of outcry when it was first released. It has often been claimed that the basic idea of the Tommy story was lifted from " (1966). A couple of years before the album came out Pete Townshend explained his ideas and apparently actually thought out some of the structure of the opera during a famous '' Rolling Stone '' interview. John Entwistle claimed years after the release that he had never actually listened to the album because he was so sick of it after the endless Take s and re-takes. EDITIONS ''Tommy'' was originally released as a two- LP set with a thin booklet of lyrics and artwork in a Triptych -style fold-out cover. All three of the outer panels of the triptych are spanned by a single Pop Art painting by Mike McInnerney . The drawing is a sphere with diamond-shaped cutouts and an overlay of clouds and seagulls rendered with a figure-ground ambiguity. To one side a star-spangled hand bursts from the dark background, index finger pointing forward. (The image above only shows the central panel of the triptych.) The label's executives insisted on having a picture of the band on the cover, so small, barely recognizable images of the band members' faces were inserted into the gaps in the sphere, each with an outstretched hand like a groping Tommy Walker. (The most recent remastered CD release reverts to McInnerney's original artwork without the faces.) The internal artwork consists of a photo of some jugglers/magicians and some very simple paintings that only hint at illustrating the story. MCA re-released the album as a two-CD set in 1984. The CDs were in separate jewel cases and each had a miniaturized copy of the original artwork and lyrics in the insert, though it only included two panels of the magnificent triptych. Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab later published it on a single gold-plated Ultradisc in their Original Master Recording series, with a much improved reproduction of the artwork (including a fold-out of the full original cover), and with the substitution of an alternate take on "Eyesight to the Blind". MCA finally released their own remastered edition on a single disc in 1996, complete with good artwork and a written introduction by Richard Barnes . Currently Tommy is now released as a deluxe 2-disc hybrid SACD with a 5.1 multi-channel mix. This was done utilizing master tapes that were thought long lost. When Tommy was first released, a "sweetened" master tape was used incorporating echo effects and doubling the vocal harmonies. This bare-bones master is said to have a more warm and natural sound to give a more "live" feel. Many critics have hailed this release to be the more definitive edition. The re-mastering was done under the supervision of Townshend and also includes some outtakes and other cuts during the same sessions. One cut called "Dogs-Part 2" that was only previously available as the B-side of the Pinball Wizard single is included. TRACK LISTING All songs were written by Pete Townshend except where noted. Original 1969 album Side one #" Overture " – 5:21 #" It's A Boy " – 0:38 #" 1921 " – 2:49
#" Amazing Journey " – 3:25 #" Sparks " – 3:46 #" Eyesight To The Blind (The Hawker) " ( Williamson ) – 2:13 Side two #" Christmas " – 4:34 #" Cousin Kevin " ( Entwistle ) – 4:07 #" Acid Queen " – 3:34 #" Underture " – 10:09 Side three #" Do You Think It's Alright? " – 0:24 #" Fiddle About " ( Entwistle ) – 1:26 #" Pinball Wizard " – 3:01 #" There's A Doctor " – 0:23 #" Go To The Mirror! " – 3:49 #" Tommy, Can You Hear Me? " – 1:36 #" Smash The Mirror " – 1:35 #" Sensation " – 2:27 Side four #" Miracle Cure " – 0:12 #" Sally Simpson " – 4:12 #" I'm Free " – 2:40 #" Welcome " – 4:34 #" Tommy's Holiday Camp " ( Moon ) – 0:57
#" We're Not Gonna Take It " – 7:08 Deluxe edition In 2003, ''Tommy'' was released as a '' Deluxe Edition '' as a Hybrid SACD and DVD-audio . The two formats featured the original album remixed into 5.1 surround sound and both featured a bonus disc of "out-takes and demos". Disc one #" Overture " – 5:21 #" It's A Boy " – 0:38 #" 1921 " – 2:49 #" Amazing Journey " – 3:25 #" Sparks " – 3:46 #" Eyesight To The Blind (The Hawker) " ( Williamson ) – 2:13 #" Christmas " – 4:34 #" Cousin Kevin " ( Entwistle ) – 4:07 #" Acid Queen " – 3:34 #" Underture " – 10:09 #" Do You Think It's Alright? " – 0:24 #" Fiddle About " ( Entwistle ) – 1:26 #" Pinball Wizard " – 3:01 #" There's A Doctor " – 0:23 #" Go To The Mirror! " – 3:49 #" Tommy, Can You Hear Me? " – 1:36 #" Smash The Mirror " – 1:35 #" Sensation " – 2:27 #" Miracle Cure " – 0:12 #" Sally Simpson " – 4:12 #" I'm Free " – 2:40 #" Welcome " – 4:34 #" Tommy's Holiday Camp " ( Moon ) – 0:57 #" We're Not Gonna Take It " – 3:38 #" See Me, Feel Me/Listening To You " – 3:41 Disc two The first twelve tracks are out-takes and demos and the last five are stereo only demos. #"I Was" (previously unreleased) – 0:17 #"Christmas" (Out-take 3) (previously unreleased) – 4:43 #"Cousin Kevin Model Child" – 1:25 #"Young Man Blues" (Version 1) ( Allison ) – 2:51 #"Tommy Can You Hear Me?" (alternate version, previously unreleased) – 1:59 #"Trying to Get Through" (previously unreleased) – 2:51 #"Sally Simpson" (Out-takes) (previously unreleased) – 4:09 #"Miss Simpson" (previously unreleased) – 4:18 #"Welcome" (Take 2) (previously unreleased) – 3:44 #"Tommy's Holiday Camp" (band's version, previously unreleased) – 1:07 #"We're Not Gonna Take It" (alternate version, previously unreleased) – 6:08 #"Dogs, Part Two" (Moon) – 2:26 #"It's a Boy" (previously unreleased) – 0:43 #"Amazing Journey" (previously unreleased) – 3:41 #"Christmas" – 1:55 #"Do You Think It's Alright?" (previously unreleased) – 0:28 #"Pinball Wizard" – 3:46 The DVD-Audio edition also includes a bonus video interview with Pete Townshend plus a demonstration of his remixing the original recording into 5.1 sound. SINGLES
PERSONNEL
LIVE RECORDINGS Whilst The Who regularly played ''Tommy'' live at the time of its release, they rarely, if ever, played it in the form in which it was released, instead deciding to change the running order and omit some tracks entirely. Four tracks that were regularly not featured were "Cousin Kevin", "Underture", "Sensation" and "Welcome". A live recording of ''Tommy'' in this altered state is available on the 2001 ''Deluxe Edition'' of the 1970 live album '' Live At Leeds ''. It is also available on the official release '' Live At The Isle Of Wight Festival 1970 '' from the same period, which was released in 1996. The Who also performed ''Tommy'' for its 20th 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 '' live album and the '' Tommy And Quadrophenia Live With Special Guests '' DVD. OTHER INCARNATIONS 1972 orchestral version In late 1972 entrepreneur Lou Reizner presented two concert versions of ''Tommy'' at the Rainbow Theatre , London . The concerts featured The Who, plus an all-star guest cast, backed by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by David Measham . The concerts were held to promote the release of Reizner's new studio recording of this "symphonic" version of ''Tommy''. Both in concert and on record, major singing roles were performed by leading pop and rock stars of the day -- David Essex , Maggie Bell , Sandy Denny , Steve Winwood , Rod Stewart , Richie Havens and Ringo Starr . Pete Townshend also plays a bit of guitar, but otherwise the music is predominantly orchestral. The studio version of the orchestral ''Tommy'' was issued in a lavish boxed-set format, featuring stunning original artwork and photography, which used a pinball as its main motif. The packaging, designed by Wilkes and Braun, won the Best Album Package Grammy In 1974 . The orchestral version was also performed in Australia in March 1973, to thousands at open air venues (Melbourne's Myer Music Bowl and Sydney's Randwick Racecourse ). Keith Moon appeared as "Uncle Ernie" with local stars Daryl Braithwaite (as Tommy), Billy Thorpe , Doug Parkinson , Wendy Saddington , Jim Keays , Graeme Bell , Broderick Smith , Colleen Hewitt , Linda George , Ross Wilson , Bobby Bright , and a full orchestra. Bootleg issues of the concert performances (which were recorded by the BBC) have also been released. Below is the track listing with the performer(s) of the track in parenthesis. All songs include the Chamber Choir and London Symphony Orchestra as performers, although they are not listed as such unless they are the sole performer. Track listing for the orchestral version #"Overture" ( London Symphony Orchestra ) #"It's a Boy" ( Sandy Denny & Pete Townshend ) #"1921" ( Graham Bell , Maggie Bell , Roger Daltrey & Steve Winwood ) #"Amazing Journey" ( Pete Townshend ) #"Sparks" ( London Symphony Orchestra ) #"Eyesight to the Blind" ( Richie Havens ) #"Christmas" ( Roger Daltrey & Steve Winwood ) #"Cousin Kevin" ( John Entwistle ) #"The Acid Queen" ( Merry Clayton ) #"Underture" ( London Symphony Orchestra ) #"Do You Think It's Alright?" ( Maggie Bell & Steve Winwood ) #"Fiddle About" ( Ringo Starr ) #"Pinball Wizard" ( Rod Stewart ) #"There's a Doctor" ( Roger Daltrey , Richard Harris & Steve Winwood ) #"Go to the Mirror" ( Roger Daltrey & Steve Winwood ) #"Tommy, Can You Hear Me?" ( Maggie Bell ) #"Smash the Mirror" ( Maggie Bell ) #"I'm Free" ( Roger Daltrey ) #"Miracle Cure" (Chamber Choir) #"Sensation" ( Roger Daltrey ) #"Sally Simpson" ( Pete Townshend ) #"Welcome" ( Roger Daltrey ) #"Tommy's Holiday Camp" ( Roger Daltrey & Ringo Starr ) #"We're Not Gonna Take It" ( Roger Daltrey ) #"See Me, Feel Me" ( Roger Daltrey ) 1975 film version See main article Tommy (film) . In 1975 ''Tommy'' was adapted as a film, produced by expatriate Australian entrepreneur Robert Stigwood and directed by maverick British auteur Ken Russell . The movie version starred Daltrey as Tommy, and featured other members of The Who plus an eclectic supporting cast including Hollywood legend Ann-Margret as Tommy's mother, Oliver Reed as the boyfriend, with cameo appearances by Elton John , Tina Turner , Eric Clapton , Arthur Brown and Jack Nicholson . ''Tommy'' was one of the first music films released with a multichannel hi-fi soundtrack (billed as "quintaphonic sound") and in many theaters it was presented with high-powered concert-style sound reinforcement, played at rock concert volumes. The film received mixed reviews but was a huge commercial success on release and has achieved Cult Film status due to scenes such as Arthur Brown 's portrayal of a priest in Tommy's cult, Ann-Margret 's frolic in a pool of beans (a reference to the cover of The Who's 1967 LP '' Sell Out '') and the sharp satire on pop music presented by the "Sally Simpson" scene. Other highlights included Elton John's memorable appearance (sporting metre-high Doctor Marten boots) as the "Pinball Wizard" and Tina Turner's electrifying cameo as the "Acid Queen." Townshend reworked the storyline extensively for the film, fleshing out much that was obscure in the original version, and moving the time-frame forward to a more believable era, the period following World War II . This also (somewhat) cured the anachronism arising from Sally Simpson's marriage to a rock musician from California after her ejection from Tommy's sermon. Since no such musicians existed until the 1960s, Sally would had a 30+ year wait and would have been in her 50s by then. The film version also reversed a crucial plot point: in the film, Tommy's father is murdered by his mother's lover, rather than the lover being killed by the returning Capt. Walker, as in the original storyline. The result can be seen as lending an incestuous charge to the mother/son relationship as Tommy's mother sees her former husband within her son. Townshend also oversaw the production of a new double-LP recording that returned the music to its rock roots, and on which the unrecorded orchestral arrangements he had envisaged for the original ''Tommy'' LP were realised by the extensive use of Synthesiser . The soundtrack LP also employed many leading sessions musicians including Caleb Quaye and longtime Who associate John "Rabbit" Bundrick . The song "Pinball Wizard" was a major hit when released as a single. Curiously, although the music for this song is performed entirely by Elton John and his band, the film depicts Elton being backed by The Who (dressed in pound-note suits). Most of the extras were students at Portsmouth Polytechnic and were paid with tickets to a Who concert after filming had finished. Ken Russell included the shots he took of the pier at Southsea, which burned down while the crew were in town. Track listing for the soundtrack album =Side one #"Overture from Tommy" (performed by the Who) – 4:59 #"Prologue" - 1945 (performed by Pete Townshend and John Entwistle) – 3:00 #"Captain Walker/It's a Boy" (performed by Pete Townshend, Margo Newman and Vicki Brown) – 2:38 #"Bernie's Holiday Camp" (performed by the Who, with vocals by Oliver Reed, Ann-Margret and Alison Dowling) – 3:42 #"1951/What about the Boy?" (performed by Mott the Hoople, with vocals by Ann-Margret and Oliver Reed) – 2:49 #"Amazing Journey" (performed by Pete Townshend) – 3:19 #"Christmas" (performed by the Who and the vocal chorus, with lead vocals by Ann-Margret, Oliver Reed and Alison Dowling) – 3:59 #"Eyesight to the Blind" (performed by Eric Clapton) – 3:21 =Side two #"Acid Queen" (performed by Tina Turner) – 3:47 #"Do You Think It's Alright?" (1) (performed by Ann-Margret and Oliver Reed) – 0:57 #"Cousin Kevin" (performed by Paul Nicholas) – 3:07 #"Do You Think It's Alright?" (2) (performed by Ann-Margret and Oliver Reed) – 0:46 #"Fiddle About" (performed by the Who, with lead vocals by Keith Moon) – 1:40 #"Do You Think It's Alright?" (3) (performed by Ann-Margret and Oliver Reed) – 0:29 #"Sparks" (performed by the Who) – 3:07 #"Extra, Extra, Extra" (performed by Simon Townshend) – 0:37 #"Pinball Wizard" (performed by Elton John) – 5:22 =Side three #"Champagne" (performed by the Who, with vocals by Ann-Margret and Roger Daltrey) – 4:43 #"There's a Doctor" (performed by Oliver Reed and Ann-Margret) – 0:29 #"Go to the Mirror" (performed by Jack Nicholson, Roger Daltrey and Ann-Margret) – 3:49 #"Tommy Can You Hear Me?" (performed by Ann-Margret) – 0:55 #"Smash the Mirror!" (performed by Ann-Margret) – 1:22 #"I'm Free" (performed by Roger Daltrey) – 2:36 #"Mother and Son" (performed by Pete Townshend, with vocals by Ann-Margret and Roger Daltrey) – 2:36 #"Sensation" (performed by Roger Daltrey) – 2:49 (on the LP and 8-track, 4:37 on the cassette and CD) =Side four #"Miracle Cure" (performed by Simon Townshend) – 0:23 #"Sally Simpson" (performed by Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey) – 5:38 #"Welcome" (performed by Pete Townshend, with vocals performed by Roger Daltrey, Ann-Margret and Oliver Reed) – 4:15 #"T.V. Studio" (performed by Pete Townshend, with vocals performed by Ann-Margret and Oliver Reed) – 1:14 #"Tommy's Holiday Camp" (performed by Keith Moon) – 1:29 #"We're Not Gonna Take It!" (performed by Roger Daltrey and the vocal chorus) – 4:46 #"Listening to You/See Me, Feel Me" (performed by the Who and the vocal chorus, with lead vocals by Roger Daltrey) – 4:19 1993 stage version In 1993, Townshend and that year, including Best Original Score for Townshend. Various touring revivals have met with popular acclaim since. The musical version reorganizes the numbers and changes many lyrics. The setting is in post- World War II Britain , as in the film version. Nevertheless, unlike the film, the lyrics "Got a feelin '21 is gonna be a good year" remain the same, though now referring to Mrs. Walker's birthday. Also, Captain Walker kills the lover, as in the original album and unlike the film, where the lover kills Captain Walker and takes his place. Perhaps the most striking change vis-a-vis previous versions is that after the "Sally Simpson" scene, Tommy renounces his messianic role and returns to his family, embracing and praising the kind of "normality" that everybody else has and that he has been deprived of (significantly, the new version introduced lines such as "freedom lies here in normality" and excluded the earlier versions' "Hey, old hung-up Mr. Normal, don't try to gain my trust"). Track listing for the cast album Indexed by promo-only vinyl side breaks. =Side one #"Overture" – 4:41 #"Captain Walker" – 1:45 #"It's a Boy" – 0:53 #"We've Won" – 1:01 #"Twenty-One" – 4:13 #"Amazing Journey" – 3:11 #"Courtroom Scene" (interlude) – 1:15 #"Sparks" – 2:13 #"Amazing Journey" (reprise) – 1:04 #"Christmas" – 5:04 =Side two #"Do You Think It's Alright" – 1:09 #"Fiddle About" – 1:35 #"See Me, Feel Me" – 1:08 #"Cousin Kevin" – 3:35 #"Sensation" – 4:14 #"Sparks" (reprise) – 1:55 #"Eyesight to the Blind" – 2:50 #"Acid Queen" – 4:01 #"Pinball Wizard" – 3:50 =Side three #"Underture" – 2:37 #"There's a Doctor" – 1:13 #"Go to the Mirror/Listening to You" – 3:36 #"Tommy, Can You Hear Me?" – 2:00 #"I Believe My Own Eyes" – 4:01 #"Smash the Mirror" – 2:41 #"I'm Free" – 2:52 =Side four #"Streets of London 1961-1963" (interlude)/"Miracle Cure" – 0:36 #"Sensation" (reprise) – 2:21 #"Tommy the Star" (excerpted from "I'm Free" and "Pinball Wizard") – 3:55 #"Tommy's Holiday Camp" – 1:57 #"Sally Simpson" – 3:35 #"Welcome" – 3:20 #"Sally Simpson's Question" – 1:13 #"We're Not Gonna Take It" – 3:03 #"Finale" – 5:07 MISCELLANEOUS
EXTERNAL LINKS
A number of interviews where Pete Townshend has commented on the concept and meaning of ''Tommy'':
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