Tommy

I suppose I’m in the perplexed camp on this one. Like other people, I enjoy some parts of it musically, but find the attempt at a coherent story pretty burdensome. I also keep thinking about how the story steals oxygen from actual people who are “deaf dumb and blind” psychosomatically or otherwise. I want to respect the attempt at a theatrical work, even a failed attempt, but in the end I just can’t.

Chiant

Pass

who as in who the fuck listens to this

This album is sorta cool in theory. For what it is, it's diverse enough and pretty thought out. It's absolutely too long though. Even the standard release is 74 minutes long. They could have easily cut 20 minutes and it would still be long for a rock album. The ratio of great songs to mid songs is pretty bad. It has as many great songs as I would expect out of an average 10 song record, and then there are 14 more songs to get through. The great moments can't possibly make up for all that extra time. I like The Who but I can't honestly say that this album in its totality is anything special. 2.4/5

As far as concept albums go this one is low on the list

⭐ ⭐ All the ambition is there, but it’s a deeply flawed end product. Handful of standouts - Pinball, We’re Not Gonna Take It etc, and I love the opening bars of Sparks even if it goes on too long - but there’s far too much mediocre-to-crap stuff thrown in to try to carry the rather dubious (in more ways than one) “plot”, and you just want to skip to the odd decent tune.

This isn’t good. This album is so bland, and was annoying to listen to. I don’t even know why this has an average of three. Overrated rock album.

Way too much filler for what just ends up being some of their most middling songs.

Funny, I've known about this album all my life, but never listened to it, besides the obvious singles. I always figured it would be much like The Wall: bloated and masturbatory, sure, but also packed with weird little nuggets of creativity, some interesting deep cuts, lots of tonal changes, perspective shifts, etc. But...nope. It's not. The musical palette doesn't change much, the lyrics are bland and cringy, there were no surprisingly engaging moments...it's just watery, pompous rock from The Who. Bummer.

Didn't enjoy this, slow and long

Kinda oversteps as a concept album. Maybe I just don't get it, or maybe it's my tendency to dislike musicals and over-emotive songs/albums. Couple good tracks, but I'll listen to those when they pop up on the radio.

No.

It's fine, just not for me.

The problem with including several albums from the same band is that eventually I just feel like they are hyping the band not the album.

It’s a bit thin at times and as with anything by The Who, stuck within the limited toolkit of their sound. I admire what Pete tried to accomplish here and with Quadrophenia, but the music theatre result is something less than Andrew Lloyd Webber and downplays the Maximum R&B strengths (fans probably think I have this 100% backwards). Anyhow, good intentions, some nice melodies, but...

If I'm being honest, I am so very not in the mood for this challenge rn. However, I'm already super behind like crazy, so i need to keep working on catching up. Hopefully my sour mood won't ruin my first impressions of the albums, but it might. I'm not gonna do a song by song for this since it is so long, I'll only mention songs that stand out to me for one reason or another. The overture was really nice sounding tho 5 songs in a i'm already wishing this was over... This is probably the worst album to be introduced to this band with. I'm really torn between giving this 2 or 3 stars. I like the sound a lot, but holy fuck it's so long and i'm just not vibing with the story/lyrics overall. If I could do 2.5 I would.

Not really invested in it, The Who walked so Elton John could fly

I am not too keen on the idea of a rock opera. With a concept album, the songs can usually stand on their own. On Tommy very few of the songs are something I want to hear outside of the album context. So a bunch of random ideas revisited over 75 minutes is not a fun listen. We're Not Gonna Take It is still my favorite here, despite hearing the main parts of the song over and over throughout the album.

It was alright I guess. I knew Pinball Wizard and would have been fine never hearing it again. The sound of these old albums has a hard time making any impact on me.

I don’t think the concept worked well for me, perhaps went over my head or just felt too long and clunky. I listen to ‘Sparks’ frequently as part of the ‘Almost Famous’ soundtrack (although, rather tellingly, it’s probably my least favourite song on there). I (perhaps obviously) had heard ‘Pinball Wizard’ quite a lot so it felt refreshing to hear it in the midst of the other songs - it brought me back into the album. Maybe I’ll find myself listening to it again with a change of heart, or I would be interested to hear more surrounding the context and why people admire the album so much, but for now I’m not particularly a fan. Rating: 2.

Maybe this would've been good if I watched the movie, but, with just the album it wasn't great.

di novo the who mds FAVS (top 3): 1921, go to the mirror!, im free mençoes hornrosas: the acid queen, pinball wizard desnecessariamente grande, mt sem gracinha gente sorry mas nao é ruim nota final: 2/5

Look, I recognize that this was basically *the* rock opera until the release of The Wall. But the problem is, I don't care for rock operas! And like, "here's a blind kid who plays pinball and starts a cult" isn't the most coherent basis for one anyway? Worst of all, though, is how seriously they take it. Like with The Who Sell Out, that was all a big joke, and it was absolutely perfect. But I don't hear much of that here. I'll just stick to hearing "Pinball Wizard" twice a day on the classic rock station, thank you very much.

This came up in the offering today, at first I was keen because everyone knows pinball wizard right? Sadly for me anyway that was the only hilight, I'm not a huge fan of rock operas and this one was both long and largely boring, so long that I didn't even finish the album. If it wasn't for Pinball Wizard I'd probably have given it as single star, but because of pinball wizard (and the fact that I quite like pinball) i'll give it 2 stars.

I've been known to like the occasional musical, but this just isn't my thing. Bloated, out of tune and boring.

The reason I very much dislike musicals is that the storytelling takes precedence to the music, and the music suffers because of that. If the story needs to be told then you can write a book rather than try to shoehorn some notes to go with it. It's not to say there's nothing good here, hearing Keith Moon play is always a pleasure, but a lot of times he seems rather bored which is justified. Great band, great effort, misses the mark completely.

NOT FOR ME

Don’t like The Who but I’ve always been intrigued by Tommy. I’ve heard so much about this album, but felt underwhelmed. Too long. Didn’t hit the right notes for me. Started skipping through tracks to find redeeming features. 2/5

Bicho, que disco chatinho KKKKKK. Só curti o instrumental (Underture) e a música “We're Not Gonna Take You”

aburrido

13/02/2026 1. overture - got the world's worst cold rn so not looking forward to an hour and 15 minute long rock opera. reallly nice around 1:40. guitar is really nice in this one, especially after the vocals. 2. it's a boy - okay.... getting the story now. vocals sound a bit strained. only 40 seconds so not much to say lol. 3. 1921 - trying to piece together what is happening.... is his mum having an affair or something? alright, but not many thoughts about it so far.... 4. amazing journey - bass is nice. prog/kinda psychadelic vibes. is this about god??? liked it most towards the end, but most of it was unremarkable. doesn't sound bad, but just doesn't do anything for me :) *5. sparks - bass at the start is nice again. nice little instrumental! *6. eyesight to the blind (the hawker) - the drums in this are great! so tommy?/the boy was deaf, dumb and blind and now isn't.... *7. christmas - love the backing vocals. all the instruments are really nice on this one.... going on the christmas playlist. drums are crazy!!! i know this album has something to do with pinball so is that lyric setting it up? 8. cousin kevin - immediately lyrics seem a bit sinister.... headache has just started..... drums are realllll nice in this album. song is a bit repetitive for me.... 9. the acid queen - is she a prostitute? liking the more lively songs. still too repetitive. feel so ill right now :( how am i not even close to halfway..... 10. underture - ten minutes..... jesus. no lyrics are showing up so i'm guessing it's instrumental as well. doing my portfolio whilst listening to this because it's due tomorrow. sorry! liking the stopping and starting, psychedelic vibes. bass is really nice. not sure how well i'd cope if it wasn't just in the background though. 11. do you think it's alright? - what 12. fiddle about - halfway mark! oh my god he's a pedophile???? jesus christ. what is this fucking album about!!!! why is his uncle noncing him! *13. pinball wizard - know this song, but after the last song it puts it in a different context. wasn't massive on it before, but certainly am not anymore. instruments are nice. getting the lyrics more now i know what the album is about lol. why is it about pinball though?? was it big in the 60s/70s?? holds up better than the others to listen to by itself though! 14. there's a doctor - feel like i'm goint to be violently sick. cannot deal with this song right now. only 25 seconds though. *15. go to the mirror! - uuhfg. lyrical motif. bass and drums are fantastic in this one :) 16. tommy can you hear me? - more acoustic, bit bluesy/old school rock and roll... shorter one! *17. smash the mirror - liking the beginnning... again more bluesy and old school rock. bass and guitar are really nice together. like the sound effects at the end. 18. sensation - also liking this one. lots of the reviews on here i've read are saying it falls off towards the end, but i'm getting into it more lol. 19. miracle cure - literally like ten seconds long. 20. sally simpson - so close to freedom.... kindof lost track of the story. tommy becomes a god at pinball and also an actual god? feel like sometimes the story overtakes the lyrics/music? 21. i'm free - not much to say. alright, not bad to listen to, but wouldn't choose to listen to it again. 22. welcome - kindof folksy at the start? tommy is building a cult? can't lie, i do not have the brainpower for this right now. liked the ending. *23. tommy's holiday camp - funky start? is this not the nonce uncle??? really liking the weird carnival theme in the background.... 24. we're not gonna take it - thank god this is almost over!!!!! bass is really nice. had to take a break to submit my portfolio (*.*) what is happening in this song!!!! what even happened in this!!!! not the biggest fan of this, although it has made me want to watch the movie (if it's anything like quadrophenia, i like the film a lot more than the album lol). if this is already this mental, how mental is the ken russell(!!!!!) movie??? none of these songs were bad, but i wouldn't really listen to any outside of the album and have no plans to relisten anytime soon. what album needs to be 24(!!!!) tracks long. too stadium-rock for me!

Videl som aj muzikál, okrem 3. piesní ma to nikdy nebavilo. Čo sa mňa týka, v podstate sa mi páčia len ich najväčšie hity, či už zo 60.rokov alebo aj 70.

What is it that I'm not getting? Why so much love for The Who?

Not for me, but not the worst ever so it gets a 2

A lot of self indulgence.

112/1001 First listen. A song surrounded by an hour of shit. 3/10

Hmm... truthfully didn't enjoy this one much. This is the sort of prog-adjacent stuff that has never done much for me. Not quite musically interesting enough for me to be excited about the instrumentals, and the songwriting doesn't really grab me. I love a concept record but this one just doesn't do much for me.

I know these guys are very renowned but I found this boring. Too much ‘dead, dumb and blind’

Hasn’t aged well, some decent songs but the rest has dated.

vabbè non è un voto valido perché l’ho ascoltato pochissimo

Just can't do 70s musicals

Actually difficult to listen to. I think the only song I might listen to is Pinball Wizard but only the Glee version. Overall confusing and weird and I get its supposed to be a musical or somethinb but I think you should only attempt that kind of thing if it's going t o be really good and not corny.

Ehh. I don’t like the musical or The Who. Soooooo

음... 취향에 안 맞네요

Not for me, fiddle about is the most disturbing song I have ever heard

Sounds like a musical (derogatory). I liked the songs where they shut up.

Didn’t enjoy this. I found it boring, meandering and pretentious. By the time I got to the “Tommy Can You Hear Me” part I confirmed to myself that it was bollocks. It is played well and is obviously is a part of rock history, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

It’s fine but I don’t think I’d listen again?

Goes on a bit. Only a couple of songs really stick out. Quite like the Who, but listening to this in full was honestly disappointing.

Not a big fan of this album. I like the Who and I know what they were trying to do, but this album didn't land for me. Kudos to the attempt, it was original but the music didn't grab me. I do love that this album is part of them. This album didn't hold my attention very wel.

I didn't enjoy this at all. I've liked other albums by The Who but this "rock opera" was not good. I think the idea in theory, but there's something about when rock bands try it where the songs are a very awkward mix between their rock sound and a stage musical. Stage musicals can be great, but it's a completely different genre from album rock (obviously). This story was so weird. Like what are they trying to say? A few weeks ago I had Jeff Buckley's album. I was familiar with his cover of Hallelujah, and hearing it context of the album brought it to new heights, and it was a beautiful experience. Fast forward to today... I was familiar with Pinball Wizard and hearing it in context made me like it much less than I did going in. It raises so many questions. Anyway, this was not for me.

I love Pinball Wizard but it really came out of nowhere on this album. It just felt like they knew they should throw in something that could be played on the radio because the rest of it is just random. Reading about this and the acclaim slightly shocked me. It makes perfect sense that it was turned into a play, because it sounds like broadway music that is just too literal and too the point. I didn't read all the information until after so I kept hoping it wasn't that straight forward and the subtle symbolism would creep in (which is bad because I typically hate symbolism) but it never came. It just kept being straight forward and not great. I am sure at the time it was different and revolutionary but now its just blah and meh

This sucks. It goes on too long and I couldn't wait for it to be over. Can we get Bonnie Raitt back?

I find The Who to be incredibly boring. Concept record, prog, album rock blah blah blah… I like all of that, just not in this variation. Their songs feel claustrophobic and made up on the spot. Almost Famous told me that if I lit a candle and put this album on that I’d see my entire future. All I saw was an hour and fifteen minutes of my life that I’ll never get back. Believe me, I’ve put in time and tried to like this HIGHLY overrated album over the years. It’s clear that it’s not gonna stick for me. Next!

I can only listen to so many songs about all the ways this kid's childhood was terrible

I am very surprised the legendary Tommy is so uninteresting. Or at least i expected so much more than a run-of-the-mill largely forgettable rock opera. I feel like this album didn't have any noteworthy songs or individual performances, when The Who are some of the most talented musicians I've ever heard on other recordings. Felt surprisingly milquetoast and bloated with an uninteresting vocal plot. Top tracks: Overture, Amazing Journey

like the vocal harmonies, definitely hear it in the 50 years of music that came after it but none of the tracks really hit me

Very long, very mid (except maybe 2 songs)

I did not like this album. It was too dimensionally flat. Except for the overture and pinball wizard, it did not resinate with me at all. Rate 2

4/10

Перші пісні починалися якоюсь оперою далі вона десь поступово зникає ,у цієї групи є альбоми і краще за цей

concept seemed cool but the story and songs are so washed i cant believe i spent 1.5 hrs listening to these wankera fav tracks : overture, sparks, im free album art : nice and noticeable but idk what it has to do w lil tommy

Missing the raw power and instrumental virtuosity that makes The Who great. You have an incredible vocalist in Daltry, but then give half the songs to Pete Townsend to sing? Absolutely baffling. The songs don’t work on their own, and as a whole, the “rock opera” is pretty bad and nonsensical.

for a rock opera, this was fine, though i prefer pink floyd’s the wall to this. i feel like the who is all about big hits and being mainstrea,. and this is a nice breath of fresh air; more art for art’s sake. but at a certain point, i could only picture charlie day from its always sunny, singing the tommy songs. and then when it got all raspy, i realized that ‘the night man cometh’ must have been a parody of the who’s tommy

just a bit boring unfortunately, didn't care for the concept much

I appreciate that this is a landmark concept album, but it's not for me. Favorite song: Pinball Wizard

eh

Yeah I guess bro

also did not like this one 4/10

Kinda boring

aspects i liked, but still just not for me. too many men boooo

dura tres fucking horas

Cool concept, but I don't think it was executed nicely. I came in only knowing "Pinball Wizard", but definitely had some other positive takeaways like "I'm Free". Overall I think the album starts and ends on strong notes, but the middle just wanders aimlessly, which when you're doing a double album is a big letdown.

sucks

One of the most overated albums ever

interesting…

This album isn’t for me. It’s too long and a little boring. I have come to realize that the who is just not for me. Pinball wizard is fine

Some good songs but I kind of find it to drag on. Enjoyed more in the beginning half. A little on the creepy side too

kinda boring, good melodies tho

meh wasnt anything mind blowing + found it pretty boring after a while just dragged on for too long so its getting a 2

A bit surprised by how little i liked this one. I've liked most of The Who's singles, and I've always heard this was one of the greatest rock operas out there. Some of the songs were good, and the transitions on the first side worked well. After that, though, there were so many disjointed short bits with quick fade outs and abrupt changes, it just didn't hold together for me. On top of that, a double concept album about a guy who's really good at pinball didn't get me to care at all. I was seriously looking forward to this one. So disappointed.

It's repetitive with a lot of filler songs. There are places when it is shining, pinball wizzard for exemple is a fun song, but overall, entirely too long and unnecessary. I dont need those half baked songs of 1 minutes, and the concept is ok but not mind melting

I bought this on vinyl several years back from a car boot sale for 2€, listened to it a couple of times and I don't think I've been back to it since. Listening today reminds me why. I don't know what this is like as a soundtrack, having never seen the film, but as an album, this just doesn't really work. A collection of half ideas that don't work as full songs. Even the one great song on here _Pinball Wizard_ has some ropey transitions and a bit of a rubbish ending.

“Overture” had me so excited, hearing the Pinball Wizard melody in there. But as time went on, I grew less and less interested. By the time “Undurture” came around, I was altogether disinterested. Minutes of acoustic guitar passages going nowhere. I felt like I was missing a visual accompaniment or something along those lines. The musical equivalent to eating unseasoned chicken. Surely this album’s novel concept, which it really didn’t dig into at all, carries its reputation as something noteworthy or iconic. Because there just isn’t substance to this thing. What can I hear on Tommy that The Who didn’t do better at another time? Sadly 2/5

the only thing preventing the whole album from falling flat is the concept, yet it doesn't manage to make me forget about the fact that it's a snoozefest

That was a lot filler to get to Pinball Wizard

Great as a concept and some good songs on the album but listening to it now I was a little bored after the first 20 mins or so. All sounds a little too samey after a bit.

Probably about time to modernize this class with an album called Jimmy and a song called “Super Mario Bros. 3 Wizard” about that kid from the Fred Savage/Jenny Lewis movie.

Let’s just say that I feel differently about this album than Ben.

This album has me very conflicted, I really want to like it but I just can’t. Don’t get me wrong, the story-telling about Tommy’s life is good but it can wear a bit thin after 74 minutes. I do give the album credit as one of the first instances of the genre of opera rock, but most of these songs can come across as a muddled stream of consciousness to be completely honest. Songs such as ‘Fiddle About’ definitely do not age well and was a slightly uncomfortable listen. Although, there are some highlights in this album, especially ’Pinball Wizard’ (a banger) and ‘Smash the Mirror’ but these highlights can get lost in the other 22 songs. Overall, this album is a historical album in terms of genre experimentation however its long run-time and dated concept certainly lets this album down in my opinion. Favourite tracks: Pinball Wizard and Smash the Mirror My rating: 2/5

Can you believe that people used to read books in the past?? Well, I can, if this was the alternative

you dont wanna know

why is it so long? 2/5

Got to the cheery song about being molested by your uncle and saw that there were like 65 more minutes to go and that was enough for me. The Who are a good band, and I can understand why people would like this album but it is just not for me. 2/5

Not sure if I'm into The Who after this. It's so...bland to my ears.

5/10 - waaaaay too long of an album, kind of just melds into one song after another; luckily I didn't listen to the extended version, 3+hrs!

I understand why it’s considered a great album but it didn’t grab my attention other than the songs I already knew. I prefer Quadrophenia or Who’s Next

Pretty sure they have The Who's entire discography here with how many albums they recommended it to me, stop doing that, I still think their sound is ass and listening to more of it won't make me think otherwise

the who gets my vote for the most overrated band in rock history. and daltry's vocals are painful to listen to

Let’s face it the Who’s best album is The Singles! Desperate to catch up with the Beatles and The Stones and The Kinks, they seem to have gathered together some songs about abuse in various forms and written a half assed story to bind them all together and called it a rock opera. I never realised Pinball Wizzard wasn’t about Pinball until I heard it in this context. It’s dimminshed as a result. Frankly the best track is a 10 minute instrumental Underture. Overall though grim.

Way too much torture and SA content. Made me angry. Keith moon and the instrumentation are the saving graces. 2!

This was a hard one to rate, the songs were all over the place. Starts out poorly, Overture was a long and dull instrumental. 1921 was ok, would have felt better about it if it wasn't after the previous two tracks. Amazing Journey was fairly decnet. Then the album really started to drag, for the next 8 tracks. And then Pinball Wizard shows up. That one was a lot of fun, it sounds familiar, might have heard it before but not sure. After that, the album finds its groove, with the next several tracks moving along nicely. There are enough good songs on this album to make a solid 3 if you cut out the rest. But the album is too long and filled with junk. Best song: Pinball Wizard

got bored and didnt finish it

Spotify tried to serve me up three and a half hours of this. No ta. I pressed on with the original release. The storyline is BONKERS. I tried to ignore this and focus on the music instead. Rock and opera should never appear in the same sentence. It's a mess of an album that lectures you. YOU MUST LISTEN! I'd rather buzz off me tits with some drum 'n' bass tbh.

This might get me some hate. This is a terrible album.

Ooh - one good song and a lot of pantomine nonsense. I was traumatised as a child when I watched the movie version. Listening back now doesn't improve things.

Mielikuva bändistä oli semmosta 70-luku rokkia ja alkuun olikin ihan menevää meininkiä. Puolessa välissä tuntui muuttuvan 60-lukurokiksi vähän semmosta biitleskopiojuttua ja tulikin tarkastettua julkaisuvuosi ja sehän oli -69 *tirsk*. Ei oikein loppulevy napostellut ja meni vähän fiiliskin siinä samalla sitten. 2,5 voisi olla totuus, mutta känkkäränköissä heti aamussa annetaan kakkonen

Not a big who fan.

My experience of Quadrophenia colours this quite badly. I don't think this comes anywhere close to that. Some good tracks, a lot of pomp and bombast and some frankly weird stuff.

Bit of a long winded way to get people to listen to Pinball Wizard

Generic rock album.

I guess it's an opera because there aren't any songs in it. Well... one. I don't understand music enough to know how to appreciate this.

There is too much of this.

I know it’s a musical but it’s soooooo looooongggg

After reading about the concept of this album and the fact that it's a rock opera, I knew I was in for a strange listen. It's cool that they undertook such an ambitious project and had a vision, but it feels like they missed the mark. Musically, it is completely adequate. The vocals and overall story are where they lost me. The lyrics are way too on the nose. It reminds me of a bad movie or TV show where the characters are essentially narrating everything they are thinking and feeling because the creators don't know how to communicate any of that symbolically through music, set, lighting, body language, etc. Each track on the album sounds pretty musically similar and the lyrics are just saying exactly what happened to Tommy. This album would be much cooler if the lyrics were a bit more symbolic instead of literal and if some emotional context was communicated through the harmony, tempo, dynamics, instrumentation, etc. A lot of the songs are so literal that they come across as incredibly corny and some of them actually make me cringe. The story of Tommy is also whack and doesn't make any sense. I can still appreciate that the concept is creative and respect the fact that they tried something different. This is one of the first rock operas ever created, so at least they were trying to innovate and expand the genre. I do like a few of the songs: Overture, Pinball Wizard, Go To The Mirror!, and Smash The Mirror. 4.5/10.

Not a fan

Some good songs here and there but the rest was a tough listen. The uncle songs *shudder*

if you write a rock opera you get your virginity back

I’ve come to learn I really can’t stand The Who from doing this list. They’re a decent singles band, but Jesus this album fucking sucks. I love a long overwrought concept album but this was bloody awful. I can’t believe it’s held in such high regard.

A camp counselor of mine was obsessed with this album when I was 9 and I remember really wanting to like it then, but I never really got it...and still don't get it (or really care to...oops!). Too long, too all over the place. Sort of became like background music after the first hour.

I am really sorry to say this but I just didn’t enjoy it too much and found myself wanting it to be over. There are some cool tracks and I really like ‘pinball wizard’, but stuff like ‘fiddle about’ and ‘there’s a doctor’ just help to fill out the rest of the album with fodder. There is literally zero need to have 24 tracks on one album.

If you're going to have a Who rock opera on this list it needs to be Quadrophenia which is light years ahead of Tommy. I know this is a concept album, but there are really only 3 good songs: - Acid Queen, I'm Free and Pinball Wizard, which is still a belter. A poor album, a poor movie and an average stage show.

This might be the biggest swing in opinion from expectation to reality. I used to really like this album, but it's just really weird and creepy as I listen now. Just not really something I would want to hear again - Used to like this one, but do I still? - More annoying than I remember. I think the whole 'concept album' thing used to really wow me... - Music is fine, but the content is weird and creepy now. Maybe that's on purpose but it doesn't make me want to listen again

2/5

Really did not like this. Frustrating having never properly listened to The Who before. Felt like music you'd hear at the theatre.

Ik snap dat deze plaat een behoorlijke staat van dienst heeft met het populariseren van het fenomeen 'rock-opera'. Maar los van dat ik überhaupt ver weg wil blijven van opera's, heb ik nooit de pull-factor gezien van het rock aspect. Het sleept mij in ieder geval niet mee. Wel een paar geinige songs, maar net als dat ik met het jaar minder ga hebben met de band, is 'Tommy' ook geen naslagwerk waar ik vaak op terug ga vallen. 5/10 Highlights: Pinball Wizard We're Not Gonna Take It

Wow--this is a lot to get through. I saw Tommy in London in the 90s. As a musical theater experience, it's fine. The album that inspired it all? Ugh. Not something I would ever listen to again. The best I can say is that it's interesting. It's certainly a concept. I'm just not invested and nothing about the music is making me care. Some songs are too short; others are too long. I know this is important, but I just don't connect with it.

3/10

Quite long and unaven which makes it difficult to grasp. It's a rock opera and I ddn't even lokked at the lyrics... can't really find really good songs or tracks . How ibfluencial this was? not sure, my first impression after Two listenings : overrated.

A bit annoying, nothing particular, not bad either

This is alright! Not a favorite, but not at all bad.

It felt a little longer than the 75 minutes it was. I followed along with the story as best as I could, but the overall vibe of the album wasn't necessarily for me. Keith Moon is a hell of a good drummer though. The only real standout song was Pinball Wizard

I like The Who. I did not like this album. I feel like this took away from The WHO that I know and love. It’s an interesting album, and something I’m sure was an artistic venture for someone in the group. But I miss The Who.

First of all… Fiddle… about…? You know what, I have to be honest. I don’t like it. There. I said it. I don’t know what they were going for but they did not succeed in my ears. I kind of liked Sally Simpson and Welcome. Kind of. I really wanted to like The Who but this was overall shite.

Probably a good album if you have the time to listen to it. Unfortunately I didn't finish it and while I did enjoy what I did hear of it, it's just a bit too long.

Tinny and empty. Not for me.

Eh

01) Overture - 5,5 02) It's A Boy - / 03) 1921 - 6,0 04) Amazing Journey - 6,0 05) Sparks - 5,5 06) The Hawker - 6,0 07) Christmas - 6,0 08) Cousin Kevin - 6,0 09) The Acid Queen - 6,0 10) Underture - 7,0 11) Do You Think It's Alright? - / 12) Fiddle About - 5,5 13) Pinball Wizard - 7,5 14) There's a Doctor - / 15) Go to the Mirror! - 6,0 16) Tommy Can You Hear Me? - 5,5 17) Smash the Mirror - 6,0 18) Sensation - 5,5 19) Miracle Cure - / 20) Sally Simpson - 6,0 21) I'm Free - 6,0 22) Welcome - 5,5 23) Tommy's Holiday Camp - 5,0 24) We're Not Gonna Take It - 6,0 TOTAL: 5,93 (59/100) Current ranking: 545/681 Rock opera? I mean, coome oooon.... I hate musicals, this is boring as hell.

The good songs are great. The other songs exist on the album. I can't not think about the Rosie O'Donnell talk show from the 1990s when I hear "Tommy, can you hear me?" For that I give the album extra points.

Not as good as I expected and definitely not as strong as Who’s Next. I’ve never been drawn to The Who based on their hits and this doesn’t change my mind.

Cohesive album. Just not my jam

I rec'd this album on the heels of another high concept album: "They Were Wrong, So We Drowned" by the Liars. While a way easier listen than that, "Tommy" is way so bloated and over-the-top. A concept that should have remained a concept. One of those ideas that stoners come up with, except this time they had the celebrity and the cash to execute the bad idea. 2 stars.

I enjoy a bit of The Who, but this is self-indulgent, over-long, toss. It never made me truly angry, except for Tommy's Holiday Camp, which is mercifully less than a minute long, but I was glad when it was over.

I don’t rate this. Bit dull for me

Too weird. One or two good songs but doesn’t hold up as albumn

I much prefer the Who’s rockier song so as a solely listening experience tjis falls a bit flat. If you ssy Tommy to someone, there’s a good chance Pinball Wizard is what comes to their mind and either good reason the song stands head and shoulders above everything else here.

This album is everything I dislike - it’s by The Who and it’s far too long. I’ve always enjoyed “Pinball Wizard”, so that gets the album an extra star, but that’s all of my positives about this experience used up.

ok - one or two songs that are good and interesting ish instrumentation and progression, but nothing holding it together

How much The Who do you need? I'm telling you, not much. I've never been a fan. I get why My Generation is here, but I really don't feel like it's necessary to have more albums by them.

Much like Deep Purple which I reviewed a few days back, I always considered The Who to be a second tier band. I know it's not fair and there are millions of Who fans that would hit me for saying it. But that's just how they show up in my life. There are some great songs that were (are?) always on classic rock stations, but I didn't go buy these albums or listen to them in their entirety. Obviously, I've heard of Tommy as it's often noted as one of the greatest rock albums and concept albums, and musicals. Outside of the singles, I hadn't heard most of these songs and, as it turns out, that was Ok. Most of them are kind of Roger sing-talking the storylines. There are no classic Daltrey grunts, growls and yells until about halfway through the whole thing. I mostly like Overture and Underture :) but they are both 25% too long and a bit repetitive. It's Ok. The singles were solid, but I think most of their best music is found elsewhere.

🗯 I know it’s a classic, I know people who like it. I don’t. The so-called “rock opera” that turned The Who into stadium giants just doesn’t land with me. The production is thin (frankly, shit), and the whole thing hasn’t aged well — very much “of its time.” I haven’t seen the movie, but I know the live versions fare better. Pinball Wizard is a banger, sure, but who’s sitting through all this to get there? I get that it’s a landmark, and I get that you had to be there. But me? The Who just don’t sit right — they’re the only live band I’ve ever walked out on mid-show. Sorry, Pete. Verdict: Overrated (landmark for some, slog for me) For fans of: Rock operas, prog excess, pinball wizards, being there in ’69

this was 3 discs and hard to listen to all the way through. I like The Who but I don't really like Tommy. there's something scary about it to me and everyone I've said that to kinda looks at me weird but it's true

Live album bylo lepsi

I don't actually like The Who that much. I can appreciate the ambition of this concept album but in practice I don't enjoy it very much. However, Pinball Wizard is the best thing The Who ever did.

A lot of experimental dross that didn’t pull you in. Pinball Wizard was great, but one song out of 24, c’mon!

Didn’t like this at all. Repetitive and monotonous. Wouldn’t listen again. Liked the outro on “we’re not gonna take it” Never heard the word Tommy repeated so often on an album.

Boring

This album passed me by without me even realizing it happened

I want to start off by saying as a guy who doesnt care about lyrics this is very digestible and easy to follow even for me dumb ass. It needs some flowers for that alone. But that thing said this is insane. A rock opera is a cool idea and it does it well but the songs aren't that interesting and the story is bonkers. Why is it about a special needs guy who gets good at pinball and then becomes Jesus. What is going on in this guy's head? And why does he 100% have to get diddled? What the fuck dude. Idk dude, pinball wizard is a classic and its still good but it almost makes it not good knowing the rest of the story. At the ends of the day I didn't love this but I do applaud giving such a wild idea a full swing, pulling no punches. But its just not great in the end.

Not if a madcap concept and just seems to meander without going anywhere in particular. Even the more popular songs from are bit meh. Not a particular fan.

Not bad, especially instrumentally, but god dang some of this is pretty corny

Por tener un nombre que alcance a recordar, pero seguro me será difícil la próxima vez

Good music but separate instruments play in different ears and it ruins it, has to quit listening. 2 stars

So I decided to listen to the non deluxe version, it was already long enough. Very glad I knew it was a concept album before I listen -- I can actually focus on it now. Amazing cover by the way, it looks like a statue. I think this appealed to me because my family listens to music like this a lot (including the Who) but I've never really listened to it on my own. So I'm not too surprised I liked it. Wait. This was '69? No way. This sounds like 80s, so much better than all the other stuff from the 60s and 70s. I did not like the 10 minute long instrumental song. I had trouble following the plot, but it was cool how they talked to Tommy sometimes and it felt like they were talking to you. I wonder how they picked the name Tommy. Fun, interesting, but a little confusing and felt kind of long. Why is the last song 7 minutes it's dragging like crazy. 3.5/10

Wow this fucking sucked. Still not as unlistenable as some of the ones I’ve rated.

Sat through waiting for pinball wizard, then sat through the rest of the original. I was not going to sit through the rest of the 2+ hours of bonus content in the platinum edition

The Poo

I don’t much like the who

This is really, really poor. Pinball Wizard is still a great track, but the rest is just crap. The Beach Boys-esque "Tommy Can You Hear Me?" is the best of a bad lot apart from that, and it's pretty poor itself!

Not for me, didn't really enjoy it.

Nah

Listened in the truck via YouTube music. This was a slog to get through. Repetitive motifs throughout and some long jams that seemed over the top. Glad it’s done.

You know, I think as time goes on and more albums are generated from this era, the more I cannot stand albums that go over the 45 min mark. I get that Tommy's whole deal is the fact that its a Rock Opera and that it is telling a story, which is all well and good, plus The Who are one of the better bands of this era and it isn't an unlistenable album... But I really cannot begin to care about what this album is doing or where it's going. It's just a miss for me

I like The Who, I've watched Tommy, it's trucking bizarre, has such a loose storyline some of it is just absolute crap. With one or two good songs. Far from their best work and quite frankly probably their most drug inspired idea. 😅

Much vaunted but I never took to this rambling show of self-indulgence. Redeemed only partially by the magnificent Pinball Wizard, which stands better on its own anyway 😐

Obnoxiously long. I understand it's telling a story but a lot of it was instrumental and many tracks added nothing narratively. Meaning, however good, this is an auto DNF. It's not a flex to have an album that long, quality must be sacrificed to quantity. Learn to curate! Also, the narrative was weird...

This one is hard to rank, as I did listen to it but not with the attention a story album really needs. I thought the music itself was decent and the set up in the first few songs very good but I didn’t pay it enough mind to fully get what was being communicated. But I guess not really wanting to come back to this … very long album is a ranking in itself.

way too long

Bland, overlong and boring…apart from Pinball Wizard. Might have to stick to the greatest hits.

Truly dreadful.

Cool for what it is. For the deaf dumb and blind.

Wouldn’t listen to it again, but a few good songs

Alguna canción suelta notable pero no me ha despertado demasiado interés.

Keine Ahnung mehr

Yeah, I just wasn’t really into this one.

Honestly, this one felt tedious. I will give them their props for musical talent but other than the ones I knew, I didn’t love any of it. In fact, some of the lyrics were just weird af.

Didn't like it. Disturbing and also just lacking in good tunes.

Pinball wizard and a bunch of b-sides

There are a couple of good songs but not enough to keep my interest. Boy, does it drag. Favorite: Pinball Wizard Would I listen to it again: No

The Who? When? Okay album, none of the big hits

Oh super! 37.5 hours of The Who

only decent when accompanying the film

This...simply was not for me.

The Who are a top tier band, so of course the standard of performance is going to be good. But seriously? What the fuck. This is the reference point for when people parody concept albums right? There's some good moments but a double album? It's incredibly indulgent, repetitive and just not as interesting or high art as Pete Townsend was aiming for. They could've just recorded the intro and Pinball Wizard and saved us the rest.

There are some good songs on here, I am just not much into the album.

Ehhh...rock operas are boring

Why are there so many songs? Not a big who fan

Somehow made it to 30 without hearing most of this album. But I love The Who and I am an absolute sucker for goofy rock operas, so this should have been a home run. Alas, uncharacteristic of The Who and of goofy rock operas, I found this is be very boring musically. And far too many songs about rape. If only the makers of this list had the courage to replace this entry with a far superior rock opera of a similar era about a religious superstar figure and his followers.

Sounds dated and a bit long winded.

Kad znam šta inače rade ovo je dosta razočaravajuće. Predugo, s bespotrebno brutalnim tekstovima, a bez nekih naročitih dobrih muzičkih odluka.

perhaps the best thing i can say about tommy is that im genuinely curious about why exactly it was so meaningful to pete townshend. surely all of its famously completely demented narrative choices have intuitive emotional roots in something a very real and probably very weird human being cared deeply about, like this was pete's Baby. but i just cant comprehend it at all. at best i can see some anxieties about reality falling apart and the fruitless search for some kind of universally satisfying truth, certainly still applicable to the present but obviously pronounced in the 60s. at worst, it feels like a never-ending first draft that uses disability and child abuse as (sometimes kinda comedic??????) window dressing on the most sterile and stilted performances/production u will find on a who album. i rly feel like i cant ignore the whole narrative framework because its the only way this record functions at All...if taken just as a regular rock album with arty framing, as i kinda saw it as as a teenager, its just a complete disaster. pete writes a handful of solid (even great) themes, and almost no good Songs, theyre so jaggedy and graceless, as if random pieces have been glued together. the larger context and structure is completely load-bearing in a way i dont think is nearly as true of many other somewhat contentious rock operas...The Wall is sometimes in song mode and sometimes in fragment mode in a way that makes total sense to me, but tommy feels stuck halfway between the two at all times in a deeply unflattering way. and so the most positive way i can think of this record is as a fascinating but kind of bad rock opera, rather than an extremely bad regular rock album. in the interest of fairness, i should point out it improves a lot live, as it fixes the sterility of the studio presentation...hope leeds is on here at the very least!

Expected so much more. Pinball Wizard an island in this sea of mediocrity.

What a slog. Most of the double record is over before you get to the best songs. Pinball Wizard is a classic.

The Who is just massively overrated. I know its very unpopular opinion. As a big fan of rock, metal and everything alternative that came after that I appreciate their place in history. I can hear that they are great musicians. If I was born in the 50-s I would love the shit out of them. But I am born in the 80-s, grew up with Tool, Radiohead, Mars Volta and all the other stuff so I just don't hear what is so special about The Who.

Klassisk rockopera/musikal. Men är det så jävla bra egentligen?

Few good songs but bloody weird.

Not really a fan of the story on this one, especially repeatedly using the word "rape" at the end of the album.

The idea of a rock opera is interesting, but it just resulted in a lot of random songs on the album, like some that were less than a minute long just to describe something like a plot point. I love The Who as a band and Pinball Wizard is a classic, but this album just lacks good songs to jam out to.

pretty weird, not gonna lie

not for me

First off, I am not a big fan of the Who. I find a lot of their work pretty boring as Pete Townsend was not much for guitar solos or really anything other than chords. This album does not sway my opinion. I'm sure it was grand for it's time. Now it's just a lot of jangly, directionless guitars with an occasional hook from Roger Daltry. I could not make it through "Underture", so boring. I don't think this rock "opera" would even be much more interesting if it was actually performed on broadway. The premise of the tale of a dumb, deaf, and blind boy's life is just not interesting, at least to me.

For the entire first half, I was debating how long I’d have to listen to give this a fair shake. I decided I’d go through “pinball wizard,” the one song I knew I knew. I did that. Then, I had to run a quick errand and while doing that, I got through “go to the mirror,” which I actually liked. That was one of those “I’ve heard this song before but didn’t know it” songs. From there, it felt like I was pretty close to the end, so I decided to finish it. Oof. What a mistake. Each of the final three songs had me itching for the stop button. But I did it. Bravery. A 1.5 rounded up.

I am not a fan of prog rock. I can hear why it's good, sonically, but it does nothing for me. There are some good tracks, definitely.

Not for me.

Strange….

One of those albums that I've heard the hit songs way too much on the radio, but have rarely listened to the rock opera as intended. Turns out there's a reason for that. Many of the tunes don't amount to much and the story falls flat. I saw the film at the drive-in in the seventies and that version gave the project a little more interest and color.

Album No. 5 Never heard a song by The Who but have heard of the artist. This was a long album in terms of number of tracks (though to be fair most of the tracks are rather short) and so I didn't really focus much on any of the songs I wasn't engaged in but I like the energy and sound of the tracks overall. I think if the album was a bit less long and I guess dramatic I would rate it higher. The tracks definitely have an older feel to them but not in a necessarily outdated way. I like the whole concept of the storyline, and I enjoy albums that are very cohesive but I'm not sure if I'm a fan of the whole very like almost musical-theatre style storytelling. Would rate it a 2.5 but I may put it down to a 2. Who knows if my opinion will change in the future. Favourites: - Pinball Wizard - Go To The Mirror! - Smash The Mirror

Som en överklassunges studentspex

Disjointed with a lot of filler. Just like a real opera! There are moments here and there that are fun or interesting, but it mostly feels like children's music (about child sexual assault). Underture is the highlight, with themes and passages building and twisting on each other. Most of the rest is forgettable.

Twas fine I guess.

I’ve never understood the fame of The Who. There’s nearly no registration of excitement for me when I listen to Tommy or almost any other who album. I love a few of their individual songs, but after three of them, I’m done. I figured there must be something wrong with me.

As a soundtrack / concept album this is really heavy to listen to. Most likely I just don't understand this album without seeing the movie. If I think this just as album, I didn't fancy this at all throughout few really cool tracks.

Too long album to my taste. Few good songs, but that's it.

Simple Jack: The Album. But seriously I didn't enjoy this at all, I get that it's very influential to a certain type of British guy with high-minded ideas about "what rock music can be" or whatever but I just was not impressed. I thought the concept was both pretentious and kind of stupid, and the songs mostly aren't good enough to make up for it

Oh, this one is boring. What a great start to the year. To me, this has nothing amazing, and only a few real standouts. Tommy is a double LP rock opera with a story about a kid gone blind and his life and challenges he faces. The story is a weird way of getting Pete's thoughts on enlightenment and youthful alienation, and ultimately, like a bad movie, it's full of something that's mostly nothing. The songs are also really inoffensive, which is the Who's studio motto. They're cut from a different cloth than their hard rock colleagues, obviously, but everything here is far from good, other than maybe Pinball Wizard. No song has that oomph or fire that makes me want to return to the album. It also doesn't help that, being a rock opera, having good standalone tracks is a hard task in itself. The instrumental -tures are a showcase of their ability to play, which are good, but what is their ultimate purpose? Overall, anemic and bleak, despite its size. ⭐⭐1/2

kinda boring

This felt like something I would have been told to listen to for high school English. I understood the concept and respect its historical significance, but I didn’t really enjoy it for the most part. There are some good tracks though.

Odd…

I don't get it. Maybe I lost focus somewhere, but the storytelling aspect of the album was completely lost on me. The tracks are mostly fine, but it's a very long album.

Pretty long and boring album. Pretty overrated for me.

I spent half of it waiting for one track and it only lasted 3 minutes. This whole Rock Opera thing is a waste fo time.

Nicht so meins

det isch en langer alber liebe who. overture cools waldhorn. oke irgendwie schono cool plötzlch gsang und s isch sochli folky und d gitarre wanderet im stereobild ume ohyeaaah. oke apparently isch da so for real e rock opere. glaub schono innovativ gsi da züg. ischer 1921 gebohrt? okay. gad synopsis überfloge. am townshend isch glaub nöd guet gange. fucked up story. underture isch etz no cute aber eaasy repetitiv. ich möst das glaub viel ufmerksamer lose? jo finds bitz langwilig. ok pinball wizard isch seeeehr geil die beide mirror songs au easy. sensation chli sehr meh. ich finds echt nöd sooo geil? isch glaub afoch no mega guet galteret? im free findi no nice aber s isch alles sehr verhalte irgendwie wells d story will verzelle. naja. we're not gonna take it kenntmer glaaaaub? ich check das album null s gitmer nüt git e zwei sorry who.

I was expecting Dayman, fighter of the Nightman, to appear at some point

I just can't get through this album, not interesting enough to be over an hour. There are some good songs still Will I listen to again: 5%

It was good - but just wasn't my fav

I can see the vision and appreciate the execution but I’m just not a big enough fan of The Who to enjoy this particular album

i like the whomst but i can’t with this one

Has some ok bits but is generally pretty dull

Heard various Who songs here and there. I will be honest with you, after just 6 songs it felt as if I've been listening to the album for an hour. I'm just not interested in the concept of this concept album. 2/5

I'm like 70% sure that this album is mainly meandering instrumental, 20% meandering story, and then, like, 10% solid songwriting. The Who had assuredly come into their own musically at this point, but this weird middle-ground between what the Rolling Stones were doing and what the Beatles were doing just leads the album to feeling wholly unoriginal, not helped by its constant credits with inventing the rock opera, which is just not the case. Sure, there are hits from this, but does Pinball Wizard truly stand against the other 1969 powerhouse hits every other band was releasing at the time, let alone a whole album? No, not really. Would be entirely forgotten were it not for the fact that somehow the Who managed to squirm into the upper echelons of the British Invasion, and for that I'll forever be just confused.

liked songs: Overture, Eyesight To The Blind (The Hawker), Pinball Wizard First off, I disagree with calling this album a rock opera. It's just a concept album. And yes, it tells a long, extended story over many different songs, but it doesn't have the sense of scale or pomp needed to call it an opera. Second, I broke this album into two listens and I was still bored. There's some standout tracks (which include their huge hit single and a cover), but I can't say I loved most of them. Overall: meh 2.5

I'm sure this was pretty ground breaking back then, but when i heard the live album kick off after listening to the whole double album, I panicked and closed spotify.

the first song is okay i don't really like it because the voice is lowkey weird but like the background music is good ig the lyrics I hear are ight but I can barely understand wha its saying oms oh wait nvm there's lyrics on da screen but without the screen I don't know what there saying bru. the second song started off alr its not that good but I can understand the lyrics kinda but I like the background music like I said in the first song the last song is the most clearest like I can hear the lyrics and understand them oms its igh

Why is the cover like that? "Pinball Wizard" I did not like. It was too slow for me and it just sounded a little weird but it wasn't terrible. "Smash the Mirror" I didn't like. It sounded super weird with the "rise rise rise" part and also the smashing mirror sound. "We're Not Gonna Take It" is the best out of all of them but I still didn't like it. The soft voices sound super weird. Overall I didn't like this album and would give it 1.5 stars and I wouldn't reccomend this album to anyone because all of the songs are just to soft and don't match the tempo.

I am not getting this at all. It's like listening to the songs from some grimy musical, but without the sparkly costumes and choreography to distract you.

Just not into The Who. Always liked the title track, though.

Speaking of old school, oof. NGL, although I listened to the whole album it was a total slog. In particular there was a little too much talk of r**e and soforth in what is basically a fancy pop song. 2 stars, sorry buds.

Sorry, dad! No album should have this many songs that exist solely for plot exposition.

Ok. Ish. In places.

Gne insomma

Tommy cazzo fai

I like the album cover. But it is not my taste of music. Despite that, there are 2-3 songs I liked. For example: "We're Not Gonna Take It" (which I liked the most).

I would listen to maybe 1 of these on its own ever

tommmyyyyyyy

It wasn't great to listen to. 2/5

Very boring compared to Who's next

Today I learned that Pinball Wizard was part of a really boring rock opera… and that the preceding song is about the kid getting fiddled by his uncle. Cool.

I’ve never seen any stage or film production of this “rock opera.” Would I feel differently about it if I had that connection? Without it, you can still pick up on the story and themes, but something is lacking. Being forced to stick to the narrative does perhaps keep The Who more focused on the message they constantly pursued about the state of their generation, and which felt underdeveloped on “My Generation” and “The Who Sell Out.” Ultimately, though, the music is better on those aforementioned albums. Maybe the full experience of “Tommy” would make me feel otherwise, but it certainly seems like The Who’s best songs are found elsewhere.

I can see where the idea of a concept album or theatre show could seem like a cool playground for a rock band to mess around in. And any one of the social issues that Pete brought with his Tommy (murder, bullying, pedophilia, drug use, cult of celebrity, etc) could be the basis of an interesting inquiry. But Tommy throws way too much into the mix to make any of it seem important. And on top of that, the music just isn’t that good - in fact, it’s boring, with long stretches of nothing compelling in either the music or the lyrics. Daltry’s voice is not in good form and he’s not given much by the score to show off his strengths. When Pete takes the mic, it’s only too clear that he should stick to the guitar. Some of these songs fare better on the movie soundtrack, but the whole outing was really just a big miss on The Who’s part.

I’ll keep Pinball Wizard as a great classic song on its own, but a rock opera just doesn’t belong on this list any more than a soundtrack does. It’s meant to be consumed in a different delivery system.

Another double album that is too long. There are good songs buried amongst the extended atonal-ish instrumental passages. It’s too much and I lose interest.

2 stars. Fine, will be never listen to again.

I didn’t love this, but I think a big part of it was that feeling of listening to the soundtrack to a musical or movie that I haven’t seen, which tends to really frustrate me because I’m constantly wondering, “what’s happening in this part? What are they doing?” I get that this was a really cool thing when it came out in 1969, but it does not work for me. If I ever actually see it performed I might have a better appreciation for it? But for now, it’s a no thank you.

Impactful, and a lot of people hardcore love this album, but I’ve always felt it was overrated. Bits and pieces are catchy, but I’m just not into the concept

My god it's too long There are moments...the outro to we're not going to take it, pinball wizard...few and far between Much much better live but after more than an hour I don't have the will to go all the way through the live discs too Studio 2 live 3+

For a transgressive, genre pushing work it's just rather boring.

So I like the album telling the story, but it was at the expense of lyrics that had any personal feelings.. it felt a bit gimmicky, a bit try hard.

The first “successful” rock opera is a story of a boy who retreats within himself as the result of trauma. It’s a trope that we’ll see again and again, whether in “The Wall” – where our hero builds a literal wall around himself, substantially achieving the same thing as Tommy does here – or the later biographies of many youthful, rebellious rock and rollers (a genre that’s perhaps always thought of itself as safe harbour for misunderstood or under appreciated artistic genius). Anyway, Tommy. To put it gently, by the time “Fiddle About” had finished its first chorus of “fiddle, fiddle, fiddle, fiddle” you too may want to achieve a dissociative state of semi-torpor. The rock opera, it turns out, walks a fine line. Done well it’s expansive, a rousing appeal to what can be achieved with fairly limited means. Done poorly, as here, it’s almost an indictment on the whole genre – an incoherently rambling, serially uninteresting solipsism that dares to reveal the superficiality of all that pretends to rock. I feel sorry for Tommy, I really do.

Not really a fan of The Who. Especially Rock Opera Who.

Firstly, really surprised this was a 60’s album. Thought it was early/mid 70’s. Started quite brightly and could see the idea behind it, but soon descended into self indulgent mediocrity. Didn’t make it past the end of disc2. It was that much of an uninspiring grind.

Crazy musical vibes. Mehr kann ich nicht sagen, über drei Stunden sind echt zu viel und hab schon mitbekommen, dass the who hier jetzt nicht so hoch angesehen ist...

Mir sind zrug mit The Who cares und The Who has time for a 2 hours deluxe album? (liebi Grüess an Basil) Ich ufjedefall ned. (und de Basil au ned) Sorry The Who aber nebed ganz vielne anderne "The ..."-Bands um die gliich ziit sinder mir eifach z wenig speziell und chli z langwiilig. vereinzelti biz spassigeri lieder hender gha, gibi zue. Aber bi 2 Stunde album wird da hald me uf quantität wie qualität gsetzt. Zwei ahkauti und zemekratzti Pünkt, defür super deluxe.

interesting to listen to with headphones all the songs sound really similar

What was this?? First time listening all the way through. Poor Tommy. 2.4

Kein Zugang zur Stimme

The movie is so much more interesting than the album which is so disappointing.

interessant, teilweise nahe an den beatles, alles in allem aber kein bleibendes highlight für mich.

Bin etwas gespalten, ist schon ein wichtiges Werk aber am Schluss halt ein Kind seiner Zeit.

It’s the one with pinball wizard on it

Ok

the only ones that were being deaf, dumb, and blind on this album were the who

Ihan ok. Aika pitkä mutta silti mitään ihmeellistä ei oikeen tapahtunut. Kaikki kappaleet olivat keskenään suhteellisen samanlaisia. Eli vaikka sinäänsä ei mitään erityisen huonoa ollut niin mitättömyys jää päälimmäisenä mieleen.

Jojah reacted on airbuds while I was listening to this, so if you're reading this Jojah, I'm sorry. I just don't get The Who. I was bored listening to this. It was boring.

Long rock opera, like albums

давно слушал, щас точно не скажу почему мне не оч зашел, простите

I just can’t. I know this is a great piece of work but it has bored me so much over the years. Ok so it’s a rock opera and that wasn’t a thing until they did it? But it’s just like most musicals. Why?

Ei toiminut itselle tämä sitten lain. Ei vaan ei.

First populaire rock opera album but didn't like it. Lyrics were a bit to simplistic in my opinion.

Well, I like the concept. I like a rock opera (American Idiot being one of my favourite albums). However this was just a crazy ride. It was amusing to look into the story, and to find out that there was a musical and a film of it. Glad to have gotten through it, but it wasn't easy. Bonkers mate

Ujdzie w tłoku. Może 2 piosenki warte zapisania. Nie mój klimat.

WTF was this theatre core ass album? 3/10

So freaking long. There are some good songs, but the length just drags.

I'm very sad to not like this one. Maybe it will hit later in life, but I didn't really enjoy any of this. I'll definitely try again another time.

I just don’t get rock operas. Get your head out of your own backsides. No one cares. The Who - what are they even about. I hoped this project would give me a better insight into why they are so revered. I’ve always wondered why a band so widely talked about as one of the ‘greatest’ is hardly ever played by anyone anymore. It’s cos they are rubbish! A few bonus decimal points when you consider this was made in 1969 though - i didn’t realise this was that old. It does sound a bit ahead of its time! 2.2

See, I *like* 60s/70s bullshit and soundtracks to musicals I haven't seen, but this is still getting on my nerves. Like, at its best it's approaching the less good bits of 2112, but then we go straight back into clunky recitative and magical crip narratives.

WENT ON FOREVER

Not my cup of tea. So OK tunes.

God, this was pretty unbearable at times. I can't believe how hard I've forced myself to like Tommy. When I was in high school and was obsessed with bands like The Jam and The Specials (definitely flirting with punk without being outright fully into punk yet) and dressed like a little mod revivalist I really wanted to make myself like The Who in turn, I've even seen them live. And The Who Sell Out still is great to me. But Tommy can get really whiny and corny! Will never be someone who enjoys these big indulgent rock operas and I don't know why I forced myself to pretend I particularly liked this one. It has its moments though.