Tommy

Not a fan

The who have always been meh to me

The Who have one of the greatest bass players, drummers, and (not in my opinion but whatever) singers ever, but are somehow still way less than the sum of their parts. A rock opera about child abuse? Oof. There’s really only 1 or 2 songs that aren’t dependent on the narrative, but this is the rare album where a song is made worse contextually.

yeah, rock opera ain't it, man

Lovely trip down memory lane, I still feel like acid queen and the back half of this album weighs it down a bit but otherwise it's great

I don’t know if I can do this anymore

I don't get it! I just don't! Where is Keith Moon's drumming? Where are Roger Daltrey's impassioned vocals? Where is Pete Townsend's raucous playing? It feels like they took everything I love about the Who and just castrated it!! WHERE THE FUCK IS JOHN ENTWISTLE'S BASS PLAYING!!! THE BAND IS SO QUIET!!!! EVERYTHING BUT THE VOCALS ARE SO QUIET!!! Even though Christmas has interesting ideas about religion and disability in the kind of bite-sized contemplation that is great in song-format, it still just sounds like a bad Beatles song. What I find truly awful about this album’s first half is how little there is to take away from it aside from “Poor Tommy.” “What awful things to happen to Tommy.” Exploitation film levels in the grandiosity of cruelty that Tommy faces, but the content itself is so surface level I find it hard to empathize beyond pity. Tommy in the first half is less a character that listeners can imagine themselves as. Instead, he’s an object of atrocity. “Fiddle About” is one of the most disrespectful and gross depictions of CSA I’ve heard in song, maybe ever? How are you supposed to grapple with the story when _this_ is how you tell it? It’s clunk. It’s offensive. It’s DATED. How anyone was like WOAH THIS IS AWESOME in 1969 baffles me. I can’t imagine that this album inspired the creators of the great concept albums that followed (Read: David Bowie) with anything more than a with scoff and a frenzy at how staggeringly low the bar had been set right out of the gate for the “rock opera.”

i recant and regret my prior statement on accepting the true brexit geezer wanksesh. these hands are now officially rated E for Everyone. bitch. i respect the audacity. i'm also straight up Not enjoying the music. band is fine but the songs are not hitting. i want to like "christmas" but some grinch shit comes up every few bars. and the lyrics/plot. shocking. grim even. finished the first LP, got to the CSA portion (among others), and realized they'd completely failed to have any of these songs stand on their own two feet (excluding sally simpson - welcome). 0.5-2.5. what the fuck does pinball have to do with any of this?

Pleasant but not stand out

6/10 No es malo pero no me termino de convencer, muy largo además

Que cosa más larga

Sooo long, the few high points don’t justify it.

The thing with concept albums is you need to buy into the concept. For me; this story is fucking stupid and dragging it out to a double LP just sort of angered me.

God this list is tedious.

Torn between 4 and 5. Have to give it a 5 for Pete's sake.

This is definitely a record with a lot of ideas, a lot of moving parts, and a lot of messiness. I've always kinda loved this record but with a fresh listen and a fresh take - this is so long and such a disaster. I still love it and I still enjoy the hits but as a whole there's a lot of meh here.

The first mainstream rock opera and one that still holds up today. The at times very dark subject matter might put people off, but Tommy is well worth hearing, if only for its influence on later efforts.

As someone who was never a big Who fan and only really liked the greatest hits, I had never listened to this album start-to-finish. Let's see how it goes... The plot is weird and creepy, just like Pete Townshend. The music is OK. I get that this was "ambitious," but it just seems ridiculous to me. I am sure I would love it if I were a Who fan. I never knew the title of that song was "Go to the Mirror!" I would have guessed it was "See Me, Feel Me, Touch Me." (Edit: Oh, the song I was thinking of is actually the end of "We're Not Gonna Take It." Which I also didn't know.) Some good songs here, but also a whole lot of filler. For reference on my Who opinions, here's relevant excerpts of my review of My Generation: "My previous review of Who's Next holds true for this album as well: 'Obviously a classic, but I was never able to get into The Who like other people. I had the greatest hits and that was more than enough for me. This album was well-represented on there. The hits on this album are of course great, but the rest does nothing for me. I wouldn't use ANY of them for CSI theme songs.' ... This is fine. I don't dislike The Who. I just don't see what the big deal about them is. And Townshend is a weirdo."

good psychodelic rock, but lacks a kick to be listened often

legend. long live ozzy

Whilst this was a super important album and hugely influential, most of the songs are shite.

This requires more listens. That said, I think I prefer “The Old Who”. Cool that they felt compelled enough to do a rock opera but overall it was a bit theatrical and not in a “where has this Who been” kinda way…

Alright, interesting rock opera. Version I listened to include live and I was too lazy to turn it off. I appreciated the clarity of the live better; or maybe it was just hearing it a 2nd time more stuck out

Bloated, egotistical and pretentious

Obvious comparisons to be made to Pink Floyd’s The Wall (a better album). I was dreading this one. Not a rock opera fan in general, and I’d never listened to this album front to back before. I was surprised though by how listenable it was. Nothing very impressive musically. A handful of minor hits. 3/5 because of it’s ‘significance’.

Favorite songs: Overture, Amazing Journey, Underture, Pinball Wizard, Go to the Mirror!, Tommy, Can You Hear Me?, I’m Free Some creepy, weird shit with Uncle Ernie

Was dreading the length, but the second and third discs are just demo / live recordings, so the length is actually 'only' about an hour and 10. And it's actually pretty good!

Great to listen to from start to finish again (twice). I can see why this might not resonate with the younger generation. But the Who and Tommy were such a huge part of music growing up in the 1970s. And the concept of the Rock Opera with the album telling a complete story from start to finish was groundbreaking at the time. Sure it leads to a few silly-ish songs, but they are integral to to story. 3-4 monster Who songs on the album make it a solid 4.5 for me.

Absolute shit

I appreciated the sillyness and fun spirit throughout the album. Personally, storytelling albums like this are difficult for me to get behind since I tend to not listen closely to the lyrics in general. While this album was entertaining, it never really sparked an interest for me. Nothing stood out. Maybe this was because of it's length or the fact that I was multi-tasking while listening. I don't think I would return to listening to this again.

That Deaf, Dumb, Blind Kid Sure Plays A Mean Pinball 1001 Albums Generator 303 (6/1/2026) Tommy is notable as the first major, popular rock opera ever. This fact alone is impressive and what Pete Townsend did here should be applauded. Unfortunately, as the first example of the genre, it falls into the same traps as a lot of rock operas, namely that the story often takes precedence over the music itself, and it is too long. It also has 8 songs that are less than 2 minutes long, which I understand are related to the story of the album, but they are often much too silly for my taste (akin to the previous album by The Who that I listened to, The Who Sell Out). However, there are genuine moments of genius. Overture introduces the musical themes of the album in a genius way. Amazing Journey is really psychedelic and kind of sounds like a lost Beatles song. Underture is a great instrumental that acts as a centerpiece for the album. We're Not Gonna Take It closes the album strong and is a suite split into 2 or 3 parts that is just solid prog-adjacent rock. Although there is way too much filler on Tommy, there is also a lot of solid music here. Feels like a 3.5/5, rounded down to a 3. Favs: Amazing Journey Pinball Wizard We're Not Gonna Take It Least Fav: Tommy's Holiday Camp

feels very brit rock? pretty strange though so far

Man, this album is long. And I don't think I love it. But it's fine. I can see why people like it; I do actually enjoy the piano and other instrumentals. But nothing about it stands out or gets me excited.

Why select the 3+ hour Super Deluxe version? I guess I'll find out. The album itself is just incredibly even though the story line is disturbing. It is a great example of rock opera, maybe not the first but one of the earliest best ones. The live performances surprisingly wasn't just a track by track replay but more of a living evolution of the album. I enjoyed it even though I generally don't like live recordings. The demos I thought would be a rehash of the album itself but nope. It was more of a raw and honest representation of the album. Kind of cool to hear it and surprising how well it played.

The Two

It just kept going. And going. And going. I think there is an alright album in there is you strip out about 30 minutes. I actually like "Pinball Wizard" less after having listened to the whole album.

Could do without most of this album tbh. A rock opera? Ok then. At least make it a bit more exciting. Highlights were Pinball Wizard and 1921. The rest felt tired, over repetitive motifs. Underture can fuck off n all. 2.0/5.0 Best Song: Pinball Wizard

Genuinely the most bizarre concept for an album, like most albums by the Who, Entwhistle and Moon carry it whilst the other two are annoying throughout. Pinball Wizard - great. Amazing Journey - ok. Fiddle about - mental.

never heard this and was very underwhelmed

It really needs the movie

Eh, not my favourite. I guess it's interesting artistically but musically I just found it pretty underwhelming. Not bad, but didn't really do anything for me.

Ain't so bad, there is something to it, but still lacks.

not bad but also not crazy good

A modern day masterpice. Storytelling at its best. I always liked it but this time around I really got into it and think its a must for everyone

Not sure I understand the whole concept album thing, do we need a whole album dedicated to this?

1.5/5 Sure it's ambitious, but it's also very long winded and not overly interesting. There's probably 10-11 songs out of the 24 that were half decent. Get rid of the fluff and it would be a pretty good album.

Was alright but it’s too long so I only listened to the first 10 songs

Not as good as the Wall, but it came first. And Tommy sure does play a mean pinball

I was sort of dreading this. I don't love "rock opera's" as a concept and knew that reviews for Tommy tend to be pretty divisive. Also this album's length itself feels a bit ominous. After listening, this is the second Who album on this on list that has surpassed my expectations. As a concept album with a Pinball theme, I can't really comment on the plot knocking it out of the park, but the music and execution definitely make up for it. I feel like Keith Moon's drumming carries you through the album from start to finish, and actually enjoyed the musical interludes between stand alone tracks. This is the first time I have listened to Tommy front to back and will definitely give it another shot at some point.

I've never really understood Tommy. I mean, I understand the gist of the story: Tommy sees his mother and her lover murder his father, they convince him he didn't see or hear anything, which leads to him developing psychosomatic deaf, dumb, and blindness. His mother gets frustrated with his condition and neglects him leading to his abuse by several people including his uncle who sexually abuses him, his cousin who tortures him, and a quack doctor that gives him LSD. Eventually Tommy realizes he can play pinball through vibrations and a real doctor realizes that his condition is psychosomatic. His mental block is removed and he decides to start a cult, but his followers reject his teachings and leave his camp causing him to retreat inward again But, Tommy is held as a major rock opera masterpiece and I just don't really understand why. Aside from Pinball Wizard, none of the tracks stand out to me and the story is dark, weird, and feels fairly pointless. So, I spent the morning reading up on Tommy and the connections to the teachings of Meher Baba to try to understand what I was missing. It was an interesting exercise and I do understand Tommy on a deeper level now, but honestly, I still just don't really care for it all that much. Pinball Wizard is an excellent song, though.

This is good and contains so much instruments and stuff it’s just really nice to listen to

When I was younger and lost — trying to find my way towards something I could only vaguely articulate — I listened to enough of The Who to develop opinions about Tommy vs. Quadrophenia with regard to what's their best rock opera. But in truth, I wanted to like The Who more than I actually did. I could never shake that Live at Leeds was my favorite record of theirs (always because: faster, louder, more aggressive). I couldn't really get on board with their rock operas and just about every early album had some song whose references or particularly English humor didn't land. What I appreciate though is that for all its grand ambition, and despite its stumbles, it's a relatively consistent 1 hour and 15 minutes. Here's a band working through how sounds operate at the level of their composition while addressing how they fit together at the level of album. A stronger editorial ear would trim some of the weaker moments and less necessary thematic call-backs but there's so much territory often unthinkingly ceded to a producer and to sequencing decisions generally that I appreciate they stuck to their concept. Tommy, the rock opera, demands you have a structure greater than the songs that The Who must honor (for better or worse). I'll give that level of ambition a measure of grace in listening to it over a recorded document of "songs we had on hand or managed to write" even if I can't deny the power of a less-connected collection of bops. Three stars always reaching but failing to grasp the fourth.

Не мое

Хотелось бы немного сократить некоторые треки, но в целом - охуенно. Словно саундтрек к эпику про синий трактор.

nice sound, i like it!

I've heard worse concept albums

It's been a long time since I've listened to this album start-to-finish. I used to like it quite a lot, but I think I just got tired of it eventually. We'll see what happens to my opinion of it after such a long break. Unfortunately, I'd forgotten how many of the songs on this album just aren't that good. I understand why I got tired of it. It's a long album, and just not really worth it.

A favourite of mine from the turn of the century, very appealing mix of intimate folk and groovy melodic pop. The faux lofi is charming and effective. Indirectly songs are strong but best absorbed as an entire album. 4.5

Almost a 3 but too long and boring

Was interested in this, kinda looking forward to it to. Not the biggest The Who fan, but like some of their stuff, and never listened to an album in its entirety. I appreciate this is a 'rock opera' of sorts, but genuinely, this was the most boring album I've heard in a while. Every song seemed to just be setting up for Pinball Wizard, then coming down from that song. There was nothing else on this album. Just listen to that song alone and you've had a better listening experience. Not really a must listen to in my opinion, but I can get why others feel it is.

Amazing 🤩🤩🤩 I already loved the album, but after watching the movie I love it even more! Wow wow wow!!! 🌟🌟🌟Thank you so much! 🌠💛💙

Zzzzz

Tooodella pitkä albumi mutta silti erinomainen! En mikään teemalevyjen erityinen ystävä ole mutta tämä on loistava albumi alusta loppuun. Toki aika on puraissut soundillisesti jne aika pahastikin tähän albumiin mutta teoksen taiteellista arvoa se ei tällä kertaa vähennä lainkaan. 4/5

Жизнеутверждающе

I found this really boring to listen to. Faded into the background, but not in a good way. Just a forgettable way.

Is Tommy deaf dumb and blind? Is the whole album a setup to let us know that he plays a mean pinball? Who is Tommy in real life? This isn’t the who that the world came to know, but you can see flashes of it, Pinball Wizard is obviously the centerpiece. One of those albums that really tells a story, makes me curious of the inspiration.

Super rough vocals. "Christmas" was especially rough in places.

Tommy is a near brilliant, drug-fueled rock opera. What else is there to say? A few out of pocket lyrics that didn’t age well, but bless all the drugs these artists were on for giving us so many wonderful rock operas and concept albums in the 60s and 70s.

it's the one with pinball wizard on it

uuuuugh another rock opera. this could be better than i think it'll be, but i dunno... Overture - 3/5 It's a Boy - 4/5 1921 - 4/5 Amazing Journey - 4/5 Sparks - 4/5 Eyesight to the Blind (The Hawker) - 4/5 Christmas - 4/5 Cousin Kevin - 4/5 The Acid Queen - 4/5 Underture - 3/5 Do You Think It's Alright? - no rating Fiddle About - 3/5 Pinball Wizard - 5/5 There's a Doctor - no rating Go to the Mirror! - 4/5 Tommy Can You Hear Me? - 3/5 Smash the Mirror - 3/5 Sensation - 3/5 Miracle Cure - no rating Sally Simpson - 4/5 I'm Free - 4/5 Welcome - 3/5 Tommy's Holiday Camp - no rating We're Not Gonna Take It - 5/5 Average score: 3.7/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ oh, apparently this is THE rock album. as in, the first of its kind. just as i suspected, i feel the same way about this as i did with The Wall: it has it's highlights, but boy does it overstay it's welcome it's hard for me to say whether or not this is better than The Wall or not. both stories are kinda wild, and just plain confusing if you don't closely follow along with the lyrics. i personally had to analyze the lyrics in some parts of this album to really grasp what was going on, and i came away from it having a bit more appreciation for the story after that on the bright side, the musical arrangements were interesting (in a good way). Keith Moon absolutely carried the entire performance on his back with his drumming. i dunno, maybe rock operas are just lost on me

Grand sounding album, a bit long

Though it's often overlooked these days in favour of other rock operas of its time (Sgt. Pepper's, Future Passed) and it's since overshadowed by the reappraisal of the Who's own Quadrophenia, this is still a seminal album in not just the Who's own catalogue, but of rock and roll in general. Despite its status as a rock opera, it only really "rocks" in a few select places(the end of "Christmas," "Pinball Wizard" and "Go to the Mirror!" for instance) so its sound is really built around the narrative the album's songs tell. Let's not forget this was one of the first albums to really have theatre-style leitmotifs appear and reappear in a rock album. This is a lot folkier and more progressive pop than I remember it being when I bought it as a Christmas gift for my dad some years ago. With all that hindsight, I would have to say this album is vital as a document for understanding how rock music progressed as an art form, but, as a standalone piece, this album is very much a product of its time and, in modern contexts, can only be considered more influential than good. Key Tracks: 1921, Cousin Kevin, Christmas, Pinball Wizard, Go to the Mirror! We're Not Gonna Take It

Truthfully only songs I really like on here are the instrumental ones. I get that this gets props for being her first rock opera but the story and most of lyrics are terrible. It’s musically solid but kind of insufferable to sit through the entirety of this plot.

This album is very special and dear to me. I used to love it in my young teenage years before stopping to listen to it for a few years. A few years ago I listen to it again and fell in love again. The concept of the opera was the thing that thrilled me back than, and today it totally the music and the absolutely insane songwriting. Pete Townsend, who celebrated his birthday yesterday by the way, his in his lyrical and composition best. The narratives come so effortlessly and while the subject is pretty grim, the album is incredibly joyful, youthful, and enjoyable to listen from frant to back. I cannot name a favorite track. It's all about the journey, and every stop here is great to be in. One of the albums of my life. A 5

I'm starting to question this list. Pinball wizard alone doesn't qualify this album as one of the greats.

This is seriously dark and a bit creepy in places. I liked it but not that much.

Boo boo

Nah. And that fiddle around song makes me uncomfortable.

I was so prepared to give this a 1. This is already in a genre I historically dislike, and I figured I could up sum up the album by saying "There are two different songs on Tommy where the titular character gets molested by a family member. No thank you." But here's the thing. I listened to the first half while driving to go on a first date. And it went really well. (Future Rylee, what is it with you and girls named Lily?) On the drive back, I found myself enjoying Tommy significantly more. It's not just the fact that the second half contains Pinball Wizard, the only truly fantastic song on the album. But it's a little louder, a little more rockin'. A little happier. Or maybe that was just the butterflies in my stomach talking. While I'm still not a big fan of this genre of prog rock, and I do not like the innate exaggerated performances that come with it, I have at least a tiny bit of affection for Tommy. Maybe if it was shorter, and had one less song about molestation, or more songs like Pinball Wizard or Go to the Mirror, or if I liked Billy Joel more, who obviously took a lot of inspiration from the song Sally Simpson. Tommy could've been a lot of things for me. I don't think it ever could have been a fantastic listen, but it could've been a lot worse if that date didn't go well.

while i can recognize and appreciate the who as important figures in rock music history, i'm coming to terms with the fact that 60s rock is not my personal favorite. i feel like i can only take it in doses and i'm okay with that for now lol. giving this a 2 cause i was kinda bored, no shade--i think i'd need visuals to appreciate it. i also didn't finish it

Somehow doesn't sound quite as dated as a lot of other stuff from that time. Also, i appreciate the silliness.

There is a lot of mediocre songs with Pinball Wizard shining in between.

i like the who, but i cant stand these rock operas.

Not great, not bad, I just don't have a lot of opinions about The Who. A few cool songs, but the whole concept album thing did not quite click for me.

Very few rock operas really work. But this one really does. I'd forgotten about gems like Go to the Mirror and Tommy Can you Hear Me? But by the way, John Entwistle is a sick dude--he wrote two songs for the album: Cousin Kevin and Fiddle About. He's not right in the head.

I can tell this is a classic but It just wasn’t really my sound

I don’t get it.

Proto-Queen. Like it!

Overrated band’s dumbest album.

Maybe the first big rock opera, Tommy was so successful it was made into concerts, broadway shows, and a movie. The original release was a double album with 24 tracks, which is the version I listened to (not disc three, which are the live recordings). I like how the familiar riffs pop up throughout the album, which helps tie things together. Several radio hits from this record.

An album I've heard of, at least. I think I'm kind of over "concept albums" as a concept thanks to this project. But as an album, I guess it was fine. Highlight: 'Sensation'

La primer ópera Rock, no? Me es difícil en un día tomarle la vuelta a todo. Debiera sentarme, ver las letras, dejarme llevar por el album y es dificil. Aún así, ya al oído, 2 o 3 temas son geniales. Pero claramente es una experiencia para darle bola y no escuchar así nomás y solo una vez. Crédito parcial. 6/10

I didn’t like it, but I didn’t…not…like it. It was definitely very long (due to the track list) but I did enjoy songs such as Christmas, I’m free, sparks, and overture. But it isn’t an album that I will listen to ever again, probably in another year or sometime in the distant future when I forget about it but it has nothing that made me feel anything, and that’s a big part of how I enjoy and consume a great album. Overall score: Light 5

(2/5). Thanks for the ride, but I'm gonna get off here. I just don't have the patience to really like The Who. This was an experience and I had it, but it's better *with* a movie (even though that wasn't 'great' either, and this is FAINT praise coming from me..). The entire soundtrack? Nah. It's a bloated , narcissistic Messiah-fantasy for Boomers. The only standout is "Pinball Wizard", and I think I enjoyed Elton John's version better. My streak of '2's continues... I do, however, agree with it's inclusion in the list.

The Who have an unmissable collection of greatest hits, and a few of them are here, but this double album soundtrack of a mediocre movie but visually engaging movie loses any cohesion or semblance of storytelling on its own. Two thirds is enjoyable but forgettable elevator music, while the remainder could stand as a fantastic EP in its own right. It's a 3.5/5 that I won't round up or revisit.

Variety: 2 Adequacy: 2 Listenability: 2 Uniqueness: 4 Emotionality: 2 = 2.4 rounded down to 2 "Nothing to say, and nothing to hear and nothing to see" I like The Who. Quite a bit in fact. I have always bounced hard off of this album though. And I've tried more than a few times. There are things to admire for sure - several songs are good to great, the concept and ambition are highly influential... It mainly just bores me as I don't find the story all that interesting, nor do I find the characters to be more than hollow ciphers that are hard to care about. I find the movie to be even more of a chore. I have probably not given this a try in about 20 years or more, so maybe my stance on Tommy has softened. This also has a very weirdly stuffy sounding production that males the whole thing feel claustrophobic and small, when it should be big. Maybe I just found a poor copy, but this gels with my memory of past listens as well. THE TRACKS "Overture" - The farty trumpet on this is just as grating as it's always been, and the slightly catchy motifs we get a preview of are not enough to overcome the disappointing salad-like nature of this thing. \ "It's a Boy" - Thank goodness some of these are so brief. This barely holds together as even an interlude. "1921" - Well, we're not off to a great start having already scraped the bottom of the barrel. Full schmaltz Who are the worst Who usually. There's none of the power or dynamism on display here, and I get that we've got a LOT to get through, so why not have variety? Right? Generally Townshend gets called in to do stuff like this and it's for the better as he can actually pull off vulnerability that Daltrey just is not capable of. I just don't care for it here. "Amazing Journey" - I was starting to feel repetitive but we're finally to something interesting. This one actually feels like a real song. We get some actual rock instrumentation with a showy bit of drumming from Mr. Moon, and some nice self-harmonizing from Daltrey. The song goes through a few big changes along the way and yet it pulls off the trick of not feeling like a cobbled together medley. Decent stuff (If you want to see this trick pulled off a hell of a lot better check out "A Quick One, While He's Away" from The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus film). "Sparks" - This one did feel like an interlude. A long but somewhat interesting interlude. "Eyesight to the Blind (The Hawker)" - The closer to side one rightfully feels the most developed of any of the tracks on this side, but it just ends up feeling sort of mundane and rambling. Side two "Christmas" - The first thing on this album that I was half-tempted to tap my toe to. Then the "Tommy can you hear me!" refrain came in and took a big ole shit in the punch bowl. Yeah, I know I better strap in, cause there's a lot more of that. "Cousin Kevin" - I recall this being a pretty disturbing part of the movie, and the song by itself is just as dark. It's also the catchiest thing yet, and heads above anything we've heard yet. Quality. "The Acid Queen" - Another middling number that never seems to be able to climb out of the quagmire of what's come before. Even the build near the end seems to want to rise but in fact never gets loud or bombastic enough and the song ends in a wet fart ( that's two flatulence references for anyone counting - not a good sign). "Underture" - It's far more interesting than "Overture" is the best I can say about this? It does build towards something, but is about 8 minutes too long. This should have been titled "Intermission". Side three "Do You Think It's Alright?"/ "Fiddle About" - Another deeply disturbing one. This one doesn't have the musical lightness to contrast with the content that "Cousin Kevin" did. Just work to get through this. "Pinball Wizard" - Took us long enough but we finally come to the album's centerpiece, and I think the only great song on here. Very dumb lyrics aside, this one feels like classic Who to me and while not their most epic, it certainly rocks out in parts. Hooks aplenty, and easily hummable. Danged good, if still in the bottom third of their best material. "Go to the Mirror!" - Half of this is quite the catchy number, and the other half of "Touch me...." is like a hair floating in the delicious soup that just arrived. Could you eat around it? Should you? I think I will scoop it up and just hide it in a napkin. Out of sight out of mind. The rest of this is just too good. "Tommy Can You Hear Me?" - The worst acoustic campfire singalong drags us towards the end of side three. I can't wait to make it to that last disc. "Smash the Mirror" - The most soulful track on the album so far. Daltrey puts some stank on it here, and it largely works just due to him. The gimmicky "Rise,, rise, rise..." and the sound effects kills it stone dead though. "Sensation" - This was pretty decent, unoffensive stuff. Nothing too memorable, but no shitting the bed. Side four "Sally Simpson" - The piano adds a welcome bit of variety here. Another fine, but not especially great track. "I'm Free" - This was only 2:41 long if you can believe it. Felt like a loooooong 6:00. "Welcome" - Great melody and I dig the harpsichord and harmonized background vocals. Things get wild a third of the way in. Man, I wish there had been more of this throughout. "Tommy's Holiday Camp" - As short and purposefully annoying as it was, I actually dug the evil carnival vibes. Not really much of a song, but this albums needs all the highlights it cobble together. "We're Not Gonna Take It" - What a dud. "See Me, Feel Me" - Separating this out into its own track as it's the one time on the album where a build happens and feels like it reaches the peak it aims for ( also I think some editions do this already anyway). Despite the fade out, it still feels pretty epic. HIGHLIGHTS - "Cousin Kevin" - "Pinball Wizard" - "Go to the Mirror!" - "Welcome" - "Tommy's Holiday Camp" - "See Me, Feel Me" MIDLIGHTS - "Amazing Journey" - "Sparks" - "Eyesight to the Blind (The Hawker)" - "The Acid Queen" - "Underture" - "Sensation" - "Sally Simpson" LOWLIGHTS - "Overture" - "It's a Boy" - "1921" - "Christmas" - "Do You Think It's Alright?"/ "Fiddle About" - "Tommy Can You Hear Me?" - "Smash the Mirror" - "I'm Free" FINAL THOUGHTS I'm definitely not opposed to the idea of a "Rock Opera" in theory or in practice. I would lump this in with any number of entries that followed in its wake, along with some stuff that is probably more properly well into straight musical territory. But almost all those other ones I find I enjoy more than this. I think what it mainly comes down to is the band just reached too high, far beyond their capability. They just were not built for this in my opinion. Quadrophenia at least, while just as thin on narrative, is light years more advanced musically, and would be a much better choice in this slot. I'm sure it's probably on here as well, but I think it trumps Tommy in that regard, even though I guess Tommy was the codifier of the idea ( if not the first to do it). I have to note here that my favorite version of this is a full on full rock cover version by The Smithereens where they distilled what works best about the material, removing a lot of the schmaltzier stuff, and even putting life and energy into tracks that I just don't like the original version of. Check it out if the original disappointed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IETIbUiK8mY&list=OLAK5uy_l_dF6TKOnEsoGt9_fYRePl11Q5Xos6ToM PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - I think this can be nicely boiled down to those highlights. FURTHER LISTENING - The Rocky Horror Picture Show - Original soundtrack written by Richard O'Brien and performed by various - Jesus Christ Superstar written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber - "A Quick One, While He's Away" by The Who ( serves as a MUCH shorter, and better realized version of what they were trying to accomplish here) - Schoolboys in Disgrace by The Kinks - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust.. by David Bowie - Quadrophenia by The Who - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway by Genesis

About a week ago the generator gave us The Who's 1971 album "Who's Next" and having that all-timer before "Tommy' but so recent really highlighted how bloated and indulgent this double concept album is. "Who's Next" was the highlights of this album, "Tommy", trimmed and polished to shine. "Tommy" is an over reach of narrative for the format telling the story. The audience will get lost with few signposts to guide them. Meanwhile our storytellers here in the band get quite distracted for long stretches and wander away from the plot. All that said, I kinda loved spending a day with this album. The classic rock sound mixed with such a weird concept tickled the part of my brain that loves B-movies and bad cinema. Perhaps that comes from having very little familiarity with the album. Yeah, I've heard "Pinball Wizard" as much as anyone who spent many hours listening to classic rock radio. Beyond that, the album was a mystery. All the better for me. I even watched the 1975 movie. It was a parade of baroque tableaus that enhanced my album listening experience. It was also a bad movie, just one with great visuals. So yeah, "Tommy" is a mess, but ultimately one that I'm glad got released from The Who. 3/5

Hat seine Längen und dass im Film andere Leute die Songs gespielt haben versteht auch kein Mensch dafür ist Pinball Wizard epic

Do you think it's alright to leave the boy with Uncle Ernie? Do you think it's alright, he’s had a few too many tonight. Do you think it's alright? I think it's alright, cause he got five Stars for this genius Album.

Wie absolut geil the who Konzerte 69 gewesen sein müssen, wenn sie das gesamte Album performen...

Got some fat on it, but the highs are high

Very cool album. Lots of weird songs with it being a concept album but a few phenomenal songs. Very theatrical. I was dreading it being 75 minutes long but it didn't feel that long. Quite a nice journey.

without a doubt, Tommy was the most ambitious statement the Who had made as a band up to this point: a double-LP, one of the earliest executions of the Rock Opera, and many attempts to break free of the three-minute pop song structure. Pete Townshend was more or less the architect of this thing, from the music to the concept; although, he also had help from producer Kit Lambert in ironing out the details of the story, and from the rest of the Who in arranging the staggering 75 minutes of material. if I'm being honest, though, I think this easily could've been cut down by 15-20. for all the effort spent realizing this operatic concept, there's moments where it feels like the band are dragging their knuckles just a bit. a lot of it comes down to the tracks that go longer or shorter than usual. the "Overture" and "Sparks" are tremendous instrumental showcases of the band working as a unit, but the "Underture", even with its very cool harmonic structure, doesn't really feel like it earns its 10-minute duration; on the flip-side, the C-side in particular has a bunch of little ideas that are all cool in isolation, but make for an awkward sequence (even if the ubiquitous radio staple "Pinball Wizard" might be the best song on the whole record). despite its shortcomings as a full body of work, the complete experience of Tommy has a lot to enjoy about it. there's still a ton of moments where the Who prove that they were one of the tightest, hardest-rockin' bands of their era, but for the first time in their catalog, they leave a lot of room to get more tuneful and sentimental. their future records would refine and streamline the most successful moments on this album (the sensitivity of "1921" or "Christmas", the triumph of "Go to the Mirror!" and "I'm Free") into some serious masterpieces. light 8/10.

Wow this cover is.. prety bad.. The more I look at it the more I hate it. Apparently its the first opera rock album, idk if its a good thing or not. Its also a concept album. Holy fucking 1h14. The songs themself are borderline fine but the story telling is prety mediocre. How much does Tommy has to suffer god damn leave him allone. Oh and he suddenly become the pinball king, ofc. Yeah it gets boring after a few songs, you know where they are going. Some are just annoying. Overall, its a really dated album that aged prety badly with maybe 2-3 standouts. Poor Tommy/5

Had more fun with this than I thought I would. I liked the prog elements and how much they committed to the subject. I felt like the last third dragged a bit.

Amazing, really cool to hear the roots of later rock operas

I've never liked the who and I still don't

At least some of the songs were short.

I generally like The Who but I just couldn’t get into this at all.

While a rock album it's very melodic and heavy in the instrumental parts. To me that makes it even better though. I read that this was a rock opera album with a story flowing through the songs. I can hear it in the lyrics but I would like the album better if they had skipped the short interlude songs. I could listen to a lot of these songs many times over and today I might, listening through the whole album again I wouldn't really do again.

eu adoro um album conceitinho então obviamente amei esse aqui, mesmo com a longa duração. animada para ouvir o outro album rock opera deles no user album.

Surprisingly good

I don't love the Who, but this is a good Who album.

One again I am biased, because this is one of those albums I devoured growing up. I love everything about this album. The overture is iconic. The songs rock. Roger Daltrey is a great singer. It was a blast to listen to the album in its entirety again. To be fair, this is one of those albums that need to be listened to in its entirety.

Ok

Wow I hated this so much. The vocals are droning, the music is just not my jam and what’s the deal with this going on and on and on. I could barely stomach listening to more than a few seconds of each track. I’m only giving it a (2) for the concept (even though I generally dislike musicals, it’s something different to have an album tell a story) and Pinball Wizard is alright.

3 HORAS

Rock opera! First of its kind and when the come around they are a treat

ну, во-первых, обложка супер классная во-вторых, на этом можно и остановиться, так как музыка скучная по крайней мере конкретно в этом альбоме у них просто есть какой-то вайб битлов, но несколько посредственных

who? who? who? who? СКОЛЬКО ТРЕКОВ?????????????? Классические творожники на сковороде - это блюдо, которое идеально подойдёт для завтрака или полдника. Готовятся творожники очень быстро и с ними справится даже неопытный кулинар. В составе творожников нет муки, в ней они только обваливаются, и за счёт этого начинка получается очень сочной и вкусной, а сами творожники - воздушными. Приготовив раз творожники по этому рецепту, вы будете повторять их вновь и вновь. Творог - 200 г Мука - 2-3 ст.л. Манная крупа - 2 ст.л. Сахар - 2 ст.л. Яйцо куриное - 1 шт. Масло подсолнечное - 2 ст.л. Соль - щепотка Процесс приготовления Для того чтобы приготовить творожники из творога на сковороде нам понадобится мягкий сухой творог, манная крупа, сахар, соль, яйцо, мука и подсолнечное масло для жарки. Творог размять вилкой, добавить яйцо. Затем добавить манную крупу, щепотку соли и сахар по вкусу. Я добавила 2 столовых ложки. Тщательно размешать всю массу. Руками сформировать творожники и обвалять их в муке. Лишнюю муку стряхивать. В сковороде разогреть подсолнечное масло и выложить в него творожники, обжарить. Перевернуть и обжарить с другой стороны. По желанию прямо из сковороды творожники можно выложить на бумажные салфетки для удаления лишнего жира. Подавать творожники очень вкусно со сметаной, но вы можете использовать для этой цели мёд, сироп или варенье. Приятного аппетита!

I'd never actually listened to this; I know I saw the movie once, but not in an environment that allowed me to appreciate the music. I think it did prove that they were more than a singles rock band.

Ya voy por el cuarto álbum de The Who en esta lista, y de nuevo viene Pete con su necesidad de hacer una obra magna. En esta ocasión le sale bastante mejor que en "Sell Out". El hecho de contar una historia (bastante truculenta, todo hay que decirlo) le da la oportunidad de narrar con más acierto esta ópera rock que tuvo tanta repercusión que dio para una pelicula, un musical y una versión orquestal. El álbum está muy bien cohesionado, tiene. momentos brillantes ("Pinball Wizard", "Sparks", "Go To The Mirror!" y un magníifco final "We're Not Gonna Take It". Ya se nota un dominio de la profesión que en sus primeros álbumes todavía estaba por controlar.

This album was utter genius when it first came out. It stands up to the test of time. Its brilliant!

This is my favourite album of all time. Literally changed my life. 6 stars.

Decent

Dunno who Tommy is but this album was pretty good

Bueno... vaya que tengo cosas que decir.... No tenía nada de contexto del album así que empecé a escucharlo y leí la descripción de wikipedia lo que me dejo intrigada por que decía que era la historia justo de un niño que queda sordo/ciego/mudo por ver a sus padres cometer un homicidio y yo quede tipo: wait what...? Bueno little did I know que era solo la punta del iceberg & que la actividad de escuchar discos nuevos de fondo mientras trabajo con este disco se convertiría en lo más absorta que he estado con un disco ever... que cosa... La verdad estuve apunto de darle 4 estrellas por que la canción de Kevin & el tio me dio una repulsión que bueno... nada agradable... sin embargo si disfrute mucho el lore overall del disco y después encontré que también hay un film del disco! lo cuál verdaderamente me voló mi peluquita. Obviamente también fui a verlo el mismo día y terminé durmiendo a las 2am por que había muchísimo que masticar... still creo que no terminé de procesar todo & aún estoy un poco con pensamientos constantes del disco. A mi me gusta ver los reviews que otros escuchadores le dan a los discos para ver si de repente me encuentro uno que otro facto por ahí o simplemente para saber si alguien coincide conmigo o si me puedo recargar en la opinión de alguien & la verdad en esta ocasión me sorprendió que mucha gente le daba 1 o 2 estrellas D: no se, supongo que ya esta muy choteado o musicalmente no es arriesgado. Overall a mi me pareció increíble lo que me hizo sentir este día, desde repulsión hasta una curiosidad extrema que hace mucho no sentía por un disco tbh, independientemente de la parte técnica músical (por que yo no se mucho de eso) me mamo bastante. aun que no creo que lo pueda volver a escuchar en un buen rato haha

I give it a 5.2/10 It's not really for me personally but I see why people would like it.

- More pedos and Zionists to boycott. - The vocal melodies are really boring... so much of the same note over and over again so it's just like it's spoken. And, it's too boring to make me want to listen to the story, especially "spoken" in a singsong quasi-falsetto. There is really nothing here to hold onto, it just feels like supporting soundtrack music that can't stand on its own. - This album is so full of itself and definitely overstays its welcome very quickly. - I will never listen to this voluntarily again. Once was too much.

music is love

I admire their ambition. I admire some of the well executed operatic/ musical tropes. I can kind of get on with some of that who-style stubborn classic rock sound. The story seems wild but I don't think I'd let that bother me too much. It all just doesn't quite hit for me.

Best Poo album [low bar]

Weird. I thought it was weird when I first heard this musical all the way through back in the 90s and I still think it's weird today. I guess I like The Who, just not in musical format.

This was great. Rock opera, lots of themes, and just good jams.

Solidly in my top 3 Albums; this rock opera's musicality, story and drama has long been in my "best of". 5+

the who is mid! brit pop rock sucks. please, i've had enough Would I listen again: Nope Deserves to be on this list: Nope 2.1

Logre limpiar todo mi cuarto con la instrumental de fondo

Better than expected. More down to earth and chill than their other albums. Sounds similar to the Beatles (same weirdness and uniqueness) but packed with more rock n roll. Maybe even CCR adjacent too! A smidge long in my opinion but pretty solid album overall Favorite 2: Pinball Wizard, Tommy Can You Hear Me?

Un clásico

Not really keen on this rock opera… I thought it may be an average score but the more I listened the less I enjoyed…

Started out kinda eh but I really enjoyed the vibes in the later half.

30 minutes too long. Cut the fat.

What is there to say that hasn't been said about this album? I enjoy The Who and recognize that they are an important thread in the progression from the 60s vibe to the hard rock of the 70s, with their solid musicianship and pop sensibilities. This album is a significant departure from all that, but not as entirely disappointing as some reviewers here have written. Certainly, it has disturbing elements, characters and themes, but it tells a cohesive story. I had never gotten the backstory of Pinball Wizard until now, but once is enough for this one. I will add that Entwistle's bass is solid throughout the album.

***an ok album

Timeless. So often copied and parodied but amazing to listen to

Een dubbelalbum, neeeeeeee... Nou moet ik wel toegeven dat ik The Who meestal best ok trek, behalve dan hun Sell-out album, maar ik word meestal niet enthousiast van een dubbelalbum. Tenzij je Stevie Wonder heet, maar zelfs toen was ik er ook wel klaar mee na bijna 2 uur. Maar goed; the Who heeft me al 2 keer verrast, 1 keer positief en 1 keer negatief. Gaan ze de streak volmaken? Uh ja nou ja. Overture en, vooral, Underture zijn hele vette nummers, maar ik kijk ook naar de queue en denk wel jezus tering. We zijn nog niet eens op de helft van het album... Gelukkig vind ik de zanger van The Who niet vervelend, duren sommige nummers nog geen minuut en klinkt het instrumentaal vaak gewoon echt prima. Ik krijg een beetje rockopera vibes van dit album. Eerlijk? Ik ben geen fan van rockopera. En dus ook niet van dit album. Rockopera kan nog een beetje fun zijn als je volledig de foute kant op gaat. Maar nu klinkt het grotendeels als een soort matige musical. EN als je mijn liefde voor musical een beetje kent, dan weet je dat dat erg slecht nieuws is. Dit was een ontzettend ambitieus project, en ik geloof meteen dat dit van ongelooflijk veel invloed/waarde is geweest voor de rock muziek. De ambitie spat er zeg maar vanaf. Maar het is niet een album wat ik ooit nog een keer wilt luisteren. 1 keer was genoeg, en dat er dan ook een superdeluxe versie van is die ruim 3 uur duurt? Ik snap dat niet zo goed, maar he, more power to you he. Ik doe liever 3 uur lang iets anders. FAVO: Underture,

Tommy is an ambitious concept album with a genuinely fascinating premise, but the execution never feels as clear or dramatic as the idea deserves. The story is there, yet the album often struggles to communicate progression through the music itself, so what should feel like a journey can instead feel strangely flat. Sonically, though, it is excellent. The mastering is superb, the performances are powerful, and the musicianship is consistently impressive. The problem is that the album is far too homogeneous, similar textures, dynamics and arrangements keep returning until individual songs start bleeding into one another. There are very few obvious bridges, pauses or structural landmarks, so Tommy gives you almost no breathing room. Instead of peaks and valleys, it often feels like one enormous continuous slab of rock music. If the intention was to make something completely monolithic, then mission accomplished, but for a narrative-driven rock opera, a little more contrast would have made the story much easier to follow. Excellent music trapped inside an album that could desperately use more separation, variety and space. By the end, it feels longer than it actually is, not because the material is bad, but because it never really lets you reset. Probably would need to second or third listen to know if I really like or dislike it. 7/10.

They say seperate the art from the artist but boy, can a racist and a pedophile write some pretentious, fart sniffing drivel that just never fucking ends

The first time I listened to this was in high school and it was one of the first times I tripped on acid. I was vibing to it until I read in the liner notes that Pete Townsend actually wrote it as a criticism of the counter culture’s psychedelic drug use! Listening to it now I still appreciate the grandeur of the idea and think a lot of the compositional elements are impressive with a few decent tunes. “Christmas” for instance is kind of a banger.

i dont like this very much like its a vibe but not my vibe

Couple of hits, I bet they were great live, but not my favorite album.

Pinball Wizard is cool but otherwise this was uneventful and plagued with ditties. As someone that considers themselves a bit of a mod, it hurts me to say that I don’t think The Who have aged all that well. I’m willing to give them another chance if another album of theirs comes up, but this one wasn’t for me.

An ambitious rock opera. Beautiful and captivating. Quite self indulgent and probably way too long, but a very nice record nonetheless.

Decent album, but it's heavily carried by Pinball Wizard. All time classic. Fave track: Pinball Wizard

24 tracks long whyyyyyyyyy. 2.5/5

mas largo que el padrino no me jodas version super deluxe: ni idea version normal: yea

Quién?

Concept albums and rock operas have always drawn me in. This is no exception, The Who take you on a wild ride through the life of Tommy and pinball wizardry. Just be careful, the film version can be a bit freaky, We’ll watch it together one day, I hope.

First listen

njaee, det här hade för mig inget super mycket som stack ut. hade säkert hittat något jag uppskattade vid flertalet lyssningar :p

There were times when this was a chore to get through, but also some points where it was really good. I remember seeing the film a few times, but some songs I remembered sounded very different this time round. Three stars seems fair.

Too long and overwrought and not that interesting. As usual with the who the arrangements are head turning but the vocals and some of the lyrics are head shaking.

A really, really hard listen - getting through this was a challenge

pinball wizard man........ otherwise meh

Obviously a very thought through album. Even though it for me lacks standouts, it’s well crafted as a whole experience. 7/10

não tenho tempo e nem disposição pra ouvir 24 músicas, vai ser muito enjoativo principalmente pq o rock do the who n me desce, é mto estadunidense sla, tipo u2 2/5 / 4/10 por esse motivo

first time all the way through

Pretty weird and way too long. Not a fan of the rock opera style tbh

Pinball wizard, det hade räckt så, med en kanonsingel. Orkar inte ens med en hel lyssning, jag skippar igenom en del

Ett tålamodsprövande album. Jag har lyssnat igenom hela skivan två gånger. Av 24 spår hör jag bara ett par, tre riktigt låtar, med 1921 som bästa exemplet.

Den här har man ju hört talas om men aldrig lyssnat på. Det var helt klart bättre så. Jag gillar rock. Jag gillar opera. Men rockopera! Fy fan! Pete Townshend är ingen vidare låtskrivare och en usel sångare. Vid förra Who-albumet hyllade Fredrik Moons trumspel. Här kan jag instämma. Finns det någon behållning med plattan så är det Moon. Men du vinner inte VM med en bra mittback och ett uselt lag i övrigt.

Om man slår ihop proggrock och musikal, så blir resultat därefter.

i think the concept album is interesting! i liked following the story, but musically not very good

okay

Never again.

Pinball Wizard carries the entire operation on its back, not for me

Hmmm

what the actual fuck were some of those lyrics? Fiddle About felt like I was reading Pete Townshend's personal diary. rotten. 1 star for the drumming and an extra for pinball wizard

I could say a lot of words to sum up how I feel. Instead, I choose to state: "Quadrophenia is the superior Townshend opera and it not being here is a crime" (7/10, 3/5 on this scale)

The concept is neat and there is fun to be had and enjoyable moments, but a lot of the songs aren't that memorable and it doesn't half go on a bit

I wish the album was just pinball wizard

Not bad, but not that good either

Epic tour de force rock opera. 5/5

I was scared of the duration but props to them, as a concept album this was well thought out. Not every song was to my liking but very unique in their delivery and story-wise.

Hello I'm bored this album is way too long

It's an ambitious project. There are a lot of songs that are essentially scores and they are okay. Not as many great songs. Appreciate the effort of this, but it does drag on a little. 3.5/5 Probably won't listen again

So cool off this.

Honestly, this one was kind of disappointing. I love a lot of the other, whose albums, especially their later stuff, I can see this as their first album, leaning into the concept, albums, but it was just fine. Reasonable, but way too long, the instrumentation was not great three stars.

What the hell type of janky-ass, thrown together rock opera was that? There are very few standalone interesting moments on this behemoth of an album. The story itself is meandering and seems to have a bad habit of spending far too much time in each phase of Tommy's life, then abruptly fast forwarding to the next phase with little warning. Most of the crap before Underture could be removed tbh. Underture itself was especially annoying because it was 10 mins of repetition with no buildup or pay off - nothing musically gained, nor learned which seems the antithesis of a LSD trip? Pinball Wizard is probably the only *good* song that is actually distinct on this record, but that makes it stand out significantly amongst the rest of the samey sounding tracks. Listen, I'm a man who enjoys a rock opera, but this was subpar and I'd be genuinely curious to hear a The Who stan's perspective on why this is good. For now, nope. 1.4/5 -> 1/5

This album was... a journey for real. It gripped me and I was invested enough to look at the lyrics through most of the listen through. The music itself is also solid. This was great and I am looking forward to more albums of this the who, which I saw has many on this list.

What a fucking ride. I was invested in Tommy's life from the start. I honestly was enjoying myself so much I wasn't ready for the album to end. Great album, great storytelling through music, great musicality.

lame

Some of their best songs are in this album, surrounded by folk-influenced tracks of varying quality. The story got me to the end, and although I'm not on board with some of the messages and worldviews present here, it's still interesting to get an insight into Pete Townshend's childhood.

Yeah idk I guess it was alright. Whatever. I found out that I owe the IRS 9k in taxes so really the last thing I wanted to hear along with that is a The Who album.

I didn't mind listening to this, however it just felt too long.

Ok guys I know this isn’t the best who album but Jesus you guys are some negative Nancys fr 😭 Overture - instantly recognisable trumpets. Awesome harmonies. Gnarly drums. Love how occasionally the guitar echoes parts later on in the album eg. 3:26 echoes Pinball Wizard It’s a boy - Mrs walker it’s a boy frrr not much to say because it’s only 40 seconds long 1921 - 21 was not in fact gonna be a good year poor Tommy 😔 Amazing Journey - Tommy character properly introduced and tells us the essential part. That he’s deaf, dumb, and blind Sparks - can really hear the bass in the beginning which I love. Not sure what else to say because it’s an instrumental Eyesight to the blind - LOVE this one SO MUCH Christmas - AH AHA AHAH poor Tommy doesn’t even know it’s Christmas 😔 guys Tommy can’t hear you or see you I promise Cousin Kevin - bro poor Tommy leave him alone tf The Acid Queen - breaking news guys disabled people are actually alive Underture - BASS YES JOHN if there’s one thing I absolutely LOVE about the who it’s the AWESOME bass. Lwk tempted to learn this as a bassist myself. GAH DAMN this is a long song I never realised how long it actually is Do You Think It’s Alright - NO ITS NOT ALRIGJT KEEP UNCLE ERNIE AWAY FROM HIM Fiddle About - makes me SO uncomfortable although I guess that’s the point justice for Tommy wtf guys Pinball Wizard - guys this deaf dumb and blind kid can sure play some MEAN PINBALL. The concept of Roger Daltrey completely DESTROYING Elton John in a game of pinball. A belter for SURE There’s a Doctor - can this doctor cure Tommy? Who knows? Go To The Mirror? - kept forgetting to pay attention to the lyrics I love the guitar and the melody Tommy Can You Hear Me? - ok well what if he doesn’t want to 🤨 he probably hates all of you goddamn. So annoying. Smash The Mirror - I mean yeah I wouldn’t blame him for only looking at himself if I were him I wouldn’t want to look at any of you. Great you broke the mirror cool. Sensation - yes lad use your fans for good Miracle cure - not much to say literally 12 seconds long Sally Simpson - it’s alright Sally better luck next time 😔 I’m Free - let’s go bro so close to the end !! end links back to pinball wizard Welcome - preach Tommy fr Tommys Holiday Camp - goofy ass tune fr 😭 like pop off I guess guys We’re Not Gonna Take It - YES AMAZING FINAL SONG I LOVE THIS ONE. Defo one of my favs on this album. I love how it echoes the Overture trumpets. I’m gonna give it 3 stars I love it but I just think that the Who have better albums (my favourite being Quadrophenia). Felt slightly illegal to listen to the album without the film (the film is lwk super goofy but I still love it 😭)

boring

Interesting at points but felt a little lost and repetitive sometimes

Quite fun

I listened to the whole first discus I'd feel bad quitting on an album again, but this was so unenjoyable for me. Not a fan really at all.

fav songs: smash the mirror theatrical, repetitive, detached 30/100

A charmingly shaggy and enjoyable rough around the edges rock opera. It's a little same-y in parts and probably overstays it's welcome by 10 or so minutes, but it's not lacking in ambition and chutzpah. What I enjoy most about this album though is it's relative simplicity when compared to the sprawling, virtuosic, proggy concept albums that came after it. Drums perhaps notwithstanding, there is something in Townsend's powerchord based writing that makes this seem attainable, and therefore admirable.

A couple of good songs, but meh. 3, maybe even a 2.5.

6.0/10 Didn’t hate it.. would probably need a few more listens to really appreciate it and follow the story

This really isn't very good is it? "Concept" albums rarely are, but the entire premise is just silly and most of the songs are, not to put too fine a point on it, crap.

Me parece muy interesante el concepto porque amo los álbumes con historia, pero no me parece increíble. Capaz no le presté mucha atención y en un futuro lo volvería a escuchar pero de todas formas no me impresionó.

When I was in high school I had this album. My parents bought me a pair of tickets to the local production as well. However, due to the pedophilia, I was uncomfortable asking any of my friends to come so I went with my sister. I'm pretty sure I came home with a See Me, Feel Me, Touch Me, Heal Me shirt. I don't think I ever wore it...if someone at my high school could pull that shirt off that person was definitely not me. Anyway, I think Uncle Ernie, Cousin Kevin, the Acid Queen and the more cringe aspects of this album were what stuck with me through the intervening 25 years. Re-listening I am struck by just how good most of the music is. I think the narrative nature of the project puts a pretty low ceiling on how good the collection of songs can possibly be. Given the constraints, these guys did about as well as you could have hoped for.

1921 buen tema

not a huge fan of 70s pshychodelia

It's certainly an ambitious album, I found the concept and lyrics hard to get into for most of it. I've never seen the film, it would maybe benefit from that, I'm sometimes more of a visual person. Instrumentally it's good, especially the drums, but nothing blew me away it was all fairly tame. Acid Queen was fun and very 60s. Christmas was evocative and where I kinda got back into the story. Fiddle About made me want to throw up. Pinball Wizard was a happy relief. I'm Free was another favourite. Will I ever listen to this again? Likely never.

This is not The Who at their tightest or most emotionally direct. It is The Who deciding that raw power is no longer enough and trying to build something monumental. Sometimes it soars. Sometimes it strains under its own concept. But even when it strains, it matters.

Alright, very proggy and probably just not quite to my tastes. Appreciate what it did in terms of being a rock opera

Too much The Who. This album is fucking stupid. I'm not listening to over an hour of it. Pinball Wizard fucking sucks and is ridiculous. Fuck off!!!

Very ambitious And they kind of pull it off Still… fiddle about…

i got a lot of respect for pete townshend and the who as a whole for going thru with creating a 75 minute long concept album, it's a full dick and balls on the table move and they pulled it off. even if the little interludes they included to explicitly move the story along kinda took me out of it a bit i can't say it's not well constructed. but the story the album tells is fuckin wack dude. like, the album covers a lot of really heavy topics, which isn't necessarily a problem but it does kinda put me off listening to it again if i'm not in the right mood for it. and did they really need to give the nonce character a second song? yeesh, regardless, the performances are great throughout, and i enjoyed the variety. i'm having trouble picking out favourites this time but "eyesight to the blind (the hawker)", "underture", "i'm free" and "welcome" stood out in particular. to my surprise, "pinball wizard" didn't really strike me as being substantially better than the rest of the album, but maybe i'm just overexposed...? and i guess "cousin kevin" and "the acid queen" both deserve honourable mentions too but i find it hard to get my head around the lyrics of either, especially the latter. you can't be saying that, dude.... i think overall i enjoyed it, more or less. but being about what it's about, it's been a struggle even to flick back through it for this review, so i don't think i'll be listening again any time soon. it's not bad, and i respect what they were going for, but it's the kind of thing that really requires me to be in the right moodset, and with things being as they are it's one that's rare for me these days.

That was crazy man.

6/10

i get that this launched the rock opera as a genre, and subsequently some of my favorite albums, but it just has too much of this… cartoony (?) sound.

What a strange album this is. Credit where it's due: there are few albums, if any, that made me feel like I was taken on a journey more than this one. It also had some interesting production choices: like having all the drums panned hard left on some tracks. Unless it was an artistic choice, I wish they were panned more conventional cause having them all on the left made the music feel lopsided. I'd say my listen of this album was fine. Not bad, not great, just fine. I'm sure there are plenty of details throughout the story to be picked out and analyzed. In both the contexts of this album and this entire best-albums-of-all-time list, I'm getting bored of English rock bands.

I love that this takes you on a whole journey. I wish I could experience listening to this for the first time again

Great

Monumental

idk

Interesting idea for a musical, but it was so long and they don't sing a lot of the times and then my brain just tunes it out and I forget that I'm listening to it. Its ok.

i’m sure this is someone’s favorite album of all time but it is not mine

# Album Name: Tommy # Artist: The Who # Rating: 2/5 # Comments: A grand opening. The first 12 tracks is an absolute grind. Honestly, i wanted to pull my eyes out. God this is such shite. Shame. Expected big things outta this lot. Theres only one good song on this record and its a banger, but its still couldnt save this steaming turd. # Top Tunes: Pinball wizard # Would I listen to it again? No

Is this the first rock opera? I really do not know, but i can confirm that it is probably the best known one. This is a big, ambitious album for a young band, and it rewards at least one repeat listen. The music has so many foreshadowed themes and callback themes... the overture does the classic Musical feat of cycling through a bunch of important themes (giving us some Entwistle trumpet in the process). The Underture is a really solid propelling piece of music. And then, we get to the lyrics. See, many a rock opera fails to stick the landing when it comes to telling the story. Tommy is little different. We get some character sketches here... obviously Tommy himself, the three major abusive figures in Tommy's life, a girl who devotes herself to Tommy. But the actual thread is jumbled. The whole backstory to the "deaf dumb and blind" Tommy featured in 1921 is only really clear when you've read about the intended story. The messianic final act is just bizarre. The Pinball thing is left field. The abuse feels gratuitous. The brief interstitial tracks are all faff. This wouldnt be a classic if we were rating the story, is the point. But there is some serious music in here, too. We can start with probably the most famous song here... when that electric guitar slide comes in over the speed angle of Pinball Wizard, it always feels a little exciting. It's a weird subject and weird plot point, but it's a pretty solid piece of music. But we also have those drums on Eyesight to the Blind. The uncomfortable trio of kevin/queen/ernie all have musically interesting songs, even as they all have their own cringe factor lyrically. Go To the Mirror gives us a lot of great Who. Tommy Can You Hear Me is possibly one of the most iconic simple minutes and a half in music. Heck, even the goofy stupidity of Tommy's Holiday Camp brings me a little joy. The good bits are very good, but they also kinda make you wish they weren't just a theme here and there. It's rarely a whole song, is the thing. 3.5* I think, against all odds, Christmas is the best song here. That chorus melody is one of the strongest things on the album, and it features the classic, frantic "Tommy can you hear me" refrain as well as the first "see me, feel me" theme. It is arguably as coherent a track on the album when it comes to actually telling a piece of the story.

The rock opera of my youth. Peter Townshend is the wizard. Some tracks very long but I don't care in this instance. 5/5

Twenty or so years ago, some friends made me watch the movie. I don't think I was on the right drugs to appreciate it. Pinball Wizard is a banger, though, and there are a few others. Doubt I'll seek out the whole album again.

¡Gran historia! ¡Grandes canciones!

Clasico!

Initially I really enjoyed the sounds on this album, but I think I ended up being annoyed with the overall length of the project. It felt bloated... or at least as if it dragged on at the end. I am feeling a 3.5 for this one, but I don't feel comfortable with a 4.

Pretty good album. The early 70s vibe was really there and it felt like a "classic". Just a clean album all around. Not my favorite but it was enjoyable. Tommy's story throghout was the best part. Otherwise the vocals were nice and the same can be said about the instrumental. Unfortunately the "WOW" factor wasn't there for me. Rating : 7.0 Favorite track : We're Not Gonna Take It

Hmm a double concept album just a bit too much who to get through. I’m not of its generation but I don’t know that it’s aged all that well.

Consistent throughout with enjoyable and instantly recognizable tracks, the jammy rock energy produces a thoroughly fun ride

I’ve always enjoyed the musicianship in this, and found the story utter nonsense. This time round I watched the movie too, where the nonsense took centre stage and was kind of rad.

Sounds great. I need to give it another listen to pay more attention to the lyrics and storyline. 4/5

the hell

Did not enjoy it much, but nice to hear what The Who sound like.

Tommy's Holiday Camp actually hurt my ears pretty mid but not the vibe Freakin Tommy, man.

Så filmen med HP da jeg var yngre. 4/10

I really liked some of their hits like "Won't Get Fooled Again" and "Baba O'Riley", so I was actually looking forward to this, but wow, I was so bored throughout this. For what's apparently regarded as an essential rock album, this really has no bite to it at all. It's just okay to have on in the background and that's about it. Starting to think this early rock from the 60's just isn't for me.

Kinda sounded like the beatles

Me gustó

A early rock opera. Others like bat out of hell and the wall are better but pinball wizard is such a good song.

With the exception of Pinball Wizard and I’m Free nothing particularly stands out. The other tracks are generally ok, but not worth the hype which followed this album.

Apart from the obvious classics that this album contains, I've never been a fan of the other tracks on this album. Because of the album's length I've never listened to it all the way through and this project has forced me to do just that. I found that I enjoyed parts of the album and its concept and , due to its length, got bored. Overall because of the classic tracks, although there are some weak tracks and the very fine musicianship, this album was better than I expected. It's not great, but it is not a complete dud.

Excited at the prospect...

Good for a rock opera but too long for regular enjoyment.

Good

Their fourth album. Rock / Rock Opera. The original Rock Opera. Beautiful Rock. Grand. Epic. Loud. The 60s metaphorically summed up in an album. Trigger being questioned by Slater.. "Nah, you're deaf, dumb and blind these days Trig, I bet you're a wizard on the pinball machine"... what's not to like. A fantastic piece of art !

Good album, perfect eclectic while working.

Pretty good but didn't grab me except, for some reason, 1921. Pinball is of course a banger though. Torn.

Uhhh not my favourite

I would be a follower of Tommy Walker ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 Highlights: "Its A Boy" "Christmas

The Who are a tough band. They bounce around between kitschy novelty songs (no shade to 'Boris the Spider'), rock anthems and pretensions of Floyd-ness. This is one of the few albums where it all comes together for them. Don't get it twisted: Entwhistle and Moon are one of the most talented rhythmic partnerships in the history of popular music. I'd pay good money to watch them battle it out with Bootsy Collins and any of his drum partners. Roger Daltry is a solid example of what male vocalists in this genre sound like. The problem is that Pete Townshend's reach often exceeds his grasp. A good guitar player but not remotely the equal of Page, May, Clapton, Hendrix or probably even Paul Kossoff from Free (had to look him up), his songwriting is also good but begs for collaboration much of the time. However: it all hits on Tommy. It's a profoundly strange rock opera, one that could hardly be said to be about anything beyond its deliberately bizarre premise, but it contains all of the drama and focus that The Who's near-misses lack. This is a band you can best experience through its singles. But Dimery's right about this: you must listen to Tommy. This may be what best exemplifies the rock opera period of album rock. It is profoundly creative and it is nonetheless compelling. This is The Who's best work and Pete Townshend's most effective songwriting. Start here. I'm not even going to break it down song-by-song. The whole record is working in service to a greater goal (their other albums seem to usually be in service of selling records; they fall into the trap of becoming brilliant technicians going through the motions) and it shows. 5/5, this is an album that countless bands have tried to emulate and few have succeeded in doing so. The Who make it look easy. It's not.

Classic!

2.5/5

I really like Pinball Wizard ofc!!1 I found the rest of the album hard to follow bc i was multitaskin.

One of, if not the greatest rock concept albums of all time.

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

un poil long

Il a l'air spécial ce Tommy !

Pass

I couldn't wait for it to end. I did not connect with this at all.

Pretty solid, I love the story being told going through each song. Christmas was a surprising banger.

6/10 It feels like the album just serves as a backstory for it's obvious highlight - Pinball Wizard. It's not a bad album by any means. I quite liked '1921', 'Sparks', 'Go To The Mirror!', and 'Sally Simpson'. There's just not much more substance there. I also wish 'Fiddle About' didn't exist, but here we are. Best track: Pinball Wizard Will I revisit? Probably not

While I enjoyed listening to Tommy, I couldn't help wanting to listen to other albums like My Generation, Sells Out or Who's Next. The rock opera thing can be grandiose or at times too ethereal for this album.

who as in who the fuck listens to this

sgood

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

I have a big soft spot for these mad conceptual swings that bands from the 60s started making. There's some really good stuff on here but also come on it doesn't need to be an hour and a half long lads!!

great album!

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

el otro dia me compre una remera vintage de the who así que estoy contenta de que haya salido este album hoy

GOAT.

2/3. Surprisingly understandable for a concept album about a disabled pinball kid, given it was my first time listening to it. The story is silly at the end of the day, but the music is great. Enjoyed this quite a lot and I’m looking forward to hearing more of the Who (hopefully the less conceptual kind).

⭐ ⭐ 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.

Transmite vibras de una nueva etapa, dejar cosas atrás y avanzar sintiendo calidez, tiene buen ímpetu para mandarle para adelante, te saca de la pesadez del cansancio, entre en un modo de atención y concentración al detalle durante la realización de una actividad con este álbum.

Tommy can you hear me?

no

One of my life highlights was playing lead guitar for a production of Tommy in 2005. I'll always choose it over Quadrophenia, though I love both. Cousin Kevin is so hard to replicate live they only played it live once or twice. Anyway long live The Who. This record contains the entirety of human experience and rocks. How could that not be 5 stars?

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.

The enlightenment of a false prophet or just self-realization?

It sounds a bit like Pink Floyd, just 10 years earlier. A good, fresh rock opera. 8/10

This album went from good to mediocre. It started off with high quality music that was fully instrumental, to the singing and less musically focused songs that I didn't like at much. This album felt like listening to a musical, which was pretty cool, but I don’t think I really prefer it to a regular album. It’s definitely interesting, though, and I can understand why people might like it.

Album #58: Tommy - The Who Genre (W): Rock, hard rock Singles: Pinball Wizard, I’m Free / We’re Not Gonna Take It, See Me, Feel Me / Overture from Tommy I have listened to this album twice before. Thoughts?: I love the story of this rock opera. This is the first time I’ll be listening to the songs as songs and rating an album based on the music. The story is pretty convoluted, but the musicianship is great! I can see how this album inspired a bunch of concept albums in the future. Favorite songs: Overture/It’s a Boy, 1921, Amazing Journey/Sparks, Cousin Kevin, The Acid Queen, Underture, Pinball Wizard, Go to the Mirror!, Smash the Mirror, Sally Simpson, I’m Free, Welcome, We’re Not Gonna Take It

So great. I Love it!

Probably wont listen to it again

There are albums that are best listened to in their entirety, there are those that should be listened to in their entirety, and then there are those that must be listened to in their entirety. Tommy falls into the latter category. One of the first (or second, depending on your perspective) rock operas, it was written almost entirely by the band's guitarist, Pete Townshend. It's a seventy-five-minute classic rock epic, where the songs, like chapters in a book, flow into each other almost seamlessly — from half-minute interludes to long overtures. The plot isn't exactly easy to follow. It's clear that it's about a deaf, dumb and blind man who eventually becomes a religious guru, but the record benefited greatly from Townshend himself describing the entire ten-page script in an interview with Rolling Stone before its release. The album's main drawback is that it could have been about fifteen minutes shorter. However, that's not a huge deal.

It was fun to hear the context around Pinball Wizard but wow this was way too much. It felt like a dragging broadway musical after a while

Really don't understand why Quadrophenia is not on the list but this is, when it's largely a dry-run of the "rock opera"/broadway-esque sound they continued to pursue on that record. Its successor has an easier to follow story, better lyrics, instrumental parts, and more memorable motifs throughout. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of big swings here and some aspects are done quite well, but it does not fully earn its length and was surpassed by a record largely of the same vein and style so I don't consider it essential Who.

ambitious and ground breaking - pinball wizzard is the standout

One iconic classic rock tune, put in at a key moment to give you partial relief from a VERY dark story. IT's not a bad album, just... there's no veiling of the darkness here. And the fact that Tommy starts a cult as an adult doesn't make it any better, because the same adults are still abusing him. Yes, you need to hear this album. Just be forewarned that it's dark. My Rating: 5/5

I see why this was so huge when it came out, but I have mixed feelings. It works way better as an album than a musical. I respect how much it pioneered the concept album, but the “story” is not very exciting for me. That said, it has some great standalone songs and a lot of filler. But it’s a fun listen overall. Top Songs: Christmas, Pinball Wizard, I’m Free

Also meh. Like not big on how these first two albums talk about women but you know how old music is

Crazy that this is where Pinball Wizard is from. I’m just an absolute sucker for concept/story albums. I think some of the transitional songs were a bit clunky, and I’d have to sit with it more to really eek out what its trying to say. I think the mental illness savant plot line is incredibly dated, but comes either the territory for an album round this time. Songs themselves were just really great to listen to, overture and underture were a great sign that this album was going to be pretty good.

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.