Tommy

Album #94 The Who: Tommy Being a kid and listening to “Pinball Wizard”, I always just assumed the track was a one-off joke. Despite being a very good song, I always found it strange that the band who made “Who’s Next” would have a song about a deaf, dumb, and blind kid who played pinball via sense of smell. I will admit to not being the most hardcore fan of The Who despite loving “Who’s Next” and many of their hits. I never felt too compelled to listen to their other albums since I was aware that they were very ambitious and long concept albums. So going into this, I knew to expect a concept album, and I knew that there was a track which focused on the Helen Keller of pinball, yet somehow I didn’t piece it together that the entire album would be about that very pinball wizard. You have to respect The Who, one of the biggest bands in the world at the time, could essentially go into the studio and create anything, and it would sell, and they decided to make an hour-plus rock opera about a deaf, dumb, and blind person's entire life. I don’t know whether it is genius or insane, but knowing The Who’s lifestyle, it is likely both. As far as musicianship goes, The Who were amongst the best of their class, John Entwiste on bass, Pete Townshend on guitar, and Keith Moon on drugs, I mean, Keith Moon on drums, is one of the most stacked lineups of the 60s. The issues with Tommy will likely come with whether or not you can stomach a concept album this inherently silly, and if the answer is that you can look past tracks about cousin Kevin torturing his disabled relative, and Uncle Ernie ‘fiddling’ him, then you will be met with a rather compelling narrative that actually has a lot to say about the treatment of outcasts and how it feels to not fit in amongst society. Tommy is an album which can be tedious to listen to in it’s entirety, but it is absolutely necessary that it is consumed that way; if you are engaged with the story being told, it is almost like watching a movie, but if you are barely following along, it is like watching paint dry. Personally, I find it to be quite an easy and pleasant listen, though not one that I would look to experience too much. Best Songs: Pinball Wizard, Overture, We’re Not Gonna Take It Worst Song: Fiddle About Score out of 10: 7.5

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.

I like The Who but I'm not a fan of Musicals. Having the storyline when listening did make the listening experience better but it is a very long story (and kinda horrible story). My favourite concept album/song is 2112 by Rush and I feel this did not capture me in the same way. Pinball wizard is a Classic but the rest don't really resonate with me. I feel this has a place on this list because it paved the way for other similar albums like the wall and 2112... But it's not that great of an album to be honest.

A pretty damn impressive slab of 60s rock. Rock operas are not so much my thing but, of all them, this one is way up there.

No.

It's embarrassing that it's taken me nearly five decades to listen to all of Tommy. As with most concept albums, I appreciate the ambition even if it drags a little. But it's hard for anything to drag much when Keith Moon throws down on the drums, as he frequently does here, and of course Pete Townshend's guitar playing is never tedious. I'll need to come back to this one to fully digest it, but it won't be a chore.

Mixed with some filler, but then again what opera isn't. Talented group and this is one of their best.

A complete soup of an album, all over the shop and a poorly paced story. But occasionally brilliant. And obviously basically created (or at least popularised) the rock opera.

6/10

Done - Overtorture, It's a Boy, 1921, Amazing Journey, Sparks,

Good album, some tracks drag it but the highs are high with this, solid 7/10 album First listen tracklist ranking: 1. We’re Not Gonna Take It 2. I’m Free 3. Amazing Journey 4. Pinball Wizard 5. Sparks 6. The Acid Queen 7. Sally Simpson 8. Christmas 9. Welcome 10. Go To The Mirror! 11. Overture 12. Underture 13. Cousin Kevin 14. Sensation 15. Tommy Can You Hear Me? 16. Eyesight to the Blind 17. Smash the Mirror 18. Fiddle About 19. 1921 20. Do You Think It’s Alright? 21. It’s A Boy 22. There’s A Doctor 23. Tommy’s Holiday Camp 24. Miracle Cure

曲は楽しいけど歌詞の内容が好みではない。

This album has a special place in my heart. Firstly it is one of only two that I can remember clearly buying (the other one being Led Zeppelin 3)I bought Tommy on the day of release from a record shop in Halifax during a lunch break. I walked back to where I was then working and sat on a grass banking at the side of Halifax Minster to marvel at the artwork. It has a tri fold out sleeve. That alone had an effect upon me. I’d never seen the likes of that album cover before and every time I go past that same grass banking Tommy comes into my mind and usually a tune from the album. I was largely attracted to Tommy due to it being a concept album and as I was very much into Prog it was a must have album. Not that The Who were considered Prog but I was willing to overlook this. As regards the music I do recollect that initially I was a tad disappointed. It was an album that I did have to invest a lot of time on but I was motivated to do this given that as a double album it had cost me, in those days, nearly a weeks wages. I do now know the album note for note and really didn’t have to listen to again as it is a regular album choice. What I haven’t done in a while is to pull the same album cover out of its protective sleeve again to relive those first moments I became connected with it. Only my very best and cherished albums get the protective sleeve treatment. So glad I did it with this one as it is still immaculate and means just as much as it did to that young boy sat in awe on the grass on that warm spring day. 5/5 10/3/26

It's fine, just not for me.

pinball wizard is so important to me tbh another album that i know is excellent but i was not in the mood for when it came to me this time 😔 feels bad to rate a 3 but this is the truth of this most recent listening session

treat!!!!!!! top tier, this album will just always remind me of dad, just classic, so fun to listen to and sing along with there has to be a twist!!!!!

Never really been much of a Who fan. Know a few of their songs (who doesn’t) and even saw them live - I think performing Tommy in Hyde Park with loads of special guests in the 90’s. Was a bit too windy though so sound was pretty poor. Anyway, never listened to this album before so here goes… It’s a lot tamer than I thought it would be. Quite good, although can have the tendency of merging into background music if not careful. A lot better than I thought it would be in any case. Ok, spoke too soon, “Tommy’s Holiday Camp” should warrant a drop of atleast a point - what a terrible piece! Yuck!

Hmm didn't enjoy that as much as I'd hoped - it felt a little unfocused - maybe with the visuals I'd have enjoyed it more

I was really up for this, but actually I think it doesn't hold up as well outside of the movie. It's good, but you could cut a ton and make it great.

My grandad’s favourite band, excited to hear more of them! The album has such an interesting story, I really wanna see the film !! Fav song is ‘Pinball Wizard’.

The first time I listen this record, now Undertstand why it's one of the most influential rock records ever. Ground breaking for the time. Even now few would dare to make a conceptual record like this

Álbuns duplos vão sempre significar um desafio nessa lista. A história que esse projeto conta é muito curiosa: é quase um pastiche sobre os lideres religiosos milenaristas; porém poderia muito bem ser uma história sobre neurodivergência e as consequências dos pais do Tommy tentando "curá-lo" desesperadamente. Diria que a instrumentação é mais legal que a história, que não é exatamente muito clara sem o uso de materiais suplementares.

It was two hours of the same old sound; unfortunately, the songs didn't really grab me. So, one star for the effort.

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.

Like a play. I like pinball wizard

Huge album. Way more instrumental songs than I remembered. Everyone just remembers Pinball Wizard. I still like the Overture and Underture though.

WHAT A ALBUM. I forget about The Who but man are they such a great band. Never had heard this album by them by it hit.

Put it on and did something else. Faded into the background.

Unsure between a 3 and a 3.5 so going to round down. It's enjoyable, but they have better albums than this.

Plodding

I had no clue who the pinball wizard was and it seems to be an incredibly sad story.

Classic Rock

When to listen: Feel like I'm 16 and performing in the choir of Tommy at a high school in New Jersey over the summer. The concept is weird and brilliant, the music is wonderful and interesting. Damn I just love The Who

The rock opera hasn't aged perhaps as well as other Who albums but there are still some great tracks on it that make it still a must listen.

Good album, it sound like a musical rhapsody sometimes. Song I like: 1921, we’re not gonna take it

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.

7/10

Good stuff 4

I'm a fan of The Who, but the studio album of Tommy is actually quite disappointing. I like the live versions recorded in 1969/70 much better.

Couldn't finish it. Rock opera bollocks

Pretty cool

Heyyyyy not bad!

veoma veoma zanimljiv koncept za album - životna priča jednog lika tomija ispričana kroz ovu ''rok operu'', all the highs and lows, and theres a lot of lows. malo me podseća na hamiltona haha. produkcija je super, ima dosta dinamičnih momenata, različitih zvukova u pesmama, stvarno kao da gledam/slušam operu.

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

Okay. So. I grew up a huge devotee of the Who. They were a awkward little part of my even more awkward preteen identity (and beyond). I love(d) them. I listened to this record obsessively for a year or so. I remained a Who fan many many years, still am. Here is the thing: Tommy just isn't great. It's ambitious, urgent, unsettling and there are some great songs, some amazing playing (thanks, Keith!), and moments of pop genius. But it is pretty goofy, thematically inchoate, loaded with crappy filler, excessive, and its aims exceed its grasp. This is Pete's tragic flaw: dreaming up wild conceptual shit that is never brought to fruition. This is a failure to which I am sympathetic: I feel for Pete and with Pete in ways that I never could or would for or with John Lennon or Mick Jagger/Keith Richards or Jimi Hendrix or Stevie Nicks or Bob Dylan or Lucinda Williams or anyone. My sympathetic connection to Pete's failures makes the music, when it is good, even better. But Tommy. Still not great.

There are high highlights, to be sure, but as a rock opera, it doesn’t sustain itself fully.

I liked this one! Some songs better than others, some felt kind of like filler. But overall I enjoyed it.

Very long, got bored 'album' should just probably be disc 1, 3.5 hours unneeded

I may be biased but this album, for the most part, still stands up well. Not really the first rock opera but the first one that counted. I love Quadrophenia more but this album is iconic in ways few other albums ever reach.

Listening to this divorced from the film is a bizarre experience. It feels so random and strange, it's hard to follow the story from the sonic cues alone. While that problem is endemic to rock operas in general, Tommy suffers from the fact that only a few songs are good as standalone songs. The majority of these compositions make sense primarily as part of a soundtrack, resulting in a goofy and cheesy listening experience more often than not. Impressive? Sure. Enjoyable? Not so much.

Yooo ik ken n nummer hiervan Nicee

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.

I first have to give The Who credit for somehow making a rock opera about a mute pinball wizard and not making it feel like a pretentious mess. I admire their ambition, even if I'm unsure how often I will return to this as a full album. I am curious to check out the movie after spending time with this today. They pull the concept off well and I didn't feel like this double album dragged at all during its 74 minute runtime. There's a lot of dark themes to be found here, with the protagonist getting abused throughout the story. 'Cousin Kevin' is a song sung from the perspective of a particularly mean school bully and it handles the premise well. On the other hand, you have 'Fiddle About', which is a song about sexual abuse and it is tackled so clumsily that it almost feels like a joke. 'Tommy's Holiday Camp' is another song that is too damn goofy for its own good. Whilst we do get some good tracks like 'Pinball Wizard', this record made me realise that I much prefer The Who when they are putting out simplistic rockers instead of grandiose concept records like this.

Yeah I still really am not a fan of big concept albums. This had some good songs I enjoyed and I respect it for what it is, but overall it wasn’t for me. I didn’t care for the overall story and that was a big draw back as well.

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.

Great

Good songs mixed with some not so good; the first three or four were my favorites, the rest felt repetitive. Anyway, it's a band I like.

Double albums are, I've come to understand, a brilliant idea if a) you're really, really, really into the band; or b) they're complete genius of some kind. Otherwise they're invariably at least a bit crap. I'm not a fan of The Who really (and, btw, I'm sure I had to listen to some of this stuff on Live From Leeds didn't I?). And I don't think this is anywhere near as interesting as The Wall, for example (and that has major faults). So, this is just a very long album by a band that I don't particularly like. It's dated in places and not all that interesting in most places. So, not really my thing here. I didn't actively hate most of it, so it's not a 1. But it's not far off.

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.

Too long. I live the musical and this isn't as compelling, but there's a lot of great stuff here. Definitely worth a listen and it's legend status

I actually felt like this was a bit mid

Don’t know why, but it just doesn’t shake my grapes…

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

Too long and indulgent

Eh. Not a whole lot fan.

Cute

This album only really gets going in the second half (presumably it's a double LP, so the second LP). On top of that only The Acid Queen jumped out at me, beyond the classics that we've all heard before. For these reasons I don't think it's worth listening to this album. I'm sure it was huge at the time, and there are some good tracks, but lots of it is forgettable. 1 - doesn't belong on this list.

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.

Abject.

Just awful.

No.

Zero stars if I ever listen to this again I’ll know I’ve died and gone to hell

I've been aware of this album's status all my adult life, but I've never sat down to listen to it... until now. I was taken aback by how disagreeable I found it. I'm not against the idea of a concept album, but nothing about this worked. Escruciating in places. Worst album I've come across so far on the project. I don't even like Pinball Wizard, I'm sorry. 1.6 Fav track: Sparks (the lack of vocals was a real treat here) Least fav: Do You Think It's Alright? (no)

Never listened to this but I was impressed with it. Good songs individually and they connected to the story of the album as a whole. The child abuse was a bit shocking to hear. But actually good that they were willing to speak about that way back in the 60’s.

Legendary

Cool

Another one I didn't feel like I needed to listen to because it was such a part of my adolescence. Unbelievable album.

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.

Great album. Liked the mix of soft rock and some songs being a bit heavier. Didn’t like get the “story” on the album. The little I’ve heard of The Who (Qaudrophenia) was more riff heavy. This was less show and I few songs did sound rather similar

I grew up with this one. I love it and the movie soundtrack.

5 stars all the way. Normally I wpild be skeptical of a 'delux' version that contains various outakes. Quite often this makes the album less enjoyable by adding songs not good enough to make the original cut. But the live section on discs 3&4 are possibly better than the original as it captures the Who at their very best.

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.

For me it's a near perfect album. I like the journey it takes me.

I did'n like this as much as I thought I would. The album felt too long and I didn't really get in to the albums concept. There was good stuff in the album and parts/songs I enjoyed but the experience in whole was... well a little meh. Would rate this 2.5/5 but I think it deserves 3 more than 2 when there is no half star option. Best song was Pinball Wizard.

This is such a weird album to review because at times it's great and at times it's a dud. It's catchy in a way it shouldn't have the chance to be. They're at 10/10 band doing a lot of 10 and a lot of 3 but it's unique and creative. Go on. Listen. I'm glad bands make weird crap like this when they could just make an album, but make sure not to just do this.

The Who have such strong songs compositions and I've always liked the storytelling aspect of many of their songs. This was an interesting listen but maybe not the strongest album.

Three stars for content. Extra star for execution of concept.

About three songs in I realized it was a rock opera - that's on me the first song is literally called Overture. The writing is way better than the music imo, but I do really love the world building. What I can say about this album is that each instrument has a purpose and connection to the albums overall allegory which I thought was really cool: Highlights: Acid Queen, Sally Simpson, We're Not Gonna Take It

Extremely boring.

Best Track - "Pinball Wizard"

finally, music that tells a story

Good enough. Rock Opera doesn't usually excite me when I'm not also watching it. Saw the show put on several years ago and had a blast. But just sitting here listening to it makes me feel like I'm missing 'the rest'.

Я ожидал большего от любимой The Who. Впрочем, не отменяет культовости пластинки. Не очень мелодично.

Nope don't get the hype

I liked this. I need to listen again I think 3.5

OK

Є декілька пісень, що мені справді сподобалися. Уцілому альбом крутий. Я поставила б 4,5 бо до кінця злегка набридає

Dit was een van mijn eerste albums die ik op de middelbare helemaal luisterde. Waarschijnlijk om te kijken waar de tune van de top 2000 vandaan kwam. Ik had het al een tijdje niet gehoord, en hoewel ik niet zo omver geblazen ben als toen, vind ik dit nog steeds een erg leuk album. Het is een beetje all over the place, en sommige nummers en interludes hadden niet persé gehoeven en zitten er voor mij gevoel alleen in voor het "plot". Maar voor iedere halfbakken interlude staat er iets als we're not gonna take it, pinball wizard en overture/underture. Een nostalgisch album waar ik nog steeds een hoop lol me had vandaag. 8/10

It's been years since I sat down and listened to Tommy. I think it's great, not flawless, but rightfully included on this list for its place in musical history establishing the rock opera as a genre. There's so much imagination and creativity packed into these songs, it's hard not to appreciate. This is my 4th Who album, and I don't know how many others there are, so I think now I'll say my piece. I'd always assumed Quadrophenia would for sure be my album of the day at some point. Now I know it's not even included, which is just wild. If I got to be a contributing editor on this list, I'd never remove Tommy. But I'd be going rounds with someone to get Quadrophenia a permanent spot.

The soundtrack of my childhood, my parents worked on a Tommy production when they first met. Not my favorite Who album but I respect the concept and generally enjoyed.

Very long, but it’s so good that I don’t mind

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

Hey, look, it's an album people actually like! You know, like one with an actual reason for being on the list(take that, Beta Band!). It's not the best album I could have had, or even the best Who album(Who's Next exists), but it's still a good album. It's a prime example of the theatrical hard rock that marks prime Who, with it generally being regarded as the beginning of the Who's strongest period. It is a concept album about a kid who becomes deaf, mute, and blind after being traumatized by a murder in his own home. However, that concept isn't what's important here; it's the songs that make an album, and many of them serve only as interludes and story development. There are good standalone songs here, though, even though the lyrics are crafted specifically to be part of the concept. I do believe the album could have ended at "Smash the Mirror" which would ideally be slightly elongated to resolve the story after the album's climax. It's far from perfect, but it still has merit and influence, so it gets good marks from me.

Anyone expecting traditional 3-4 minute, stand alone tunes is probably going to be disappointed by Tommy. However, they are also missing the point. This is an album that must be heard as a cohesive unit to be appreciated, it is, after all, a rock opera. This album was damn innovative when it was released, people were blown away for the same reason that seems to turn people off today. Listening to the album for this review was a mixed bag. I think there was some good songwriting. The musicianship was also impressive with classic rock riffs that I enjoyed. This is an album that I feel needs to be listened to intently, several times to appreciate. This is usually fine. I like giving albums several listens before reviewing. However, this is a crazy long album. Tough to get through.

You shouldn't miss out on this tribute: https://youtu.be/G4wlLFM0Ps8?si=wjfnPxmyS7jV9EJy 😉

An album I listened to years ago but never really stuck with me, so will practically be a brand new listen. I always enjoyed The Who, but they never regularly stayed in my top tier really. First double album here. A concept album “rock opera.” It’s a really interesting concept and The Who have a great sound. It’s fun to have a story told through a long form musical like this. It very much feels influential to rock musicals that came later, not just albums. Sound wise it’s early British Invasion rock with a harder sound. Almost has the feel of something more recent than 1969. It’s hard to be negative about this because love the concept. Some of the songs are great too, even though it all feels a little long and over done. Does it need a 10 minute underture? But the way it “tells a story” feels very original. Even though lyrically, it’s easy to lose some of the story at times. Pinball Wizard is clearly the standout track here. Christmas, and Go to the Mirror, annd the closing track are probably my two other favorite parts of this. It’s funny, while listening I thought it felt a little too long but by the end I’m like that was fun. It’s great at times. 4 feels too generous? 3 feels too low. I’ll go generous. This feels like an album that should definitely be experienced.

6.5/10

Masterpiece

2/13/26. Very interesting and larger than life album! Will require multiple listens to grasp the narrative throughout, but on the first listen it feels immersive. Almost a combination of later Beatles and Pink Floyd; might sound silly to describe The Who as that, but I think it applies to this album.

I like the movie soundtrack better.

I listened the hell out of this as a kid, but haven't come back to it in album form for a good long time. From my current perspective I can feel the yearning to make something elevated to the form, the rock opera. The story is good, but the music suffers, I feel. It is a good headphone experience, intended for quad sound, they spent some time on it.

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

I was surprised at how long this album was for a concept album is one's for about an hour and 14 minutes and I think 24 songs there are common themes throughout the album and it's actually very laid back and easy going for the most part but of course pinball Wizard being the outstandard outstanding track in the on the whole album I really enjoyed it but I still think there's a lot of filler and not the 23 tracks could have been 10 quite easily and for that reason I'm giving it to three

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!

Mukavaa taas kerran Beatles meininkiä. Tietysti omalla who mausteella

Of the 5 Who albums on this list I only agree with this one and Who's Next being here. Exchange the other 3 for Quadrophenia. That being said, I think Townshend is a musical genius. Daltrey is one of the GOATs of rock singers. Moon played the drums like a lead instrument. Entwistle was a revolutionary bass player, any list that doesn't have him in the top 10 of all time is not to be taken seriously. As an entire concept album/rock opera this works incredibly well but I'd rather have the soundtrack version with Tina Turner singing the Acid Queen, because it's fucking Tina Turner man.

I was between a 3 and a 4 so I rounded up. It’s ok. Very bloated with lots of fluff but there are real high points too.

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.

I have an appreciation for how weird this album is

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

3 stars

i prefer this over the last rock album i got (hot fuss), its got a very "sunny day road trip" vibe yk, like the saturation in the scene is put to a max, those typa scenes. its a bit too long and dragged out imo, but i can see this being a good road trip album, pretty mid still. 6/10

My favorite part is in Smash The Mirror at 1:19. Otherwise I just don't really have much to say about it. I think the Who should be on this list somewhere, I already had 'My Generation' previously and I think that is probably more appropriate. This album is more for big fans of The Who. I don't find it interesting as a concept album and the songs aren't really interesting standalone either.

I'm not a big fan of The Who, but I think this is one of their more solid efforts. It's very well produced and ambitious instrumentally as well as lyrically, and has some serious bangers (Christmas, Pinball Wizard). Still, they're not exactly a band I would listen to for 75 minutes straight and that remains the album's biggest flaw.

The Who! cool concept album

much more psychadelic than i expected, goes kind of downwards in the second half

I couldn't finish it Think it was my first time listening to a rock opera and I doubt I'll delve deeper - there's some good tracks here (faves: Pinball Wizard, Sally Simpson) but it's buried beneath a lot of repetitive, irritating stuff that drags on forever

Sonically one of my favorites but have always found some of the subject matter to be pretty distracting. Lotta pedo talk! I love the musical themes weaving in and out of the album, particularly the climax/coda (See Me, Feel Me etc.), but the story itself is pretty dumb. Why does Tommy invite his pedo uncle to the Camp at the end? Is he mad at the world for his fucked up situation? Why are there two molestation songs? This time through the amount of Pete on vocals stood out. Good on Rog to stick it out. Highlights are Amazing Journey/Sparks, Pinball Wizard, Smash the Mirror, We're Not Going to Take It. Live version "See Me, Feel Me" the last track at Woodstock, is very sick.

I appreciate and respect the attempt to do something different, but more often than not if the question is “should we expand this story over a 24 song rock opera” the answer is “no”

Tommy has always been kind of mythic - heard alot about it but never listened to it in full. After my son Tommy was born, I was playing Tommy Can You Hear Me a little bit, until I looked up what this album is about, and then I stopped. I think there is a reason we only know Pinball Wizard - there just aren't many bangers on this album - which is a little infuriating. One of my favorite meme/tweets is: Pink Floyd: what if we’re misusing the time in our lives Led Zeppelin: what if love is the only way we can move forward The Who: what if a disabled kid was good at pinball

Драйв, но в отрыве от текста не так Интересно

At first I was sceptical about what I felt was standard Rock. But once I realized how story-driven this album is I came around and really enjoyed my time with Tommy. The album is so well rounded that I find it difficult to express how quickly the listenting session went by. The only problem was Underture for me: I get what The Who was going for but I feel like 10 minutes is about double the lenght the song should have had. Best songs are Go To The Mirror! and Sally Simpson. 9/10, the perfect fusion of Rock and Opera.

Still brilliant after all these years.

This is the first time I have struggled to finish my daily album (okay, I never finished Dagmar Crause - Tank Battles, but that was crap and only playable through youtube so it almost dorsn’t count). Not because it’s that bad, but it’s just too long and I’ve had a busy day. The music is a blend of classic rock and musical-style, which sometimes works pretty well, but it also get quite tedious. Especially when it goes on and on for too long. Pinball Wizard is a great classic, but it can’t save the rest of the album.

I never got into The Who, only heard some of their singles, which I didn’t particularly like. I was looking forward to actually listening to a whole album and see what awaited. There was nothing here for me. Not the lyrics, the voice, the instruments, nothing. The drums were cool, I guess

Really dislike this album. Big disappointment as I like a few The Who songs. It was torturous to listen to them constantly repeat the same phrases in a high pitched, monotonous way. Genuinely very annoying to listen to. Playing Fiddle About on repeat for an hour would probably drive me to insanity.

Ok, ful sm bla excited, po sm pa vidla 74 minut. Ampak ok, dvojni album, rock opera, gremo. (Sm fan od The Who, ampak I guess površinski, ker tega albuma še nism poslušala.) Ok, vsaj kak komad sm že morala slišat, ker so mi preveč znani. O ja, "Underture", k je 10 minutni instrumentalni komad, definitivno poznam. Fakin hud komad. "Pinball Wizard", itak. Da je "Tommy's Holiday Camp" napisal Keith Moon, ma največ smisla na svetu. Not my favourite The Who muska, ampak kr impresivno.

i feel obligated to give them *some* credit for trailblazing the rock opera, but my problem is that the songs here just... aren't very good. pinball wizard rocks, but that's the one standout. there's a lot of filler, a lot of gross, questionably-handled songs, no story, and a lot more ambition than actual good sound. 3 feels about right.

thomas, what the hell is this? these are some of the most random and off the wall songs the who have ever released. most are filler but there are some bangers buried in here. not sure about the plot of this rock opera and the weirdly edgy content, i think i'll pass. favorites: overture, amazing journey, sparks, christmas, pinball wizard, go to the mirror

mid/25 = 0.2

I feel like the album has a plot/tracklisting issue, you cant have fiddle about right next to Pinball Wizard.

Some interesting songs and I could imagine it would be a good movie...but doesn't really work as an album to me. Too much plot exposition etc.

In sixth grade, I had my first iPod, an iTunes gift card, and knew approximately two pop bands (The Beatles and, bizarrely, the Barenaked Ladies). Knowing my dad was a fan of The Who, I asked him what song of theirs I should buy for my iPod. He suggested “Squeeze Box”—an insane choice to recommend to your pubescent son, but the sexual innuendo flew right over my head. One day, I stayed home from school with the flu, and as I lay in bed, Robitussin staining the bedsheets, I grew bored of the twenty songs I’d been listening to on repeat. I went to the CD cabinet, and came across a chunky case: “Tommy” by The Who. My interest had been piqued by “Squeeze Box,” so I brought it upstairs, popped disc 1 in my boom box, brought the liner notes back to bed, and listened/read through the whole album in one sitting. Never before or since has a concept album captured me in quite the same way—in fact, it’s safe to say this was the album that made me fall in love with listening to ALBUMS, and not just singles. The first proper Rock Opera, “Tommy” is not just a great collection of rock songs, but a masterclass in storytelling through songwriting. And unlike “The Wall,” (another favorite of mine), most tracks on “Tommy” can stand on their own well. One of the greatest albums ever written, and one of my favorites.

wait dzaan momewonaa tan 23 maiss gamoushves

A handful of good songs but it didn’t really blow me away. I think a lot of the appeal back then was the live performance of it. I still enjoyed it though.

I read once that this album was written during Townshend's mystical moments in life, and it's based on his own horrible abuse from his grandmother. This album follows a deaf, mute, and blind boy who suffers terrible abuse and transforms into a spiritual leader. Sometimes, the reason a song is written is almost as good as the sound.

Watched the movie, it was absolutely ridiculous, I'd swim in that champagne/chocolate/bean mix with Ann-Margret any day.

Classic, overblown, rock opera, Jack Nicholson sings in the movie.

Stunning album, took me a couple of listens to appreciate it but then Spotify listed a live version and it blows the doors off showing what a band they were

Really loved listening to this one!

Sort of listened when cleaning flat so heard about 3 songs total across the 237 that were on the album. Gonna give 3 for vibes

Kein schlechtes Album, aber auch nicht sonderlich spannend. Kann man gut hören, aber holt mich auch nicht unbedingt ab

Grand, theatrical movements built from ringing guitars, pounding drums, sweeping acoustic passages, and declamatory, emotionally stretched vocals move this rock opera album like watching an elaborate stage musical from the balcony—the storytelling feels compelling, but without the visual movement (there's a movie to this) the music alone feels strangely empty and incomplete.

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

First critique, the album is way too long. It felt like there was a lot of filler, which led to a lot of forgettable songs. I mean, 24 songs? Way too many. The only song that stood out was the one that I already knew going in, "Pinball Wizard", which is a fun track. I definitely would not listen to this album again. 2/5 stars.

Shrugs. It's fine.

Boring

A lot of self indulgence.

Kind weird :p

24 sanger!! Litt skuffa, ikke så kule som de blir etter hvert! Mye instrumenter og rart

quite good but quite repetitive and boring at times

1.5

Really not my genre. I tried listening to this album as the day went by (70 tracks!) but it didn't strike me as something I would listen to again. Then again, I'm sure a lot of people from the previous generation would have loved this. 3 stars.

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

I remember being a bit mixed on this one, but let's see! Nope, still mixed. I can see why someone would love this, but I don't.

fun storytelling, i enjoyed it

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.

Excellent!

Pinball wizard highlight Long album

Nice listening experience, lots of thought put into it and some great guitar writing. 6.5/10, Favorite Song: Underture

So good songs on the album, and a great concept all round.

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

Ugh, a few days ago I got Berlin and wrote that I think rock operas seldom work. And here's another classic example - a good album buried in a bunch of mediocre songs needed to advance the story. And a story that's just not sufficiently interesting to stand alone.

This album is magnificent, such a great concept album that seems more of an opera than an actual rock record, with its overture, some long instrumental parts and the narration of a story. It has a very classic narrative style, and it's great how it evolves. I've loved listening to it, it is as interesting as great, and there are magnificent songs there. Christmas is one example of them, so greatly constructed and with such great taste. Of course, there are songs that are not that great, and it's hard to keep such a high level in all songs for an album that long, but they help the overall, they don't feel out of place or like filler. Instead, the songs are very well structured to function as a whole. And that whole is one masterpiece of an album.

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

Rockoper

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

Una opera rock ... Interesante escuchar algo tan distinto a lo que se escucha hoy en día.

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.

Classic

not bad in the least but incredibly long

Whilst it has some great moments/tracks it definitely works best as a whole. I generally don't like concept albums and I like to digest my rock in bite size chunks rather than big slabs. However you have to admire the bonkers creative vision behind it and its landmark status. Keith Moon's drumming is great throughout and holds everything together.

Tommy There’s much to like about The Who up to this point, but this is where they really take off, the difference in concept, sound, execution and coherence compared to The Who Sell Out 18 months earlier is very noticeable. Storywise you do need the liner notes, or explanations from Townshend, in addition to listening to it to get the whole story, even though it’s not actually that complicated. But understanding the whole narrative and its context in the late 60s search for spiritual enlightenment as well as Townshend’s own childhood trauma makes it much more compelling. Musically it is fantastic, an actual rock opera in the sense of rock music played in the format of an opera or long form piece of music, with elements and themes recurring, notably the See Me, Feel Me, Pinball Wizard and Listening to You motifs, and as laid out in the excellent Overture. There are great songs throughout, most obviously Pinball Wizard, but I’ve always loved the run of Overture, 1921, Amazing Journey and Sparks as well as Acid Queen, Sensation and I’m Free, but it definitely works best as the whole thing, dipping into country, rock and music hall silliness. It's also noticeable how much seems to be based around the acoustic guitar and that despite the opera they opted for some relatively restrained horn embellishments rather than it being saturated by strings or too many instruments, perhaps as a reaction to the era of psychedelic overload and to give it an earthy solidness. It also sounds much, much better than their previous albums, the tinniness has gone, replaced by a much richer, fuller sound, even if the music is less frenetic. I hadn’t listened to this for a while, it’s been great re-visiting it and remembering what a great album it is. 5. 🧙🧙🧙🧙🧙 Playlist submission: Overture

I think it's legacy has likely been saved by a decent Ken Russell film (which I am yet to watch and shall do so as part of 1001 movies). It does have a cult quality which I like, a handful of great tracks, but too many instances of nothing going on for too long.

Absolute classic prog-rock opera. Diverse musical ideas and unexpected themes.

here i am again giving yet another album 4⭐️s. i feel like this album is so revolutionary in its genre that anything below that would be criminal. i cannot be caught underappreciating the input in culture and rock development it had, although (don't shoot me) i did not find myself musically THAT attracted to it (which is rather surprising because rock's one of my fav genres and i like other some other songs by The Who). i've listened to it a few times now but i've liked "Christmas" (stuck out to me first listen), "Go To The Mirror!", "I'm Free" and "Pinball Wizard" because it's legendary (i've yet to find my footing w this one). i've not finished reading the lyrics yet, but so far i can tell that i see myself coming back to this album more as a movie or a book -- as a story, maybe in a year or a few when i forget pieces of it as that has been feeling like immersing myself in it rather than just individual musical/lyrical pleasure.

Just okay but obviously i obviously didn’t listen to all 70 songs lol

….ok. I didn’t enjoy it but it was an interesting concept. After a couple I was just reading lyrics rather than listening to the whole songs It’s way too long they could have taken some stuff out. The Uncle Ernie stuff probably, like….

eh wasn’t feeling it, too dad-like

I get why it's important and would have been groundbreaking at the time, but it's too long and there aren't actually that many good songs on there, if you take away pinball wizard there isn't realy anything worth listening to. Also the songs about him being bullied by his cousing and then sexually assaulted are a pretty tough listen

I like The Who as much as the next boomer dad, but this album always seems so silly.

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

음... 취향에 안 맞네요

I did not like this very much. For its time, I can see how important it was. Very weird album and concept. For 1969 this would have been pretty unique I imagine. I just found it mostly boring. We all love Pinball Wizard but not a lot else I loved or liked or wanted to listen to again. I don't know The Who outside of singles so interested to see if any of their other albums land higher.

fine, some highlights (pinball wizard). not something I'd listen to on my own 2.5

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.

Pretty good

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?

Não sei se os The Who influenciaram os Pink Floyd, mas este álbum faz-me lembrar muito do Dark Side Of The Moon e o The Wall. Sinto que este álbum é Pink Floyd antes de atingirem o seu auge (Animals, DSOTM, Wish You Were Here, The Wall). Tommy é um album "engraçado", mas é demasiado longo (24 músicas?!). Tem músicas longas mas boas, mas tem outras que são demasiado grandes e perco-me a meio de tão chatas que se tornam. Destaque para o baterista, Keith Moon, não é por acaso que é considerado um dos melhores de sempre e neste álbum prova isso mesmo. É um 3/5, mas nao é um forte 3, mas também não é fraquinho. É a definição de álbum mediano, para mim.

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.

There was quite a bit of songs I didn’t add to my playlist, but I did like a lot of the instrumentals.

He's a pinball wizard!

The greatest rock opera with the weirdest subject matter.

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!

This is certainly a creative concept album. Tommy had a rough life! I feel like I should like this more since it’s so iconic. Musically, it didn't do a lot for me. Keeping up with the story distracted me from whatever else was going on with the music, and it seemed like keeping up with the story may have distracted the band too. Aside from Pinball Wizard, there weren't a lot of good hooks or anything that was terribly interesting to latch onto, and this felt like a slog to get through as it went on.

Ah yes, a rock opera from a very important pedophile who had something very important and creative to say. I tend to dislike rock operas because I feel they are overly bombastic, self-involved and haughty. Pete Townsend loves himself some rock operas because it seems his fans love to hear his rock operas. I understand the historical relevance of Tommy and this is one of the first rock operas. It's fine. There are quite a few Who albums I would put on prior to playing Tommy. I assumed this album would be in the book because The Who are a British band and Boomers will have fond memories hearing Tommy. For me, I struggle to get past the music getting lost in having to follow the narrative of the story.

It's embarrassing that it's taken me nearly five decades to listen to all of Tommy. As with most concept albums, I appreciate the ambition even if it drags a little. But it's hard for anything to drag much when Keith Moon throws down on the drums, as he frequently does here, and of course Pete Townshend's guitar playing is never tedious. I'll need to come back to this one to fully digest it, but it won't be a chore.

Although I like The Who I rolled my eyes when I saw this double album monstrosity come up. I had seen the movie in college in a film class and I thought it was kind of silly. But the difference between college me and now me is that I do have an increased appreciation of early prog rock, a la early Genesis, and this is kind of prog rock adjace with some weirdness and power that I've come to really respect. Beyond Pinball Wizard there is not much in the way of hits here, but yay for complex, ambitious weirdness.

I think I'm biased against it because of how much I love Quadrophenia, however it's still phenomenal. Will need to listen to it again with my full attention

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

Elite album Pinball wizard unmatched

Definitely one to return to. An epic.

I didn't think I was going to like it! I'm especially impressed by the melodic choices, which mostly follow my taste. Yeah, it's long and maybe lyrically childish, but I think it's a good rock album.

Not as interesting as I hoped.

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

7/10 I enjoyed this album & it is actually the only who album I have not listened to that is on this list. the songs themselves are mostly strong, and memorable, even when I wasn’t fully locked into the narrative. I also feel like I didn’t quite listen to it properly the first time, this isn’t a record you can half-absorb. That said, it feels like an album you don’t totally get on first listen. The concept is dark and intriguing, but I think it needs time (and probably a few relistens) to fully click. Definitely one of those records that makes you curious to go deeper- I kind of want to watch the film and come back to it with fresh ears. Favorite song: Pinball wizard Least favorite: Underture (literally an unnecessary extended version of “sparks”)

yessss snooze fest 😮‍💨 i skipped through this im ngl

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

Eg klarar ikkje heilt bli kjempeglad The Who

One of the first rock operas

Very long, very mid (except maybe 2 songs)

This is a top tier concept album and I'm just love it. Obviously "Pinball Wizard" is an all time banger of a song, but the thematic flow of the rest of the album just works so well.

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

Really glad I got this album. While genre wise it’s not really my daily cup of tea, and there’s some grating sounds, and good lord is Fiddle About the most uncomfortable 90 seconds of music… but this album paved the way for some of my favorite albums, and bands, of all time. I will forever respect Tommy, even if it’s not a frequent spin for me.

The Acid Queen is cool. Also enjoyed Underture, Go To The Mirror and Welcome. We're Not Gonna Take It made me a little uncomfortable, the whisper part.. stressful! Not to even mention the 'gonna rape you' OMG SERIOUSLY!!!!! 1/5

A horrid concept album that fumbles through a nuanceless vision of disability, child abuse, sexual abuse and torture. Why was this made? Why must I listen before I die? And what is the moral of the story? That one must overcome their disability in order to achieve fame? That one's childhood traumas can, with the help of pinball and fame and a miracle cure, become irrelevant? Drivel. Horrible, harmful drivel. I can't believe it made this list. 1/10

4/10

Some classics, bit too long for a casual listen

This shit sucks, the vocalist sucks, the story is just stupid as well literally The Wall's failure of a cousin if he was blind deaf and stupid i bet most people who enjoy this are over the age of 50 reminiscing on their teen years lol

Three words: Classic Rock Opera. Liked Songs Added: Pinball Wizard Sally Simpson I'm Free

I just think concept albums are fun, and I'm still a huge Keith Moon fan. I do prefer the more rock side of this band and this one is softer, but they still pulled it off

Start with, im a huge who fan. Hell made my own who tee shirt when they reunited in 96 to don at the show. Of the two full rock operas, Tommy is the worst. It's a bit pretentious at times, some of the tracks are very weak failing to showcase anyone's talents. It was ground breaking and created a bit of a run on other bands trying to do their own. This is a personal annoyance, but every live album they release is a live version of them playing Tommy and its tired. Stand out tracks: amazing journey, sparks, christmas, acid queen, pinball wizard, go to the mirror, smash the mirror, im free, were not gonna take it. 10 out of 24 tracks.

Fantastic!

Pretty solid rock album

Great album

"Super Deluxe" Disc 2 (Demos) not available on Spotify, only listened to Discs 1 & 3

Pretty chaotic but nice

I'm actually surprised to see such a decrease in popularity in this album over time. Overall, as a concept, I think it's still really, really strong. I wish there were a way that I could read it 4.5, but I will round down to 4. The mere fact that this has been redone and covered and turned into stage shows, etc. should automatically earn it a few stars, and then when listening and picking out some of the really difficult guitar licks or hearing Keith Moon's incredible drumming, or listening into the disturbing (but super creative) lyrics that somehow all come together, it's easy to see why I rated this highly.

i forgot ahhh, good tho

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

I didn't get into the story but it was alright

Tommy has a great vibe, and a true opera structure, can't think of a reason why I wouldn't give it a 5.

Pete Townshend is a nonce

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

I think this is a really great soundtrack to a musical when you see it live for instance, as I did in the London West End. But I don’t think it’s something that you put on and enjoy as an album. That creates the tension here.

Normally, I dont care for rock operas...but, in this case, I still don't really care for it.

A little long winded but more good than bad when it comes to the actual tunes/storytelling on this one.

5.5/10 I really hoped this would be better than it was. The story makes no sense. The uncle parts are a particular low point. Three stars for the ambition and for the top2000 tune. Highlights: Overture Pinball Wizars We're Not Gonna Take It Go to the Mirror!

At some point in high school, I declared The Who to be my favorite of the British invasion bands of the sixties. This was mostly because I’d become obsessed with “Baba O’Riley,” whose bright looped organ melody was absolute bliss to my ears. I also became fascinated by Keith Moon. It wasn’t just his manic drumming style that I loved, but the wild and reckless energy that he poured into everything he did. I started exploring the band’s hits, which was easy to do, since their music was getting a bit of a resurgence thanks to CSI. I listened to The Who’s music quite a bit throughout high school and college, but their only complete album that I’d listened to was Who’s Next. I’ve never listened to Tommy before because I just wasn’t interested in listening to a rock opera that’s over an hour long. Now, for my final album by The Who on this project, I’ll finally listen to it. I’ve been pretty lukewarm on Who albums outside of Who’s Next, so I’m a bit hesitant headed into Tommy, but I’m willing to give it a fair shot. Tommy wasn’t perfect, but it was quite a bit better than I was thinking it would be. I really enjoyed how straightforward the story of the rock opera was, and how seamlessly the narrative moved along throughout the album. I definitely like to hear Roger Daltrey’s vocals more than Pete Townshend, the variation in lead and backing vocals throughout the album was enjoyable. Musically, there was so much to take in on this album, and I really enjoyed the rich sound. I couldn’t believe that only the four members of The Who were credited on this album, and that they didn’t use any additional musicians. The scope and vision of this album was truly impressive, and for a band whose earlier work was more firmly rooted in pop music, making an album like Tommy as their fourth studio album is quite an impressive achievement. This album truly felt like a collaborative effort from everyone, and it was like watching a rowing crew in perfect synchrony. “Pinball Wizard” would be my obvious choice for my favorite song on the album, but I think that’s mostly because it’s the song on this album that works the best on its own. However, I did enjoy side two of the LP version the best. I thought the four songs on that part of the album were really strong, and there was quite a lot going on musically and story wise on that part of the album. Things did drag a little bit from “Pinball Wizard” until “I’m Free,” but Tommy was still a really enjoyable album to listen to, and it’s certainly a milestone in rock music.

Tommy es el cuarto álbum de la banda y es su primer álbum conceptual que nace en medio del inicio de los álbumes conceptuales con sgt pepper (gracias Beatles de nuevo). Es un disco de ópera rock, parece un gran medley. Musicalmente hay varias cosas interesantes que me llamaron la atención, el sonido de la batería es tremenda, tiene muy buenos fill el baterista, caja bien presente, platillos brillantes, tombs potentes. Lindo sonido de guitarras, me gustó como se mezclaba la guitarra acústica a un lado y la eléctrica al otro haciendo una rítmica interesante. Pero creo que lo importante está en lo siguiente. Este disco habla de Tommy, un niño que queda sordo, ciego y mudo por un estrés postraumático posterior a que su padre matara al amante de su mamá, leí que lo que buscaba Townsend (vocalista y compositor) era que las canciones representaran el sentir de Tommy y la forma de expresarse y sentir el mundo dado su discapacidad. En este cada cancion es un capítulo en la vida de Tommy, yo leí la reseña de wikipedia (ojalá la lean porque explica muy bien que onda cada cancion). Tommy pasa por episodios de violencia por parte de su primo y abuso de su tío quienes se aprovechan de su discapacidad y se vuelve un crack en el pinball viviéndolo a partir del único sentido que le quedaba, el tacto. En un momento y dado otro evento estresante Tommy recupera sus sentidos de forma casi divina lo que lo convierte en un gurú ( este es un resumen a la rápida, pero la historia tiene más detalles). Cuando caché todo esto empecé a escuchar el disco de otra forma y me parece un concepto terrible bueno pa un disco. La música en gran parte tiene tintes alegres si se puede encasillar en una sola emoción, pero tiene letras oscuras. a mi la música me hizo entender un poco el sentir de Tommy y es la representación del como townsend quería que viviéramos lo que él vivió. Quizás no son las mejores canciones de la época, pero la música y el concepto del álbum es buenisimo, muy original y simbólico. Por temas de tiempo y lo atrasado que estoy con los discos lo escuché una sola vez, pero definitivamente tengo ganas de escucharlo nuevamente con las letras y poniendo más atención a la música. Canciones favorita: quizás overture, christmas

Kinda fun, kinda depressing, someone musta been working through some shit.

etched into my brain at 16. the stupidest masterpiece in the history of rock music? these boys stuck to the concept.

Classic tunes. Pinball wizard

Pleasantly surprised by this album. I don't much about The Who with exception for their standout singles.

eh

60er/70er kenne ich wenig von..nochmal reinhören

A lot of songs, which means there's some great ones and some not so great ones. Luckily, the former outnumber the latter. 4 heavy stars.

gak dengerin full, but okelah

Daltry is a Brexit 🔔 🔚 and Townsend is a nonce. This is an insult to both rock and opera.

Look. I like The Who. But Tommy all seems so rushed. Like they went into a studio in the morning with a story and no music, and they'd knocked out a double album by teatime. It's a bit like modern comedy sketches of West End/Broadway musicals where they just stick any old melody onto any old dialogue. There are a few great tunes on here. Pinball Wizard for one. And some really bad stuff. Underture, a 10 minute jam that sounds like it was recorded because they had a bit of studio time left. And Fiddle About? that's rather unsavoury and I don't particularly want to know where the idea came from. Most of the good stuff is unfortunately mixed up with a lot of chaff. The only time I saw The Who play live, they extracted chords from here and lines from there and just played those. I think they knew that the album as an opus didn't really work. The good stuff is very good.

Great story-telling. I really like the vocals and instrumentation, but not every song was a bop.

Great concept.

Yeah I guess bro

Pretty good classic rock. Wouldn't own it but some songs on here are iconic.

also did not like this one 4/10

Its like if Pink Floyd focused more on storytelling. The story was super fun to follow. Instruments regulated the tone nicely. I don't know if this is a "concept album" but it's a great album either way.

0/10 Pete Townshend is a pedophile.

Kinda boring

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

Man, a double concept album is super ambitious. There's some great songs on here but it is long and does drag in spots which holds it back from a 5 for me.

Weird

dura tres fucking horas

An all time classic.

Its honestly one of my least favorite Who albums. As far as rock operas go, its really not all that musically interesting as a whole. I'm not a huge fan of the ballad-y nature of many of the songs since its not Roger Dalton's strength. Outside a couple great songs like Pinball Wizard and Acid Queen, the rest of the album is forgettable.

Influental (for it's time)? Maybe...though it sounds like a lot of other music from this time. Good? No.

When Tommy arrived in 1969, it announced itself as a rock opera with capital letters, a double album aiming for mythic scope and spiritual weight. More than half a century later, it still sounds ambitious and occasionally thrilling—but also a bit overcanonized. Pete Townshend’s narrative about a “deaf, dumb, and blind” messiah is dense and sometimes convoluted, and the album’s reputation can feel heavier than its actual emotional payoff. That said, the band’s sheer momentum carries the project through its weaker stretches. “Amazing Journey” and “Sensation” pair strummy acoustic guitars with oddly fey, almost pastoral vocals, offering moments of genuine lift amid the bombast, while “The Acid Queen” leans into sleazy theatrics with relish. And “Pinball Wizard” remains the undeniable hook—a pinched, propulsive anthem that distills Tommy’s big ideas into three perfect minutes. Tommy may not fully justify its untouchable status, but as a bold, uneven swing from a band at full power, it earns its place in the conversation.

Although I'm sure it's genius, it is simply too long

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.

Pretty good! I like 1921!

Interesting, another one I'd heard before but nothing new stood out. Always liked the rock opera album and a couple songs I hadn't listened to in years

Outside of Pinball Wizard, this album is just not for me. Maybe meant for a different time but this does not endure to the 20th century.

sucks

Interesting themes, will need to look deeper into the lyrics