Tommy

It's a cool album with a great concept, it's just too long. There are some great songs on here. From the standpoint of a whole album, it's a little challenging for me.

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

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

The closest my dad has ever come to disowning me was when I told him I prefer Elton John’s version of Pinball Wizard to the original. Sorry dad, but I’m now doubling down and saying that Tina Turner’s version of Acid Queen is better too. Essentially, my ideal version of Tommy would combine the best tracks from this album with the highlights from the soundtrack to the (completely bonkers) movie - and it would be a single disc.

Sparks est pas pire je déteste pas, mais cet album est victime du classique de la musique des années 60: il manque quelque chose

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

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

Idk if Tommy can hear but I can 😊

This one was a nice surprise. Didn't expect much as my previous experience with The Who was mostly My Generation so this album felt like a Christmas present.

Hmm no big feelings, quite liked it

Tinny and empty. Not for me.

Album 24/1001 You know a band must be taking themselves too seriously when they think producing a rock opera about a deaf, dumb and blind kid is a good idea. 🤦 1 ½ / 5

Eh

I didn’t know this is where pinball wizard originated- great song! Rest of the album was not my favorite

Couple of bangers but not their best

I haven't listened to this since high school. I always knew this was a rock opera but I never knew the story it was trying to tell. I read the Wikipedia synopsis and I seriously didn't realize how INSANE this album is. Tommy gets tortured by his cousin and sexually abused by his uncle and then the next song is about how good he is at pinball?!? Wtf?? Honestly makes me enjoy this album much more than I thought I would after writing it off for so many years. Easily the most interesting album released by the Who. Favorite track: Pinball Wizard 3.5/5

My brother had this album so i knew it very well. I enjoyed listening to it again. It always amused me the 10second songs to keep you updated on the story line. I bought the soundtrack track album from a 2nd hand record store recently but definitely prefer the original album.

Can someone send me a link to the acid The Who were on when they made this?

Are you kidding? This is a masterpiece.

Interesting concept for a rock opera that was enjoyable nearly all the way through. 8/10

Classic, the inspiration of so much art 30 years later...

Now this is an album you should not die before hearing. The theme is strong and the sounds are varied.

Great album!

Still the standard by which all rock operas are judged. Only Pink Floyd has come close with The Wall.

I was gifted the newly released Deluxe Edition version of Tommy for being a groomsman at my Dad's wedding when I was 14. I'd really gotten into The Who after listening to the early stuff (The Kids are Alright and I Can See For Miles being my favourite tunes). I thought they were just a jangly bluesy typical mod band until I properly listened to this record and realised they had been destined for different things outside of that mods/rockers bubble. There's been loads of records from the 60s labelled the 'first concept album', but this is the first mainstream release with a full 'rock opera' narrative and it builds on dribs and drabs you could hear on 'The Who Sell Out' (arguably another concept album, as the whole record plays out like a 40 minute radio show). The concept itself is a bit offit - a boy who becomes voluntarily deaf dumb and blind cos he walked in on his mam shagging someone after his dad didn't come back from the war. He goes through all sorts of fucking ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE (proper American) and general abuse before he ends up looking in a mirror, sorting himself out and gaining a messianic complex before being brayed by everyone and finding peace. This isn't a record with standouts (I suppose Pinball Wizard remains a popular tune but it's just another piece of narrative in the context of Tommy). It's the use of motifs and musical plot devices throughout that inspired me as a teen. Through the frankly fucking weird narrative (battered by his cousin, fiddled by his uncle, drugged by a prossie) there are beautiful progressions and fun riffs built upon throughout the story (Overture, Christmas, Underture, Go To The Mirror and eventually into the 'Listening to You' ending to We're Not Gonna Take It). While not the Who's best work, it inspired a young Jay enough to learn the entire thing on guitar as a teenager which gave me a massive appreciation for rhythm guitar and chords progressions while everyone I knew was trying to bust out Slash shit in the music rooms in school. An important record for me and an important one for music. It became a weird Ken Russell film and also led to Quadrophenia (which mods love but it's about how fucking silly all that was). Take Cousin Kevin and Uncle Ernie out of this and you have one of the best records of the 60s. Without it, as Gilmour and Waters will tell you, you don't have Dark Side of the Moon or The Wall. A proper transition from the 60s into proper hard rock with spiritual brothers Led Zeppelin in the 70s. 4.3/5 JF -

eh

Думал, что задушусь от британской рок-оперы почти что на полтора часа хрона, но нет... это было весьма весело, а лучшими треками так вовсе оказались 10-минутные проговые бэнгеры.

A big endeavor at the time. Unfortunately too long to keep anyone’s attention these days.

Such a long album for two hits. If you include "I'm Free". Pinball Wizard is a classic but doesn't hold the whole album up.

4 out of 5. Very possibly my favorite album by The Who. It feels like a real journey. Good way to end another week of this challenge.

Hell yes!!!!

What is happening in his heeeaaaad? UIuuuuuh...I wish I kneeeeeew

this right here is the who's crowning jewel, a big musical work of fiction about the life and times of tommy, an enigmatic, truth-seeking and possibly disabled child, trying to get through the world with traumatic events and people who idolize him. it's one of the earliest examples of a rock opera, and it's very good at what it does, from the dramatic rock instrumentals to the sometimes abstract or subjective meanings to the tales being told. it's a must listen for anyone who likes rock music and compelling drama.

I really respect the ambition of this album and think its a really good effort, but man do I not vibe with most of the songs on here that much

Enjoyed this lots more than I expected, even though it's a bit silly. 4.5

Fun album, loved the variety and strangeness. What a drummer

3.1 To be honest, I in general strongly dislike rock operas. The wall was the downfall of Pink Floyd, despite all it's acclaim, I thought it was pretty shit. Maybe because of that I've had an aversion to them. Credit where it's due to what was arguably the first rock opera, but like all of them it suffers from lots of pointless, boring interludes, songs that are weak but there to continue the story, etc. A few good tracks on here, but used rather sparingly. If this wasn't the first/second it would be heading towards a 2*

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

It will take you a while to get to the songs you most recognize - Pinball Wizard, I’m Free, and We’re Not Gonna Take It. Enjoy the journey This entire (double) album sounds so good, is filled with intriguing characters, and some childhood trauma. Keith Moon on drums keeps each song interesting, energetic, and engaging. Favorite deep cut: Christmas

Tommy is an ambitious album, and it is fabulous to see how the entire band leans into Townshend's personal epic to produce this opus. I am not quite sure how well it holds together as a narrative, but I was in on every track! The familiar tracks are awesome, but all of the surrounding tracks work well. I must remember to revisit this album during Christmas because that track is so great. It doesn't sound like the traditional holiday, but it rings true in so many interesting ways. And the backing vocals are indecipherably delightful! And for Christmas, I am asking for a analogue pinball machine... wizard or not.

Starts good, then it gets tiring. Worth it listening to it at least once

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

448/1001 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑

All I can say about this one is that he sure plays a mean pinball.

I think I like the movie OST better but still an excellent rock opera.

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

I think it would be better if there was some sort of visual media to accompany this. To help convey the story

Cohesive album. Just not my jam

Masterpiece. One of my Dad's faves, Mike and I heard this a billion times as kids - with our Dad blasting it and 'conducting' from his recliner - I love that memory!

Stunning creativity, musically, conceptually, lyrically. Just a masterpiece from Pete’s incredible mind brought to life. Much of his personal past and trauma imbues the story. This is timeless and will endure like all great classical works.

A landmark. Plain and simple. No notes.

Purely epic! The OG rock opera, that is musically and literarily phenomenal!

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

This was decent. Interesting. I don't have much else to say.

I don’t like it.

I appreciate the ambition, I just don't think The Who are a versatile enough band to pull off something like this fully. Lots of bloat. Maybe if they stuck to making it a single lp?

This was a 3.5 but I believe I need to listen to it more times to fully appreciate it :)

Great album.

Brownie points for being the first rock opera, but not as good as Who's Next

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

I don’t rate this. Bit dull for me

Wow. Hated it. I was looking forward to experiencing this album, assuming that it would be track after track that I knew but didn't recognize from their titles. Nope! Knew 3 songs and didn't like the rest. Boo.

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

The mother of all rock operas and concept albums.

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

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

My parents had the London Symphony Orchestra version of Tommy when I was a kid and I used to listen to it all the time. I was too young to really get some of the implications (Fiddle About - *shudder*). It may just be familiarity or nostalgia, but I like that version so much better than the original (or the film version despite Elton and Tina Turner making an appearance). I think the story fairs better with different vocalists doing the various roles and the richness of the fuller orchestral accompaniment. That being said, I still like Tommy. It's probably my favourite individual concept album (as a series, the many albums that make up twenty one pilots Dema storyline, would be my favourite concept overall). The orchestral version would have got a 5 from me, and knowing it exists means this can never score as highly. I would say 3.5, but in a world with no half stars: 4/5

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

I like that there are musical themes that come in and out. But aside from Pinball Wizard and a couple other tracks, it's a lot of filler that outstays its welcome. And some of the lyrics, yeesh. 3/5

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

I do enjoy this but I think I prefer the movie's soundtrack to the studio album

I'll be honest, I don't really care about the story. At some point in my life, concept albums went from "ambitious work and test of creativity and endurance for a band" to "bloated exercise in masturbation". All of the songs were alright with some notable exceptions: - "Pinball Wizard" rules, of course. - "Cousin Kevin" is concerning and "Fiddle About" is FUCKED. I get they needed drama for the plot, but goddamn; Red flag for Pete Townsend. Otherwise, no real thoughts on the album. It's fine.

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

I want to say something about this album, but I have no idea what. It was better than my rating, but I also found it suffered from the overindulgences of 70s rock operas in general, despite being 4+ stars musically.

Not as Good as I remembered. Bit dark

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

Its odd, not my thing persnoally

top

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

Live album bylo lepsi

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

It’s good. It’s the who. Not anything special.

Really liked it, had no fucking idea what was going on but what I did pick up was interesting and the sound was really well done. 4 stars

Really disappointed. Very coherent but too long to be built around the one genuinely outstanding track

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

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

This would be a 10 if I could! Such a formative record for me on my lifelong WHO fandom! Heading to Philly Wednesday to see their final North American Tour!

Considero que hay bastante trabajo en el desarrollo compositivo y la ejecución musical (aunque tampoco en un grado virtuoso), sin embargo a nivel estético-sonoro no puedo decir que me haya gustado. El álbum está bien grabado, aunque considero que las voces están demasiado al frente en la mezcla. En general las voces están bien ejecutadas, pero cuando cantan en falsetto suenan muy ridículas. En lo personal no me gustan los musicales ni las óperas. Este álbum no me pareció una experiencia horrible como me suele suceder con ese tipo de composiciones, pero aún así, no me gustó. El concepto del álbum podría llegar a considerarse interesante, pero no es suficiente como para ignorar los puntos mencionados anteriormente, y además tener que soportar durante 1 hora 15 minutos le quita valor a la experiencia.

We drank the blood of some pinball people and now I am wizaaard! They really wanted to sing about pinball and schoolyard days. 6/10

Pretentious rock opera ugh

Marching band vibes. Pretty good doesn’t hook well but I don’t hate it. Good just not for me. Interesting instrumentals.it got better I’m liked super hooked now. It’s really interesting. Not going on my playlist tho. Ok I’m tired but this is good so far will finish and rate tomorrow.

Classic album am one of the most ambitious undertakings to bust out a rock opera instead of "just" a concept album. Love several songs and has some bangers. Packed with ideas and originality. Great album but more of an every 5-10 years listen for me.

I listened to as much of this as I could muster. Maybe seven songs? The word pretentious gets thrown around a lot and tends to be conflated with elitism. This album is pretentious in that it takes itself super seriously and it just doesn’t have the depth. The melodies are mediocre, the topics are so painfully boorish - it betrays the Who’s desire to appear as some kind of working class response to their contemporaries. I respect they were trying to do something; it’s just that they aren’t as smart as they think they are.

3 1/2 hours!? What could possibly be so important

The first album that comes to mind when you think of Rock Opera

Classic Who

To be fair, the only way I’d join a cult is if it was led by a blind deaf kid who played pinball

Not what I expected but an amazing storytelling experience

Boring

I love this album. First one to come up that I own on vinyl. That was fun. I love the whole thing. Love the concept album. I like the story. I love the music. It is great.

Cousin Kevin was unpleasant to listen to. The harmony was not harmonizing. Vocals were not great. For 1969, I guess that's not surprising. They have some bangers though.

Bif bof

classic, extraordinaire

One of my top ten.

Compared to later rock operas, it is lacking in both narrative and musical complexity. And because it is trying to tell a cohesive story, it is musically lacking compared to other albums from The Who. Major respect for being one of the first rock operas and there are still good moments.

This album passed me by without me even realizing it happened

pinball wizard

Some cheesy tracks First half decent background music Got good at fiddler very funny Some cheesy songs after Pinball wizard best song on album

5/5 - this was a fun album! Everything flowed so well and I really like that it had a storyline throughout every song, it led to a greater connection to every song and really got me invested in it! I just really liked this album! Really good!!!

Clear 5

Barely halfway through, and so far, it's okay. Exactly what you would expect from the 70s, I guess. Or late 60s, in this case. Kind of like a rock version of The Beatles. Kind of. Okay i didnt want to finish it. 3/10 i jus dont like it.

Listening to this again brought the whole movie flooding back into my mind - tbh the two go perfectly together and the album makes more sense. THE rock opera/musical that sets the standards need to reach - a very enjoyable listen. "Pinball Wizard" is the 'obvious' song from the album but "Go To The Mirror!" was always my fav.

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

Solid album that is one of a small group of albums that I know of that the group of songs tell a story and each individual song tells a chapter of the story. The album as a whole has a clean clear sound. Recordings quality really seems to have improved around this time when compared to the mid 60s. I will give this album a spin for sure in the future, even though I enjoy a lot of music from this era and style, this was my first time listening to a Who Album front to back.

I disliked this immensely. Poor in concept and execution - long, pretentious and lacking any memorable songs to hang the concept around.

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

Visst imponeras man lite av ambitionen med ett sådant konceptalbum. Sådant görs inte längre? Och musiken är bra. Men det blir liksom FÖR mycket.

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

A good album that works together very well, especially towards the beginning. I think it does get bogged down a bit in the concept, but it's still a very impressive achievement. A few tracks were misses for me, but it is generally a great sound with a few standouts. Favorite tracks: "Underture," "The Acid Queen," "Pinball Wizard"

Meu primeiro contato com a obra foi a trilha sonora para o filme de Ken Russel (1975) e ao ouvir o disco original depois, me causou certa estranheza. Mas fui me familiarizando e me encantando a cada audição e hoje prefiro esta. Um disco que continua soando muito bem. Uma maneira fluida de contar uma história com a competência de um gênio criativo - Townshend - que sabe muito bem usar a banda, a seu serviço e da obra. Excelente álbum!

Ah, the rock opera. There is no denying the singular ambition of this record. Unlike other concept albums that preceded it - SF Sorrow and Sgt Peppers as noteworthy examples - “Tommy” has a plot that (sort of) holds together via a narrative flow throughout the whole album, though it is an oddly bizarre story. There are also some great musical moments spread across the record - including “Pinball Wizard”, “The Acid Queen”, and “Go To The Mirror.” The problem lies in reconciling the plot with the music. It sometimes feels like songs are inserted for plot purposes, which weakens the record as they can come across as filler musically. Because of that, the albums doesn’t quite reach the heights it aspires to, particularly when compared to the much tighter “Who’s Next” which was relieved of the narrative constraints when the Lifehouse project was flushed. But Tommy is still both a unique artistic achievement and a (mostly) solid collection of songs, even if it doesn’t quite reach the heights it sought to.

I respect the rock opera or whatever format you consider this album as much as the next guy. It's just not something I'd listen to every day. Pinball Wizard is a cool song, I'll listen to that, but not this whole album. 3 / 5 stars.

hay un par de canciones chulas pero aburrido, no me gusta la voz del cantante:/

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

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

Omg why is it so long. I got to Tommy’s holiday camp before deciding I’d had enough. But still 3 stars because the who is an objectively good band.

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

Loved it.

My first Rock Opera experience. I really enjoyed the whole album. It looked quite daunting at first when I saw the album was 3.5 hours long but half that time is repeats recorded live. I enjoyed the story of the album. It had good early rock vibes

This was clearly a very ambitious project, and pretty ahead of its time when it was released. A little lengthy, but otherwise a good album. Pinball Wizard is obviously a standout.

I don't think I would add most of these songs to my playlist, but I think they are well produced.

Awesome

Too close to musical theatre for me

What I like about Tommy is the sound. The Who sound great, of course they do. What I don't like about Tommy is that it never settles. Overture, underture, minute long ditties trying to tell a story that I can't follow. Tommy needs more songs, more focus.

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

Temporary

A rock opera with a story I really couldn’t follow or get into, and not too many great tracks. Gains a point for the attempt and influence.

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

The Poo

I wish more bands went wild with musical concept albums while retaining their sound. Doesn’t make me want to watch the movie but was a fun listen.

Good album, some of the songs were quite strange though. Better listened to in one go, rather than listening to the songs separately.

I don’t much like the who

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

saight

Not for me, didn't really enjoy it.

Nah

Concept album

Tommy's holiday camp is a weird song. The whole rock opera is interesting. Go To The Mirror is excellent.

Its clear that all the bets were on the album concept. However, the execution was not great. It wasn't even decent. Too much abuse in the story, especially one of a sexual nature. What's the point? What does it contribute to the story, to Tommy's development? The narrative feels wonky and distasteful, the theme of sexual assault was not handled well. Musically, it was not too hard of a listen. Not enjoyable either. No song in particular stood out to me – they all seemed pretty dull. Will not listen again

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

I know this is supposed to be concept album, which is cool. But jesus it's much too long. And fairly self-indulgent. I do enjoy it though! It's a rock opera. It's catchy and fun and theatrical at times. I like the harmonies and the singing. I like the journey of the story.

An interesting concept album. Very classic rock in stereo. All about about a deaf, dumb, blind kid named Tommy. It’s a really long record—overstayed its welcome, in my opinion. But the musical ideas throughout are varied and interesting. Timbre and tone of the record doesn’t change or have big swings in variance throughout the really long runtime, which make the experience remarkably linear, but on the whole a little bland(?). There are exceptions towards the end of the record where it gets a little weird. But getting there was a slog. I like the record but the “same-sy” sounds played with a bloated runtime keeps me from getting more from it. 5.5-6/10 Standout(s): Overture Pinball Wizard Sally Simpson I’m Free

Cool but didn't really pull me in

It’s been so long since I’ve listened to this album. My dad owned it back in the ’90s and would always play it in his truck. I even remember seeing the movie a few times, but my memory of it is pretty vague. What I’ve always loved, though, is the premise of this concept album, I mean, a deaf, dumb, and blind kid who grows up to be a pinball wizard, and then becomes a spiritual leader? Who, in their right sober mind, could have ever come up with a story like that?!

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

This should have been a single record rather than a double set. The ambition is larger than the result. Exceeding borders doesn't necessarily to great music.

Almost a 4 for me.

Double albums must have been a popular gimmick back in the day. I’m not a big fan of them. I demoted a star based on that fact. This album is good, better than most of the drivel on this list but it still lacks something. I feel like that should have gone bigger with the guitars like they did in pinball wizard.

I think I’m just not a fan of the who… it was fine, rounding up to 3 but it was probably more of a 2.5 for me

Sounds good but yeah not very good. It's too long, I got bored tbh.

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

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

Tommy by The Who? More like Who would recommend this album to me? Because it was bad. (Pinball Wizard is of course still a great song, but a deluxe album should have at least two?)

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

I must think that ‘hard rock’ means something completely different than what it actually does, because if this is a hard rock album, I’m a little confused. This sounds more like a normal rock album to me. But I may be mistaken. Nevertheless, I did enjoy listening to this album, though it was better for background music than actually vibing to music. The instrumentals were pretty good, as well as the lyrics, but it just wasn’t that groundbreaking to me.

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

way too long

Confesión: jamás había escuchado Tommy. Por supuesto conocía y amaba Pinball Wizard desde antes, incluso fui al concierto de The Who la última vez que estuvieron en México, pero jamás había escuchado esta, una de sus más emblemáticas obras. Y me pareció increíble. Creo, como también lo creo de The Wall, que no es un disco para escucharse una vez. Tiene muchas capas que pelarle y secretos aguardando ser descubiertos. Así que hoy inicio mi era Tommy, lo escucharé varias veces y veré la película.

Tommy is an ambitious rock album with big musical gestures and classics like “Pinball Wizard” and “See Me, Feel Me.” The Who play tightly, and there’s no doubt it’s an important work in rock history. But for me, it leans too much toward musical theatre. I miss more raw energy and less drama. 3/5

a groundbreaking concept album with several notable songs that made it onto the radio. I have seen the movie "Tommy" several times but had never listened to the entire soundtrack. Quite good!

It’s very ambitious and certainly a timeless piece of art. Gets a little self indulgent at times. It’s more of a show than a record in that sense. Great performances though. Moon is way calm down in this.

Solid album. Classic tale of Tommy. The Who are a set apart from other bands.

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

John Surgery.

Not a huge fan of the baroque rock opera type albums of the 60s/70s, this had some decent songs on it though, and I liked the culmination at the end with "We're not going to take it" 2.5 stars.

Rock Oper

Idk fine

It's absolutely mad from start to finish and fair play for them for doing it, it helped created a fun sub-genre. Pinball Wizard is iconic, yeah take my 5*

For the most part, the playing on this is great, especially Keith Moon's drumming. But it suffers from the lengths to which it goes to tell its story. The choruses on so many of these songs are simple and lame, presumably to make sure you know what's happening. The pacing suffers from multiple minute-long interludes and a 10 minute one that seems to only exist for the "Underture" wordplay. The story ranges from goofy to hard to take seriously. The worst moment is when we hear about abuse by Tommy's uncle in the painfully annoying "Fiddle About" chorus, which is quickly followed by a song about how Tommy is super good at pinball. Talk about tonal whiplash; there are themes here that are worth exploring, but they aren't treated with any care. The biggest problem is simpler though: none of the songs, even "Pinball Wizard," are really all that good.

Enjoyed it, liked the sort of story it told throughout the album.

I never really got into The Who, they never really clicked with me. “Tommy” continues that theme. It has bright moments, and “Christmas” is an unexpected hit for me, but overall aside from the excellent “Pinball Wizard” it’s just not for me. 3 stars for the skill.

The concept never quite took off for me. It's at its best on tracks that don't depend on the album to work, the obvious peak being Pinball Wizard which is great. But then what the fuck was going in with Do You Think it's Alright and Fiddle About? I've never heard anyone get such a bang out of describing their childhood sexual abuse. By this point on the album, Tommy has already been struck dumb by earlier misfortunes - which I guess is preferable to the implication that Tommy got molested into becoming an all pro pinball player, but then why bother with this detour at all? It's weird in a way I don't think was totally intended and sours me on the whole idea of this record. The poorly recorded live stuff at the end of the 2013 Super Deluxe might be my favorite part of the whole thing. Tepid 3.

How to love a terrible album. Tommy is a complete mess. Full of narrative catastrophe and over ambitious musical experimentation. It’s utterly disjointed and often deeply problematic. I also happen to love this album a great deal. There’s a strangeness to this work from start to finish that has always kept me coming back. The band’s sound is consistently good - even occasionally great with tracks like Pinball Wizard and See Me, Feel Me. But I think that it’s the ridiculousness of it all that stops me from hating on its clunky execution. I don’t think any of this is supposed to be taken seriously, and there’s some fun to be had in that. My mind calls back to ‘A quick one, while he’s away’. The Who’s tongue in cheek mini-rock opera. In kind, that story’s tale of the hero’s girl falling into the clutches of Iver the evil engine driver has that same sense of humour as Tommy’s deaf, dumb, and blind kid enlisting the services of a sex worker named “the Acid Queen” to cure his condition. “Watch his body rise” indeed! A flawed work. But perhaps the most deserving of a place on this list out of all of The Who’s albums. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

very solid

I liked this, but I can't finish the last 25 minutes of it. I mean, I had time, but it just wasn't calling me back after I needed to stop for work. ⭐⭐⭐

Great concept album but not as great as Meatloaf’s BAT OUT OF HELL concept album

Is Quadrophenia better? Maybe. Is this ludicrously overblown, a bit crass, and too long? Definitely! Do I really like it? Absolutely!

I don't know how I feel about this album. definitely seems revolutionary for its time, but not really my style. If I listened to it a bunch more, maybe I'd give it a 4 or 4.5, but just not my kind of music. Pinball wizard was good though. Thanks for reading!!

Classic album, but I really struggled with how to rate it. It’s not my favorite Who album, or even my favorite rock opera by The Who, but in the end it’s hard to deny how important this album became in pop culture and to the development of the band. Not all the tracks are bangers but they all hold together as an album flawlessly. The success of the weird concept album in and of itself warrants 5 stars.

I’m gonna be honest I highkey fell asleep while listening to this… whoops

I didn’t anticipate it being this good honestly.

Crazy concept for an album I didn't know they had hands like this in the 60s

Me gustan las trompetas del principio parece la intro de una peli de princesas. Vibras de musical de brodway, me transporta totalmente a estar sentada en la butaca de un teatro viendo a musicos y actores bailando, buena historia, no es mi estilo pero reconozco el esfuerzo y si algo me gusta mucho al escuchar un album es que me cuente una historia sin caer en la monotinia melodica. Me he enterado de todo? No os voy a mentir, estaba haciendo camisetas y no le he dado mi plena atencion :)

I listened to this a lot when I was a teenager. Watched the movie a bunch. Saw a college stage version (long before the Broadway show). Even with all of that, I still don’t really like it all that much. I think “Who’s Next” is one of the greatest albums ever, so I don’t dislike the band at all. I just can’t appreciate this the way I’m supposed to, I suppose. Clearly I’ve tried over the years. I hoped this listen would impress me differently but it didn’t. In fact, I was skipping ahead some just to get through it. There is a lot of talent here, lyrically and musically. So I don’t think I can give it a 2 or less. It’s a 2.5 that’s going to raise to a 3.

Truly dreadful.

I respect the endeavour, but not something I would return to.

ommy is a bold, messy, often brilliant attempt to turn rock music into something theatrical, spiritual, and mythic. It’s a rock opera in the truest sense — full of recurring motifs, strange characters, and a central figure who somehow becomes both a messiah and a pinball wizard. Pete Townshend swung big with this one, and even when it stumbles, the sheer ambition is hard not to admire. Songs like “Amazing Journey,” “Sparks,” and “I’m Free” still carry a real sense of lift and momentum, with Keith Moon and John Entwistle holding everything together like a manic rhythm section with divine purpose. That said, Tommy is far from perfect. The storyline is fragmented, sometimes uncomfortable, and often barely makes sense unless you’ve got a lyric sheet and plenty of patience. Some of the songs feel like narrative filler rather than inspired writing, and there’s a theatrical awkwardness to parts of it that can be hard to ignore. But taken as a whole, it works

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

Not a fan of this album at all and it's not only because Heidi stood me up at the College Twin and I had to process that while suffering the searing experience of staring at a twenty foot closeup of Roger Daltrey imploring me to feel him and touch him.

Aside from the three singles from this album, which I recognize immediately from years of radio play, I doubt I've ever heard anything else before from this ambitious rock opera. And so I'm glad I've finally listened to the album and finally understand the context for Tommy the pinball wizard. And I have a much bigger respect for Pete Townsend, knowing now that he largely wrote the entire opera (lyrics, at least), but I'll admit that the Wikipedia entry is incredibly helpful at filling in the blanks between the songs and forming a more complete picture of Tommy's past and later role as (somewhat rejected) guru. (Apparently Townsend gave an incredibly long interview with Rolling Stone that described the storyline and the connection to Meher Baba's teachings in excruciating detail, and while I'm not sure I need that much backstory, perhaps the "1001 Albums" reviewer should have read this first before writing a strangely misinformed and misleading review in the book.) I'm not sure I can say I really enjoyed the album, but I'm impressed at how much better this concept album works than anything else like it in this collection (so far, at least). I also admired that they created this album so it could be played live, in contrast to how the Beatles and Beach Boys were focusing on studio-only productions, and then that they resuscitated the band (and eliminated their debt) by touring the whole album live. And it was fun to hear the big singles from the album, although the album versions aren't the same as what I've heard over the years on the radio, I'll admit. I was also struck with how much "Christmas" sounded more like the Beatles than anything else. And it was fun to read about all the weird and often-celebrity-filled opera/symphony/film/theater "incarnations" of Tommy.

I was never a fan of The Who or of Tommy, and over the years, I've grown more appreciative of their impact and the sound itself, but at the end of the day, I'm still giving it a 3.

As far as rock operas go, this is one of them.

I love The Who. Who's Next is one of my favourite albums. But, somehow Tommy just leaves me cold. I don't know if it's because I have to listen to it in full to get the full experience, and 75 minutes is too much to give it undivded attention, but I just never 'get' it. To me, Pete Townshend, is one of the all-time greats for songwriting and guitar playing. I've read about how technically difficult it is to correctly play the chords on Pinball Wizard, and this goes to show how much went in to creating this album, yet I still find myself longing for a 'Won't Get Fooled Again' track. Perhaps I need to sit in a darkened room, consume some illicit substance and be totally mesmerised by it, then I will eventually understand it fully, but until then, it gets a middle-of-the-road three stars. Standout track - Pinball Wizard (obviously)

Absolutely love.

I thought I didn't know any of the songs (but familiar with the concept), but some of the tunes I have absorbed through osmosis sometime. I quite liked it, I think.

Lots of meandering and forgettable chord progressions with few memorable melodies or hooks. Bloated and repetitive. Maybe it was culturally exciting for being a new way to present rock and roll music, but it doesn’t make it something I’d want to put on my turntable.

Given that I like a lot of songs by The Who, I am speechless at how utter dog doodoo that was. Awful.

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

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

Keine Ahnung mehr

The original rock opera

I expected to like this more.

Interesting narrative, kept my interest despite the length. My only complaint is I felt some of the songs barely fit into the story.

It was entertaining. I lost the plot a little in the middle. I knew Pinball Wizard going in. I wouldn’t listen to the whole album again, but I’m glad I heard it.

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

I hated it. Like it actually had potential. I feel like it might be good music? But gosh I hated it. This had to be heavily drug influenced right?

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

This album has some classic Who songs, like Pinball Wizard ofc. The narrative of the album is interesting, following Tommy with his relationship and eventually moving the narrative back into playing pinball. The feel of the album is like classic dad rock, not something I would've thought to listen to but something that is super easy and nice to listen to.

Is this a rock opera? I have no idea! The songs are great. The album is fantastic, I listen to it over and over again. The film is outstanding; I've seen it more than once. Okay, you who don't like it, I give the album four stars.

Could not finish bleh

Good

69/1001. We all love how the Who brought art and rock together as so called "rock operas" in concept albums. We all hate how the Who brought art and rock together as so called "rock operas" in concept albums. For me this one leans a bit more on the love side, it is 69 (year and my 69th generated album) after all. And I remember Tina Turner kick ass as the acid queen in the film version, plus they are calling my name. I might imagine buying this LP.

Прослушала только один диск. Ну альбом на тот часа это конечно мощно

I have never listened to this entire thing in order, which was quite the experience and now I must grab some kind of mind altering substance and watch this movie.

rated 30 on aoty july 18th 2025 i hate this

Wasn't as good as I hoped

Dit is een interessante. Voor het eerste (grote) rock opera krijgt het al een 5, en het is ook gewoon heel goed, maar ik heb toch steeds de neiging om het te vergelijken met The Wall en daardoor voelt het gewoon minder bijzonder. Wat er gebeurt wordt vrijwel woord voor woord verteld en dat haalt wat magie weg. Ook is het muzikaal niet heel geweldig en is het het verhaal dat dit album echt bijzonder maakt. Al met al nog steeds een 5, maar Pink Floyd heeft dit deels geruïneerd

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

Long album , I did not enjoy it so much, it has some good moments though, and the concept of it find it original.

A rock musical in album form. Following the story of Tommy- and I must say; for a deaf dumb and blind kid. He sure does play a mean pin ball. An interesting and enjoyable listen. But also quite long. Sally Simpson a new song which was good

Pinball wizard and a bunch of b-sides

I hate it… The opening track Overture sets the scene on this overly bloated concept album. Described by the band as a spiritual opera, it feels more like a self indulgent drug fuelled wank fest. Underture stands at an outrageous 9 minutes and offers nothing, other than making me want this album to end. I appreciate the musicianship, however it offers little to no enjoyment to my ears. The song Fiddle About, is grim, I didn’t need a song about molesting a deaf, dumb and blind boy… The album has Pinball Wizard, which itself is a 5* tune, but can’t save the album.

I just can't with The Who- either it's some of the best music I have ever heard, or the worst dreck ever to befoul my ears.

Sorry folks, I don’t give a shit about some rock opera. This was absolute trash for me, and I couldn’t even get to song 4. I’m glad I bailed too, considering this slop is over an hour long. I really don’t get the love these classic rock groups get, especially when the singing is as bad as this.

A little long

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

El concepto me ha parecido interesante. Por desgracia, no lo son la mayoría de las canciones.

I don't think it holds up as well as other who albums

Seen the film Heard the hits Not bought the t-shirt Now for the album... It would have made a great album if all the bits cut out

Classic. But I’ve heard it toooooo much in my life. I tire of it.

Too weird and demented for me…

Not a Who fan, and that goes double for this cheesy, boring rock opera. Way too long, dull songs, completely uninteresting story, strange mixing choices. Just not at all a fun listen.

This is such a drawn out album. Genuinely hope I never have to listen to it again.

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

Way better than I anticipated. Enjoyed this.

While feeling disjointed and meandering at times, the fact that Pete wrote this in his early 20s is pretty mindblowing, and overall the first 'real' rock opera comes off as a triumph (IMO). Not entirely my cup of tea, but maybe that's just because I listened while not on drugs. Adding an additional star solely for Keith Moon's drumming.. RIP you legend.

Oh super! 37.5 hours of The Who

Listened Jan 2021. Some undeniable classics and more fun than your usual rock opera. It's not one I would revisit it often but at its best, it's peak Who.

Overall I enjoyed it, kinda strange in parts.

An incredible journey

Un álbum conceptual de ópera rock pionero que narra la historia de un chaval que es maltratado y abusado por su familia y se acaba convirtiendo en figura mesiánica. Un proyecto ambicioso y muy bien ejecutado que, al menos según el libro, acabaría siendo de gran influencia en el prog rock que estaría por venir, incluyendo The Dark Side of the Moon. Como concepto, el álbum en sí es interesante, imaginativo y muy entretenido; escucharlo es casi como ver una película, y la historia no puede ser más sesentera. Pero ahí está precisamente el principal punto flaco del álbum: el estar demasiado enfocado en las letras, y poco en la música. Los temas son muy constantes, con una instrumentación bastante genérica que la mayor parte del tiempo solo acompaña a la voz, que a su vez tampoco es nada del otro mundo. Aunque a veces las armonías vocales molan. Por otro lado, los temas son de una gran calidad técnica (especialmente la percusión), y hay la suficiente variedad entre ellos como para que, sorprendentemente, el álbum no se haga pesado a pesar de durar más de una hora. La verdad es que lo he disfrutado bastante. El tema Underture, con sus pequeños toques prog/psicodélicos, me ha parecido especialmente interesante. Y el resto de temas, pues eso, se disfrutan como el que va a ver un musical más que como un LP al uso. Un álbum para escuchar en su totalidad y prestarle atención. Algo flojo a ratos y demasiado largo, pero me alegro mucho de haberlo descubierto.

I love the Who but have never loved Tommy. It’s similar to Pink Floyd’s The Wall in that it’s a rock opera that could benefit from dropping a few songs (both are too long) but it’s not as well though out as The Wall so it suffers from consistency issues as well.

The Who! Ja gewoon heerlijk ablum. Zal niet helemaal objectief zijn, maar ik luister hier erg graag naar. Om dan toch een kanttekening te plaatsen; het is weinig varierend. 4 reten. FAV: Pinball Wizard

I loved this album. Listened to it 3 times through one time being 2017 live version. I’ve always loved Pink Floyd and Rush both of whom frequently authored rock opera like albums with a story - I really slept on the Who, admittedly in part because of the east county San Diego dirtbag culture that surrounded KBG101 classic rock station growing up - the station constantly blasting “who are you” out of tailgating stereos before and after padres games. Anyway - this was great. 4/5

my goodwill for this reeeeally was stretched thin by the last track

6/10 You have to hand it to them, this was ambitious as hell and was entertaining in several places. 7-13-2025

only decent when accompanying the film

Loses its impact without watching the film at the same time

Classic album. I grew up listening to this. Great from beginning to end though I can see how a couple of tracks might not be loved by all due to their quirkiness given that it is basically a soundtrack.

Cet album s’écoute bien! J’ai du gros love pour Sally pauvre elle 😢

The Acid Queen, Pinball Wizard, I'm Free.

J'avais vu le film passer il y a quelques années à artv ou à télé Québecm la naissance de l'opéra rock qui culminera à mon avis 10 ans plus tard avec the wall.

Bon mais je ne sais pas ce que je pense des opera rock. Trop de symbolismes pour moi? Trop besoin d’écouter les paroles? Anyway en tout confidence, l’album dure 1h14 et je n’ai pas vu le finir hier.

This...simply was not for me.

I get how influential this album is. Prog rock is not my favourite genre...its theatrical with the drama. That said there are some good tracks. Its not an album i will look to listen regularly and not really background music either. There are better who songs and albums. Its not a 3, but its not quite a 4 either. 3.5 stars

Can't say enough about this album

kind of boring

thoughts: you could’ve played this without telling me the musical act and i would’ve known it was the who, easily. this is a fantastic storytelling concept album. also i’m just a fan of those sub-1-minute interludes they love to throw into their albums to bridge between songs. overall, this is an absolute production and it flows extremely well songs: “overture”, “christmas”, “go to the mirror!” rating: 9.0/10

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

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

Ehhh...rock operas are boring

Rock opera some good some bad played to death to be honest

на любителя. бенгеров не обнаружено.

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

i unevitably compared it to Who's Next, and it kept me from really enjoying it as i think it's definetly worse, but it isn't a bad record by any means

Had never listened to the whole album before…. What a kickass story tied to these songs. Loved it.

it gets plus points for being one of the first, if not the first? well known rock operas. it's long, and i only really truly love one song, pinball wizard. but in general i like this, it's an easy listen in the background. gonna give it a 4 still.

It's okay

Tommy always felt like one of those albums that get passed around circles as one of the greatest ever made…in terms of rock operas. At least that’s what everyone tells me. That’s what Wikipedia told me. It also told me the plot synopsis, since I couldn’t understand it for my life. Yeah, that’s my problem with concept albums or rock operas. I try to get a grasp on the “plot”, like a movie, and end up sacrificing all my listening power trying to understand what the hell is going on. So what I think I’m trying to say is that I kind of think Tommy is a little overrated. Yeah, there are good songs here and there, but the whole thing feels over-indulgent and a little full of itself. I think it lost me somewhere in the 10-minute underture, which felt like padding in an already unnecessarily long album. The only things I grasped were that Tommy’s very good at pinball and the less I know about Uncle Ernie, the better. I hope I don’t feel the same when I eventually get The Wall by Pink Floyd. Favorite track: Pinball Wizard Other hits: Christmas, Fiddle About, Go To The Mirror!

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

I appreciate that the Who took this impressive of a swing even if it resulted in as violent a miss as peak Prince Fielder trying to plant the ball in the right field seats. If there's one redeeming factor to this album it's that Keith Moon's drumming is epic enough to almost carry the opera piece of this. Unfortunately, the lyrics and story are about as awful and terrible as you’ll hear on an album. As a serious album it’s self-parody, and if it’s deliberately a parody the Who do not possess the lyrical prowess of a Randy Newman to properly deal with their chosen subject matter. If you’re going to be offensive you better be funny. The Who made great songs and great albums, and I appreciate their ambition here, but this album is a fucking atrocity.

This was a staple of road trips with my family for some reason that I have no regrets about because the music is phenomenal (also all the fucked up stuff went over my head). And the story is incredible.

Keith Moon! Solid Who material but very long.

Sounds dated and a bit long winded.

Probably should have payed attention to the story, but I don't think its too easy to follow, or maybe its not too overarching, and just an extra thing to dive into if you want. Its ok but maybe a bit too long, I think this rock opera stuff hasn't aged well at all, but this isn't really as theatrical as the bad Queen stuff. I guess I can't really judge it properly, because I didn't really listen to the story, but musically and instrumentally its quite mediocre. Favourite songs: sparks, eyesight to the blind (the hawker), underture, pinball wizard, smash the mirror. Overall around 5/10

Classic

Not listened to this. I found it surprisingly good. Some tracks are obviously well known, and it was good to hear them in context.

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

A true concept album and "story". Kudos for that. However I'm just not too fond of it. As a "rock" album, it all sounds a bit plain. Not bad, but just "meh".

3/5

-5 minute song with 2 sentences of lyrics at the last minute -"Songs" that are only seconds long, while others go up to 10 minutes overall it's has decent songs, but as an album it's a bit of a mess.

Хороший альбом, но прошлый понравился больше

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

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

Seems pretty great, but couldn't get into it

Pick your cliché - a masterpiece, ahead of its time; say what you will about this as long as you say it’s fantastic and I’ll agree with you. That it exists as a musical creation, a cinematic creation (albeit, a bizarre one), and a theatrical creation makes me think Townsend accomplished exactly what he wanted with this story.

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

Recalling the music along with the film at a younger age I’d throw out a 4, but just listening through the album today there are plenty of songs I just found meh.

Even though The Who are pretty much my favorite classic rock band, I've always passed this record over. Not that I don't like it, and I've definitely listened to it before, just it never really grabbed me like their later records. Regardless, this is still a massive record from The Who, the one that I feel basically cemented the sound they'd be known for with Keith Moon absolutely destroying the drums and Townsend coming into his own as a writer. It's not quite them at their full power (Their next record, Who's Next, would be them achieving that, with Quadrophenia after being their magnum opus), but Tommy is them coming damn close. Definitely as a rock opera, I feel this album has some of the same issues that The Wall by Pink Floyd has, mainly that as a listening experience by itself it isn't 100% satisfying as some of the tracks do feel like they need a visual component (It's A Boy, There's A Doctor). I will say though, The Who being more straightforward rock helps to make a lot of these songs listenable on their own, whereas The Wall's prog rock sound kinda forced it into a stage play sound that requires a visual component. But this album has great tracks like Pinball Wizard, Go To The Mirror, I'm Free, etc. Overall, an extremely strong record that barely misses the 5 for me, but they'll get there with their next record (also, I'll mention this in every The Who review, but whoever decided Quadrophenia didn't belong on this list needs to be shot).

Super fedt koncept, men den bliver lidt for “konceptet” og ikke så meget ren rock og rul som jeg kender The Who for 6/10