Tommy

Great album. Fully enjoyed it

This is a conundrum. It comes in the middle of some classic Who releases, all of which I consider much better than this. However, Tommy is a classic because it popularized (but did not create) the rock opera - for better or for worse. Its extended life as a stage show and movie in an of itself probably secures it a slot on the list. There is some great music here, along with some that is merely good. It probably says more about the band's quality of work during the period that among The Who Sell Out, Who's Next and Quadrophenia, I place Tommy fourth.

Good.

Great, but somehow I feel it's lacking just a little something

Really enjoyed this concept album. Want to check out more from The Who.

PREFS : Overture, 1921, Amazing Journey, Christmas, Cousin Kevin, The Acid Queen, Pinball Wizard, Go To the Mirror!, Sally Simpson, I'm Free, We're Not Gonna Take It MOINS PREF : Underture

Me gustó bastante,un poco largo lo único, me gusta el instrumental y la historia

Long and kind of interesting, especially the really long bit with the molestation. Sloppier in timing and pitch than I expected. An achievement though.

Ok so this was a really interesting and weird album, and I celebrate creativity as punchy as this. But 75 mins for an album is a pisstake

Banging, but I think i still prefer Oliver Reed and the tunes from the movie, which introduced me to the material. Thoroughly bizarre as a concept, but with some insanely evocative musical moments

I liked it way more than I thought I would; once I learned that the album is a detailed story I could start to pick up on certain motifs in either lyrics or musical repetitions. Its fascinating how they made the lyrics work with the music and just how clean it all came out.

For a long time pretty much my only exposure to the Who was a cassette of that greatest hits album with the Union Jack shirt on the cover. And I don't know why I didn't branch out more because I loved that tape and listened to it a lot. Later my brother gave me a couple LPs and I bought Sell Out on CD. But I'm still a fairly shallow fan - I don't believe I ever listened to Tommy start to finish before, for example. Pretty interesting. It mostly skates the Rock Opera dilemma with its opposing pitfalls - overly wordy, unpoetic songs to drive exposition on one side, versus managing the vaguest narrative that can only generously be labeled a "concept" album on the other. To the degree this errs it's more to the latter side, which is good - the music being the main point however lofty the concept aspirations. Without outside interpretations supported by years of amateur analysis plus a couple of filmed/staged interpretations, I don't know I'd have extracted a very coherent story out of it. But there is a lot of good music and the themes running throughout are strong, and it was certainly an audacious move for its time, particularly from a band whose star (by all reports) seemed like it might be waning. Well worth the time.

Rockopera van The Who, dat het verhaal verteld van de blinde, dove en stomme Tommy. Album is veel meer dan alleen "Pinball Wizard" en zit muzikaal en vertellend goed in elkaar. leukste nummer: Amazing Journey Het album is gebaseerd op de wijsheden van Meher Baba, naar wie later het nummer Baba O'Riley is genoemd.

Pretty fantastic.

Everybody knows Pinball Wizard. What a track. What a video. The rest of the album is a typical Townshend rock-opera affair, some great, some passable. You'll probably enjoy the music from this album much more if you watch the Ken Russell film of the same name (featuring the band and the album's music).

I mean, it's Tommy. 🎶🔥

This is a very interesting full length rock opera. I feel as if it is too long, but it does share a cohesive story throughout and the transition between songs is very cool.

A little worse than the wall But the wall is pretty good I just wish this album was a bit shorter

Such a great album. Been a very long time since I've sat down and listened to it.

Super fun album, it definitely feels an hour and fourteen minutes long, but it’s not long for no reason. I need more listens to dive into the story of Tommy and dissect the lyrics, which I’m sure will just deepen my enjoyment of the project. Really energizing instrumentation, these songs have a timeless quality to them by not feeling forced into a specific box. Just a bunch of songs collected together to fulfill a bigger theme. Faves: 1921, Eyesight To The Blind, Christmas

прекрасный альбом, музыкально дико кайфанул, лирика тоже отличная; Sally Simpson и I'm Free очень сбили вайб альбома (в один момент я будто оказался на диком западе) барабаны слева даже на мониторах в какой-то момент утомили в идеале поставил бы 4.5 чувствуется, что прожил некоторую историю

Never realized this was the first rock opera. Love the format and the album.

I'm a little surprised that I've never listened to this whole album in my life. I struggle to rate it because I compare it to the Wall and it doesn't even come close. So if the Wall is a 5 this is a three. But if I'm rating it in a vacuum then I suppose it's a near a 4. There are some good songs on it, no question. But in general doesn't hold up in my opinion.

Heel vet! Mooi conceptalbum, gave nummers, maar misschien toch een beetje preachy.

Good

Interesting album to listen to from beginning to end. So good that I listened to it twice (2nd time the live version)

Listens: 2 Enjoyed: yeah This would be around a 4.5. probably my first rock opera and I fel it works pretty solid as both an album and it holds some legendary singular tracks. My only issues were some of the song transitions were a bit rough/ blunt. And the final quarter of the track dived a little

It was ok, not my favorite album but I didn’t dislike it

Собственно несколько вещей, которые нужно знать об этом альбоме: 1) ровесник моей мамы 2) в рок-альбоме есть ВАЛТОРНА 3) 75, мать его, минут, я надеюсь гуру, в честь которого альбом написан, хотя бы разок его послушал... 4) Грэмми за лучшую упаковку (что блин, за это дают Грэмми?...) Стоит послушать: Christmas (текст выше всяких похвал) , The acid queen, Cousin Kevin, Underture, Smash the mirror.

Enjoyed listening, nice album

Довольно жизнерадостное начало и даже воодушевляющее. Как будто тебя готовят к большому путешествию, но потом начинается облом по тексту и повергают в пучины экзестенциальности человека и как на него влияет общество. Главный вопрос, который я хочу задать альбому и людям, добавившим его в список 1001 альбома: как вообще думаете, альбом стал великим из-за посыла или из-за музыки? Лично я склоняюсь к первому, так как история сильная и важная, безусловно, но музыкально он не настолько крут, как те же Пинк Флойд того времени

Увертюра прикольно, этот ход мне особо нравится в пластинках, когда есть что-то "для настройки" и задания вайба. К тому же, это рок-опера вроде как, судя по описанию. Даже с сюжетом типа...) Забавно в общем, на Sparks я понял, что получаю примерно те же самые эмоции, что и от Pet Sounds за авторством The Beach Boys: я хочу погрузиться в сюжет, но вот музыка не везде мне кажется гипер-интересной и разнообразной. Плюс в описании так пафосно сказано, что это "рок-опера", мне как-то пока разнообразия не хватает, прежде всего в инструментальном плане: отличия между звучанием песен есть, но они минимальны. Underture: вот это конечно дикая вещь. Натурально симфония, с несколькими действиями, тональностями. Абсолютно без текста, что позволяет сфокусироваться на музыке, всех-всех деталях и интструментах. Мне в какой-то момент чем-то напомнило "Время вперёд" Свиридова. Возможно, из-за темпа произведения. Но мне прям нравится, тяжело такую музыку конечно слушать на постоянной основе, но раз в месяц кайфануть — ха-ра-шо. Pinball Wizard: да, я потом прогуглил, что это было коммерчески успешный сингл, но подумал об этом ровно во время прослушивания. Хороший поп-хит, для ознакомления с творчеством The Who вполне сойдёт. Sally Simpson: тут я услышал кантри, возможно, я не один такой. Но прикольно, пожалуй себе добавлю. Клавишные очень хороши. Tommy's Holiday Camp: ахахах, чёрт, какой шикарный орган-синт, ну или что это вообще. Похоже на хоккейный орган чем-то. В общем звук прикольный, ещё и стерео наложилось хорошо. We're not gonna take it: снова как будто симфония, ну и такой светлый финальный трек. Завершающий, финальный, итоговый. Как гимн всего хорошего (в музкальном плане) в этом альбоме. В целом, надо переслушивать ещё раз и внимательно читать текст. В нём наверняка скрываются объяснения тех или иных ходов в аранжировках песен. И судя по синопсису, история глубокая и неоднозначная. По музыке — однообразно, но качественно. Чувствуется, что запись была сделана давно: местами присутствуют довольно всратые стереоэффекты, которые в блюпуп (уж простите) наушниках звучат непривычно странно. И баса что-то маловато. Кстати, до этого, я кажется не слушал The Who, пару песен добавил себе и может быть даже послушаю ещё какой-то альбом. Мне звходит их темп что ли... как будто боевик какой-то немного, всё время погоня за чем-то. Но нужен ремастер. 4 звезды за плотность звука, но однообразность и недостаточную вариативность аранжировок. Сюжет — ну такое, на грани реальности и фантастики, с мешаниной всего (это я перечитал краткое содержание и чёт обалдел слегка от количества мыслей, которые до нас хотят донести). P.s. first review done, получается. Посмотрим, как надо будет оценки ставить...

Музыка: 4/5, кайф, но надоедает Текст/концептуальность/что-либо ещё: 5/5, чистый кайф Удержание: 3/5, слишком много ненужных выебонов Неочев факт: левое ухо прям болит

Ballsy and brilliant.

This album was much stranger than I remember. I think if it were released today, many would consider it 'experimental'. I did enjoy it. But some of the songs were a little disjointed from the general vibe of the album.

it's good. story is whatever, but I like when songs have a very apparent meaning, so at least it helps with that. Christmas, The Acid Queen, Pinball Wizard, We're Not Gonna Take It, and particularly Go to the Mirror (it took me way too long to recognize how good this song was, ngl) are highlights. I like the vocal harmonies and the use of drums to emphasize certain sections.

I liked it after I figured out the real meaning of the lyrics. Interesting concept for the time

This is epic and so broad in musical scope…I think I prefer the soundtrack version more, but certainly admire this undertaking!

No lo terminé esta largo, después lo voy a terminar, por ahora esa nota creería que va a ser

All in all it's pretty ridiculous, but the original ambition and really solidly launching the idea of a Rock Opera had so much impact on rock music. I love when bands take big swings like this, and overall it really works.

Rock operas and other mega-ambitious pop music projects often fail for reasons having to do with basic incoherence but Townsend knew what he was doing and built this to work narratively and musically. The silliness and creativity of The Who Sell Out is put to better and more focused effect. It's sort of mid-tempo throughout (as if to keep things under control) and some songs are too quickly done, but generally everything works on its own terms, which aren't necessarily transcendent, though there are moments – "Christmas" is the highlight, but "Overture" and "It's a Boy" and "Acid Queen" and "Tommy Can You Hear Me?" are all strong and almost moving. One admires the concept and, for the most part, the execution. It is quite strong which is impressive enough, considering just how much worse it could’ve – and probably should’ve – been.

A high school favorite album here. I appreciate the effort of this rock opera more than the actualization. Always though Quadrophenia was a better album and story. But when those trumpets hit on the first song and lead into It’s a boy, I’m reminded how important this album was to me and how much I still love this album , story, and these songs

A classic album but one that probably has not lasted the test of time and does sound a bit dated now. Not quiet a masterpiece but worth a listen none the less.

"So it's like an opera, but it rocks!" Ugh. I like the Who, and they undeniably have some classic bangers under their belts. This album has some classics: Pinball Wizard, Go to the Mirror!, I'm Free but it's also saddled with some tracks that might be better if they weren't shoehorned into a narrative. Smash the Mirror has good riffs, but could it have been better if didn't have to be about a deaf, dumb, and blind kid's therapy session? I get why this was mind-blowing in 1969, but let's be honest: the story the album is built around is kind of dumb. I think Townshend's operatic narrative tendencies are better served with longer individual songs broken into different parts - think A Quick One While He's Away or Rael from The Who Sell Out. There's no idea being beaten to death over 90 minutes, you can tell a more detailed story with only three singers (which is harder with something like this where rivals Tommy and the Pinball Wizard are both sung by the same guy), and you aren't forcing ideas to fit into a framework they might not be best served by. A bad album? Not by any stretch. An overrated album? Probably more accurate.

Ok

I like the concept of these opera rock albums, but I must say that I rarely listen to them, paying much attention or following the correct order. So it was a lovely surprise to get this album today. It allowed me to pursue an opera rock album as it should be: Listen to the songs and follow the history behind them, paying attention to the details. It is astonishing how much "The Who" changed their style and lyrics from their previous albums to this one. It looks like a whole new band. It was a good experience; I enjoyed listening to opera rock in the way I should have heard, and "The Who" is not such an influential band without reason.

It's one of the first (or maybe THE first) concept albums so that in itself is notable. I enjoyed the storytelling here, I did have to look up a synopsis of the record but I thought it was told as well as it could've been given the medium. The tragic beginning of the story drew me in, but it admittedly lost me a bit when Tommy gained pinball powers and became a cult leader. That said, it was also at that point that the music became a lot more interesting so I'm not too mad. Overall, it's just a sight (or a sound?) to behold that The Who created awesome music that followed a concept this well. You have to give props to that. I certainly do, more so when you have amazing songs like Pinball Wizard, Go To the Mirror, Tommy Can You Hear Me, and Smash the Mirror.

I was aware of this album's significance and it does deserve a lot of credit (blame?) for being the first "rock opera", however, I didn't actually like very many of the songs. The story itself was kind of hard to follow as well, so I don't think I got much out of the "opera" part either. I'd probably give this 3 stars for enjoyment, but I'll add a star due to its place in history.

Classic. End of.

Good album, definitely a masterpiece worth more listens

Very nice, softer rock

I'm nostalgic for this album bc my dad used to always play it and the who were his favorite. The good parts are really really good but there doesn't need to be so many instrumental sections. Also the ending is weird.

There will be 5 star who albums for me, but this wasn’t one of them. Too much what feels like filler to listen as an album.

The quintessential rock opera. Outside of the hits, you really have to be in the mood for Tommy. But Moon's drumming is amazing on this album (not to mention Townshend's compositions) and I was happy it came up because otherwise it's not an album I'm going to think to play from start to finish.

Never was a huge fan of The Who... but can't deny how great many of the songs on this album are.

It’s kind of funny, I think it’s this album where The Who start to match, if not better their live performances, but I just don’t like the concept behind the album. And unfortunately, most of the songs don’t work without recognizing the story at large. There’s some gold here, and some all-time best performances from the band, but I much prefer Who’s Next and Quadrophenia. B

This will be a very strange review because I don’t think that there is anything wrong with the album. It’s remarkably solid for a concept album. Unlike most, it flows well and the repeated musical motifs make it feel like a cohesive unit. As someone that loves progressive music and high-concept albums, I thought I’d love it. However, it is not what I want from the Who. I associate them with hard-nosed British rock, jump up and jam songs, anthemic pieces like Baba O’Riley. This, for all of its polish, isn’t that. Still, despite not being what I want, it’s quite good. Standout songs are Pinball Wizard and Christmas.

What?

Some good songs, I love the Who but some these songs were weird.

Beaucoup trop de The Who dans cette liste. L’Angleterre n’est pas le centre de l’univers. Il y a de bonnes choses sur cet album.

This album review is more about a cat, instead of music. My girlfriend, now my wife, got a cat while we were in college. The cat had live with me and my roommate, a big Who fan. The cat was given a name I can't remember. Anyway, every time we took him out, he played in this tall grass area where we couldn't see him. My roommate would look for him by singing, Tommy can you hear me. Much to Mindy's objection, we called him Tommy so much, he didn't respond to whatever name he was originally given and became Tommy! Album was a blast from the past. Good tunes all the way through. Tommy can you hear me will always be a favorite. Just seeing this album made me smile. Not their best, but good. 3.5 for me. Will make it 4 for the cat, Tommy

4.5 Alright, confession time... I'm a fan of The Who, but I've never listened to this album all the way through. Holy shit I was missing out - pretty sure this album was the first true rock opera to ever exist, and it clearly set the standard for every attempt that followed. Tommy kicks ass out right out the gate with Overture, which I thought was an amazing introduction and taste of what's to come, and then proceeds to never stop kicking ass until it concludes. The end result really feels like the product of a band firing on all cylinders. The only real criticism I had is that I felt it could have benefitted from a little more diversity in sound - it does some really cool things, but I feel like I would describe the overall sound as pretty consistent. Not necessarily a bad thing, but some bigger shifts in tone would have been an interesting dynamic. Then again, I didn't care for the album's hardest shift in Tommy's Holiday Camp, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. Favorite songs: Overture, 1921, Christmas, The Acid Queen, Pinball Wizard, Sally Simpson

Some bonkers tracks but overall very enjoyable

"Very sad that the yearly Dutch tradition of 'top 2000 songs of all time' radio event uses the repeating motif of this album as their jingle, because I now associate it with old white men wanking over their music knowledge 🤮 All in all still good album though, but at times quite boring, still an absolute banger when Pinball Wizard hits, and with the absurd historical significance it has, I rate it 4.0/5" - Bliss

Well I’ve herd the most popular stuff from this band but never a full on album… Overture opens the album with a banging instrumental it drags a little bit for me but it’s still fairly pleasing. It’s a boy is only very short and is really just setting it he atmosphere for the album. 1921 is the first “proper” song on the album it’s a great track very theatre. There’s a sound that goes all throughout amazing journey that really bugs me but it’s a nice enough tune. Sparks works perfectly next to amazing journey ( it’s a good instrumental). Eyesight to the blind (The hawker) is an amazing tune to end side one so dramatic! I really like the way that the verses are sung in Christmas and the ending of the song is nice and theatrical. Cousin Kevin seems mean but it’s a good song. I really like the instrumentation in the acid queen such a solid tune. Underture (like overture) is a very long instrumental this one is twice as long but twice as good. Do you think it’s alright and fiddle about are both about Tommy’s pedophile uncle Ernie and yeah they’re both creepy. But then there’s pinball wizard a bridge hit single to have even if the band hate it! There’s a doctor is a short little piano ditty I guess it’s okay. Go to the mirror is a very solid rocker with great crunchy guitars. Tommy can you hear me is short and folky it’s eh. Smash the mirror is another shortie, good but not amazing. Sensation ends side 3 on a fairly upbeat note and it’s good but there’s something about the vocals on here that I don’t love. Miracle cure is well… short. Sally Simpson is a nice acoustic tune. I’m free feels really “lush” I don’t know how to explain it but I like it. Welcome is just happy I know it’s the whole creepy cult thing but still a decent fluffy tune. Tommy’s holiday camp is alright but why did uncle Ernie have to be hosting it…yuck. The album ends with we’re not gonna take it and it works really,really well as a closer to a solid album. The album is great as a whole bunch was hard going track by track as the album is more of an “experience” than a standard issue album.

Great album: Overture- literally one of the greatest songs to summarize the experience to come; trombone solo ringing, great harmonies, guitar ringing, need to learn on guitar Its a boy- straight lead in, great way to point out that the birth is a start to the story 1921- gritty harmonies

Can't fully get behind the rock opera concept

Fantastic album. Fave tracks would probably be "Overture," "The Acid Queen," "Amazing Journey," and "Go To The Mirror!"

Love the The Who. Very interesting and ambitious album for the time. I just rarely listen to the whole album often anymore.

I would like concept albums more if the songs could all stand on their own. And these just don't. But a couple of really good one on here, and the overall album is pretty great.

Beatles rip off for the most part. But there’s bangers

It was a good concept album, that I feel upon additional listens it will grow even more on me. The melodic hard rock provides a journey of Tommy's story, but also provides a way to allow listeners to listen to their favourites without needing to be consumed or drawn in by the full operatic piece. Best: Pinball Wizard Worst: Welcome 3.5 stars

Musically, this is a truly enjoyable album. Contextually, the theme of the album is weird, even as a rock opera. Artistic merits alone, this album is great. Through the lens of current social lenses (2022), it is a wonder whether or not history will view The Who without the controversy of Pete Townshend. This album does not help the case, as the subject matter does offer conjecture of how much those allegations/affiliations could lead back to this album. Quick digression, the album is well-produced, and the songs flow well, very well. The runtime was an initial concern but the album maintained good momentum throughout to the very end.

Into it, can’t say I follow the plot or metaphor, but enjoy a good overture.

What an interesting album. The first true rock opera, in the sense that the songs are unconventional and follow a storyline. While it is hard by the lyrics to alone know what is being told, and the length a tad long, musically, from beginning to end, the album is so engaging and entertaining, with top production for the 60s, great performances by all members of the band. Not quite what they achieve on Who’s Next, but a great album!

Nice rock opera but a bit long, no songs really standing out and a story that's interesting but hard to follow

75 minutes of very good music! Incredible. Overture and Underture are my favorites (besides Pinball of course)

A definite classic. 4/5

The Rock Opera! Never got around to listening to this one in full, so I’m excited. The Overture, which foreshadows the music to come, boasts a mix of blues, country, rock, and classical music. We’re introduced to Tommy Walker, whose father went missing before he was born. 1921 is a pretty song, introducing the fact that Tommy is unable to hear, see, or speak. Amazing Journey has an interesting rhythm, reflecting Tommy’s vibration land. Tommy’s 10 years of age at this point. I’m confused as to whether the point of view is constantly shifting — does Tommy see the bearded man in a silver gown or does the narrator? I suppose the point is that Tommy has the capacity to create his own experience of the world around him. Story aside, The Who’s sound is so rich and full. They have such a profound control of dynamics. The songs blend pretty seamlessly together, though there are a couple that are able to stand out enough on their own. In this way, this concept album is the epitome of concept albums. It simulates the experience of a band playing continuously without any stopping for one hour (as an album tries to simulate anyway but not all of them do effectively). “Eyesight to the Blind” comes in with a vengeance — reminiscent of Pink Floyd. This song is about a woman with the power to revitalize senses. At this point, while listening to “Christmas,” which singles Tommy out as a child unable to experience Christmas in the way intended (Tommy doesn’t know what day it is), im wondering why The Who resonated with a story about a disabled child. Having taken classes on disability theory and rights, I’m a bit put off by the portrayal of a disabled child as simultaneously needing to be saved and being extraordinary. By “Cousin Kevin,” I’m feeling a little bored. Granted, I was forced to stop and restart again a few days later. Because of their classic sound and the ambitiousness of this project, I’m going to rate this album a 4. Some of the songs are a bit samey, which I guess is expected of concept albums or musical theatre-esque stuff. This makes it a bit boring after a while, though I plan on doing another listen.

Great story telling album throughout. Weird at times which I believe is good because it makes it authentic and true to what they wanted to accomplish. I appreciated the flow of the album and thought the instrumentals pieced in were great and fit perfectly. Not too many stand alone stand out songs too me, besides the obvious "Pinball Wizard", which I think is fine in a story telling album like this. It seems like the goal from start to finish was story first, and that was accomplished. Very good album. Favorite Songs: "Pinball Wizard", "Go To The Mirror!"

Solid revisit. Only listened to the original album but enjoyed the continuity and nostalgia.

I've never actually listened to Tommy. Maybe I needed to listen to it while staring into a candle (a la Almost Famous). Great album, though...

4.5

I need to give this about 10 more listens to really understand what's going on, but it's far more interesting than I've previously given The Who credit for

Here's the thing-- the narrative behind Tommy is weird and perverted. But, damn, do they commit to telling a story, and it's pretty entertaining to listen to. Definitely a unique piece in the canon of classic rock but I can't help but think it's the concept album that launched a thousand other concept albums.

Brilliant. Quite inspired. 7/10 Fave: Pinball Wizard

Should probably like Tommy more than I do. Like Pinball Wizard, Go to the Mirror and Tommy can you hear me. Feel like I should watch the movie to get it.

Really like this.

This was cutting edge for its time. Rekindled an interest in seeing the movie. 40 years later has lost an edge....

I think this album is fantastic. It's not one I often listen to all the way through, but I should. Tommy is such a great mix of the straightforward rocking with the theatrical and occasionally trippy. And it's at heart just a great Who album, creative and engaging and powerful from beginning to end. There's really nothing else like this in music. Most of the songs are great to listen to on their own, without even engaging with the somewhat hazy plot. A couple of the best songs the Who ever recorded are on this album ("I'm Free," "Pinball Wizard"), as well as some stellar deep tracks ("Christmas," "The Hawker"). The flow from song to song is seamless and the album never drags. It's over an hour long and you don't really feel it. Fave Songs: I'm Free, Pinball Wizard, Christmas, The Hawker, Tommy Can You Hear Me, Welcome, Go to the Mirror, The Acid Queen

Muito bom.

My first true introduction to the Who was through Tommy. When they were doing their first comeback tour back in 1989, I remember watching the concert downstairs in the basement of my college freshman dorm. There were a number of us watching it, too young to have seen them when they were first touring but now experiencing them live on TV. I remember watching them play Tommy with special guest stars Phil Collins and Billy Idol... Then I heard the studio album, and it did not sound like that concert. It sounded... tinnier. My biggest problem with Tommy is how the development of the lead is through all these different characters that float in and out of the opera. In the story, it's not through his own internal development that Tommy as a character grows. Townshend's writing for character development really hit its peak in the next rock opera, Quadrophenia. The songs themselves do a lot of variation, and Moon pounds the HELL out of the drums. So yeah, as much as I appreciate this album for what it is, it only has a few great songs on it. I mean, you cannot deny the greatness of "Pinball Wizard" or "See Me, Feel Me." But besides that, a lot of the other songs are to beholden to the opera itself. So if Quadrophenia is a 5-star (which in my mind it is) this is definitely a 4-star album.

Another solid rock opera. But I don't know, I think I might like Bat out of Hell more. There's some good stuff and then there's some throwaways. Sometimes the songs don't seem to flow into each other as well as they should or could (e.g., Christmas to Cousin Kevin). Maybe that's also because some songs weren't initially conceived of for the album (e.g., Sally Simpson) and were trying to be fit in somewhere. And I'm not sure if there are any absolute show stoppers besides Pinball Wizard (what a great tune). Still, I really enjoyed both the Overture and Underture (orchestral feel without the orchestra), and the also-instrumental Sparks. Christmas was solid but felt like a Beatles knock-off. Fiddle About is just disturbing but I appreciate it.

24 трека с очень интересной игрой на гитаре и вокалом, из которых примерно 8 песен длятся больше или около 5 минут (это так, к сведению). Если честно, сначала навевали сомнения о идеальности и гениальности альбома, что его аж прям нужно до смерти обязательно прослушать. Но по итогу прослушал и мне понравилось. На самом деле очень хороший альбом, могу сказать, что это какой-то ранний The Beatles, имхо. Несколько треков сохранил себе, а это уже показатель, хх. Но есть также и несколько слабых песен, без которых альбом бы ничего не потерял, кроме общей продолжительности и количеству песен.

Love coming back to any record from the 60s, this one does an excellent job of storytelling, super captivating while still managing to experiment with instrument and vocal performances. I appreciate the harmonies used throughout the album, and the mastering of the left/right channel recordings of guitar/drums simulates the experience of standing right in the middle of this band. Underture was my favourite track this session.

Holy cannoli, now that is a rock opera. The Super Deluxe release is almost 3.5hrs long. It’s like the LOTR Extended Editions of rock opera. I enjoyed what I got to, but this album requires some dedicated time to actually get through and chew on. Cousin Kevin and Pinball Wizard stood out to me. 4/5 for now, could very well be 5/5 given more time. Was this conceptual album about a dumb, deaf and blind kid somehow inspirational for the premise of the movie Tommy Boy?

Sometimes an album just click after a second or third listen. This was one of them. I have owned the album for quite a while and might've listened to it once or twice. Never got into it, I thought The Who had made much better. Now years later re-listening it on a 3rd and 4th listen and it fully clicked. It's an amazing album.

Me resultó un poco largo. 4.

I know I am alone in this, but Quadrophenia is a much better album.

A lot of bands have tried to rock opera thing, but I think tThe Who probably did it best (twice). A couple of great songs and the rest is really good. My favorite memory about this album was when my brother in law, Peter, gave me a copy to hold for our first-born child - Thomas. He said “make sure he knows this was a gift from his uncle Pete!” That’s when I asked him if he was sending a hidden warning for our little Tommy in the lyrics to “Fiddle About”? He took the album back.

Great Rock Opera! I'm sure 4 is probably low given the influence of this classic, but listening through it is awesome, just not a feeling a full 5.

Super

If there's a better rock opera about child abuse I don't wanna hear about it! 🙃 Fave track - "Pinball Wizard" - kinda has to be, right!?

Yeah yeah yeah

Rock Opera. I think that says everything you need to know about the album style. It smoothly moves from one song to another with seamless transition. While I feel Quadrophenia may be their opus, the album has left a long impression on many music fans through the generations.

Really nice listen

Hearing it right now. I like The Who, this album seems to be a masterpiece, but I just didn't have the time to dive deep into it today. Maybe I'll listen to it again in the future, in a less busy moment.

Pretentious, overblown, and up its own bottom. I still rather enjoyed it.

I wasn't sure I'd heard it in one sitting before, but I'd heard all the tracks before. It was good but I think I'll try the live version that came as bonus with my cd of 'Live In Leeds'. I love the sound on it, and if Tommy live has that same, beefed up, sound. I imagine it'll be the version I spin.

Kooky.

Certainly an ambitious project but Tommy really is all over the place. I only saw the musical about two months back thanks to NetflixUK and my reaction to that was 'what did I just watch', the album by itself feels even more abstract and disconnected without the imagery. That's not to say it isn't enjoyable, in parts it's almost so bad it's brilliant and it's still a pivotal album regardless.

7/10

Noted for delisted but this is a groundbreaking album

A classic

Not all the music here is tip top, but I'm giving points for sheer ambition, and for spinning a rather peculiar yarn in the process. Incidentally, when the music clicks, it's fantastic. Stuff like 'Sensation', 'Pinball Wizard', and the Overture/Underture passages are top tier Who

Ogħġobni. Twil istja.

I actually liked this MUCH better than I thought I would. My pre-judgements coming in...too long, stupid premise, hokey songs. The premis still strikes me as stupid but the songs are so strong - what a drummer Keith Moon was - that I did not feel the album was bloated at all. very little filler and some truly transcendent musical moments. 4.5 stars

La primera gran òpera-rock de la història. He fet l'experiment d'escoltar-lo en shuffle i s'ha demostrat un gran error: sona totalment desllavassat i inconnexe. Tal com s'ha de sentir, però, reforça el seu posi històric. Malgrat que a mí sempre em va semblar més complet i disfrutable 'Quadrophenia', 'Tommy' va ser el primer i amb el qual van aconseguir arribar a l'estratosfera com a banda. I això sense gaire singles roents, més enllà de les increïbles 'I'm Free'. 'We're Not Gonna Take It' o 'Pinball Wizard', però amb un tot molt difícil d'igualar, tant en història com en composició

Maybe a bit over-blown in places, but it's well-crafted & will reward multiple listens.

This story of "deaf, dumb and blind" Tommy couldn't have been written in any other time than '69, but that's when this kind of art would be heralded as game-changing. Thus, even though the taste is questionable and the music not particularly mind-blowing, the adventurous attitude at the root of this record still reels me in.

Rock Operas are usually a by-word for naff. But this one is ace

This is an epic - in the sense that it is really long. Plenty of bangers are included, but can get a bit lost in the length of the album. It does take the listener of an engaging and enjoyable journey, though. That this is a rock opera is very apparent. The ebb and flow, big choruses, and narrative of musical theatre are clear, so the length gets a pass in this case and it is judged as something different (more?) than just an album of songs. 3.5/5 (for the bangers, narrative journey and a bonus half point for ambition).

Es un disco muy ridículo pero funciona muy bien como ópera.

Over-inflated, ludicrous storyline - but brilliant

Some classics

Weird story but love the music

Another great one I actually have on vinyl. Never saw the play or the film, but I have loved the album. I think that's pretty incredible for a rock opera in that it really stands alone and it stands the test of time. Daltery and Townsend are a legendary duo. I went through a Who phase. They have a ton a of great songs, but when it comes to an album, I come back to Tommy every time. Who's Next and Quadrophenia are crazy good though.

Me ha resultado un poco largo

My second favorite The Who album, the one that firmly established the rock opera genre (although SF Sorrow came first). I argue it is also the second best rock opera after The Wall. Production is among the best of the era. Lyrics are clear and spread out enough for people to understand what's going on. The short interludes help with the synopses, while the songs may be short or long but covers some central theme in Tommy's story. The music, often hard, psychedelic, or orchestral, perfectly reflects the subject. Tracks blend in really well, and it truly does feel like listening to a movie. There's a lot of diversity in these tracks, but besides "Pinball Wizard," I'm not hearing any hits. (Oh fun fact, pinballs were illegal at the time of this album release, so the song showed Tommy as a social rebel.) They could all just fly by if you're not paying attention. It doesn't help that the album's double in length, so a bunch of not-so impressive songs with lyrics you need to pay attention to can be an unappealing experience. The psychedelic instrumentals help keep things interesting for the most part. The opening track was a great choice, but the closing track felt a little rough. These weaknesses would normally justify a 3 star rating, but the fourth star comes from the storytelling, innovation, and diversity in tracks. Favorite Tracks: Sparks, Eyesight to the Blind, Christmas, Underture, Pinball Wizard

Haven't listened to this in quite awhile. I was never a massive Who fan back in the day but I thought this held up really well and was very interesting to listen to all the way through and follow the story. A lot of it I never really picked up on before. Cool shit.

The real OG rock opera. It has that classic Who sound, but unfortunately I think the narrative is muddy to say the least; unfortunate, considering what I was hoping for out of a rock opera. The music itself was pretty consistently fun, however. Even more interesting is knowing how this project almost acted as a vehicle for Townshend to explore his own traumas and spirituality; that honestly is the most interesting part of it all for me.

I really love it this far, it's a long album though. That's a four for some reason :))

It’s good. It’s really good. But it does drag in some spots- some of the instrumental interludes kinda drag, even within the lyrical focused songs. Most of the time it’s awesome, but when it drags-it DRAGS. Still, some amazing song writing and performances from The Who. On the flip, the good stuff is REALLY good. Definitely would recommend, just pack your patience for some dull parts.

Wow! Een Engelse vertaling van "Di-rect doet Tommy". Vandaag luister ik beiden naast elkaar om goed te vergelijken. Ik hoor bij The Who veel Supertramp, maar ook Beatles en Queen. Zang is net als bij Di-rect soms een beetje vals, maar de muziek is echt geniaal. Favorieten zijn nummers als "Pinball Wizard / Flipper Koning" en "I am free / Were vrij" maar ook vele anderen zijn prachtig gecomponeerd. Zeer melodieus en met gevoel. Naar het einde wordt het album alleen maar beter. Met als hoogtepunt het nummer "We are not gonna take it / Niemand van ons pikt dit" waarin het hele album samenkomt. Na afloop van deze twee albums ook nog effe de film gekeken. Nu valt alles op zijn plaats. Wat is dit een fijne verrassing op een volledig vrije dag. ****

Watched the film a long time ago, it was nice to revisit the music

Saw this play as a kid. Listening took me back. Very clear that it was for a play, lots of consistency in some of the melodies that appear through the album. A classic.

Have heard many times. Some great songs, some not so much. Weird story makes me worry about Pete Townsend.

Excellent album. Had not listened to all the way thru but knew some of the songs.

Loved the opening journey of this one!

Erstmals am Stück gehört! Tolles Album! Nicht nur wegen Pinball Wizzard!

Bei The Who gibt es noch was für mich zu entdecken eher 4-5

The Who is definitely a band I’ve listened to before and tried to get into at some point in my life; their music never really stuck, but this album is great nonetheless. I see why it’s highly praised. Honorable mentions: Cousin Kevin and Acid Queen.

Veel beter einde dan begin. Het concept van een rock opera is heel tof. Werkt wel beter als je het verhaal eens leest.

pretty good rock n roll

Great

Not really my style, but good music!

Didn't finish because it was toooo long. But I enjoyed very much. I thought The Who were harder, this was like too soft. Really good, though!

As a double album, it's tough to listen to all the time, but it is dramatic and playful all at once. It's nice to be able to listen to one song (the intro), and really get the feel of the whole album.

Enjoyed it but i felt like it dragged on a little bit.

Siempre he sido demasiado fan del pinball; si tuviera suficiente dinero una larguísima fila de máquinas sería uno de los proyectos sin sentido que seguramente realizaría de inmediato. En algún momento entre los 13-14 años estando en las maquinitas vi una máquina que tocaba una y otra vez el inicio de una canción y eventualmente se quedó embebida en mí "Ever since I was a young boy I've played the silver ball From Soho down to Brighton I must have played 'em all But I ain't seen nothing like him In any amusement hall That deaf, dumb and blind kid Sure plays a mean pinbaaaaaall DU-DU DU-DUN DU-DUUUUUUUN" Y básicamente, eso fue lo que me llevó a conocer a The Who, no había escuchado Teenage Wasteland, quizá conocía My Generation pero no los relacionaba, no sabía nada y me dediqué a buscar una ópera rock de la nada por un pinball. En su momento se me hizo el disco revelación de mi vida, quizá no me interesaba aún realmente por el mensaje en la música (que de hecho la "historia" y letras creo desde ese entonces se me hacía medio vagas y ahora las compararía con un viaje espiritual tipo canción Led Zeppelin sin sentido pero que dura una hora y media) pero musicalmente se sentía el contar una historia, la variación de canciones pero manteniendo siempre el sentido del album, esas partes que ahora entiendo como leit motifs. En su momento a mis 13 se me hizo una cosa brillante de genios. Hoy en día me sigue gustando, quizá no a ese nivel. Lo que tengo que admitir, tanto para bien como para mal es que es la VERDADERA Opera Rock (no, ni The Wall ni Quadraphenia y nada... es este) tiene overtura, interludios, una historia que se sigue por tejido narrativo y no solo por ideas conceptuales, es ambicioso, es un musical entero es... operático. Lo malo es que también siento que esa ambición hoy, analizada con calma, trabaja un poco en su detrimento en cuanto a que no se puede realmente apreciar como disco e historia, musicalmente escucharlo termina con pedazos que se sienten sobran, ese dramatismo de sentirse tal cual como si fuera un musical hace que solo pienses que estas escuchando algo incompleto (que por ejemplo no pasa ni con Quadraphenia ni con The Wall). Disco super ambicioso, grande, muy muy bueno pero quizá "too big for it's own good" lo detiene de llegar a la cima.

Probably a classic

Epic and nostalgic

La música que hicieron para este disco es sin duda excelente: arreglos de voces, solos de guitarra, hasta el uso de motivos que se repiten en toda la obra al estilo de la música clásica. Además, romper con la base de los sencillos comerciales de tres minutos era todavía algo novedoso en aquel entonces. No más por eso se lleva, facilito, una buena calificación. Por el lado personal, sin embargo, aunque los discos conceptuales me gustan, este a veces es muy largo y muy rebuscado dentro de su mismo concepto… Quizá la película podría ser más interesante, pues lo que me falta es ver las imágenes.

Some great songs. Some very forgettable ones. Album was a very long for my liking but pretty solid.

beautiful but quite a long album

Apparently, I like concept albums. I'm typically not a huge fan of The Who, but this one is an easy 4 stars for me.

One of the founders of hard rock, at this moment the album isn't that special to listen to, but this was unheard of at the time.

Epic, and the ones that aren’t overplayed are great

TOMMY is the Pinball Wizard??? That was a plot twist for me.

Visst är det ett banbrytande album, men jag har svårt för både Daltreys och Townsends sång. Vilket gör att The Who trots den uppenbara musikaliska begåvningen, aldrig varit något jag lyssnat på. Det fanns helt klart starka låtar. Man kanske behöver se det live för att riktigt fatta. En stark trea.

I have absolutely nothing against the concept of a rock opera, the more grandiose the better, but I came away from this one underwhelmed. It felt a little clunky and literal, with an almost pantomime quality at times. I'm not the biggest fan of The Who anyway so I will give it a 3 and accept its not bad, just not for me.

As rock opera/concept albums go, this is quite the daunting album. Although I enjoyed it, it could’ve been trimmed down.

What in the rock opera? I like The Who, Tommy is alright

I did just say I liked Rock Operas, but found I needed more help with this one. I’d be interested to see the movie it inspired, but for the music itself Pinball Wizard was my only standout.

Never listened to this before. The overture does it's job very well. There are definitely some tracks that should have just been incorporated into others. "It's a boy" was just a waste. The ending to "Christmas" is a bit weird. "1921" is where the album really kicks off and it's ok, it's standard 60s rock. The drumming in "Amazing Journey" is really good and the rest of the band members are just left in the dust. This is a common theme throughout some of the rest of the record. I can definitely hear some future influences. "Sparks" sounds very like some that I've heard on Testimony by Neal Morse, same with "Underture". It took me a while to shift to realising that the lyrical content is what I need to focus on and the music is the lesser part in telling the story through most of the tracks. You do have the occasional contradiction to that. Pinball Wizard is the standout track and from there the singing improves as well but the guitars are quite stuck in 'bash out the chord' I listened to it through and it was alright No strong feels on this - ⭐⭐⭐

DNF. Not because it was bad - I preferred it to the last two - but I've been "stuck" on this one for a few days and I want to move on. Like the concept of this album.

I think this is a fine, although sonically uninteresting album. Doesn't help it has all the "up it's own ass"ness of the wall, while being not as good. They're so concerned with telling a story in album format that many of the songs are boring, without any real musical splash. And this is the who, a very talented, very splashy band. Underture is the clear highlight for me. Pinball wizard and I'm free are fun too.

WAY overrated, as is The Who. But drugs and music are always a good combo. Better than their other stuff. Total trip to listen to. Still overrated.

Pretty cool rock opera, enjoyed it more than The Who Sells Out. A bit daft in parts and a little self-indulgent but overall quite good with a quirky narrative throughout. 3.5/5.

I am kind of a fan of the Who and I acknowledge the historical importance of this album but (compared to other stuff they wrote in the period) most of the songs are rather lame and the instrumental parts quite boring (I guess the "folk rock" bits do not help in this sense). The story is pretty ridiculous too. I still enjoy Pinball Wizard and I am Free because of the killer riffs, as well as Sally because it's pretty fun... That said, the most problematic aspect of the album is its legacy: I don't think the world really needed the pretentious and preposterous concept of Rock Opera...

I can appreciate it's great but I'll probably not revisit it any time soon

This probably deserves to be here for being a fairly unique, first of its kind rock opera, but being first doesn’t always mean being the best. There are a lot of good parts, some absolute classic songs, and a lot of ideas, but without some cheat-notes to accompany the story, I don’t feel like the mood music and interludes actually carry enough of the weight of the narrative. It’s overblown (which, in fairness operas should be) but ultimately a bit too self-indulgent and probably made absolute sense in Pete Townshend’s mind at the time.

3.5 it’s fine but nothing super memorable. Just stick to Pinball Wizard and call it a day day, this definitely overstays it’s welcome although I do appreciate the story it tries to tell

There's a few great songs and a lot of crap. The concept is silly at best

It was quite good.

Basic

its a decent listen, and an ambitious project, but I don't think I'd ever go out of my way to play this record.

The Who - Tommy Jeg liker The Who godt, men med unntak av Who’s Next, som er fantastisk fra start til slutt, har de vel egentlig ikke laget et eneste skikkelig godt album. Masse bra låter på (nesten) alle platen, men det mangler liksom alltid noe for å gjøre det hele til et godt album. Så også med Tommy. Hele Tommy i en jafs er litt i meste laget, selv om jeg kan sette pris på denne typen historiefortellerplater/konseptplater nå og da. Det er en sterk følelse av at her er historien om Tommy viktigere enn musikken, og at det dermed har blitt en del musikalske transportetapper som bare skal fortelle om noe som er viktig for historien. Er dette et album man bør høre før man dør? Ja, det synes jeg absolutt. Det er en ok representant for genren rockopera, som det kom ganske mange av på syttitallet. The Wall er foe min del det mest vellykkede innen sjengeren, men Tommy er helt ok det også, og nesten like kjent vil jeg påstå. 6,5/10

Aldri hørt før. Mye fint og det flyter bra. Fulgte ikke hardt med på tekstene. Kul lyd men litt rar miks på noen låter. Bra trommis.

At det har blitt prosentvis færre rockeoperaer med årene må vel kunne sies å være helt greit. Enorme mengder fyllmasse for noen få gode låter. Men her vokser selv fyllmassen på runde to og tre. Positiv overraskelse dette her.

The Who - Tommy Eg har aldri klart å interessere meg for historia i denne konseptuelle mammuten. Og då ender den liksom litt opp som ei ALT for lang plate med fin musikk. Ja, det er nesten så kvaliteten blit noko utvatna av konteksten, på eit vis. Og det er litt rart. For når eg høyrer “Christmas”, “1921”, “Go To the Mirror” og “Pinball Wizard” er dei jo heilt nydelege. Men framleis… eg gir pokker i korleis det går med både Tommy, foreldra, fetteren og dei andre karikaturane i denne historia. Så konklusjonen er at musikken er mykje betre enn plata, om sånt gir meining å sei. 7/10

это слушаюельно, что смогла сохранила, но биляя

This is a complicated one to rate. As a story, it seems to go through a lot in its 75 minutes, and I needed to check the Wikipedia page to get the full drift. It's a big undertaking for a band to make something this complex and lengthy, but its still a lot. Musically, I found myself enjoying this the whole way through, but it never rose to a level of amazement. I only seemed to gravitate towards the well known songs/motifs (Pinball Wizard, the "feel me" motif, etc); I wanted to be able to enjoy some of the rest of the songs that way, but they felt more like propellants of the story rather than standalone songs. So WTF do I rate this? Its fine, but bloated. I guess I'll simplify this and just go on feel...and I think a 3.3 feels about right.

I enjoyed this more than the Sell Out album which I heard recently. A lot of stuff I like on this but also some stuff I didn’t like. Also Does it need to be an hour 15 minutes? Probably not. Pinball Wizard easily the best track in my opinion.

While I certainly appreciate what a leap this was for rock music and pop culture, it's not my personal favorite Who material. An incredible record and a hell of an experience though. Any music nerd has to listen to this once.

While the entire story of Tommy is an interesting one, is it wrong of me to say that this album is kind of a mess? I mean, I appreciate the ambition, but how much of Tommy do I actually enjoy listening to? This is not a dig against rock operas in general, I can definitely enjoy them under the right circumstances, but listening to the entirety of this one often consists of "waiting for the good part". There was obviously a ton of attention given to the structure and the narrative is cleaner than one would expect, I'm not claiming otherwise. For whatever reason, though, I find myself just not caring. Even the weaker tracks, such as Cousin Kyle or Sally Simpson, are decent, but they get so annoying when they are followed by a seemingly endless stream of equally decent, yet entirely forgettable songs, which happens more than once. Every one of these tracks has something interesting going for it, at least. Underture, for example, is very skilfully played, even if its linear structure gets shockingly tedious halfway through. Most of these songs were created in a setting designed for something more than the sum of its parts, but Tommy is, in my opinion, a slight failure in that regard. What it does right, though, is give us a decent portion of great, downright timeless tracks, which I will continue to enjoy in isolation. Favourite track: Pinball Wizard

Sometimes The Who feels like a British pop band that swapped their drummer for Keith Moon. Making this album is honestly such a wild decision, and I don't think it really pans out for me. I spent the first half of the album waiting for Pinball Wizard and the second half of the album waiting for it to be over. The lyrics are almost comedic at times, but I'm not sure that's what they were going for. I can see why this is influential/essential though and I definitely didn't hate it.

Christmas is where it really kicked in for me with the ping pong stereo effect of the backup vocals. The overture was good giving the operatic overview of what is to come. French horns got a chance to trumpet like elephants which I am positive they thoroughly enjoyed! Lot of filler on this album which if taken as a whole is OK for a concept album. Let's see about the payoff, talking about Underture. Mmm, Uncle Ernie into Fiddle being said payoff. Long game, slow burn. Ahhh, Pinball Wizard coming in cold not transitioned into. Interesting choice. Wow, for a track that stuck with me from childhood it sure is shorter than I remember. The rest of the album blew by after I read up on the story. Some nice bits here and there. I'm not certain I can place this historically. It's a rock opera, best I've heard? No. Was it life altering? I can see the subject matter being controversial. The arrangements are nifty and it sure involved a lot of artists from different genres in different iterations. So historically higher rated than musically for me. Maybe in 20 years. Just a 3 for me, for now.

just another rock opera with an uninteresting story. its fine i just dont care

in 1997, my high school in Texas was one of the first in the nation to get the license to perform Tommy, the Broadway musical and it was a pretty incredible experience. My band served as the pit orchestra and I got to play a one-scene role when another student's grades prevented him from being in the show at the last minute (and I got to be shot and killed in that scene, which, awesome). I even got to play the acoustic guitar part in Pinball Wizard, which was an absolute thrill. The show used the original staging from the Broadway production and was staged by one of original cast members. They even had enough budget to fly Tommy. It was the hugest of deals and completely electrified all of the theater dorks, myself included. It was such an immersive and complete experience that I've really felt no need to revist this music in the 30 years since. I also never really explored the original album, crazily enough. Whenever I tried, the arrangements and aesthetics just felt so off (being so familiar with the broadway orchestrations), not to mention the incomplete storytelling (compared to the musical). Throughout my entire experience with the musical, I don't think I ever really tried to suss out what the show was trying to say. Listening now, I hear themes of generations coping with the war-trauma of their parents and the idea that mental illness is more complicated and fantastical then we can comprehend. Both very interesting subjects, but the story doesn’t come close to achieving anything insightful. Musically there only a few interesting ideas from Townsend and Daltry’s voice is not suited to the restrained theatricality. Overall, Tommy, musically and lyrically, is half-baked, but contains the revolutionary idea that rock music can be more than 3 minute singles. The concept itself is a huge success even if the execution is immature.

Hmm, I’ve never heard any of this before other than Pinball Wizard. It works as a musical, and I would be interested to see it, maybe I should give the film a try. Not sure it works as a stand alone listening experience. Some of the subject matter is a bit cringeworthy - was listening with my daughter and she was visibly amused/horrified by some of the lyrics, and I don’t think she even noticed the SA parts. Very much a product of its time

It's old but good as a rock opera prototype

Brits

Pinball Wizard, men inte mycket mer.

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-who/tommy/ Deserves credit (or blame?) for being the first rock opera and has some nice tunes, but is also overlong with either uninteresting songs, or annoying ones (Fiddle About, Tommy's Holiday Camp). Not the legendary album people make it out to be, but enjoyable enough.

Decent concept album (the album as a whole is alright and the movie is a trip), though there aren't many individual tracks that stand out or hold up on their own.

Bit of a strange album. I want to like it more than I do.

I didn't know Pinball Wizard was the core of a dark, weird rock opera. I respect the rock opera as a concept format, but I'm not sure I need to revisit this one anytime soon.

The classic rock opera. There's just not enough great stuff here to make this more than three stars though.

Tommy is a bit of a weird project to talk about when it comes to The Who as it is usually split in terms of opinions due to the Rock Opera nature of the album. On one hand people may enjoy it for some of its' more artistic and progressive sounds it brings to the table, and on the other hand some people may hate it for those exact same reasons and finding little to no replay value in most of the tracks at hand. Personally I am somewhere in the middle when it comes to this project as I find it a very impressive feat to be pulled off in 1969 and also extremely impressive compositionally, but a bit lacking in any reason to want to hear this album again when breaking it up into individual tracks. I personally enjoy the "B-side" of this album after Undertune as it seems to trust the process a lot better than the exposition and frankly somewhat random first half of this album. I do not enjoy how there are more interludes thrown in, but I'd argue the songwriting really finds itself especially with tracks like Smash The Mirror, Pinball Wizard, and We're Not Gonna Take It. If there is something else I could complain about it would be the more shrill vocals that appear every now and then on the project that really make me wonder how much the group practiced the singing or if it was an intentional choice. Either way it makes the music feel more novice and a bit rough around the edges, which some may like, but for something as detailed and specifically structured as this I would have liked maybe a better take to have been used. As one final note about this project, holy shit have the lyrics on We're Not Gonna Take It aged like warm milk because you CANNOT BE SAYING THAT KIND OF STUFF IN YOUR MUSIC. I get 1969 was a different time but still holy shit y'all what the fuck. Other than that crazy ending to the album, I personally think Tommy stands the test of time as being a very iconic product of its' time that is still quite intriguing to look back on, but I also wouldn't call it a strong piece of 60s music or even all that strong of a concept album overall compared to some of the other projects it may be put up against from the same period of time.

It overstays its welcome, but I still enjoyed it.

I think the only reason I enjoyed this thing is that I've seen the movie version of this album, which means I have visuals and prior exposure to the story. Otherwise, I can see how it would just be a chaotic mess of songs with a few too many sudden twists in the story.

The Who's Tommy is a brilliantly ambitious, grandly theatrical rock opera that showcases impressive production quality, seamless thematic interweaving, and a remarkably cohesive narrative structure, though its demanding runtime can easily lead to listener fatigue. It shines brightest during atmospheric and musically engaging moments like the groovy Eyesight to the Blind and the richly composed Christmas, while tracks like Amazing Journey and Pinball Wizard feel more like theatrical novelties than absolute essentials. Paired with baffling lyrical choices in tracks like Cousin Kevin and Fiddle About alongside several uneven melodies and forgettable stretches, the album ultimately succeeds much better as a monumental conceptual experiment than a collection of consistently great songs, comfortably landing at a solid 3/5.

Too long to enjoy fully

Nothing special

Phew- so so so so so innovative and important - and yet, the story takes way way bigger precedent over the songs. You also can’t make an argument against how important this album is.

First time listening to this album by The Who, but I am loving it. I wish I had listened sooner!

I’ve heard this before and I own it. It’s hard to properly rate this because the music is really great but the recording is very weak and lifeless. This is a problem with all of The Who’s studio albums up until Who’s Next. I have to assume this is a result of the labels meddling with the production and trying to sweeten everything up because the technology was there to record a heavy sound and all the live versions out there have a great sound and way more energy than this snoozefest. I have a “deluxe edition” or whatever of Live At Leeds that includes a second night of the show where they play Tommy as just a live band and it sounds amazing, and there is another live version on one of the expanded or deluxe editions of Isle Of Wight that is amazing. If you find yourself hating this and you’re listening on streaming, there’s a “remastered super deluxe edition” with a live version from a 1969 show in Canada on disc 3 (massive jerk off motion to all of this) that is really good and I would recommend skipping to that and listening to that instead, or if you have the patience, to listen to both and compare. It’s heavy and energetic and like the other two above, drops 2 or 3 songs that aren’t too great. For this album itself I would give a 2 and for the live versions I’d give a 5, so I’ll give them some credit and bump it up to 3.

Pretty dark concept album, not something I’d listen to again most likely.

entretenido

kind of a chore if i'm being honest. musicianship can only take me so far to not want to turn off a rock opera

Not the who’s best in my opinion. The vocals tend to drone on at times.

Interesting album, a few good hits and the rest tells an okay story.

I love The Who, but not for 3h30m

Anyone watch the cartoon "Home Movies" by Brendan Small? While listening to this album I kept thinking about the "Timmy" rock opera parody they did in the season 4 episode "Temporary Blindness" lol. I always enjoy Brendan Small's 60s/70s rock and musical theater parodies. I found this to be a bit...underwhelming. I definitely see how this was influential in 1969. It seems a little simplistic now. I read on Wikipedia that critic Dave Marsh thought that there was not enough transitional material between songs to make the narrative clear, and I agree with that take. If I didn't read the synopsis before listening I think I'd be pretty confused, especially with a song like 1921.

Yeah their choice of inspiration was questionable

It's so long that I did not even bother to finish. It feels like The Wall, but without the generational songwriting and the immense talent of David Gilmour and Roger Waters.

Needs a 2nd listen, with the knowledge its a concept album I like that the songs run into one another. Makes it sound cohesive. I mean its ok. But Dont think its as memorable as I thought it would be. Last part of the album is best, Pinball Wizard is obvs stand out. Bit Self indulgent and tryhard to be funny.

Haven’t seen the movie but I think I’d like it. Surprisingly playful! But shouldn’t it be “The Whom”

The Who gives a fuck amirite

I liked - interesting - long

Conceptual and fascinating, but I couldn't get into it. Seems to demand the listener's undivided attention while not doing enough to capture it.

I know this band is talented but not a fan

I want to like Tommy. I really do. The Who is great and God knows I love a concept album. It just isn't the sum of its parts for me.

Good concept some stand-out songs but somewhat overblown and pretentious.

There are some good songs on this but they are massively diluted in Tommy's story. The type of albums that's hard to find the mood for... Pinball Wizzard

Pretty cool as a story. Could relisten to it but doubt I will

3.33 out of 5 stars for Tommy. I like it on the whole as a rock opera. Some of the themes are a bit over the top and disturbing, but the story flows well through the music and Keith Moon is a superstar on the drums for this album. An interesting tale for sure, and definitely needs to be heard by everyone at least once.

3.5 stars There are clearly great things going on on this album. Keith Moon is a beast. And it’s an impressive feat. But does it achieve what it was set out to do? The story is murky. The songs are repetitive to an unnecessary degree. It’s really long and doesn’t hold up all the way through. But parts of it are great. Just not all of it.

Une sacrée expérience ! Honnêtement j’aurais bien aimé que Tommy se suicide comme ça l’album aurait été plus court. Hormis la durée, j’ai bien aimé l’album mes chansons préférées sont : chrismas, amazing journey, do you think it’s alright et pinball wizard. J’ai vraiment bien aimé pinball wizard. Undertune est bien aussi. J’avoue qu’a la fin j’étais moins concentré et intéressé.

A massive dichotomy. Fun music, deeply disturbing themes. I like the instrumental tracks the best, and Pinball Wizard is a classic. But overall not a fun time due to the themes dealt with.

Rockopera? Antar det? Asså är rätt bra, men blandar och ger lite va? Pinball wizard är alltid mycket lustig! Det värsta är egentligen att the who alltid har så risigt jävla ljud

Ambitiöst. Min lyssning inte lika ambitiös. Inte mycket som sticker ut. Tråkigt nog Pinball wizard som topp

An interesting 24 track album. I felt it fell flat for a majority of the time. Pinball wizard, underture brought this up from a 2 to a 3 I felt they were by far the most complete and interesting tracks of the album. The rest all had some sort of issue I did not enjoy, whether it was the annoying high pitched vocals or uninteresting instrumentals.

Déjà écouté avant. Tommy est un album en équilibre instable. D'un côté, les ambitions musicales mégalomanes de Pete Townshend, et la structure inspirée de l'opéra qui en découle (à base d'ouvertures instrumentales, de variations autour de thèmes musicaux récurrents et d'un arc narratif tragicomique pas forcément très facile à suivre). De l'autre, le soin du groupe dans son ensemble de ne pas trop s'éloigner, contrairement à certains de leurs contemporains, d'une instrumentation reproductible en live... avec les moyens techniques de 1969. Le résultat, c'est une œuvre fondamentalement bancale, fondatrice et foireuse, tenue à bout de bras, comme souvent chez les Who, par les fulgurances mélodiques à la basse de John Entwistle et l'exubérance déglinguée de Keith Moon derrière les fûts. Top : Pinball Wizard Flop : Fiddle About

Well, this introduced the concept of the rock opera to the public imagination so it certainly belongs on here. And while some of the songs on here are undeniably fantastic, I don't think this particularly plays to the strengths of The Who, at least as I see them. It's bloated, uneven, narratively weak, and doesn't have enough ideas to carry the full 74 minutes. But it's a big ol' swing that influenced the course of popular music in the 20th century and cracked open the possibilities of what rock music could do. I guess this is a lot of words to say... it's aiight

A bit of a sprawling mess of a concept album, doesn't hang together too well for me though. Were it not for the Wiki page the concept might have passed me by.

Não escutei inteiro

Not a fan of this album although I think The Who are amongst the greatest bands ever. Doesn’t need the live repeat.

The who have always been meh to me

Pleasant but not stand out

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It really needs the movie

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

not bad but also not crazy good

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

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

Не мое

I've heard worse concept albums

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

it's the one with pinball wizard on it

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

Grand sounding album, a bit long

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

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

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

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

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

Proto-Queen. Like it!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ok

3 HORAS

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

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

Decent

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

Best Poo album [low bar]

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

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

30 minutes too long. Cut the fat.

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

***an ok album

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

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

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

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

24 tracks long whyyyyyyyyy. 2.5/5

Quién?

First listen

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

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

first time all the way through

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

okay

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

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

I wish the album was just pinball wizard

Not bad, but not that good either