Tommy

Mukavaa taas kerran Beatles meininkiä. Tietysti omalla who mausteella

3 stars

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shrugs. It's fine.

Boring

Kind weird :p

quite good but quite repetitive and boring at times

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

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

fun storytelling, i enjoyed it

Pinball wizard highlight Long album

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

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

not bad in the least but incredibly long

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

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

eh wasn’t feeling it, too dad-like

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

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

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

Pretty good

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

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

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

Definitely one to return to. An epic.

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

Not as interesting as I hoped.

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

Eg klarar ikkje heilt bli kjempeglad The Who

Some classics, bit too long for a casual listen

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

i forgot ahhh, good tho

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

Pete Townshend is a nonce

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

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

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

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

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

Classic tunes. Pinball wizard

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

gak dengerin full, but okelah

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

Great concept.

Weird

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

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

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

Interesting themes, will need to look deeper into the lyrics

I'll take their live albums over this, but you gotta give them credit for their ambition alone. Artists had done concept albums before, of course, but this one felt different, and was marketed as such. There's been plenty of concept albums since that have lapped Tommy, but maybe acts like Pink Floyd or Frank Zappa wouldn't have swung for the fences if the Who didn't first. I find Tommy to be a little self-indulgent and there are a lot of times where things don't seem to click for me. But when they do, there are some great nuggets of music to enjoy.

Has some really notable highs and I love the ambition of it but once it gets past Go to the Mirror!, the falling action of the plot really hampers the rest of the album. Nothing on here is bad but damn, they went really strong for like 42 minutes but then you've got another 20 minutes of a dismount. Sally Simpson's alright. But Pinball Wizard? Hell yeah. Movie's fun too! Favorite Tracks: Christmas, Underture, Pinball Wizard, Go to the Mirror, Sally Simpson

interesting

Wow! An hour and 45 minute album with maybe two good songs on it. Pure trash. I don’t care about the story. I care for good music. This isn’t that. Repetitive. Boring. Forgettable.

It's fine; good story

Supposed to be one of their best

I dunno, if I’m Zooey Deschanel in Almost Famous I just don’t think this is the album I would pick to show my brother that music is good

Quadrophenia is better.

Not as strong as Who’s Next or Quadrophenia. Pinball Wizard is still a bop though.

a little too long, solid album though. i like the pinball song

So i've been putting this off for a couple weeks now, this is #63 and I'm now at #95! It's double album, and even if I do not dislike The Who, I DO know what they sound like, so I wasn't that excited in a "I'm gonna discover this" kinda way. Eyesight [...] and Christmas were my favorites from disc 1. Pinball Wizard's the big one on disc2, like the album, I like it but I don't looove it!

First I want to say I absolutely love long concept albums. But I have to admit I have not heard this all the way through, or if I did, I listened to it once and it did not stick with me. I get what the Who accomplished with this classic album. But I dont know if today, it just sounds dated, or that I just completely lost interest. It felt like a slog until Pinball Wizard, and then I was just waiting for it to be over. Again I love concepts, but this one is just not for me. I will give them three stars for being one of the first bands to pull off this kind of presentation at this scale.

aunque tiene varios temas que quiero volver a escuchar, hay mucha repetición en los instrumentales y las melodías a veces son monótonas. la historia es entretenida pero no muy profunda. todo extremos, pocos grises. el album tambien sufre porque es muy largo. igual me gustó y tiene momentos muy buenos. canciones favoritas: 1921, Cousin Kevin

reminded me of being young at home, dad listened to lots of rock from this era. recognized a few songs, was a fun journey.

3 hours!!

Operatic as hell. This one is pretty good, though I find it hard to see the attraction of the Who. There's a couple on here I like, and the story is engaging, but not my favorite on the list.

Too long … some classics on there though …

I enjoy The WHO, old and new, but I'm not into drama rock and the theatrics of musical storytelling. This may be a masterpiece but the first 11 songs were all just average and incomplete I felt. It sounds folksy and dated. Song 12, "Pinball Wizard" is a rock and roll royalty track but we 'fiddled about' too long to get there. "Go To The Mirror" and "I'm Free" are really good songs and rock radio staples from when I was a little kid first getting into rock. The other 19 tracks are just filler. The story of Tommy is lost on this guy, I'm not willing to sift through all the blah songs to find out who he is and what makes him tick. It's 2.5 stars for me but I'll round up because there's likely a good reason for it being on this list, so the half star is for whatever influence or staying power this album has.

I can appreciate the ambition, but I think it's not that interesting to listen to, and goes on for a bit too long. Faves: Overture, It's A Boy, Pinball Wizard, Go To The Mirror

Habe ich nicht komplett gehört und ich habe immer Probleme damit, neue Musik zu hören. Aber es war ganz gut

Wel leuk beetje saai maar goed

Interesting concept, some quite challenging lyrics. I know it's a rock opera but I would have liked some difference in musical style here and there. Some good tunes dusted around though!

Realistically, I just don't understand this. I feel like it's probably good -- maybe even fantastic -- but the story went completely over my head, and none of the music is particularly enjoyable on its own. If I gave this a lot more time, energy, and relistens, maybe this would shoot up a lot for me. But that's just not happening. Fave track: - Pinball Wizard

This is a movie that really freaked me out when I saw it as a kid and have stayed away from it ever since. It’s still true after listening to it. Some really good songs in there but some really messed up stuff too, but it’s telling a story so I get it. Overall pretty ok. Sounds like The Who wanted to make an album that sounds like the Beatles made a musical at times.

The transitions to the next song is pretty cool, the acid queen was the best one.

By the halfway point, I had thought up a funny review to write which was the following: "Give me a second to savor this moment. I think this is the only time in my life I will ever hear a song about Pinball so I want to enjoy it while I can." Imagine the look of excitement on my face when I got to the end of the album

Trop long

While I generally like The Who, this is not my favorite album by a long shot. I also didn’t like the movie. Quadrophenia is a far superior concept album as is the abandoned and now reconstructed LifeHouse project. As for Tommy, it’s a pretty mellow Who record with only a few passable tracks worth playing again. Pinball Wizard is still a quality track both music and lyrics still hold up after 50 years. It is a bit of a struggle to take in the entire record in one sitting and most tracks are forgettable with one still regrettable. The regrettable track is Fiddle About which makes light of childhood molestation. I’m Free/We’re Not Going To Take It is another okay track. This is a worthwhile attempt by The Who to craft a thematicly linked album but there are just too many unanswered questions and gaps to be a complete work. A for effort C- for execution. 3/5

Nag

Love The Who, hate musicals. What's a guy to do?

I tried to go into this rock opera with an open mind--as a rock afficionado, I feel like I need to enjoy The Who more, and I'm a big fan of a well-done rock opera (Jesus Christ Superstar remains one of my favorite albums of all time). And there was a lot here that I enjoyed--but I guess I wanted most straight up rock. You've got the big hits like Pinball Wizard, but then there's a lot of really short little storytelling tracks that didn't really hook me with a forward-driving story the way JCS or Rent did, for example. I feel like a better rock fan now that I've listened to it, but I feel like unless I'm willing to dedicate some more listens to it, it may not get stuck in my head and heart the way the others do.

It's amazing that The Who ever convinced anyone they were a rock band. I haven't heard this in forever and man is it weird, even by rock-opera standards. But it's better than The Wall, I guess? (Can it be that Quadrophenia isn't on the list?)

Actually quite liked that

151/1001 The Who - Tommy Heard before? ✅ Revisit? ❎ I have a friend who was obsessed with this album at college and tried it back then, but did nothing for me then and on re-listen, it hasn't done an awful lot more for me. I get why it's included, as it's one of the first rock operas, yes it tells an effective story, but it never engages me musically unfortunately. Pinball Wizard is the only real standout.

A difficult dated story - I'd have picked Quadrophenia over this...good but not great

But much

Very distinct sound that is uniquely "The Who". Enjoyed the listen but would not come back to it regularly.

Not a patch on Quadrophenia.

Some classic tunes.

Solid concept album. A bit overrated. Who's other records are better.

First Rock Opera on the list - I liked it

While I realize the historical significance of this album, I found it tedious. I felt I was listening to different versions of ‘Pinball Wizard’ even though they were completely different songs.

Kovaa yritystä mutta ei lennä ihan maaliin.

Oopperaa. Rokkioopperaa. Nyt on tääkin sit kuultu kokonaan. Pitäs varmaan nähä jossain jämsän kesäteatterissa tää niin aukeis enempi. Musassa ei sillai oo vikaa, mut parempii ne kuka:n normibiisit on. Eli taas särmätöntä arvosanaa.

Ihan menevää rokettirollia. Alkusoitolle aina peukku ylöspäin, ihan sama minkälaisesta taidepläjäyksestä onkaan kyse. Tästä ei itseasiassa entuudestaan ollut tuttu mikään muu kuin flipperivelho. Ehkä tätäkin pitäisi ihan ajatuksella kuunnella, että saisi vielä enemmän irti. Nyt jäi yhtenäisestä teemasta huolimatta vähän hajanaiseksi kokonaisuudeksi. Pidän edelleen Meat Loafin Bat Out of Helliä parhaana rock-oopperana, hyvänä kakkosena Green Dayn American Idiot. Tämä menee sitten ehkä kolmanneksi.

Stylistically incoherent

3.5/5 Nice, solid British rock album. One iconic song in here. You definitely hear influences from the Beatles / Led Zeppelin / Rolling Stones / Cream and many other related groups for the late 60s 70s. Solid era for music imo, I grew up listening to this type of stuff lots so I may be biased. The first bit of disc 1 which I assume was side A of the record, flowed together nicely. You can tell this was made during an era when people listened to albums not just disjointed singles. The backup vocals oscillating going “Ah ah ah ah” in Christmas is pretty fuckin rad. Some lyrics in We’re Not Gonna Take It were a bit gross, didn’t age well. Overall enjoyed listening to this album as background music, not sure I’d go back to any song tbh, maybe the pinball wizard one cause the hook goes hard and it’s kinda funny. The Who and this genre has a lot of influence in my music making.

Not the best Who album.

Rock opera is a really cool idea and this album seemed to start artists dipping their toes in it. The story telling is done well and easy to follow trough the album. But The Who are a bit rubbish and boring, don't excite me enough to want to listen to more of their stuff.

Until today I had never heard this album. It is great that The Who were able to conceive of something so grand even if it is not executed as well as some of their other albums. I think that the rock opera album is an interesting genre and this may not be the best one but is the first or among the first, and that coupled with the first half of this album is why I rate this as a 3.

I feel incredibly whelmed. I guess it's a start into concept albums.

I'm a big Who fan and play quite a few of their tracks in my covers band but had never actually listened to this album. I sort of enjoyed this but felt like a massive self indulgence punctuated by a few decent tracks. I've never worked out how they were such an amazing live band, possibly one of that best of all time, but they failed to get that raw brilliance down in much of their studio recordings.

Quite a dark, sobering story to tell. I wonder as a Who fan at the time how this would have been received to knock out a rock opera like this. Tackling abuse is always a hard battle, straddling crude and upsetting with thoughtful reflections, but that's kind of the point. Not much to refer to as a single. I felt like I needed to listen to it, and am glad to have seen it through. I didn't necessarily enjoy it as an experience all that much though.

Not a big rock opera guy

I've never listened to this entire album and I enjoyed it. It is unique as a "Rock Opera"/Concept album. This is definitely not the Who's best music, but listening to Tommy is not a terrible way to spend 75 minutes.

I spent a long time listening to this one to really let it sink it, as I found it to be quite a complex work. It's pretty cool, but didn't set me alight. Favourite tracks: 1921, Cousin Kevin, Pinball Wizard, I'm Free.

This was an audacious album that hit huge and established a whole new form for rock. I never liked it, the Who always had a couple of really weak songs on the early albums, songs that made them sound like a folk act instead of a swaggering heavy rock band. To my ears that's what this album was filled with, excepting Pinball Wizard and the "Listening to You" build at the very end, the rest nearly all seemed written only to fill in the plot and narration, produced to sound harmless. BUT they played nearly the whole album on the road for a couple of years which was supposed to be pretty amazing. After listening again to the whole album yesterday, I realized the Super Deluxe version had the whole live recording. And yeah, it's amazing, it actually sounds like the Who. I still don't like the material, but the performance difference from the studio version is incredible.

Very high concept. Quite a strange idea for an album but did enjoy it

Thought this album sounded terrible and wooden at first. It wasn't until listen 3 that i realized the equalizer settings were just weird and had washed out all the sparkle from the guitar and any edge from the voice. PSA for the Spotify listeners: make sure the equalizer is NOT set to 'rock'! >:(

I still like The Who alright, and this record wasn’t bad at all, but I found myself struggling to engage with the story they were trying to tell…and while Pinball Wizard is great, I guess I felt like there wasn’t much else on this record to get really excited about. 3/5

On paper, I should love this more. But even though it's a sprawling affair with tons of brilliant ideas (confession time: I have a knack for opulent and imperfect concept and double albums), it's hard to immerserve myself into the occasionally meandering execution. Also, the storyline… It feels undercooked.

it was okay

Not my cup of tea

6/10… Rock opera

It's fine, but a lot of unnecessary tracks. The concept is wonderful though. Especially "Pinball Wizard".

I've never heard the full album or seen the film before. I was expecting a lot more really, it was ok without being amazing. I can imagine it was groundbreaking at the time, so I'll go with 3 stars rather than 2.

Liked it a lot!

Of all the major concept albums/rock operas that came out in the late '60's and '70's I think this one is probably the weakest and my least favorite. The Who were way better at writing major one off hits than cohesive story telling albums. Pinball Wizard is a classic, but some of the filler tracks are just annoying. That said, you can start to hear sounds on this that they would later come to perfect on their hits from Who's Next and later albums.

Impressive and sometimes disturbing I’ve listened to this many times, but never this closely.

I already like a concept album and I like this one especially, having seen the musical revival bring the absolute batshit plot to life.

What an unhinged premise. I don’t know how to feel but Pinball Wizard is a great song.

as much as I want to love The Who, i still feel like you had to be there with most of their output.

I hear the beginnings of the 80s power ballads. could use a little more variety?

Just not a fan of concept albums. Some great songs but a lot of nonsense as well

I have a hot take on The Who, which is that they really only have one great album. I think Who’s Next is one of the greatest rock albums of all time, and The Who have a handful of great songs, but Tommy and Quadrophenia have never captured my attention in many attempts. I will say this spin highlighted a few more interesting moments on Tommy, particularly Overture and Underture. Tommy the song is always fun, but overall a record that doesn’t hit in its classic status for me.

Such a strange band, the Who. In my opinion this album deserves its place in the list. And there are fantastic passages, riffs etc. But then sections that are creepy, outdated, too long.

So long, each song is a separate narrative which is fun

Tidlig rockopera, respekt og alt det der, fortjener helt sikkert en plads på listen. Vi ville helt sikker ikke have The Wall eller The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway uden den. Stadig kedelig i længden. Pinball Wizard er en banger

Ingen anelse om hvad den handlede om men jeg synese altså det var ret fed!

Enjoyable. Crisp vocals and enjoyable riffs. I also got a bit more into the lyrics of this and found a new Christmas song. I don't think I've ever listened to an album all the way through that it a story about a character - so an interesting first for me.

Little overstuffed, but obviously some classic tracks and they really paved the way for other rock operas that I just musically enjoy more.

On a preliminary listen, Tommy is about a nonverbal autistic kid who loves pinball who grows up to be a cult leader. It's some kind of story I guess, but I honestly think the album is overrated. I can't overstate it's importance to pop and rock, but I don't think it's an objectively amazing project. I'm bumping it up mainly for it's influence. Best Songs: Pinball Wizard Worst Songs: Tommy's Holiday Camp

Their first rock opera has some great songs like pinball wizard but does get dragged down by guitar *anking.

Ah yes, the "rock opera". Cute idea. Pretty good album

Good but blended together

Hey, another Who. It's been a good while since the last one - nearly two hundred albums since I listened to My Generation, which I gave a scandalous 1/5 rating to. Why? I've no clue. I musta been off my gourd when I listened to it, I guess. The title track of that album occasionally pops into my head, so it's probably not a 1/5 by my current standards. I'm curious to see what this middle point in their included discography will sound like. It's another hour-tenner. Right after Kanye's The College Dropout, no less. I need a break. Timeskip because we do those now. I am redefining the review medium through my exploration of abstract, avant-garde storytelling techniques. This truly holds a mirror to our own society or however the bloviating goes. Anyways, this was pretty alright. Maybe I shouldn't have sat out on this one yesterday. This style of pop rock is generally within my ballpark - the acoustic and electric guitars have a nice sound to 'em. Some pretty good percussion, too. Obviously, this thing is much too long and it kind of completely comes apart as it nears the end, though the avarice that this album has for my time and attention could lessen overtime as I come to appreciate this music more. I'm open to giving it a relisten sometime down the line. "Overture" is a solid opener - I love me a good instrumental track. The guitars go a long way in giving the track a satisfying sense of forward momentum, and the piano/horns are a nice touch. "Underture" is another good tune, no surprises there. I had to do a double take when I read the track name. Truth be told, none of the other songs really stuck out to me, though the album is an admirable kind of listenable from start to finish. I'm too laaaaazyyyy to check the book for this entry, so I'm gonna shirk my gatekeeping duties and let this one mosey on through. I cosign this inclusion.

Totally different vibe vs my generation

nuts

Liked the concept and cohesiveness, liked the music more than my generation, but it's still the who, who i am moderately lukewarm on, still

Having heard about the album, but not having heard the album, I was very enthusiastic about this album. I really like rock operas in general, and so I was looking forward to finally listening to it in its entirety. However, it was very underwhelming to me. It felt very samey throughout the entire album, and I found myself bored with it quite quickly. The music is still good, and the songs can be enjoyable separately. Therefore this album cannot score any higher for me than it does. Was expecting at least a 4/5, but it falls short of that. 3/5

I’ve never felt so much like I only skimmed through an album. I’m biased by the only two Who songs I really know (I’m Free and Pinball Wizard) which share that same riff reminding you it’s part of a concept. My single listen was clearly not enough to take it all in. I often get the awkward feeling that the music is just there to serve the lyrics, rather than the other way around, whereas what I usually love about The Who is their musical energy. It’s still fairly easy to listen to and must have been pretty revolutionary back in 69, but in 2025, I struggled to make it to the end but I could come back to it.

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.

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

Hmm no big feelings, quite liked it

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 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

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.

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

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*

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

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

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

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?

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

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.

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

Its odd, not my thing persnoally

top

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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:/

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.

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

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.

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.

saight

Concept album

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

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

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.

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

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

John Surgery.

Idk fine

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.

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

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!!

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.

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

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.

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)

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.

I expected to like this more.

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.

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.

Good

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.

Wasn't as good as I hoped

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

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

Overall I enjoyed it, kinda strange in parts.

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.

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

Loses its impact without watching the film at the same time

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

kind of boring

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

на любителя. бенгеров не обнаружено.

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

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!

Keith Moon! Solid Who material but very long.

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

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

Seems pretty great, but couldn't get into it

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.

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

bit weird but the guitar music was good

Never studied this album in depth like I have the other rock operas, I dunno, something about The Who that just never fully clicked on for me.

there was some bits and pieces i liked about this album but the run time was just a bit too long for me (between 2.5 and 3)

Some good, some not so good.

I respect that this is the first if it’s kind so is pretty important, but it kinda sounds like they wrote the song pinball wizard (fucking brilliant song btw) and then for some reason decided to write an entire 75 minute rock opera around it

I dont get these prog rock albums, a dreary 70+ minutes sandwiching a solid single

Are rock operas overblown? Admittedly it's a small sample size, but they were all the rage in the late 60s, along with the concept album and the growth of prog rock. And the answer is yes; they're supposed to be overblown, pompous, and ridiculous. Why else would you even try to make one? This one is one of the better ones, you'll find much to like here.

I do quite like Christmas and there were quite a few other enjoyable songs in this album. Good background music for sure, and nowhere near as dated as I thought it would be. 3/5 stars.

Tommy is a very ambitious rock opera. Quite unique for the time and still has some freshness to it. It’s really an album’s album rather than song focused - it has repeating lyrical and musical themes, short songs and long instrumentals that progress the story and set the stage…it really needs to be taken as a whole. The songs are better in context than standing alone. There are sections that are quite gripping, but other sections where I lose some focus. As an album it’s a bit softer than most of The Who’s other music, and showcases some of their range and writing ability. Overall, good music on an ambitious album - something I’ll think of here and there but not go back to all the time.

Meh… few good songs but can really tell it’s a double album, drags

Have only listened to popular singles by The Who before this. Like the concept of rock operas with a theme.. Favorite track: Pinball wizard other picks: amazing journey, go to the mirror, sally simpson

Pinball Wizard Go to the mirror

Very diverse and long album.

A classic I've heard many times over the years, happy to return to now and then

some good songs, not my favorite The Who Songs though. For me the Album would be better without these short "songs" in between

Wasn't sure how I was going to feel, but I enjoyed it overall. Also, didn't realize Pinball Wizard came from this.

it’s good, but i don’t really have an opinion of it. felt very long and pretty repetitive

Rigtig fin rock opera omkring en dreng som ser sin mor blive dræbt og så bliver han blind. Der er en masse metafor og symbolik som jeg ikke helt fanger, men lyder er rigtig godt og minder mig om tenacious D nogle gange.

Considering when it was released, it was somewhat groundbreaking as a rock opera. While there are some good songs, the storyline is a little weak and some of the songs to support the storyline feel campy and silly…particularly considering later albums like The Wall.

ive listened to this album while i was studying and, overall, it was a good album. the funny thing is that while there were some ABSOLUTE bangers (The Acid Queen, Go To The Mirror!, We're Not Gonna Take It...), there were others that i had to force myself to listen to the whole thing because either they were super annoying or super boring. also, at some points i felt like they were trying to "copy" Queen??? i dont know, man, but i was like, "damn, this is a rhythm Queen would use". to summarize, i liked it and could see myself listening to it again. ps: thank god this website heard me and didnt give me YET ANOTHER country-ass album :D !!

fine I DONT KNOW

I didn’t really dig this one.

I enjoyed Keith Moon's drumming throughout, and quite enjoyed Pete Townshend's acoustic guitar. Overall though a little long and self-indulgent for me, but I feel that way about musicals in general. Pinball Wizard is still one of the all-time great rock songs.

Ok

Not my favorite "the Who" album.

To be honest, I have always found The Who to be quite average. This didn’t exactly change my mind on that front, but I do appreciate them a bit more. Pinball Wizard was no doubt the best song on the album. I appreciated the theming of the album, all centered around the character of Tommy. Rock opera just really isn’t my thing.

A little rough around the edges sometimes. Otherwise pretty neat, I guess...

Very long like my penits

3.5* 85%

was ok, then it started to annoy me, and it just kept going. 2.5

I expected to like this more, as I liked the film when I saw it years ago and am generally a fan of concept albums and rock operas. It is just so notable that Pinball Wizard is the standout track here, with most of the rest being quite musically forgettable. Maybe not a popular opinion, but for my money the original Jesus Christ Superstar album with Ian Gillan and Murray Head, which came out around the same time as Tommy, is so much more interesting and sophisticated as far as rock operas go.

An album with an interesting concept, but not that musically engaging of a listen for me. I appreciate the unique idea, though

Pinball

Never seen the movie. This is definitely a soundtrack, the moods and stories are there. You can see the picture unfolding. Need to watch that movie.

Good Album. 3.8/5

This album (and the Who in general) are a major blind spot for me. They've sort of gotten grouped (maybe incorrectly) with the Rolling Stones in my mind and I just don't care for the Stones. So I was happy to get this album to be "forced" to listen to it. And it was more enjoyable than I would have expected. Don't see myself listening to it again any time soon, but it was a pleasant experience.

Dull

This album certainly has some creative stuff, but for some reason, not enough punch. A lot of the songs feel like they're constantly building up towards something, and then just nothing happens. The hard rock tracks here have significantly more energy, but most of this album is not hard rock. These some very fun songs here (Overture, Christmas, The Acid Queen, Underture, Pinball Wizard, Go to the Mirror!), but others are just fine. Still enjoyed this album, but it definitely could've been better. 7/10

Inessential

okay cool vibes - nothing more

I saw Roger Daltrey perform the whole of Tommy live when I was 16. Pinball Wizard is still very much the highlight.

An interesting story with cool instrumentals

I love the Who, but not Tommy. I think this is a good example of a band getting over their skis with an idea and not pulling it off at all. Pinball Wizard is maybe the only song reminiscent of the band, the rest does very little to take advantage of the bands vast skill set. Like most concept albums, this one is forced and too long.

I like the ambition of this. And I like the concept. But not sure I loved this. Pinball Wizard is great…such a weird idea…but it works. The rest is very meh. 2.75 Now I’m gonna go smoke some Mother Nature.

Seen the musical once or twice...not sure if it has impacted my thoughts on the album in a positive or negative way. Either way, this is a decent album, not great. Tough for me to get over the silliness factor TBH. 3.25/5

Yeah i mean its a rock opera by the who

Ok. Probably need to listen to the whole album in one sitting to understand properly

Boring but fine.

Fiddlin Around is hilarious. Fine album. Follows a theme front to back. Usually not a fan of themed albums, but this isn't over the top.

Second Who album this week, this one just has to be better. This is also the 2nd or 3rd "opera" I've gotten this week? For an opera, this has way more instrumental tracks than expected. Pinball wizard comes out of nowhere and is a total banger compared to the rest. 3* Highlights: pinball wizard, i'm free

i like it because the who rock but the concept falls flat for me