Tommy

The "story" was a bit weird and contrived, but the music was good. Very nice how they used the overture theme through different songs, really tied the album together. I can imagine this was a revelation in 69

Good fun, got a bit lost as the version I listened to was 3 discs!

What a treat of an album. Stand outs: Eyesight to the Blind - "You talk about your woman...you should see mine." - so good. Great song in general. Christmas - Great concept (on a CONCEPT album, no less?!). Great lyrics. Textbook Who key changes. Gorgeous harmonies in Cousin Kevin. Love the quintessential 60s ones on "You won't be much fun Being blind, deaf and dumb But I've no-one to play with today". The lyrics might render it a one-time listen, though. Go To The Mirror! - just epic. Classic Who key changes too. I'm Free - so good as we KNOW. Love that they brought the 60s whimsy with Tommy's Holiday Camp. End of We're Not Gonna Take it (See Me, Feel Me / Listening to You) is INCREDIBLE AS WE KNOW.

That deaf, dumb and blind kid sure plays a mean pinball!

I can appreciate this album as the work of art it is, even through I think this is my least fav of The Who albums I’ve listened to so far. The Acid Queen and Pinball Wizard are the standout tracks.

Enjoyed this much more than “Who’s Next”, despite being less refined. Cool vocal harmonization and a more psychedelic experience. I was blown away by “1921” and is the standout track here by far.

This hasn’t held up over the years - there are some great song but others are just ok. I would give it a 3 1/2 if I could but. It’s get the extra 1/2 stars because I keep thinking about some of the songs hrs later. Highlights are Overture, Can You Hear Me, I’m Free and We’re Not Going to Take it Anymore.

A concept album from the 60s is not exactly my wheelhouse. Has some pretty decent tunes though. Just scrapes in for a three.

10/10. What an epic rock opera!!! The story is really interesting, and the music is awesome!!! ;)

Mhmm had high expectations from pinball wizard, the rest of the album is less great

I am not getting this at all. It's like listening to the songs from some grimy musical, but without the sparkly costumes and choreography to distract you.

some of the songs are ok, but the story is a little out there. this was ok but i don’t know if i would ever listen again.

Just not into The Who. Always liked the title track, though.

I’d probably rate it higher if I gave it more time. I like a lot of what it is trying to do, but there isn’t a CRAZY amount that stood out to me aside from the hits. I did like Christmas though.

Classic band Classic album

Super ambitious. Not as intense as the wall but I can imagine Pink Floyd taking some inspiration from this. I found the earlier songs quite troubling to listen to given the story, but it's told well. I got a bit bored towards the end and do think this is too long. Solid 4, with extra props for ambition.

Great music. Too long.

до слез

Speaking of old school, oof. NGL, although I listened to the whole album it was a total slog. In particular there was a little too much talk of r**e and soforth in what is basically a fancy pop song. 2 stars, sorry buds.

Sorry, dad! No album should have this many songs that exist solely for plot exposition.

I really quite enjoyed this. Heard about it so many times, but this was listen #1. Unexpectedly orchestral and cohesive. The Who seem to have been lost to the mainstream of oldies, but they had something gear for awhile and ‘Tommy’ was in their pocket.

I was a long haired early 20s idealist during one of final teaching practicums in Halifax. One of my grade 11s found out I was a fan of the who and made me the greatest who mix of all time. I listened to it for years. I remember playing it on repeat when I visited Windsor castle one May weekend when I moved to London. Many of these songs were from Tommy and I forgot how much I love the who. This album is ambitious and messy but overall is a great listen.

This happens a lot: I wish the link would go straight to the original album (which is on Spotify just fine) rather than the bloated super deluxe edition. Anyway. I can take or leave the concept album/rock opera here, but they manage to wrangle a couple great tracks along the way. Important at the time, sure, but hasn't aged as well as others.

Ok. Ish. In places.

Gne insomma

Tommy cazzo fai

Had to listen over a couple of sittings but this was quite interesting and different. An ambitious idea that probably gets better with each relisten. Favourite tracks: The Acid Queen & Go to the Mirror! Worth a relisten. 3/5

5 for the historical significance, and 4 for my personal appreciation. Tommy is a classic, the first Rock opera ever. Plus listening to the music The Who made is just unspeakably satisfying.

2nd disc is not available on Spotify. Songs without sense of less of a minute (including some of just 12 seconds), the rest is a good album but nothing exceptional.

Respect the effort. Except for Entwistle the who were always meh for me. At one time the loudest band in the world though. Gotta respect that, I guess. Also with album titles like Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bouncy..

I like the album cover. But it is not my taste of music. Despite that, there are 2-3 songs I liked. For example: "We're Not Gonna Take It" (which I liked the most).

I would listen to maybe 1 of these on its own ever

Track 11: "Do You Think It's Alright?". Spoiler for the next track: it was not alright 💀 Quite the unique story album Edit Apr 22 2026: 4 --> 3

tommmyyyyyyy

70s rock is always a good listen

I was already familiar with The Who, of course, but hadn't ever listened to this album in full. I enjoyed how the album flows together. It started to get a little too long for me towards the end. It has some impressive 100% instrumental songs mixed in, though, which I wasn't expecting.

i don't get "Tommy". not for lack of trying, really; i understand the spiritual connection the music has and the connection it shares with Pete Townshend's experiences, but the unfortunate fact is that none of this actually helps me understand the "opera" part of the world's first self-billed "Rock Opera". like, maybe the narrative of The Wall falls apart by the end with "The Trial", but things happen for reasons in that album, there is a legitimate cause for the actions and progression of the album's story. Pink is a rock star whose father died in the war, his mother smothered him as a child, and worst of all, he attended British school in the mid 20th century. as a result, he does copious amounts of drugs in order to return to any sort of comfort and lashes out at the world by becoming a rock star. this leads to him overinflating his own ego by imagining himself as the person who took his father's life and led him down this path -- his very own Adolf Hitler. there are reasons as to why Pink does these things. i actually don't know why Tommy does anything in this album. he becomes deaf blind and dumb because he witnesses his dad murder his mom's lover (which isn't really made clear in the lyrics, it's probably clearer in the liner notes); then his parents just kind of turn into Timmy's mom and dad in "the Fairly Odd Parents" and leave him to get tortured by his cousin and molested by his uncle. then he gets into pinball because uh, he got it for Christmas? he then starts a new religious movement when looking in a mirror cures his symptoms. it suffers from being both way too unclear in many parts but also way too on the nose in many other parts. said evil uncle and cousin, his first doctor's acid casualty wife, and the doctor who actually cures him get introductory songs, but Tommy's rise to fame is almost incidental compared to his time as a 12 year old new religious leader. it's confusing. i could overlook this if i was enchanted by the Who's musical capabilities, but unfortunately i find the performances here weak. i can hardly reconcile this being the same band behind "I Can See for Miles" or "Baba O'Riley", because everything here feels way too light for what should be a freaky, challenging record. the guitars should roar; instead, they buzz under the radar compared to the lyrics, which both center stage and struggle to be understood. it's so easy to trace all of the rock opera genre's sins to "Tommy", taking the musical and the concept album and merging the worst parts of both instead of focusing on the possibilities that both offer. it's not awful, but god, i'd rather just watch the episode of Clone High that riffs on this and The Wall.

It wasn't great to listen to. 2/5

Hampered by connective tissue rather than a solid body of music telling a story. Judged by the hits, it’s a great album with a good ratio of stuff I’d listen to again versus filler material. Compare “Tommy’s Holiday Camp” to Les Miserables’ “Master of the House.” If you don’t think that’s a fair comparison, don’t call it an opera.

👍🏼

Very boring compared to Who's next

Nja, det er jo fett... Men de er liksom ikke like musikalsk begavede i andre sjangere som the Beatles. Det føles som om de prøver å lage et mesterverk, og da blir det litt try-hard. Prog rock på tidlig tidspunkt. Med det sagt er det mye bra låter her.

3.5 - cool concept album but it didn’t hit the mark a lot

This is one of the greatest rock albums, a quintessential rock opera. It’s still fun to listen to but you can definitely throw out half the songs and end up with something even better.

I guess you had to be there?

Great album!

OK, better as a soundtrack to a movie. pinball wizard still very good though

Classic (and as a theatre nerd, I was already familiar with), but definitely absurd and overly-long at times.

Today I learned that Pinball Wizard was part of a really boring rock opera… and that the preceding song is about the kid getting fiddled by his uncle. Cool.

I realized as I listened to this that I probably hadn't ever heard the whole thing before or that much of it wasn't that memorable. Sure, there are the big songs we all know from the radio, but there sure are a lot of less consequential songs here. I know this is a legendary album, but I found as much I wasn't impressed with alongside those overplayed hits from our Gen X childhood classic rock stations. Combine that with the kiddy porn charges agains Townshend and I gotta be honest it's probably my last listen.

'Who' gives a shit? See what I did there... Now stop reading this review and go listen to something enjoyable.

I’ve never seen any stage or film production of this “rock opera.” Would I feel differently about it if I had that connection? Without it, you can still pick up on the story and themes, but something is lacking. Being forced to stick to the narrative does perhaps keep The Who more focused on the message they constantly pursued about the state of their generation, and which felt underdeveloped on “My Generation” and “The Who Sell Out.” Ultimately, though, the music is better on those aforementioned albums. Maybe the full experience of “Tommy” would make me feel otherwise, but it certainly seems like The Who’s best songs are found elsewhere.

I can see where the idea of a concept album or theatre show could seem like a cool playground for a rock band to mess around in. And any one of the social issues that Pete brought with his Tommy (murder, bullying, pedophilia, drug use, cult of celebrity, etc) could be the basis of an interesting inquiry. But Tommy throws way too much into the mix to make any of it seem important. And on top of that, the music just isn’t that good - in fact, it’s boring, with long stretches of nothing compelling in either the music or the lyrics. Daltry’s voice is not in good form and he’s not given much by the score to show off his strengths. When Pete takes the mic, it’s only too clear that he should stick to the guitar. Some of these songs fare better on the movie soundtrack, but the whole outing was really just a big miss on The Who’s part.

I’ll keep Pinball Wizard as a great classic song on its own, but a rock opera just doesn’t belong on this list any more than a soundtrack does. It’s meant to be consumed in a different delivery system.

This is probably blasphemy to some, but while I love Tommy, I don’t love listening to the Who sing the entire thing. Give me the cast recording. 😬

Another double album that is too long. There are good songs buried amongst the extended atonal-ish instrumental passages. It’s too much and I lose interest.

This album is such a mess. It’s not very consistent or good. It should absolutely be on here though. There are some highlights here and there.

2.5*

I love this band's music, and Tommy. Was super psyched when I recognized Pinball Wizard and it came on. I also liked how the album felt like it had a progression, like I was at a concert or something

Cool but long

Brilliant rock opera/concept album I had the film soundtrack LP (cheap remaindered cut-out from Debenhams) I saw them perform this at the Royal Albert Hall in 2017, it was fantastic

I have some friends who adore this album, but it left me absolutely cold and actually quite unsettled. I get the idea of it as an opera, and the need for short interludes, but it was missing something. I couldn't easily follow what was happening, it was just a disjointed sequence of sketches and ideas. When it did settle on an idea, it was images of child abuse set to fairground melodies. I started off wanting to give it a chance, and just got more and more disappointed as it went on. I know Pinball Wizard is a classic, but the album as a whole doesn't deserve it.

BEST SHIT EVER LES GOOO

2 stars. Fine, will be never listen to again.

This album is so long. I kinda get it, like, it’s an album from 1969 so why not do anything else haha, but this album just DRAAGGGSSSS ONNNNN. It feels like an elongated jam session, though honestly I prefer listening to alor of these tracks over like the Beatles LMAOOO. Fav song: Underture (even if some of the notes are so jwysuwokwhsua off key)

Concept of the album is cool, it really does feel like a story with a through line which is cool. I also find it funny that with all these tracks about Tommy's struggles, the most popular one is about him being good at Pinball. Biggest gripe is that this album is SO. GOD. DAMN. LOOOOOONG! Like I swear this should have been under an hour! Anyways, Tommy's Holiday Camp is the best song ever made, end of review.

Very experimental for the time, some real quality in drums solos, lyrics and composition however just doesn’t hit the exact spot for me Favourite song - Underture

Out of all The Who albums, I've probably listened to this one the most. It is definitely the most unique and I love the story-telling aspect of this, following Tommy's life journey as a deaf/dumb/blind boy to adulthood. A tad ridiculous concept, admittedly, but I enjoyed it as a kid and still do as an adult. Songs like Cousin Kevin, Acid Queen, Pinball Wizard, Go To The Mirror, and I'm Free can stand out on their own in any album. I always loved the instrumental Overture/Underture that set the stage for each Act. When I listened to this, it felt like watching a stage show or musical. I can understand why this might be a polarizing album. It is pretty long, filled with arguably too many "skits", and can get a little repetitive. I know all of this and still really enjoy the album anyway. My heart says this belongs in the 5 category, but I feel like my bias might be pushing that score up. This album has some flaws and I found it difficult giving this a 5 while overlooking those flaws on re-listening to this with a different perspective (and this being my first listen in maybe like 5 years or whatever). I'll put this as a High 4.

Brilliant rock and roll album

mmm voy a escuchar la versión normal. Lo de la Super Deluxe me parece demasiado. He oído canciones sueltas y Pinball wizard es una de mis canciones favoritas. Pues el resto me ha resultado aburrido, algunas canciones me ha gustado la guitarra, pero poco más. Entiendo que hay que oirlo alguna vez y que fue un hito musical, pero le voy a poner 3 estrellas solo por Pinball Wizard.

A great concept album that’s well executed. The music is good, but many of the pieces are there simply to move the plot along. Undeniably influential on rock operas and concept albums that followed (eg, the Wall). But overall this is pretty simple musically and more of a “musical” (with lots of exposition) than “rock opera”. A 3.

I didn’t love this, but I think a big part of it was that feeling of listening to the soundtrack to a musical or movie that I haven’t seen, which tends to really frustrate me because I’m constantly wondering, “what’s happening in this part? What are they doing?” I get that this was a really cool thing when it came out in 1969, but it does not work for me. If I ever actually see it performed I might have a better appreciation for it? But for now, it’s a no thank you.

How was this a popular as it was?

Megavet album, is soms wel iets te lang om weg te luisteren maar het concept van het album is echt geweldig

Niet echt mijn ding, maar zit wel goed in elkaar.

Beukertje hoor, al moet je er wel voor in the mood zijn. Ik vind Quadrophenia beter. 3,5/5

In it's time it's a pretty decent concept album. You can just about follow the story. Musically it's hit and miss - there's something about the Who's sound that just doesn't quite sit right with me

Impactful, and a lot of people hardcore love this album, but I’ve always felt it was overrated. Bits and pieces are catchy, but I’m just not into the concept

Didn’t like this at all. Songs are not memorable, musicianship was very average

I like concept/story albums

Not bad. English Rock.

A double album I don't like by a band I don't like to start the week. 1001 Albums Generator, you do treat me.

My god it's too long There are moments...the outro to we're not going to take it, pinball wizard...few and far between Much much better live but after more than an hour I don't have the will to go all the way through the live discs too Studio 2 live 3+

For a transgressive, genre pushing work it's just rather boring.

I saw this as a musical in the 90s, but never listened to the actual album. I enjoyed the back half, and the concept is cool.

Chef's kiss

So I like the album telling the story, but it was at the expense of lyrics that had any personal feelings.. it felt a bit gimmicky, a bit try hard.

Pinball wizard is a good song, but other than that this album doesn't really grab me. It feels like there might be a story going on that I'm missing. I should probably come back and actually pay full attention to the lyrics, but I doubt it will make my view of the album change much

lol

The first “successful” rock opera is a story of a boy who retreats within himself as the result of trauma. It’s a trope that we’ll see again and again, whether in “The Wall” – where our hero builds a literal wall around himself, substantially achieving the same thing as Tommy does here – or the later biographies of many youthful, rebellious rock and rollers (a genre that’s perhaps always thought of itself as safe harbour for misunderstood or under appreciated artistic genius). Anyway, Tommy. To put it gently, by the time “Fiddle About” had finished its first chorus of “fiddle, fiddle, fiddle, fiddle” you too may want to achieve a dissociative state of semi-torpor. The rock opera, it turns out, walks a fine line. Done well it’s expansive, a rousing appeal to what can be achieved with fairly limited means. Done poorly, as here, it’s almost an indictment on the whole genre – an incoherently rambling, serially uninteresting solipsism that dares to reveal the superficiality of all that pretends to rock. I feel sorry for Tommy, I really do.

This Rock Opera album is a classic. It is a heartbreaking story of Tommy growing up to be a community leader. The story telling, music, and overall package is genius and entertaining.

J'ai découvert cet album dans les années 80. Je l'ai écouté plusieurs fois à l'époque, il contient des morceaux vraiment excellents. Mais j'ai fini par le laisser de côté : je préfère les Who en live (bien plus d'energie et de folie). Dans le 'live at leeds' le groupe joue un medley des meilleures parties de l'album, c'est bien suffisant pour moi (évite les inévitables morceaux de remplissage pour les 74 mn) ! =>3/5

Favorite Track: Pinball Wizard

Some of this is really good but some of it just has me questioning who it was for. Tracks like The Acid Queen and Go To The Mirror! are great, but Fiddle About and is just odd, at least Cousin Kevin felt like it was thought out and added to the album. This could probably be half as long, but the highs are high enough to drag this up to a 4.

Legendary!

I had listened to this before and enjoyed it, I also got told to watch the movie and honestly....I dont remember a thing about it

Not really a fan of The Who. Especially Rock Opera Who.

Slightly better than expected for a double album rock opera. Riff-tastic in parts.

Firstly, really surprised this was a 60’s album. Thought it was early/mid 70’s. Started quite brightly and could see the idea behind it, but soon descended into self indulgent mediocrity. Didn’t make it past the end of disc2. It was that much of an uninspiring grind.

Crazy musical vibes. Mehr kann ich nicht sagen, über drei Stunden sind echt zu viel und hab schon mitbekommen, dass the who hier jetzt nicht so hoch angesehen ist...

Mir sind zrug mit The Who cares und The Who has time for a 2 hours deluxe album? (liebi Grüess an Basil) Ich ufjedefall ned. (und de Basil au ned) Sorry The Who aber nebed ganz vielne anderne "The ..."-Bands um die gliich ziit sinder mir eifach z wenig speziell und chli z langwiilig. vereinzelti biz spassigeri lieder hender gha, gibi zue. Aber bi 2 Stunde album wird da hald me uf quantität wie qualität gsetzt. Zwei ahkauti und zemekratzti Pünkt, defür super deluxe.

Whohoo, tommy, Who freut sich nöd über who? Hoffes de basil chan sis trauma überwinde oder isch zumindest nöd ernsthaft langfristig mitgnah. Also extended edition mit gfühlt 50 tracks hed mi biz abgschreckt, aber han driglosst. Und sisch nöd schlecht gsi. Eich fast chli unfair, mini vorherig ihstellig gege ihne über. Has gfühl das chan guet es 3 sternli album si. Es nervt eich null. Drüü senf tube für who

chalt de rugge abegloffe isch‘s mer woni d‘albumlängi gseh han... «Etwa 3 Std. 30 Min.» – wenn sogar spotify z‘fuul isch zum die gnaui duur ahgäh und sich defür entscheidet eifach mal en schätzig ab z‘gäh hört de spass wüki uf aber bold move, da chani nur min the whoet devor zieh dank es paar musikalische liechtblick ischs aber no the whoman gsi aber woni nach 30 minute uf mini the whor gluegt hani denn doch en the whoch langwiligkeit verspürt, mit de ziit hani denn au no es liechts the whongergfühl entwicklet, drum hani en the whommer gässe und dezue en the whompe bier vernichtet es drüüfachs the whorra für the whoeresöhn (han lang überleid öbi de letscht söll bringe aber the whomor-faktor isch isch mer denn doch zu wichtig gsi)

Yeah, I don't get it

i like the who but its a bit weird unless you've seen the musical i guess. still. pinball wizard

Brilliant. It has its lower points now and then but overall a fantastic rock opera

i love the concept of the album, the way it tells a story through the songs the music is fine, there were some standouts, but overall i just wanted to find out what's gonna happen to tommy 3,5

honestly goes hard considering it was released in 1969 (!!!) and I think they were attempting something quite empathetic and progressive for themes of abuse of power and disability rights, even though it probably isn't handled in as nuanced of a way as I hope it would now. Idk. Haven't honestly thought hard about it for a very long time. Keith moon truly was such a legend though, those fills are to die for and pinball wizard is even better than I remember. 3.5 but have to round up because you cannot deny how good some of those motifs are

I really appreciate the impact on music that this album had, but it's not something I necessarily need to listen to over and over. It was enjoyable, and I liked it. Four stars.

first listen historically significant but not very interesting

Epic!

..

Listen to this album with a candle burning and you’ll see your future

I'm sure this is supposed to be brilliant, but it's not my thing despite a couple of good songs.

Honestly, while I like a lot of songs by the Who, Tommy baffles me. It has its moments musically, obviously including Pinball Wizard, but thematically it falls flat and ends up just being a tediously overlong and anemic slog of an album to actually listen to due to boring masturbatory stretches like 'Underture'. Initially planned to give it a 2, but fuck grading on a curve and weighting historical significance. For being an unenjoyable plodding mess for most of its ridiculous 74 minute runtime, and for the plotline of Uncle Ernie raping poor Tommy, this gets the 1 it truly deserves.

Interesting to listen to this all the way through & to read about the film it inspired.

I thought this would be a good one since I’ve heard so much about it being a cult classic. Was totally disappointed. The music was terrible. I might have to watch the actual movie to understand. Listen again: no Purchase for my collection: no Favourite Song: none

I know the history and all that, but it’s…. a lot.

Not for me. 1/5

Tanti cori, tanto caos ma godibile 🧐

Lenge siden jeg har hørt denne! Det er noe så deilig magisk med disse gamle rocke-operaene med korte sanger og litt awkward overganger. Liker stemningen veldig godt, og det er litt å bli sugd inn i storyen. Og Underture er fortsatt like hypnotiserende som alltid. Beste sanger: Underture, Pinball Wizard (så klart) og Tommy Can You Hear Me?

I hundrevis av år har operaer hatt overturer, men det var først da rockeoperaen ble oppfunnet at vi fikk den første underturen. Dette er vel selve den originale rockeoperaen, og den første jeg har hørt der jeg klarer å skjønne historien uten å google. Likte det mye mer enn forventet. Historien har noen kule øyeblikk (og noen absurde svært lite PK øyeblikk). Musikken er veldig klassisk rock, men løftes av kul tromming og akustisk gitar. Favoritt: go to the mirror, pinball wizard

This is an ‘interesting’ album, mostly because of its ambition, but also a bit of a slog to get through to me, with the story being hammered in at expense of the overall experience. The story itself does nothing for me, especially the wholly unnecessary sexual assault songs and the drawn out awakening sequence. I think I’m fine with just listening to this just once tbh. 2/5

As a child, my boomer parents excitedly told me “Pinball Wizard” was from a rock opera one time when it came on the radio. I don’t recall them having much else to say, and having once again tried to glean what’s great about this album, I’d be at a loss to praise it further. The story is boring. The thematic refrains aren’t interesting enough to warrant sitting through. This is literally the soundtrack to a movie no one gives a fuck about.

Je trouve toujours ingrat d'écouter des opéras rock ou comédies musicales sans la mise en scène. J'ai quand même été happée par l'histoire de Tommy à un certain point. J'ai trouvé que la plupart des personnages étaient bien incarnés en quelques paroles.

It's called a classic for a reason. Not much else to say.

3.8

interesting to listen to with headphones all the songs sound really similar

Def want to go back to this one - it’s just so long. And most of the songs I wouldn’t listen to by themselves

This is that real rock opera music - the type I can't really stand. All my experiences with 'The Who' have been more or less pleasant as of yet, with each record providing a unique twist on their generally pop-rock-leaning sound. But this was too soft for me - and plagued with these long and largely uninteresting musical passages ('Underture' and 'Overture' for me). Where's the punch? In a time when sounds of rock were changing (including the sounds of The Who in the direction of something more interesting), this seems behind. There were some highlights, I WOULD HAVE liked 'Christmas' if it wasn't for those annoying backing "gasping" vocals - like whose idea was that? The closing was maybe the best song here musically, and it also serves as a nice thematic tie-up to the bizzaro story presented here. From what I gathered in this story, it seems to be about a physically impaired child and his struggles growing up. And I can't lie, I was pretty invested in this Tommy guy. I love the way his desire to keep some grand secret after '1921' gets translated to this non-medical deaf-dumb-and-blind condition. Also apparently this secret is him watching the murder of his mom's new lover at the hands of his WW1 veteran father? I didn't really catch this in the album...maybe it's a 'Tommy' move thing. Either way, a good chunk of this record seems to follow the people around Tommy begging him to snap out of his incommunicado status. And when the mirror he saw this murder through is smashed, he finally gets cured? And is then treated as a messiah? OK. I mean it is a pretty neat story all things considered - and apparently, it's been made into an actual musical. It's the only reason I bothered finishing this thing (that and it'd be bad taste otherwise) - it kept me engaged. If only the music here did the same - oh well.

Ok, so you have to understand that I think The Who are one of the most overrated bands of the 60's and a pretty lame band, and those horns on the Overture are not helping, but I guess here we go. I do appreciate that the songs flow together, but I guess it is easy when most of the songs kind of sound the same. A lot of these songs sound unfinished, they don't really have a hook or anything to really draw the listener in. I guess I spoke too soon because Eyesight To The Blind and Christmas sound different, but they also sound really bad. who thought the "AH AH AH AH AH AH" was a good idea. We also could have done without Fiddle About. PINBALL WIZARD COMES AFTER FIDDLE ABOUT!?!?! WHAT IS THE STORY AGAIN?!?!? HUUH??? This album has a very ambitious idea, but I think the music suffer for the sake of the story, which makes the actual album pretty flawed. In order to tell their story a lot of the songs just end up feeling really bland or unfinished. The Who weren't able to break their accusations of being lame. High 2.

Ok. Not their best

I thought this was boring when my parents used to play it but now I like it a lot. Much more artsy and nerdy than I’d given these guys credit for.

I like a good concept album even if it's not my favorite musically.

It was good. I like The Who a lot. I feel like this album is not the one I would pick that was one of their most influential since it doesn't include the intro to CSI on it, which probably introduced hundreds of thousands to The Who. Pinball Wizard still hits though.

Interesting but not mind blowing

great album but was probably more worth it to just watch the film

What was this?? First time listening all the way through. Poor Tommy. 2.4

I don't think this style of album is my thing but still has some great songs on it

I love some of these songs, but I don't need the whole meal.

I really liked this, only know a little about The Who which is mostly just their big hits including Pinball Wizard which is from this album. I'm a sucker for a good concept album and this album telling the life of Tommy was such a fun listen. Incredible album!

good! However Disc 2 isn't avaliable in my region :/ Disc 1 and 3 are though? (Denmark). It's either a high 4 or a low 5. I might be biased since I generally like music from the 60's and 70's.

Strange. Nice story but sometimes hard to follow. Sounds fine, nothing spectacular. Weird.

First rock opera, in a class all it’s own. I have never stopped spinning this record ❤️💪

Didn’t enjoy

Kein Zugang zur Stimme

I really liked pinball wizard but to be honest nothing else caught my ear much.

This album is just a slog.

The movie is so much more interesting than the album which is so disappointing.

interessant, teilweise nahe an den beatles, alles in allem aber kein bleibendes highlight für mich.

Bin etwas gespalten, ist schon ein wichtiges Werk aber am Schluss halt ein Kind seiner Zeit.

This is beyond disappointing. If anyone happens to read this before they have listened to Tommy, I would encourage them to check out the live performance of these songs from the Live 1970 album. The songs themselves are never great but at least on the live album there is a band chemistry that isn’t present on the studio version.

I have a confession… I don’t love The Who. I just don’t care about Tommy, I want songs. I’m sorry. I don’t get it. Great, they made art, sadly the story sucks 4.1/10

is ok

ok

The concept itself of the album was interesting but I'm not sure the music did it justice. The music was decent but nothing really hooked me in Pinball Wizard is a banger tho

I'm so torn between giving this a high 3 or a low 4. It has real moments of genius, the overtures and undertures as well as a leitmotif that shows up every now and again, are brilliant. On the other hand though, there is some inexcusable bloat that are only there to fill in story gaps Think I'll go high 3 on this one

long

This felt like watching a movie. It was quite long for an album, but I really appreciated the story telling as an operic album. Pinball Wizard is a great song and one I'm surprised wasn't more familiar to me despite it's age and reputation. My favorite outside of that is Probably Eyesight To The Blind, or maybe Sally Simpson. This was a fun listen and The Who feel ahead of the game with their rock.

It’s the one with pinball wizard on it

Ok

the only ones that were being deaf, dumb, and blind on this album were the who

It has been a very long time since I heard this. Still a pretty good album, not perfect but definitely good enough.

This rocks. I couldn’t fully follow the story the first listen through, but I will be returning to this one.

Day351 - unarguably genius but i’d argue annoying

5/5

Best: Pinball wizard or Overture Worst: Eyesight to the blind (the hawker) Liked songs: 84%, 16/19 (no songs under a minute) High 4, 90/100 I'm a known sucker for a good concept album/rock opera, and if there ever was one, Tommy is it. I don't always like criticizing concept albums for their length but Tommy does definitely drag at times, and I think a lot of it could've been cut to make it a single album without compromising the story too much. For example, really don't think you need cousin Kevin and uncle ernie in two separate songs; definitely could've combined them. Other than those ocassional drags, the music is really solid. Songs like we're not gonna take it, Pinball wizard, and Overture truly show the highlights of the music, and there aren't really too many lowlights. The story is also fantastic, and really is very detailed and very unique. The concept is also relatively tight, and no song is really wasted (unless you count the repition of some ideas). Overall, love the album, though it falls just below a 5/5 for me because of the length and the dragging of some songs.

fine

This was more interesting than expected, but... I probably won't listen to it again.

I like all of the well-known songs by The Who when heard individual, but for some reason was not expecting much from this. Turns out I loved it! I do have a soft spot for soundtracks and concept albums, especially those that follow a life, Pink Floyd's "The Wall", and W.A.S.P's "The Crimson Idol" being particular favourites. I really enjoyed this.

I've never listened to this full album before, but I of course knew a few of the songs ahead of time. I also knew the story/concept beats, although I was not expecting the lyrics to be as explicit as they were. I was excited going in, but this sort of let me down as an actual listening experience.

PINBALL WIZARD will always satiate the nostalgia urge. CHRISTMAS is such a perfectly weird song. Guitar paces this super cool strange hypnotic harmony. And then later with SALLY SIMPSON and I'M FREE. This album has style changes that don't stray from the story line, but rather direct the listener to ride along with Tommy's journey.

I liked this. Many of the songs had similar motifs which gave everything a sense of continuity and flow. I'd listen to this again. 4/5

Meni je ovaj album dosta kul, iako mi je malo predug bio za slušati u komadu. Generalno mi je druga polovica bolja, a bilo mi je i dosta zanimljivo prepoznati samplove drugih bendova koji su ih koristili. Baš mi je onako Beatles meets Deep Purple meets The Beach Boys 😁 Solidna četvrtka od mene 4/5, 8/10.

2/10 A jesu me udavili s ovim. Inace The Who mi ima super stvari, ali sjecam se da su mi uvijek bili hit or miss sto se tice albuma i/ili perioda. Ovaj mi je potpuni miss i zapravo zalim svake minute potrosene na njega jer mi je bilo gotovo neslusljivo. A i 75 minuta, calm your fuckin' tits sa svojom dosadnom rock operom.

I was told this was THE first major rock opera concept album. Honestly, I was very busy and did not get a change to listen carefully, but what I heard was great! I will definitely try to listen to this again when I have the time to fully appreciate it.

I feel like I should rate this higher than I want to, because of the tremendous influence this album has had. But honestly, with the notable exception of Pinball Wizard, I just don’t like it all that much. My husband loves Tommy, and will sing various snippets of it frequently, but this one isn’t for me.

Not a fan of songs that mention Christmas or has Christmas in the subject. Also songs with the g slur. Nice sounds, but it did feel too long of an album somewhere during the listen. Also, what is the line "gonna rape you" supposed to mean there in the last song,

very good, not my type but good

nothing more to say: masterpiece

instrumentals were cool, lyrics are whack

Pete Townsend is an absolute genius and his Rock-Opera Tommy is proof. A concept album is one thing, but concept album / Rock-Opera was unheard of in 1969. Look no further than this concept album / rock opera / film would wind up as a successful Broadway musical. 5/5

The WHO is a band I have a love hate relationship with. I think they are good but they also have that Rock sound of the 70s that can get on my nerves. However unlike someone like Led Zeppelin I think The Who have a great vocalist and better songwriter. The 60s Who will always be my favourite and Tommy is still a great album among their other albums. “a Quick One”’ and “The Who Sell Out” being favourites of mine Now for a double album this has to be one of the best and has one of the best over arching story. I will say the story may out weigh actual songs but the key moments are here This probably could use some more listens in the future but for what it is and what it accomplished I’ll have to give it a 4/5

Jesus that album is a wild ride! I haven't seen Tommy for 25 years, and kind of forgot you know? 4 stars before I put it away for another couple of years.

For good or ill, "Tommy" has served as the highest example of "Rock Opera." It's flawed, for sure, but will always be one of my favorites.

There's some corniness for sure, but I love The Who and I have a thing for rock operas. I'm not deducting my one point penalty for double albums because I make the rules. Not gonna do it for The Wall when that comes up either.

If you're into rock operas, Tommy should be near the top of the list as one of the best. When I first heard this in it's entirety, I was blown away. The creative genius of Pete Townsend is driven on this double album and musically it's one of my favourite Who records. Listening now, I'm not as keen on this album, it's still a classic, but not perfect. The whole story concept of Tommy, the deaf, dumb, blind boy is creepy and weird at best. I found the story so strange and it made it even worse (almost ruined for me) when I saw the film. I actually heard the soundtrack version, as a young teen, before hearing this album and besides Elton John's version of Pinball Wizard, I hated the songs and the performances. The original album is so much better and turned me around my opinion on Tommy, but I wish this wasn't a concept album. I prefer to listen to the songs as individual tracks and try to block out the story and it is what it is, a great memorable album from the Who.

Ihan ok. Aika pitkä mutta silti mitään ihmeellistä ei oikeen tapahtunut. Kaikki kappaleet olivat keskenään suhteellisen samanlaisia. Eli vaikka sinäänsä ei mitään erityisen huonoa ollut niin mitättömyys jää päälimmäisenä mieleen.

I listened to this on the plane and I forgot to write down what I thought. I think there were a few songs I didn’t like but also others I think I’ll listen to again.

7.5/10 - I thought were not gonna take it was the other song. I absolutely love Pinball Wizard it is just such a good song. The other songs were not as good but go to the mirror and we're not gonna take it were pretty good. I enjoyed the whole album and I enjoyed reading the story as it went on.

Jojah reacted on airbuds while I was listening to this, so if you're reading this Jojah, I'm sorry. I just don't get The Who. I was bored listening to this. It was boring.

This is the first time I ever listened to the whole album, and it's really good. I enjoyed the story arc.

#425. This is definitely the kind of thing where you could only like it if you already like it. I doubt anyone could be convinced into liking The Who or the concept of a rock opera by listening to this album, probably the opposite would occur. That being said, I already liked it, so I like it. 4/5: silly, but it somehow works. *this is the eleventh album from this list I already owned Song added to playlist: Pinball Wizard I've created a playlist on Spotify that consists of the best and/or my favorite song from each of the albums in this book. This list can be found here if you are interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7MAXDGLWlwLkFLb8veGfkA?si=FqkQQPgZTFWG0jAUJXLFZA&utm_source=copy-link

That was quite enjoyable.

What a trailblazer of an album. The first side starts of with some less memorable cuts but it does build up hype really well. Side 2 and 3 have some really memorable songs like the Acid Queen and Pinball Wizard. That is also when the amazing 'See me, feel me' chorus starts popping up. The story might be a bit wacky but the album is filled to the brim with amazing energised playing and tons of memorable riffs. 60s bloat and excess at its best, a sign of what was to come in the 70s.

This album is mind-bending, mostly in a good way. It's fun to follow the storyline along until you realise that it's a little devoid of substance, but even after that it's goofy enough that I could see myself being entertained upon repeat listens. Townshend must've had a right time of it explaining the album's meaning to the press. A boy becomes psychosomatically deaf, dumb, and blind after childhood trauma? Sure. He's prescribed psychedelics by an alt-doctor and picks up the pinball machine? Of course. He develops a cult following and dislikes it so much that his character development goes out the window? Superb. I'm not sure that it's particularly relatable, but it's certainly one of the plots of all time. (To give Tommy some credit: it's a ballsy idea for a 60s album, and it turned the world of music – particularly rock artistry – on its head.) A heavily acoustic and vocally-harmonised atmosphere is presented in the Overture, and this sound remains more or less consistent throughout the album. There isn't much electric guitar compared to some of the Who's earlier and later works. The drumming is perhaps a little tamer than fans might have expected, but I enjoy it. The melodies are a little difficult to follow, and they're by no means simple, but that does provide plenty of room for relistening and working out what the heck is going on melodically and harmonically. And the main single, Pinball Wizard, is excellent. 4/5 Key tracks: Pinball Wizard, Go To The Mirror!, I'm Free

Didn’t realise this was a rock opera until and asked who the f Tommy was and then googled it. Overall, it’s a nice concept with distinctive sound and understand why it’s in this list. Personally, couldn’t really follow along; feel like you need to know what this album is to really understand it.

Not terrifically grabby....

This is one of my favorite albums by The Who. It is a classic that holds up well and is always fun to listen to. Moony and The Ox are amazing here and on, "Live at Leeds" if you get the full concert version which features this album. They were an incredible rhythm section. and Townshend's writing is excellent.

Amazing

Long rock opera, like albums

Very long but good album

I kept waiting for the song where Tommy kills Uncle Ernie

This is probably quite good and I was happy to discover the "See me, feel me, touch me, heal me" bit first in Christmas, which is a lovely bit of music, that I know weirdly well, but my urge to type i ain't reading all that. im happy for you tho or sorry that happened was so great that I just did that.

I wrote a whole thing and it got deleted. Missing narration for this to make any sense. Long and meandering.

Fav: Pinball Wizard Least Fav: Overture Ngl I expected a lot more from this album, was hoping for more songs on the same level as Pinball Wizard. Interesting concept though

It’s a little long, it doesn’t always work, but I love it.

Like this if you gaf about Tommy

I know this is a big rock opera that some people love but it doesn’t do much for me. Kind of boring and long

Não fui capaz de entender a história da ópera. Só tem a obra-prima Pinball Wizard

Not bad, way too much filler though

Pretty fun. I remember watching the movie a few times when I was younger

Enjoyed that a lot, way more proggier than I tought they were. Ill try and find a copy one of these days.

That's a damn good theme album. I know it's rock opera, but it's very good. The guitar play is exceptional.

How do you think Pete Townshend does it? What makes him so good?

Listened to this so much in high school and college.

давно слушал, щас точно не скажу почему мне не оч зашел, простите

I've heard "Tommy" three times in its entirety and I'll state my case once again that it is a hot, steaming pile of crap. No matter how much Pete Townshend has denied (and denies) it, "Tommy" is a direct copy of "S.F. Sorrow" by The Pretty Things (non-believers, listen to the riff in "Old Man Going"), which is superior.

Nunca consigo terminar esse disco...

I love it! This is by far my most-played album of the past year, it’s a joy to hear it yet again. My wife adores this album to the point that it now holds great nostalgic value to me. A month or two ago I had lunch in a restaurant at Jay Peak, VT, and the song Tommy Can You Hear Me? played over the radio. I took a video of it to send to her, we joked that I’d been Tommied in the wild. It’s getting the coveted 5 stars, first & foremost for sentimental reasons, but as well as that, it’s such a great jam.

It’s a classic, it’s probably been decades since I listed to the whole thing. Excellent

What a terrible album. It goes nowhere and has one catchy tune. This is played on a loop in the dentist's office in Hell.

Quintessential rock opera; Quadrophenia is superior, in my opinion, but the band had more time to grow before that came out. I'm a big fan of the Who so this is an easy 5/5 for me.

Appreciate it? Yes. Like it? Meh

Lo disfruté mucho. Especialmente las canciones Amazing Journey y Sparks.

It may be the OG "The Wall" but one of the things I learned in this 1000+ list is that the OG aren't always the best, especially when it comes to music.

This was okay. Instrumentals were good, but vocal work was alright. Felt like it was a bit all over the place as an album. 'Pinball Wizard' hard carries here.

General impression: pretty awesome for being the “first rock opera”…but needs trimming Detailed review: I was pretty excited to listen to this, and was a little surprised upon research that this came out before Who’s Next. I thought it would’ve been later in their discography. But whatever. Anyway, I wanted to take it seriously so I read up on its general storyline and then read lyrics along with listening. I think it’s a pretty great and clever story, to be honest, and doesn’t rest on cliches like it could’ve as a “hero’s journey.” I definitely felt like there were a lot of unnecessary filler tracks to move the story along, and I would personally cut 8 of the 23 tracks. I’m going to do that in my music library and listen again, and I bet I’ll love it more as a 15-track album. That doesn’t count for rating it though, so I’ll just give it a 4. Side note: the casual fun of “Fiddle Around” and the “We forsake you / Gonna rape you” bit of the last song is truly horrifying. Maybe I’m a pearl clutcher but dayum! Deeper thoughts (context): Apparently there are 5 Who albums on this list, so I guess I’ll have a good sense of their discog by the end of this. Score: 4 Number of albums left to review: 953 Number of albums from the list I’d consider “must-listens”: 28 (including this one) Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 20

overture- 5 its a boy- 5 1921- 5 amazing journey- 5 sparks- 5 eyesight to the blind- 5 christmas- 6 because the lyrics are funny to me cousin kevin- 5 the acid queen- 5 underture- oh good lord. 4 no more it was fine but i just dgaf

Better than Goldfrapp

Tommy likey, Tommy want wingy

True album. Enjoyed the journey.

Terrible. Wish i could give it 0 stars. Liked Pinball Wizard though

Before I listened to this album, I thought I liked the Who. I'm not so sure anymore.

Great but The Wall did it better

I’ve only, last 10 years, started listening to The Who and appreciating their music. However good as it is I find this one a bit of a task to be honest. Apart from Pinball Wizard there are not really any songs that stand up on their own without the context of the story of the album. I will stick to Who’s Next I think!

I had heard this album many man years ago- I remember my older brother playing it when I was a kid. Going in with fresh ears, I found myself being really impressed by the tone and scope of thr album. The story Pete Townshend tells is simple yet effective, and draws you into the life of this detached boy turned realized man. The songs are varied in tone and emotion. The instrumentation keeps the pace moving and drives the story, especially the drums. The only weak point I see is the ending- Tommy is built up as a messanic figure only the end the album on a sillier note. I would have liked a more grand conclusion to a rock opera. Overall- I really enjoyed the album and could see myself listening again. Id give it a 4.5/5, but not quite a 5

They're trying really hard, and there is originality here, but it lacks the je ne sais quoi that sparks joy. 3.3

Mmm...not bad, very much of its time perhaps? Pinball Wizard and We're Not Going to Take It are classics though.

Classic album. Bit long for me and absolutely not the best of The Who.

The more albums I get, the more I get the feeling that the year 1969 must've been fucking amazing. The Velvet Underground, Abbey Road, Songs from a Room, Nashville Skyline, Hot Rats, In the Court of the fucking Crimson King... And yes, also this one. I have never listened this one entirely. And to be honest, if you take the songs separately, okay, then it's not that awesome. But holy shit, this surely was a ride. This is like The Wall, but from the Who. And yes, then you have Pinball Wizard, which is just mindblowingly amazing. I'm giving this one a 3.8. You may think I'd give this a 5 after giving that review, but this is a good album as a whole, but the songs apart aren't always very amazing.

This is a big album, in concept, in ambition and in length and for the most part it works. It's tough to wade in to an album knowing you'll be listening to it for nearly 80 minutes, but hearing Keith Moon's drumming right off the bat puts you in familiar territory. This album has some hits and is generally a lot of fun. It's a classic for a reason.

So disappointed with this, it's rubbish. Pinball Wizard is good, and there's a smattering of reasonable tracks elsewhere, but the rest of the songs don't have enough form or oomph to them. It mostly just kind of exists and meanders along for the whole thing - which is very long.

I just can’t. I know this is a great piece of work but it has bored me so much over the years. Ok so it’s a rock opera and that wasn’t a thing until they did it? But it’s just like most musicals. Why?

It was just alright. Really, the only song I'd want to hear again is Pinball Wizard, since that song goes so hard. I'll give it three stars just for being the first rock opera (the first big one at least).

Not for me, whacky to far out there. Like a crap Pink Floyd.

I wish all the songs were as good as Pinball Wizard. 3.5.

I always want to like this album more than I do. It just doesn't speak to me like their other work. Personal enjoyment: 3/5 Relevance to this list: 5/5

1921 // Christmas // Pinball Wizard // I’m Free //

There's a couple of great tracks on here, but overall I found it to be cheesy. The Who are such a funny band like that. They have some absolute classics, but the quality of their average album-filler seems really low to me.

⭐ Pinball Wizard

Another concept album.

I HATE The Who. The only rock band from that golden time I cannot stand. And this pretentious so called "rock opera" is sh*te and overrated. So first of all we're talking about a boy who not only witnessed a traumatizing event, but also has been severely abused and tortured by faimly members, which leaves significant psychological repercussions as it happens in real life, but this album, instead of having an arc about this situtation, it makes absoluteley no stand at all. Tommy is no hero, Tommy is a villain, and the writers do not intend to make this a tale of caution, maybe they even relate with Tommy? Or is it semi autobiographical? After having the LSD trip, he manages to break the trance and becomes conscious, he starts gathering some following and becomes a messiah, but Tommy is not healed at all, he's traumatized and wounded inside. He's no spiritual leader, he's ready to inflict what was inflicted to him. On the final part we see that Uncle Ernie, the abuser, is in the camp, welcoming the disciples. "Here comes Uncle Ernie to guide you to your very own machine". The disciples revolt and Tommy retreats to his inner self again. But Tommy didn't learn anything, he's just sad his disciples weren't fully submissive, so he's probably gonna do it all over again; start another camp/religion, but better this time. He still has those delusions of grandeur and of being worshipped: "following you, I climb the mountain, I get excitement at your feet". So what's the moral of the story? None. Is there at least one good song out of this mess? No.

he sure plays a mean pinball Decent album to make me feel slightly more alive the day after a party and horrendous amount of sleep!

I was looking forwards to this album, but for a rock opera, it was just so…boring. A few good songs scattered here and there but just not much else to care about. Some songs almost had some unintentional humor with how dumb they sounded.

I appreciate this is an important, landmark, album. However, the overall story was difficult to invest in. Sure, there are some decent tracks. Most notably "The Pinball Wizard". But, it comes across as an album of self-indulgence. The importance of the album saves it from a 1 star rating.

It’s one of those albums that you just knew had to be on this list. It’s probably the greatest conventional rock opera to most (not me: I rate American Idiot by Green Day higher). That said, it was revolutionary and still (mostly) stands the test of time. It needs to be heard (and probably seen) to fully understand - I appreciate the nebulous feel of the individual music pieces as I think they provide stepping stones for a dramatist to insert a fully-realised script. I’m more of a fan of the entire album than I am of any individual tracks save for Pinball Wizard. That song is a banger.

q paja ni lo terminé imagínense

I appreciate the story they’re trying to tell, I mostly like the music but damn y’all couldn’t have told this story in under an hour???

3.5

Hard not to give this a 5. Not even the biggest Who fan but this was so good. Easily a 4.5. Lyrics are pretty disturbing listening to the entire thing

I really love the film adaptation of this album, and I gotta say I think the film soundtrack with the full cast is better. No offense, Townshend, but you're no Ann Margaret. Tina Turner's "Gypsy the Acid Queen" is so high-energy and camp compared to this one, it's not even a competition. The music in this is great though. I love the instrumentals in the different -tures, and the overall concept/story is wild but fun.

Quite a bit more disturbing now that I'm old enough get get the cruel parts of this. So masterful.

Goed album, wel wat lang en weinig echte hoogtepunten.

I read the Wikipedia synopsis of this album as I listened, it was nice!

At first, I liked it. The musicality was interesting and the 60s English folk influences were enjoyable. But then it’s just essentially a continuous flow of the same thing over and over again for an hour. The rock opera concept itself is imo just an exercise in masturbation. Standout songs to me were The Acid Queen and Welcome. Both of those I listened to twice but on the whole I doubt this is an album I’d ever revisit.

Obviously very talented musicians. The drums are a real treat. Storytelling is belabored but often unmemorable. When I’m in the middle of listening to a song I don’t mind it, but if I remember that it’s supposed to be a large cohesive work I feel like I’m suffocating.

Overall I think this is a really cool project. Musically, it's not necessarily something I'd reach for, but I'm not sure that was the intent? 3 stars.

I think there are only 2 songs by the who that I really like and this album didn't change my mind. High 2.

Ei toiminut itselle tämä sitten lain. Ei vaan ei.

This is much better than I ever thought it would be. I needed wikipedia to make sense of the whole story, but it's well done and perfectly cohesive. Thoroughly enjoyed.

I'm not a fan

First populaire rock opera album but didn't like it. Lyrics were a bit to simplistic in my opinion.

What a ride… absolutely loved the music but wow is the story dark. I enjoyed the sonic journey but could have done without quite a lot of the story (is Uncle Ernie bully Cousin Kevin’s Dad!?) Hopefully Sally Simpson had a lovely life with her rock musician in California.

I haven't listened to this all the way through for years. It makes much more sense if you do. It still sounds great with some excellent tracks. I don't consider it a 'concept album' or a 'rock opera' - it's a (sad) story told through a number of songs.

Well this makes me sad. I knew this album and was excited to hear it again. Listening to it back though, I realised that I MUCH prefer the soundtrack to the film than the original album. The songs are reworked, the theatrical style suits it better and despite it being a longer album it’s a much faster pace. Plus the incredible appearances from Tina Turner, Oliver Reed, Elton John, Ann Margaret, Eric Clapton, etc.) really help define and distinguish different characters. In the original version I found myself wondering about the gaps in the story. I even looked up the story afterwards and found the lyrics didn’t really align with what was supposed to be happening. It’s never explained how Tommy got introduced to pinball and how he went from being cured of his deaf dumb and blindness to being seen as a new messiah. One final thought on the lyrics - did we need the song about him being molestes by his uncle? I can’t imagine that making it on to too many playlists. Musically the songs are good but the knowledge that they weren’t the definitive versions kinda prevented me from enjoying them wholly. At times I found it a bit exhausting but the final half really picks up and some tracks still sound amazing. Overall I respect the ambition, concept, and musicianship but this wasn’t a trip down memory lane I needed.

I really like the who but judging this as an album it wasn’t for me. Wayyy too long. Tim said it’s a ‘rock opera’ which I Fournier a bit cringe. I wonder if other ‘musicals’ make the list

Second worst thing Pete Townshend ever did Automatic one star for any album that I can't get the whole way through. The Who have done some great stuff. This isn't it.

Not their best

Did some reading of this album to better understand what exactly I was listening too. Felt I needed to after that fiddling song haha. Pinball wizard makes a lot more since now! Tis a seriously influential album! Like it became so important culturally that Jack Nicholson features in the movie they made of it…. Which I might try get round to watching! But overall the drums are awesome but the album is not quite for me…

Loved learning about the storyline behind the album, nice to hear pinball wizard, liked the connection between all the songs, I felt this more of an education rather than a listen..& I’m grateful for it. Would I ever listen to it again? Probably not.

Well, I like the concept. I like a rock opera (American Idiot being one of my favourite albums). However this was just a crazy ride. It was amusing to look into the story, and to find out that there was a musical and a film of it. Glad to have gotten through it, but it wasn't easy. Bonkers mate

I understand its influence and significance and excellence in the lens of a fully composed Opera. I also find it a bit overrated. I don't like musicals, or operas in general.....this fusion is enjoyable at times, has some epic moments (pinball Wizard, Tommy Can you hear me, I'm Free) but overall was better in my memory than on this replay.

>be there when rock and roll was most popular >have guitar >form a band (random people) >strum guitar >???? >superstar

One of best conceptual albums from 60s

Hall of Fame

A classic rock opera for a reason. Some tracks land more than others for me personally, but it does a great job telling its story and cements its place as an iconic album.

Sometimes I ponder reusing melodies. Is it lazy? In the end it doesn't matter if it's lazy or not if it has a function. I feel here it pulls the soundtrack together and applies different moods. It works.

Ujdzie w tłoku. Może 2 piosenki warte zapisania. Nie mój klimat.

WTF was this theatre core ass album? 3/10

Enjoyed this. I saw the play way back when. The song pinball wizard is something I will throw on to get hyped.

So freaking long. There are some good songs, but the length just drags.

Some tracks good, some a bit strange.

doesn't even have "Boris the Spider" on it

The idea of a rock opera is pretty cool. I liked most the music on this one.

Rock Opera. Rocky and slightly experimental. Interesting, somewhat pleasant. Varied.

Horrendous!!

Of all the Who albums I've listened to for this project, this is probably the one I was most excited for. But...it kinda sucks? Innovative for the time, but would be way more likable if the choruses weren't annoying af. Also, it's kind of interesting that a progressive rock opera like this would be more acoustic driven, but the production is just so flat. Did not enjoy this. 2.5/5

Pinball Wizard is kind of fun. The rest is long and not that interesting.

Somehow I've never got round to listening to this before. I can see how influential this was, especially for albums like The Wall, but it is definitely overly long and relies a lot on the concept. Maybe could score it a star higher.