The Who - Tommy (1975 Film)
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Free Music Notes for Tommy (1975 Film)
Free Music Review: Fans of The Who
Hit: 3 Stars
This is a great movie for fans of The Who and brings in an interest to young viewers.Free Music Review: Welcome to The 70's. Please Leave All Taste Behind.
Hit: 2 Stars
Love the Who. Great band. Rarely did a truly bad album (only It's Hard counts) and they really innovated a lot of things. Punk, hard rock, synthesizers, feedback, smashing guitars, concept albums, and most infamously, the rock opera. This last one was an unfortunate development in almost all cases: Dream Theater wouldn't exist without the Who's rock operas. Fortunately, their rock opera's hold up exceptionally well, even today. Tommy is still touching and Quadrophenia is beautiful, with some of the best use of synthesizers I've ever heard. The big thing the band has in their favorite is a bona-fide songwriting genius in Townshend and one of the best backing bands in existence. Pete was also smart: neither Tommy or Quadrophenia are particularly overblown or pompous. Tommy is mostly played on acoustic guitar with very few extra instruments. Quadrophenia is nothing more than a prayer for love and acceptance and lives up to the potential pomp. Great albums that still sound great today.
Unfortunately, this soundtrack is not so lucky. It had the bad luck of appearing right smack dab in the middle of the 70's, one of the biggest and most bloated musical decades. Everything bigger, louder, and longer than everything else. Pete, alone from many of his peers, avoided falling into this pompous trap. Again, except for this album. I'm not sure why or how it happened. Working with a pompous fool like Ken Russell probably didn't help. I won't go into a review of the movie, but I'll just say it's a complete mockery and bastardization of everything great about the album. It's only good to laugh at these days, and I'm sure it was the same in the 70's as well. It's a big loud stupid movie, and the soundtrack follows suit. It drops the subtle feel of the original (which some people are complaining about as being a "laid back" feel) and throws in everything but the kitchen sink. Pete re-arranged this himself, and I have to say he must have been rushed or drunk because it is, hands down, the man's worst use of synthesizers ever. Overblown and obvious, it's uncanny to think that this is the same man who made his synthesizers bleed emotion and depth so well on Quadrophenia. These synthesizers mostly sound like farts and burps. Shameful. The music goes from subtle and effective to over the top and unbearable. I guess that's an "improvement" of sorts, if you don't care so much about the quality of the music as you do it's volume.
As for the performances by the others, I basically agree with everything that's been sad. Oliver Reed is a great actor but he seems capable of mostly bleeting like a sheep in a (probably, knowing him) drunken manner. Ann Margaret seems to think that using vibrato like an opera singer will make her sound great. It doesn't. Jack Nicklson is awful but his role is so small it's ignorable. Claptop was obviously in a "vague haze of delirium" caused by heroin while he was singing, though his guitar playing is still fine. Tina Turner blusters her way through the Acid Queen role well and her performance is a highlight. Of course, lil Elton John, at the height of his powers and talent (and he was quite talented and great at this point in his career) simply steals the show as the Pinball Wizard. It's the only completely succesful moment in the entire show.
Well, except for Roger. Everytime Roger sings, it's magic. The guy was at the height of HIS singing, and since I consider him the finest hard rock singer of all time, it's quite a performance. He even does okay as Tommy. Though early on he mostly has to stand and stare, he does a decent job later on too. Anytime Roger is doing something it's the highlight, and he really does embody Tommy quite well.
So basically what you have is a bunch of pompous noise, most of which is sang horribly and performed lifelessly. Again, this doesn't count Clapton's guitar playing (he never plays badly, even on bad material. Look at Roger Water's garbage heap "The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking" for proof), Tina Turner's excellent screeching, and Elton John's captivating performance as the Pinball Wizard. The rest is condemend to the scrap heap of history.
Oh Keith Moon is funny as Uncle Ernie. That's about it. The movie is a relic of the 70's and is really only worth watching to laugh at the stupid campy excesses. The soundtrack is the same. Anybody who thinks it holds up to the original probably loved the Broadway musical too. Now that's something I can't even stomach THINKING about owning.
Free Music Review: Townshend's 19th Nervous Breakdown
Hit: 2 Stars
Yes, dear boys, according to the Who's biographers, Pete suffered another nervous breakdown during the filming of Ken Russell's Tommy and the compilation of the soundtrack album. Listen to it, and you'll find out why. Between Oliver Reed (can act, can't sing, tries) and Ann-Margaret (can't act, can sing, doesn't bother) warbling through what Townshend once said was the story of his life, if I were him I'd of had a breakdown too. All in all, the soundtrack is like the movie. There are a few marvellous moments in it sadly glimmering in what is otherwise a muddled mishmash of ideas they never really got off the ground. Five dollars for a vinyl copy is more than worth the price of these moments. It's worth buying even if you're not the world's biggest Who fan, just so you can say you have a record with Oliver Reed singing on it. Another standout is Townshend's rendition of Amazing Journey, which is the reason I bought the record in the first place. It is profoundly moving, nothing less than spectacular. But, to shell out in excess of twenty bucks to buy a CD of this...OK, I did it once. But I'm not springing for the remaster. How could Amazing Journey get any better? And how could Ann-Margaret get any worse? I say pass on the CD, but for Who fans, find yourself a copy of the record. The packaging alone will make you want to cry.Free Music Review: Unintentional Farce?(....but with a few good bits)
Hit: 2 Stars
This is an interesting album, but suffers from the post Quadrophenia blahs( my opinion). NOT a Who album, but a Townshend "experiment" with guest stars. Interesting synth treatments and some good performances. A horrible film that pseudo-intellectualizes the original music and loses the original spirit of the album. How depressed was Townshend after the failure of Quadrophenia to concert audiences? Listen to this Album.Uh... Ann-Margret and Oliver Reed sing on this...I say no more. There is camp...and there is bad. This is bad. I say this as a die-hard fan, tho...so maybe I can't laugh at the schmaltzy symbolismand Vegas-style treatment on top of a rock masterpiece. And I LIKE John Water's films.
Hmmmm.
HOWEVER...the take on Sensation(Pete on guitar), I'm Free(full band) kicks... There are also some great Who jams on the film that did not make it to the soundtrack...(Sparks, and a biker fight as I recall).Tina Turner is great(as you might suspect), and Clapton holds his own. As others have said...decide whether you want to buy this for a few songs...
or not. I have not heard the remaster though and am about to buy it myself (me=hypocrite/completist)
Free Music Review: Awful, Absolutely Awful
Hit: 2 Stars
If you want to hear Ann Margret and Oliver Reed butcher classic Who songs, than this is the album for you. Otherwise, avoid it at all costs. The original Tommy was a masterpiece of simplicity. Besides some horn overdubs, it was basicially the Who and nothing else. Here, Pete Townshend throws in cheesy synthesizers and absolutley ruins the music. It doesn't help that there are people on here who have no business singing Who songs (the aformentioned Reed and Margret, plus Jack Nicholson). There are a few good moments, however. Eric Clapton's "Eyesight To The Blind" is in some ways superior to the Who's version, "Sparks" is pretty good, and the new version of "I'm Free" rocks. Otherwise, this album is an embarrassment. Especially Oliver Reed's singing. Avoid this one, it's definitely not worth the money.