The Who - Tommy (Deluxe Edition) (Hybrid SACD)
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Music CD Cover
Artist: The WhoEdition: Music CD
Format: Extra tracks, Hybrid SACD - DSD, Original recording remastered
CD Release Date: 2003-10-28
Music Label: Geffen Records
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
- Overture
- It's A Boy
- 1921
- Amazing Journey
- Sparks
- Eyesight To The Blind (The Hawker)
- Christmas
- Cousin Kevin
- The Acid Queen
- Underture
- Do You Think It's Alright
- Fiddle About
- Pinball Wizard
- There's A Doctor
- Go To The Mirror!
- Tommy Can You Hear Me?
- Smash The Mirror
- Sensation
- Miracle Cure
- Sally Simpson
- I'm Free
- Welcome
- Tommy's Holiday Camp
- We're Not Gonna Take It
- See Me Feel Me/Listening To You
- I Was
- Christmas (Out-Take 3)
- Cousin Kevin Model Child
- Young Man Blues (Version 1)
- Tommy Can You Hear Me? (Alternate Version)
- Trying To Get Through
- Sally Simpson (Out-Takes)
- Miss Simpson
- Welcome (Take 2)
- Tommy's Holiday Camp (Band's Version)
- We're Not Gonna Take It (Alternate Version)
- Dogs (Part 2)
- It's A Boy
- Amazing Journey
- Christmas
- Do You Think It's Alright?
- Pinball Wizard
Free Music Notes for Tommy (Deluxe Edition) (Hybrid SACD)
Free Music Review: Breathes new life into a revolutionary album
Hit: 5 Stars
This album stood the music world on end. It changed the way we viewed rock-n-roll almost to the same extent that The Beatles' album "Sgt Pepper" did. "Tommy" was the ultimate concept album in that it is a fully integrated piece of music which tells a single story.
The Story: "Tommy" showed that a two disc rock album could be used to tell an operatic style story. Interestingly, the author, Pete Townsend, admits that he was unsure as to exactly what the story was until the movie was made of the "opera!" The basic story is of "Tommy," who was born while his father, "Captain Walker," is away at sea. Captain Walker returns home after several years absence and discovers Tommy's mother with her new lover. Tommy's mother and her lover kill Tommy's father in front of the young Tommy. (The movie has the lover kill the husband; the TV concert has the husband kill the lover. It does not really matter!) Although left vague, Tommy may have been beaten to keep him quiet. At a minimum, he was forcefully admonished not to let anyone know about the killing. The mother and lover sing "You never heard it! You never saw it! You'll never tell a soul what you know is the truth!" At the same time, Tommy sings at a nearly inaudible level, "I heard it, I saw it ..." but complies by adding, "I'll never tell a soul what I know is the truth." The psychological trauma from the incident caused Tommy to comply by becomming deaf, dumb and blind so he could never reveal what he knew, or anything else, leaving him alone with his thoughts and feelings. The only contact he is able to have with the world is with a pinball machine.
Thereafter, Tommy is put through physical, sexual and psychological abuse by his family. (His uncle rapes him, his cousin tortures him, and his family take him to the Acid Queen in a failed attempt to break Tommy out of his sightless and soundless state.) Because he is cut off from sight, sound and communication, he is able to have some sort of spiritual contact with the universe which others are unable to experience. ("Strange as it seems, his musical dreams ain't quite so bad;" and "Simpleness will surely take the mind where minds can't usually go.")
But, despite his lack of sight and hearing, he becomes a pinball wizzard and a celebrity. When his senses are returned, he is hailed as a messiah. But, as with all messiahs, the masses eventually rejected him because his path to spiritual enlightenment is too difficult to follow. In the end, he was as alone as he had been without his sight, hearing and speech.
The work is on several levels, the first of which is described above. On a second level, Tommy is representative of the entire post World War II generation, and how the younger generation (rightfully) felt it was being abused by the older generation. This was one of the great themes of the "younger generation" in the mid to late '60s, as they were being shipped off to an unpopular and nearly endless war in Viet Nam to protect the United States' oil interests. Those who served in the war came home home physically and psychologically maimed to a world where they were not given a hero's welcome, but, like Tommy, were rejected, mistreated and alone.
The Music: Tommy was the first "rock opera." (OK, Pete Townsend will tell you that "Tommy" it is a song cycle, whatever that is!) It is complete with an overture and an underture. The Who wanted to be able to perform it live, so an orchestra was not brought into the studio. Townsend and producer Kit Lambert added in all kinds of queues from classical music, such as the occasional use of a French Horn, trumpet and flugelhorn, and extended instrumental passages. Producer Kit Lambert worked hard to make a four piece rock band sound like an orchestra! But, this album is not one of the middle of the road pop rock operas which were to follow such as Jesus Christ Superstar or Evita. This was the Who. At the time, they were the loudest rock band around with something like 125,000 watts of power. This is still the Who which performed Live at Leeds, The Who Sell Out, and Who's Next.
Many of the songs became hits, including "Pinball Wizzard," "See Me, Feel Me," and "The Acid Queen." Personally, I prefer the extended musical sections as they are more challenging and satisfying passages.
And Keith Moon was brilliant on drums.
There are two reasons to buy the SACD: First, the medium is better! CDs are harsh and brittle. They produce listening fatigue in minutes, and have always left me fiddling with the treble in a feeble attempt correct the uncorrectable sound. Nothing worked. So, for serious music appreciation, I needed to resort to the long playing vinyl album. These have their own problems such as limited dynamic range, transient distortion, poor pressing quality, tape hiss and noise, scratches and thousands of pops and ticks, rumble, wow and flutter, and expensive playback equipment which needed care and tuning. And worst of all, I had to get up to flip the album half-way through! (In this case, four sides.)
It is hard to explain the subjective difference between Redbook CD sound and the sound produced by SACD and DVD-Audio. Essentially, it is like trying to reproduce cool seaside air and ending up with the dry brittle air blowing out of a nozzle in a jet airplane. The CD is like playing a violin with a hack saw -- there is simply no way to smooth out the saw teeth sufficiently to make it sound correct. SACD and DVD-Audio fix the problem by giving you enough data to filter out the audible errors created by digitizing analog sound.
Second, the production is very revealing. The liner notes indicate that the original album was from a "sweetened" version of the original master tapes. Producer Lambert allegedly destroyed the final master from which the "sweetened" version was produced. This turned out to be untrue: Townesend found the original tapes while conducting research for the new 5.1 version. The two track version presented here is from the original "unsweetened" master tapes. The 5.1 track goes back to the earlier 8-track tapes on which the music was recorded. Both versions breathe new life into the old masterpiece.
EXTRAS: A second disk of outtakes is included, along with a multipage booklet reminiscent of booklet which came with the original album. Unfortunately, it is not the original booklet.
Enjoy!
Tommy (Deluxe Edition) (Hybrid SACD) Poster
Digitally remastered Japanese reissue of The Who's 1969 album in a miniaturized double gatefold LP sleeve with the original packaging intact & limited to the initial pressing only. 24 tracks, including 'Overture', 'Amazing Journey', 'Sparks', 'Pinball WizTommy had the dubious distinction of being the first-ever rock opera; however, it's none the worse for that, Ken Russell's adaptation notwithstanding. Due largely to Pete Townshend's skill as a songwriter and composer, Tommy tells a coherent story and includes quality rock and roll at the same time, an impressive feat by itself. While surprisingly more linear than the later Quadrophenia, Tommy boasts several songs that stand up well on their own, including the classic "Pinball Wizard," "The Acid Queen," "I'm Free," and "Sally Simpson." Much of the rest doesn't make much sense lyrically unless you listen to the entire album, but you'll probably want to do that anyway, preferably with the lights low and the stereo cranked. --Genevieve Williams
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