Thursday, July 31, 2008

Album Of The Day #12: TOMMY - The Who

Title: Tommy

Artist: The Who
Label: Track/Decca
Year: 1969
Songs: 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
Written by: Pete Townshend, except *by Sonny Boy Williamson, **by John Entwhistle and #by Keith Moon
Produced by: Kit Lambert
Thoughts: The Who is one of the greatest bands of all time (I have all their records up to Who's Next, plus Endless Wire) and Tommy is certainly one of the greatest albums of all time. As the first full-length rock opera, it is ambitious, long, mesmerising, and, yes...great. Believe me, there is nothing like Tommy. It just sounds ridiculous...then there's this story Townshend concocted. This is a story that touches us, as we go through this boy's life. We are tortured by his uncle, his cousin, his parents and all around him while Tommy is going through this stuff. You can't feel anything but sorrow as the story ends with Tommy's Holiday Camp in shambles as even after he becomes 'normal', the establishment rejects him.
Rating: 10/10

Next up: a full week of albums with less than ten songs!

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