Tommy (Rm) (W/Orig Art) [Soundtrack]

Disc: 1
1. Overture - The Who
2. Prologue - 1945
3. Captain Walker/It's a Boy
4. Bernie's Holiday Camp
5. 1921/What About the Boy?
6. Amazing Journey
7. Christmas
8. Eyesight to the Blind
9. Acid Queen
10. Do You Think It's Alright? (I)
See all 17 tracks on this disc
Disc: 2
1. Champagne
2. There's a Doctor - Pete Townshend
3. Go to the Mirror - Pete Townshend
4. Tommy, Can You Hear Me? - Pete Townshend
5. Smash the Mirror - Pete Townshend
6. I'm Free
7. Mother and Son - The Who
8. Sensation - The Who
9. Miracle Cure
10. Sally Simpson
See all 15 tracks on this disc

From Amazon.com
During a 1971 concert performance, a seemingly relieved Pete Townshend announced that the event would mark the last performance of the Who's landmark rock opera Tommy. To paraphrase Adam West: "Poor, deluded boy." Over the ensuing decades, the mushrooming popularity of the Who's tour de force would inspire an all-stars-meet-the-London Symphony album (1972), a star-studded Ken Russell film epic/soundtrack (1975), a Broadway show (1992)--and become an enduring millstone around Townshend and the band's collective necks. But it was over-the-top auteur Russell who would give the morality tale of the deaf, dumb, and blind boy-cum-reluctant-messiah some of its most indelible pop-cultural iconography: Eric Clapton as High Priest; Acid Queen Tina Turner; Elton John in sky-high stack soles as the Pinball Wizard. The accompanying album is dutifully sprawling, a monument to Me Decade excess studded with loopy star turns (including the, er, "operatic" charms of Ann Margaret and Jack Nicholson), swelling choirs, and blustery synth fills. As he would later do to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, executive producer Robert Stigwood manages to turn one of rock's seminal achievements into something more artistically akin to the World Wrestling Federation, and every bit as musically subtle. It's no mean feat to virtually overwhelm the Who on their own record; Stigwood makes it sound like a vendetta. Still, it's an album so ambitiously bad it's but one William Shatner performance away from being a kitsch masterpiece. --Jerry McCulley

23 Reviews 5 star:  (6) 4 star:  (2) 3 star:  (6) 2 star:  (8) 1 star:  (1)           Average Customer Review (23 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most helpful customer reviews   Bombastic But Fun, Dec 14 2003 By  LP45CDwoman "lp45cdwoman" (Virginia Beach, VA United States) - See all my reviews The album accompanying the 1975 Ken Russell film of "Tommy" is, in a word, bombastic. After performing the rock opera for five years, Pete the Windmill was, understandably, sick to death of doing the same old shtick. When the inevitable film fell into place with the King of Overkill at the helm, Pete dove into rethinking the score with a vengeance: his synth explosion on the "Overture" fits perfectly with what was in store visually. He even wrote new songs for the film: "Champagne", "Mother and Son", and rewrote and expanded lyrics on many other Tommy tunes, clarifying what never quite worked in the original rock opera, and obfuscating other plot points (most likely, just to see if you're paying attention). When the Who piled into the studio to record the rewritten version of his work, the old Who aggression was in full rage--this became a powerful new Tommy, with hard guitars and huge synth runs very much to the forefront. Roger's voice attacked the lyrics, Ox's bass chudded like a purposeful behemoth, and Moonie's drum kit looked over the edge of the precipice, said, "What the hell", and dove into Valhalla. It's not for everyone, and, God, please never let Nicholson "sing" again, but if you enjoy Wagnerian thunder, go for it! IT AIN'T DEEP, IT'S JUST FUN ! Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   Remember, this IS a Movie Soundtrack!, Nov 10 2003 By  Kevin Stafford (Warwick, RI) - See all my reviews Not to at all be confused with The 1969 masterpeice album by The Who "Tommy". Speaking of this soundtrack, I would have to reflect on the movie itself, since basically, the entire movie is here on this CD with the inclusion of the single only release of "Overture From Tommy", which in like many cases in this soundtrack, has The Who playing most if not all instrumentation. Ok, that aside, I as a young 10 year old Who/ Elton John fan went to the cinema over and over to see this grandioso Rock opera come to life before my eyes. Even today watching the film on DVD brings back the original excitement. It was up to the casting director to chose who took each role and would sing each part. Ken Russell was a genius in my opinion on his choices. I always wondered what Pete thinks today of this movie. Elton John's great version of "Pinball Wizard" (with a bit of "I Can't Explain" thrown in at the end) is worth half the 5 stars I listed. What I also love are the new renditions of the Tommy tunes that The Who actual do like "Amazing Journey", "I'm Free", "Sensation", "Listening To You/See Me, Feel Me" & "Sally Simpson" to name a few. If you are a Who nut like me, this collection is a must! The hard rocking version of "I'm Free" I always loved better than the original laid back version. Then again, if you are a Who completest like myself, you have this already! The soundtrack to one of the greatest musicals of my time! Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   objectivity?, Sep 29 2002 By  the music maestro (Scotland) - See all my reviews Ok it's not the who!!! ,It was written by Pete ( webber/rice anyone.......not) In isolation the piece stands up to any scrutiny but that is to miss completely the whole concept of this masterpiece. Ken Russell is a genius for avante garde film making which makes this a marriage made in heaven. This is the perfect accompaniment to a truely groundbreaking genre. Has such great music ever been married to, and in some cases such awful singing? I think not! I personally worked backwards on this one. I saw the film (which at 14 left a life long impression, thanx Pete!!) and I then went back to the original "Who" recording and , although this may sound blasphemous, I found the original rather dull! The wonderful tapestry of the multicoulered textures of the movie soundtrack just aren't there. Anyone familiar with today's multi-layering/tracking can't identify with the nakedness of this whole project. Watch the film, absorb the genius of the creator and then judge......And if you still don't rate it, go buy n'sync Was this review helpful to you? (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers:  › See all 23 customer reviews...		Most recent customer reviews Unintentional Farce?(....but with a few good bits) 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. Read more Published on Sep 16 2002 by D. Cooper Au Contraire! This soundtrack is great BECAUSE of the bad singing! How can you NOT love Oliver Reed lurching and swaggering his way through a song? Read more Published on Jun 3 2002 by CarrieB Mixed Feelings The is the soundtrack from the movie. Without the visuals, this album has less to be desired. Fine actors attempting to sing are misplaced in this film, yet The Who and the real... Read more Published on May 20 2002 by jrscribbler Give This Version a Chance! Don't jump on the Anti-Movie bandwagon! Give this soundtrack a fair chance. The sound is amazing in it's remastered glory and some songs (ie: I'm Free, Fiddle About, Eyesight to... Read more Published on Feb 10 2002 by Case Tommy This recording has been bashed and shamed by many, but it is brilliantly unique. Though the film, to the best of my knowledge, has been withdrawn from circulation, this album can... Read more Published on Oct 1 2001 by scoobie@intergate.ca A touch excessive, but... I admit, having non-singers singing on this soundtrack is a bit much - no casual Who fan will buy this - but I think a few of the songs (well, two come to mind) rerecorded by the... Read more Published on May 20 2001 by P. B. Pereira Do you think it's alright? This album seems to be an argumentative point between all Who fans. From all of the reviews I've read, people either like it or hate it. Read more Published on May 18 2001 by stlopez Tonedeaf, Dumb, And Blind Hmmm. What can one say about this CD? On the plus side it features some of Pete Townshend's most inventive use of his synthesiser. Read more Published on May 5 2001 by John Peterson I Need My Earplugs and Nightshades Remastered for 2001 but as bad as ever. The highlights are the guest spots by Clapton, Tina Turner, and Elton and a rousing rendition of Amazing Journey. Read more Published on May 1 2001 Its A Sucess Mrs. Walker First off, you will hear many bad reviews for this album because it is constantly compared to the original. Read more Published on April 23 2001 Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 23 customer reviews...