The Who Album: “Tommy”

okay... i normally don't review too many albums on amazon, but was i amazed to read all these reviews from people who chat about the album but then go on to say "but i haven't heard it on SACD yet." so i thought someone might benefit from reading about the surround mix in SACD...

well, it is simply amazing, especially for having been mixed by the near-deaf townsend (surely its a joke!).

the most amazing thing about the 5.1 surround mix is how present and powerful keith moon's drumming is. i have always pointed to "quadrophenia" as the shining example of his frenetic hammering of the drums. but now i can more fully appreciate his drumming on "tommy." the drums sound amazing on this SACD surround mix. no other words can describe it.

one of the reasons for the drums being more powerful is the ability to follow keith's "live in the studio" drumming more closely. you see, all the "accentuating" drum parts (tympani, gongs, cymbal splashes) are all separated from keith's drums in the mix... it wasn't as clear in the stereo mix which drums keith is playing, and which drums are over-dubbed elements.... but here, they are coming at you from different sides of the room. this makes for some amazing parts, particularly during "sparks" and "overture", where keiths keeps pounding out a rhythm, then the tympani drums build up to a crescendo.

also, pete and roger's vocals are sometimes separated in the mix. pete's first words on the alubm came as a shock. he sings, "captain walker didn't come home. his unborn child will never know him." and he's coming from the rear right speaker (mostly) and roger and all come in later, together chanting "a son, a son, a son" from the front speakers. its pretty powerful stuff from the get-go.

i could go on and on. but the most amazing thing truly is the fidelity... i hear things i've never heard before, and i thought i was prety intimately familiar with the album. subtle touches now are given such depth and prominence... and the separation that is achieved with surround sound allows the listener to follow a particular part or a particular instrument...

another reviewer said, "reason alone to buy a SACD player."

thanks for reading.

Forget the soundtrack from the movie, this is the version of "Tommy" to own. The surprising thing is that it has aged very well (unlike a lot of its contemporaries) and sounds just as fresh today as it did thirty years ago. Guitarist Pete Townshend's songwriting genius is featured here in full display. The long instrumental sections have an almost classical music feel about them. And of course, there those hit singles like "Pinball Wizzard" and "We're Not Gonna Take It." A rock masterpiece.

This was not my first SACD purchase, but it's the one I'm most satisfied with to date. I'll assume you're familiar with the original recording, agree with me that it is one of the most significant rock albums of all time and give you the reasons why I think should you pick this up in addition to your vinyl or '96 CD remaster. First and foremost, there's the superb 5.1 surround mix. (Some performances were just meant to be heard in surround sound, and probably would have been mixed that way had the technology been available.) Done by Pete Townshend himself using the original 8-track master, this new mix has startling clarity and definition, and presents most of the vocals without reverb or echo. Listening to it, I felt as if I were sitting on the studio floor while the band was recording around me. The wealth of additional material on the second disc includes a studio version of "Young Man Blues" as well as songs left off the original release, alternate takes and instrumental only tracks. Also included are several of Townshend's laboriously made home demos, which give greater insight into the creative process behind the Who's repetoire and the development of this milestone album. The booklet provided features an informative essay and candid snapshots of the band and producer Kit Lambert taken during the recording sessions.

Something I learned reading the essay that might be of interest to those of you who don't own a SACD capable system is that the original master of "Tommy" had been missing and presumed destroyed, and that previous CDs had been mastered from an alternate 'sweetened' by Kit Lambert. While remixing this project, Townshend discovered the original master tape, and used it for the stereo SACD and CD mixes included here, so for the first time on CD, you can now hear the mix the band signed off on back in 1969.

The Who had previously released a concept album with 1967's Who Sell Out and Pete Townshend had written the mini-opera "A Quick One (While He's Away)", but neither of those could have predicted the masterpiece that Tommy would be. Townshend created the story of a deaf & dumb blind kid who would inspire a messiah-like following in true operatic-style. It had a book & libretto, but instead of classical music, it used rock. The music was a departure from the Who's typical hard rock style as they employed horns and strings for the first time. While some of the songs can stand on their own like "Pinball Wizard", "I'm Free" & "Acid Queen", most are best listened to in the context of the album. Many have derided the album as pompous and overblown, but few can criticize it earnestness and ambition. The Who upped the ante in rock music with this album.

There might not be so much stigma for the term. Forget for a minute--better yet, for 75 minutes, the running time--that Tommy never became the musical, the film, or the opera that we all wished it could. Instead remember that this is some of the most inspired work the Who, which is to say anybody, ever produced. Remember that the narrative, while coherent, is little more than an excuse for songs. There is a reason the 1975 film was a musical from start to finish--the story would have sunk otherwise.

But what songs! 1921 enchants, while Christmas seamlessly blends joy, sarcasm and wonder. The highlight of the album comes late in the story with Go to the Mirror and Roger Daltrey's effervescent delight, Sally Simpson. Best of all, the pacing is perfect. The overture contains elements of its climax and the finale, and the weakest material (Cousin Kevin) hides in the middle.

What makes Tommy most impressive is that it was not dreamed up by conceited artists accustomed to hearing how great they were from music intelligentsia. Rather it was the work of 4 upstarts in their early and mid-20's who were most famous at that point for angst-ridden songs. The angry My Generation, the frustrated Can't Explain, the sly Pictures of Lily and the resigned Kids are Alright all keep appealing to teenagers even as the Who have grown to grandfather age. Just before Tommy, the Who's assaults on stage equipment and hotel rooms were stuff of legend. Starting with Tommy and continuing through Who Are You the delinquents found creative outlets for the rage, the fear and the angst.