Album of the day (#1772): Tommy by The Who

[albummaster]

Today's album of the day

Tommy by The Who (View album | Buy this album)

Year: 1969.
Country:
Overall rank: 144
Average rating: 81/100 (from 755 votes).

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Tracks:
1. Overture
2. It's A Boy
3. 1921
4. Amazing Journey
5. Sparks
6. Eyesight To The Blind (The Hawker)
7. Christmas
8. Cousin Kevin
9. The Acid Queen
10. Underture
11. Do You Think It's Alright?
12. Fiddle About
13. Pinball Wizard
14. There's A Doctor
15. Go To The Mirror!
16. Tommy Can You Hear Me?
17. Smash The Mirror
18. Sensation
19. Miracle Cure
20. Sally Simpson
21. I'm Free
22. Welcome
23. Tommy's Holiday Camp
24. We're Not Gonna Take It

About album of the day: The BestEverAlbums.com album of the day is the album appearing most prominently in member charts in the previous 24 hours. If an album, or artist, has previously been selected within a x day period, the next highest album is picked instead (and so on) to ensure a bit of variety. A full history of album of the day can be viewed here.

[Applerill]

I don't want to hate on this album too much (since I haven't listened to it in half a decade), but it's almost certainly too long, and inspired a whole host of overlong cruddy rock operas. Quadrophenia is great, though, as are a few cuts here.

I wonder what Skinny thinks of this album.

[AAL2014]

I do agree that Quadrophenia is better than Tommy. I still like Tommy a lot though, but unlike Quadrophenia, Tommy is just too long, and has a couple really unnecessary parts that bring down the album for me.
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[poppmusic]

It's a great album, really establishes itself as something unique. Like, if you think it's too long, you are missing the point?

[newbands1]

Live at Leeds and their compilations are their only bearable albums for those who can't stand rock opera/concept albums.

[Mies]

BUT this is nothing like (overly) serious rock operas of the 70s. There are no baroque arrangements, no long solos, no long songs besides the overtures which are like medleys. Also, the story is original and very emotional and nothing too epic or self-celebrative.
Also, the way they used their instruments here (voice included) is extraordinary, expecially considering the work on the previous albums. I quite like those (expecially My Generation), but comparing to this it seems that they were like forced in a cage when playing, most of the time, and it seems that here they just let all their rocking force explode. I have this feeling, and it's even more evident when you see them doing some of those old songs into their later lives, like Live at Leeds or Live at the Isle of Wight, among the later songs.
So, really, talking about celebrated classic rock, this is one of my favourites.

[Decurso]

IMO this is much better than Quadrophenia. These songs all stand really well on their own, even outside the context of the rock opera. The fact that it works as a rock opera too just makes it even better. but at the end of the day it's all about the songs.

[GinSoldier]

It's like somebody accidentally put an extra 0 on the production budget for a public service announcement about deaf-mutes and Pete Townsend's all like, "I'm down for that, I was just telling the guys how what our music really needed was more melodrama."

[Satie]

[Fischman]

This was a huge musical accomplishment. I first heard it when I was 12 and was blown away. Like any double, it's not always worth listening to through and through, but the great moments remain great.