Tommy
by The Who

Tommy by The Who
Year: 1969
Release date: 1969-05-23
Overall rank: 240th   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
81/100 (from 1,472 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top 20 albums of 1969 (11th)
Award Top 50 albums of the 1960s (39th)
Award Top 500 albums of all time (240th)

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Product Details
Availability

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THE WHO ~TOMMY 2 LP (1969) DECCA DL 75127 STEREO
Condition: Used


eBay
eBay
Tommy by The Who (CD, Oct-2003, 2 Discs, Geffen) Deluxe Edition Excellent.
Condition: Like New


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The Who Tommy Decca White Label Promo Stereo DXSW 7205
Condition: Used

$149.50


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The Who bestography

Tommy is ranked 3rd best out of 51 albums by The Who on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by The Who is Who's Next which is ranked number 40 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 20,874.

The Who album bestography « Higher ranked (227th)
Quadrophenia
This album (240th)
Tommy
Lower ranked (493rd) »
The Who Sell Out

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

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Tommy track list

  Track ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 81 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

Sort Sort by
#
Track
Rating/Comments
13.
Track pick (900 - 443 votes)
Average Rating: 90 (443 votes)Comments: View 6
15.
Track pick (870 - 242 votes)
Average Rating: 87 (242 votes)Comments: View 2
24.
Track pick (860 - 263 votes)
Average Rating: 86 (263 votes)Comments: View 2

Track pick (1000 - 100 votes) Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.

Tommy rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 240th | 1960s rank: 39th | 1969 rank: 11th
Filter Filter
Sort Sort by
YearSourceChartRankRank Score
2026 RomanelliTop 100 Music Albums of the 1960s18/10017
2026 DommeDamianFeb 26: 101-20022/100 -
2026mrmcrookTop 13 Music Albums of 19699/132
2026jlsfourthTop 100 Albums of the 20th Century31/100 -
2026Cheboygan74Top 16 Music Albums of 196913/161
2026 Robert Anton WilsonTop 100 Greatest Music Albums70/10031
2026fabm0Platinum artists60/100 -
2026PapaShiz86Top 50 Music Albums of 19693/505
2026brent13Top 96 Music Albums of the 1960s52/969
2026 RockyRaccoonTop 100 Music Albums of 196944/1003
2026bonnequestionTop 100 Greatest Music Albums54/10047
2026 arthurbittencourtTop 100 Greatest Music Albums71/10030
2026jackqTop 43 Music Albums of the 1960s31/436
2026stevengnzTop 100 Music Albums of the 1960s14/10017
2026 arthurbittencourtTop 65 Music Albums of the 1960s16/6515
2026downandoutTop 100 Music Albums of the 1960s23/10016
2026LittleM1971Top 79 Music Albums of 196921/794
2026 FischmanTop 100 Music Albums of 196927/1004
2026 RomanelliTop 38 Music Albums of 19694/385
2026pinkfreud1981Top 99 Greatest Music Albums93/997
Total Charts: Help The total number of charts that this album has appeared in. 1,013
Total Rank Score: Help The total rank score. 6,703
You can include this album in your own chart from the My Charts page!

Tommy collection

Tommy ratings

Average Rating: 
81/100 (from 1,472 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 1,472 ratings for this album.

Sort Sort by
RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
85/100
 
03/08/2026 08:08 Musicbuff123  Ratings distribution  32469/100
 
75/100
 
02/28/2026 21:52 DaveH68  Ratings distribution  1,36376/100
 
85/100
 
02/21/2026 00:20 LittleM1971  Ratings distribution  5,90881/100
 
100/100
 
02/20/2026 19:14 Kronikal433  Ratings distribution  15493/100
 
100/100
 
02/13/2026 02:00 evstratios  Ratings distribution  18097/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 1% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 80.8/100, a mean average of 79.8/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 80.9/100. The standard deviation for this album is 15.4.

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Tommy comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 81 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
65/100
From 06/23/2024 06:08 | #304052
Influential concept album. THE original Rock Opera. But some of the music is pretty meh. The musicians are all great. There are some really good parts. And then some of it just annoying.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 02/11/2024 22:02 | #301934
TBC…

Album Rating:

17.05.1969

The Who (UK): Tommy

1.Overture. 72
2.It's A Boy. N/a. 68. N/a
3.1921. 73
4.Amazing Journey. 72
5.Sparks. 67
6.Eyesight To The Blind (The Hawker). 77
7.Christmas. 67
8.Cousin Kevin. 63
9.The Acid Queen. 63
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
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 03/02/2023 14:01 | #294628
There is some great stuff on here but it too inconsistent to be ranked amongst the greatest albums of all time. 1921, Overture, Sally Simpson, We're Not Gonna Take It and Pinball Wizard are fantastic and bulk up the album really well. The storyline and concept are unique and are enjoyable to look into as they explore interesting themes but they do get lost in the lyrics at times. This leads to some songs which sound like words are being forced to match with the flow of the music which makes it sound disjointed. Overall, if the album was consistent this would be their greatest record without a doubt.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
50/100
From 03/11/2022 11:05 | #282715
Some good tracks but way too many embarrassing duffers in the lyrics. The story is too clear and reads like a book. First tommy's dad is killed and then..... etc. Quadrophenia blurs the story and its way better for that alone - as well as having no duff tracks. Still, good that they did the duff one first and then improved it I guess. Imagine if it was the other way round !
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 02/03/2022 12:48 | #280522
Love this Opera Rock; great stuff, absolutely to be listened from the beginning till the end, not piece by piece.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 01/17/2022 11:37 | #279530
I love this album by The Who (their best in 60s). This is too long and tracks like Fiddle About and Cousin Kevin are not necessary and they are the lowest points for me. The rest is good, I especially like Acid Queen, Christmas, 1921. Pinball Wizard is the best and all-time great track.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 11/15/2021 19:29 | #276312
I'm a sucker for a Rock Opera. This is one of the great influencers of the musicals, operas, and concepts that I love most. While things that have come since are more polished and logical, this pioneer of a great era can't be forgotten.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 05/12/2021 22:35 | #269649
Decent concept album. Bit mild in rock terms compared to their other albums but worthy of pulling out for a listen every now and then.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 05/07/2021 13:40 | #269455
One of the best rock operas of all time.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
40/100
From 03/13/2021 18:08 | #267321
The concept of the album is frail, and the music isn't much better
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (3 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
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Best Albums of 1969
1. Abbey Road by The Beatles
2. In The Court Of The Crimson King (An Observation By King Crimson) by King Crimson
3. Led Zeppelin II by Led Zeppelin
4. Let It Bleed by The Rolling Stones
5. Led Zeppelin by Led Zeppelin
6. The Velvet Underground by The Velvet Underground
7. Five Leaves Left by Nick Drake
8. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere by Neil Young & Crazy Horse
9. In A Silent Way by Miles Davis
10. Hot Rats by Frank Zappa
11. Tommy by The Who
12. The Band by The Band
13. Trout Mask Replica by Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
14. Arthur Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire by The Kinks
15. The Stooges by The Stooges
16. Crosby, Stills & Nash by Crosby, Stills & Nash
17. Green River by Creedence Clearwater Revival
18. Stand! by Sly & The Family Stone
19. Willy And The Poor Boys by Creedence Clearwater Revival
20. Karma by Pharoah Sanders
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