The Who's Tommy

Tommy by The Who

• Pete Townshend, John Entwistle, Keith Moon, and Roger Daltrey
• Released this album on May 23, 1969
• Produced by Kit Lambert on Track Records
• Rock opera, which is a type of concept album.

About Tommy

• It is a rock opera. Tommy was eventually remastered for the Montreal Ballet Company in 1970, developed into a Seattle Opera Production in 1971, remastered for London Orchestral Band in 1972, transformed into a Hollywood movie in 1975, and made into a Broadway Musical in 1993.
• The whole album follows the life story of a British boy named Tommy who is deaf, dumb, and blind.
• Townshend released the idea of the rock opera in an interview with Rolling Stones, but later regretted it because he gave so much detail, limiting his artistic freedom.
• Double album, 4 sides.
• It is called Tommy because that was the common nickname for a British Soldier in WWI during that period, and the band members were born just as WWI came to an end. Tommy's father was also pronounced missing in the first World War in the beginning of the album.
• It was mostly written by Pete Townshend who was inspired by the teachings of love, compassion, and introspection by Indian Spiritual mentor, Meher Baba.
• The album reached #2 in UK album charts and #4 in the US.
• "Pinball Wizard" reached #2 in the UK singles charts.
• "See me, Feel me" reached #4 in the Dutch singles charts.

About The Who

• The band is well known for their destructive behaviors on stage and smashing their instruments.
• There is some stuttering evident when Roger Daltrey sings which was unique.
• They used a minimalist style with a strong connection to classical styles as well. Their music was simple and repetitive.
• Unlike other popular bands at this time, The Who thought touring and live performances were very important to their portrayal of their music. They went on tour 4 months after releasing Tommy.

Cover Art

• The outer cover is of a globe or sphere that never really ends, or can be touched. The artist wanted it to relate to Tommy and his lack of senses.
• There are important symbols on the cover that represent actions that occurred in that time period.

1. There are doves, clouds, and the band members' small pictures are displayed inside the sphere.

Track-list

1. Overture - In this introduction to the album, it is declared that Tommy's father is missing in action in WWI. As for the instruments, there is only mostly guitar being played, with the only vocals coming towards the end of it.
2. It's a Boy - There is a smooth transition into this short song where Tommy is born and his mother is informed that he is a boy. The music sounds upbeat, as the birth of her child is an exciting event.
3. 1921 - In this song, the father comes back and finds the mother is dating another man. The father murders this man while Tommy watches, which causes him to become the deaf, dumb, and blind boy he is known as. The music is in major key and is slightly upbeat because of the intensity of the actions being committed.
4. Amazing Journey - The music's tempo goes between being fast and slow. In this song, Tommy is using his senses and his unique mind to survive in his life. The tempo is unique, just like his life.
5. Sparks - There are no words in this song because Tommy is still figuring out how to navigate through his life with his other senses. There is a strong guitar presence in this song, and towards the end there is a crescendo while he has a moment of realization.
6. Eyesight to the Blind - Throughout this song, the drum pattern repeats. Tommy is introduced to a woman who is the eyesight to the blind, and he wishes he could see her. Overall, it is a cheery and upbeat song because there is some hope for Tommy to be able to be a normal boy again with a girlfriend.
7. Christmas - There is an abrupt transition to this song because Tommy does not know what is going on due to his impairment. The same notes and verses are repeated in the song asking questions about Tommy.
8. Cousin Kevin - This song sheds light on the abuse Tommy endured from his cousin while they were alone. The instruments sound very chaotic together, which match the abuse he is facing. This song is also in verse chorus form which is unlike the other previous songs on this album. The chorus sounds much more intense with the added cymbals, but the verses don't have any cymbal notes in them.
9. The Acid Queen - Tommy is introduced to a new woman in this song who claims she can cure Tommy. Her solution to his issues is to give him LSD. At some points this song becomes monophonic to emphasize what is being sung. The entire song is also in major key because there is hope again for Tommy to be a normal boy.
10. Underture - This song has no vocals to it, it is Tommy's reaction to the LSD he was given. This song is more gloomy because of the instrumentation. At times it gets more intense and the instruments build up, but then it calms back down again because of his trip. At the end it fades out, just like a person's trip on LSD would slowly fade away.
11. Do You Think Its Alright? - The background singers and the guitar make it seem upbeat. The mother is wondering if she should leave her impaired child with Uncle Ernie again.
12. Fiddle About - The low pitched instruments match the lyrics of the song because in this song Uncle Ernie is mean to Tommy and does not pay attention to him while he is watching him. It is also monophonic to emphasize the sadness of the situation. The title of the song is also the tag and it is repeated often throughout the song.
13. Pinball Wizard - The guitar is very prominent in this upbeat song about how good Tommy is at the piano. This song is in verse-chorus form. The silences are important in this song because they come at a time when Tommy's skills at pinball are being discussed, so the audience can fully hear how good he is at the game.
14. There's a Doctor I've Found - There are short high pitched notes in this song about them finding a doctor to fix Tommy's impairments.
15. Go the Mirror! - This song is consonant and conjunct with a prominent guitar sound. The music gets more cheerful when there is a possibility of him being able to recover his senses. He could get them back by listening to the doctors instructions when he told Tommy to go look into the mirror often.
16. Tommy Can You Hear Me - The guitar notes are short in this song which contrast with the singers' when they are long and drawn out. The end of this song is wistful and wishful because nobody knows what is going on inside Tommy's head.
17. Smash the Mirror - This song has more of a blues feel to it than the rest of the songs and the singing sounds less electronic. At the end of the song, a mirror is heard smashing and Tommy's mental block is removed and his senses come back.
18. Sensation - This is a slower paced song, but it is on major key which is slightly contrasting because usually major key songs are more upbeat. The drums are softer in the background and the notes aren't ass stressed as in other songs. The lyrics to this song are more important than the instrumentation because they can be heard more clearly.
19. Miracle Cure - This song is a short song that abruptly ends in the middle of a sentence. He becomes a powerful leader in this song, though.
20. Sally Simpson - This is a love song about Tommy and a girl he likes named Sally. The piano is utilized in this song along with the guitar, and it is of a moderate tempo. The lyrics are clearly heard which makes them important because they tell the story of Tommy and Sally. Unfortunately, the love between the two of them ends with Sally being hurt.
21. I'm Free - The title of this song refers to Tommy being free of his girlfriend and starting a powerful religious movement. There is a refrain about being free in the middle of the song without any instruments. The drums and cymbals are very loud in this song.
22. Welcome - Overall, this is a very warm and inviting song that does not intimidate people or scare people away. It is meant to be the song about Tommy welcoming people like him to his special camp where he tries to heal them. The drums are very soft and they accompany harmonica, guitar and bell sounds.
23. Tommy's Holiday Camp - This song sounds like a catchy, children's rhyme type of song. It fades out at the end. It is in major key with a lot of guitar notes.
24. We're Not Gonna Take it - The instrumentation in this song is very soft, while the lyrics are clearly heard. The instrument notes repeat throughout the song and it eventually fades out. This symbolizes Tommy retreating inwards again because all of his followers have deserted him and he is alone in his life.