Artist: The Who
Album: Tommy
Year: 1969
Tommy is a full-blown rock opera about a deaf, dumb, blind boy named Tommy, the attempts to cure his disabilities, and his undeniable prowess at the game of pinball. Yup.
Some might say that such an album is "pretentious," but I disagree. It would be pretentious if The Who were taking themselves really seriously here, but as on their last album The Who Sell Out, there's a strong element of humor to this album that keeps the mood pretty light, for the most part.
Song-wise, I greatly prefer The Who Sell Out and even My Generation to this one. There's no "I Can See for Miles" nor "The Kids Are Alright" on Tommy. The closest thing to an infectious song like those two on this album is "Pinball Wizard." Repeated listens to Tommy show some musical themes shared by songs on the albums, little melodic motifs that appear throughout the album...which is pretty cool. "I'm Free," "We're Not Gonna Take It," and "Christmas" are all memorable songs.
I guess I'm not that enthusiastic about Tommy overall. It's a little bloated in length, and I prefer the songs of their previous album...and follow-up album....to those on this one. But it's definitely something I feel most people should hear given how unique it is.
Rating: Worth a listen
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