The Who  - Tommy

The Who: Tommy (Part 1)

Album #99 - May 1969

Episode date - December 13, 2017

The Top 500 of The Top 40
0:00
0:00

Few albums caused as much of a sensation – as well as consternation – as The Who’s “Tommy”.

The idea of creating a ‘rock opera’ was a new concept, and critics tripped over themselves in their attempts to take this as seriously as the word  ‘opera’ implied. What was overlooked, though, was that the story itself made very little sense, and the album’s pacing was almost ludicrously lopsided, with half of the storyline taking place in the first five or six minutes.

Pete Townshend already displayed his penchant for conceptualism, having already written a mini-storyboard song with “A Quick One While He’s Away” and the commercially themed album ”The Who Sell Out.” “Tommy” was simply an enlargement of his proclivity to work within a theme, and it became a method that applied to almost all of Townshend’s future projects, including “Quadrophenia”, “Lifehouse”, “Iron Man” and many, many others.

This show covers Part One of “Tommy”. Next week we will cover Part Two.

Songs featured inthis show:

Overature

It's a Boy

1921

Amazing Journey

Sparks

The Hawker

Christmas

Cousin Kevin

The Acid Queen

Underture

May 1969  - Billboard Charted #4

 

           

Related Shows

George Harrison: The Concert for Bangla Desh

George Harrison: The Concert for Bangla Desh - Part 2

Album 184 - December 1971

0:00
0:00
George Harrison: The Concert for Bangladesh

George Harrison: The Concert for Bangla Desh - Part 1

Album #184 - December 1971

0:00
0:00
Alice Cooper - Killer

Alice Cooper: Killer

Album #183 - November 1971

0:00
0:00
Elton John - Madman Across The Water

Elton John - Madman Across The Water

Album #182- November 1971

0:00
0:00
Faces - A Nod Is as Good as a Wink... to a Blind Horse

Faces - A Nod Is as Good as a Wink... to a Blind Horse

Album #181- November 1971

0:00
0:00
Nilsson Schmilsson

Nilsson: Nilsson Schmilsson

Album #180 - November 1971

0:00
0:00
Led Zeppelin IV

Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin IV

Album #179 - November 1971

0:00
0:00
Sly and The Family Stone - There's A Riot Going On

Sly and The Family Stone - There's A Riot Going On

Album #178 - November 1971

0:00
0:00
The Grateful Dead - Skull and Roses

The Grateful Dead: Skull and Roses - Part 2

Album #177 - October 1971

0:00
0:00
The Grateful Dead - Skull and Roses

The Grateful Dead: Skull and Roses - Part 1

Album #177 - October 1971

0:00
0:00
Cat Stevens - teaser and the Firecat

Cat Stevens: Teaser and the Firecat

Album #176 - October 1971

0:00
0:00
T. Rex: Electric Warrior

T. Rex: Electric Warrior

Album #175 - September 1971

0:00
0:00