Tommy - The Who (1969)

Ideated from: needing something to fill my headphones on a 3 hour road trip

The Who’s classic lineup is fantastic. All four of them are great musicians who have their own ideas, and even though this album is pretty much Pete Townsend’s show (a harrowing glimpse into his psyche, maybe) , all four of them contribute in real ways and shine through.

There’s some variance in what people think of this album. Some see it as a classic, while others think they didn’t do a good enough job telling the story in the songs. I’d lean towards the latter myself. It’s hard to figure out exactly what’s happening a lot of the time. Townsend certainly went on to make much more coherent rock opera, or audio drama, or whatever you might call it.

But the band is in great form here, and even when what they’re doing doesn’t advance the plot of the album much, it’s still a joy to hear them play together.

Tracks I liked:

(I’ll exclude the well-known ones like Pinball Wizard and I’m Free, not because they aren’t good but because you probably already know about them)

Smash The Mirror - I don’t fully understand the symbolism of mirrors in the story, but this is a well-executed song

Sally Simpson - a bop

Overture and Underture - there should be more overtures in pop music, laying out what melodies and ideas you’ll be listening to.