Tommy [Deluxe Edition]

• Artist: The Who
• Rating:
• Release Date: October 28, 2003
• Genre: Rock

Review

The two-CD deluxe edition of the Who's masterpiece -- a hybrid playable on both SACD and standard CD players -- is bigger, but not necessarily better. Audiophiles with the appropriate equipment will welcome the chance to hear it as remastered and remixed by Pete Townshend himself, in both stereo and (with the exception of five Townshend solo demos on disc two) 5.1 Surround Sound for SACD. And everyone, of course, gets the chance to hear not just the original album in all its glory on the 75-minute disc one, but also 17 additional tracks (many, though not all, of them previously unreleased) on disc two. It's the additional material that's rather disappointing, for a few reasons. First, most of it really is marginal, even for the kind of fans who thrive on hearing outtakes and demos. A bunch of the cuts are merely vocal-less alternate backing tracks, similar to the ones on the official Tommy album but a little sloppier. As for the two songs previously unavailable in any form, "Trying to Get Through" is a not terribly melodic, repetitive hard rock move-the-plot-along number that Townshend and the Who were wise to cut from the final running order, while the 16-second "I Was" is a lyric-less vocal cacophony whose purpose is unexplained by the liner notes (which, in fact, don't comment in detail on any of the bonus material). Alternate versions of "Sally Simpson" and "We're Not Gonna Take It" are welcome for aficionados, but not that radically different from the ones that made the final cut, except that they're less tightly organized. The mediocre outtake "Cousin Kevin Model Child" already appeared on the CD version of Odds & Sods, and while "Version 1" of "Young Man Blues" and the instrumental "Dogs, Pt. 2" (the non-LP B-side of "Pinball Wizard") are cool hard rock tunes, they don't have anything to do with the Tommy project. Finally, though it's nice to hear five Townshend demos of Tommy tunes, hardcore Who fans know that there are at least a couple of dozen such demos. It would have been great to hear all of them (particularly as the sound on the demos here is better than the fidelity in which they're presented on numerous bootlegs), but that probably would have meant a three-CD deluxe edition rather than a two-CD one, which might have been too much for the market to bear. This deluxe edition is still worthwhile for aficionados (though certainly the liner notes could have been more extensive), but the more general Who and rock fan probably won't be missing anything, and will be saving some money, by sticking with the album in its original unadorned version. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

Tracks

CD 1

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Overture	Pete Townshend	The Who	(5:20)
It's a Boy	Pete Townshend	The Who	(0:38)
1921	Pete Townshend	The Who	(2:48)
Amazing Journey	Pete Townshend	The Who	(5:04)
Sparks	Pete Townshend	The Who	(2:05)
Eyesight to the Blind (The Hawker)	Sonny Boy Williamson	The Who	(2:14)
Christmas	Pete Townshend	The Who	(4:32)
Cousin Kevin	John Entwistle	The Who	(4:06)
The Acid Queen	Pete Townshend	The Who	(3:34)
Underture	Pete Townshend	The Who	(10:04)
Do You Think It's Alright?	Pete Townshend	The Who	(0:24)
Fiddle About	John Entwistle	The Who	(1:31)
Pinball Wizard	Pete Townshend	The Who	(3:01)
There's a Doctor	Pete Townshend	The Who	(0:23)
Go to the Mirror	Pete Townshend	The Who	(3:47)
Tommy, Can You Hear Me?	Pete Townshend	The Who	(1:35)
Smash the Mirror	Pete Townshend	The Who	(1:34)
Sensation	Pete Townshend	The Who	(2:28)
Miracle Cure	Pete Townshend	The Who	(0:12)
Sally Simpson	Pete Townshend	The Who	(4:10)
I'm Free	Pete Townshend	The Who	(2:39)
Welcome	Pete Townshend	The Who	(4:32)
Tommy's Holiday Camp	Pete Townshend, Keith Moon	The Who	(0:57)
We're Not Gonna Take It	Pete Townshend	The Who	(3:28)
See Me, Feel Me/Listening to You	Pete Townshend	The Who	(3:41)

CD 2

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
I Was	Pete Townshend	The Who	(0:17)
Christmas [Outtake 3]	Pete Townshend	The Who	(4:44)
Cousin Kevin Model Child	John Entwistle	The Who	(1:26)
Young Man Blues [Version 1]	Mose Allison	The Who	(2:53)
Tommy, Can You Hear Me? [Alternate Version]	Pete Townshend	The Who	(2:00)
Trying to Get Through	Pete Townshend	The Who	(2:51)
Sally Simpson [Outtake]	Pete Townshend	The Who	(4:10)
Miss Simpson	Pete Townshend	The Who	(4:20)
Welcome [Take 2]	Pete Townshend	The Who	(3:44)
Tommy's Holiday Camp [Band's Version]	Pete Townshend, Keith Moon	The Who	(1:09)
We're Not Gonna Take It [Alternate Version]	Pete Townshend	The Who	(6:12)
Dogs, Pt. 2	Keith Moon	The Who	(2:30)
It's a Boy [Stereo Only Demo]	Pete Townshend	The Who	(0:44)
Amazing Journey [Stereo Only Demo]	Pete Townshend	The Who	(3:43)
Christmas [Stereo Only Demo]	Pete Townshend	The Who	(1:58)
Do You Think It's Alright? [Stereo Only Demo]	Pete Townshend	The Who	(0:29)
Pinball Wizard [Stereo Only Demo]	Pete Townshend	The Who	(3:47)

Credits

Roger Daltrey (Vocals), Roger Daltrey (Group Member), Pete Townshend (Guitar), Pete Townshend (Keyboards), Pete Townshend (Vocals), Pete Townshend (Reissue Producer), Pete Townshend (Remixing), Pete Townshend (Remastering), Pete Townshend (Group Member), The Who (Main Performer), Jon Astley (Mastering), Bill Curbishley (Executive Producer), John Entwistle (Bass), John Entwistle (Trumpet), John Entwistle (Flugelhorn), John Entwistle (French Horn), John Entwistle (Vocals), John Entwistle (Group Member), Kit Lambert (Producer), Elliot Mazer (Production Consultant), Timothy Drury (Art Direction), Timothy Drury (Design), Shari Young (Supervisor), Chris Stamp (Executive Producer), Vartan (Art Direction), Bill Burks (Supervisor), Meire Murakami (Cover Design), Baron Wolman (Photography), Barry Wentzell (Photography), Robert Rosenberg (Executive Producer), Michael Etchart (Supervisor), Monique McGuffin (Production Coordination), Paul Bishow (Supervisor), Stefanie Ewing (Supervisor)