Mike Natale:Listened to: Vinyl
The below is a clip from Camron Crowe's masterpiece Almost Famous. Everyone, go out and buy the dvd.
It all started in 7th grade. My Dad gave me a best of The Who CD entitled Then And Now which he bought and was dissatisfied with since it was missing his favorite song, “Long Live Rock”. By the 8th grade, I was able to type all the lyrics to their 1969 rock opera Tommy into my scientific calculator (remember those things? You could type messages and get games) rather than pay attention in Bio. In 11th grade, I had the great fortune of seeing The Who in concert with a friend of mine named Adam, a bright young kid who got the brilliant idea to get stoned before we went to the concert we weren’t sure how to get to. So, we missed the opening act, but we ended up with floor seats. Floor seats! For those of you who aren’t impressed by that…piss off, I’m poor. Anyway, I can safely say seeing The Who in concert is so far the greatest thing that has ever happened in my life, especially when a fairly old Roger Daltrey yelped out The who’s greatest track, “Love, Reign O’er Me”, with a force greater than I could ever muster. And while that is so far the greatest thing that has ever happened in my life, someday I’m sure I will marry, and have children, then die, be frozen, and then revived alongside Ray Kurtzweil and Ted Williams, and I’m sure all of those events will come close to being as great as that Who concert.
I say all this because I truly do want to expose all my bias for what it is. But I feel like it’s conveniently also objective when I say that Tommy is one of the single greatest albums ever composed in the history of mankind. First off, it has one of the most cathartic closers in rock history ("See Me, Feel Me / Listening to You"), the most operatic sound of any “rock opera” to date, and is just a solid collection of quality songs. If Altamont represented the death of 60’s ideals, Tommy represented the death of 60’s musical simplicity. Yeah, I did just say simplicity. With few exceptions, Tommy surpassed in musicality and complexity anything prior.
Let’s face it, even the track Townshend considered a throwaway when he wrote it became a huge hit. And I’m privileged to say that a significant moment in my 13-year-old life occurred while the radio in the car was playing Acid Queen (and What Is And What Should Never Be by Led Zeppelin. Yeah, even that needed a good soundtrack. Just showing my music geek-ness). From start to finish, Tommy is truly a breath of fresh air, no matter how many people try to top it, even The Who themselves.
I can’t find a track on this album the least bit imperfect, and it’s almost sad that the first concept album has a more concise and clear concept than anything to follow. The story is right there, in the songs. Townshend was trying to make sure you knew exactly what he was thinking, and I’m damn glad he did. Tommy, for me, was a life changing experience. And I hope it’s the same way for you all.
-Mike
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Nick Young:
Listened to: MP3
I find it sad that rock operas have gone out of fashion. When The Who released “Tommy” in 1969, they really did let loose something special. The story is fun to follow, particularly from Pinball Wizard onward. The lyrics, “see me, hear me, touch me, feel me,” from “Go to the Mirror” are universal. “Tommy,” though it may buckle under its tremendous weight, is a ramshackle masterpiece.
-Nick
Well, see you tomorrow (or later today, realisticaly) for #326: Disintegration- The Cure
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