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The Who
Tommy [Deluxe Edition]
Release Date: 1969
Running Time: 121:44
Label: Geffen
Rating:

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:
TitleComposerTime
1Tommy, a rock opera~OvertureTownshend5:20
2Tommy, a rock opera~It's a BoyTownshend:38
3Tommy, a rock opera~1921Townshend2:48
4Tommy, a rock opera~Amazing JourneyTownshend5:04
5Tommy, a rock opera~SparksTownshend2:05
6Tommy, a rock opera~Eyesight to the Blind (The Hawker)Sonny Boy Williamson, Williamson2:14
7Tommy, a rock opera~ChristmasTownshend4:32
8Tommy, a rock opera~Cousin KevinEntwistle4:06
9Tommy, a rock opera~The Acid QueenTownshend3:34
10Tommy, a rock opera~UndertureTownshend10:04
11Tommy, a rock opera~Do You Think It's Alright?Townshend:24
12Tommy, a rock opera~Fiddle AboutEntwistle1:31
13Tommy, a rock opera~Pinball WizardTownshend3:01
14Tommy, a rock opera~There's a DoctorTownshend:23
15Tommy, a rock opera~Go to the Mirror!Townshend3:47
16Tommy, a rock opera~Tommy Can You Hear Me?Townshend1:35
17Tommy, a rock opera~Smash the MirrorTownshend1:34
18Tommy, a rock opera~SensationTownshend2:28
19Tommy, a rock opera~Miracle CureTownshend:12
20Tommy, a rock opera~Sally SimpsonTownshend4:10
21Tommy, a rock opera~I'm FreeTownshend2:39
22Tommy, a rock opera~WelcomeTownshend4:32
23Tommy, a rock opera~Tommy's Holiday CampTownshend, Keith Moon, Moon:57
24Tommy, a rock opera~We're Not Gonna Take ItTownshend3:28
25Tommy, a rock opera~See Me Feel Me / Listening to YouTownshend3:41
26Tommy, a rock opera~Out-Takes and Demos: I WasTownshend:17
27Tommy, a rock opera~Out-Takes and Demos: Christmas (Out-Take 3) [OuttakTownshend4:44
28Tommy, a rock opera~Out-Takes and Demos: Cousin Kevin Model ChildEntwistle1:26
29Tommy, a rock opera~Out-Takes and Demos: Young Man Blues (Version 1)Allison2:53
30Tommy, a rock opera~Out-Takes and Demos: Tommy Can You Hear Me? (Alt. VTownshend2:00
31Tommy, a rock opera~Out-Takes and Demos: Trying to Get ThroughTownshend2:51
32Tommy, a rock opera~Out-Takes and Demos: Sally Simpson (Out-Takes) [OutTownshend4:10
33Tommy, a rock opera~Out-Takes and Demos: Miss SimpsonTownshend4:20
34Tommy, a rock opera~Out-Takes and Demos: Welcome (Take 2)Townshend3:44
35Tommy, a rock opera~Out-Takes and Demos: Tommy's Holiday Camp (Band's VKeith Moon, Townshend, Moon1:09
36Tommy, a rock opera~Out-Takes and Demos: We're Not Gonna Take It (Alt. Townshend6:12
37Tommy, a rock opera~Out-Takes and Demos: Dogs - Part 2Keith Moon, Moon2:30
38Tommy, a rock opera~Stereo Only Demos: It's a BoyTownshend:44
39Tommy, a rock opera~Stereo Only Demos: Amazing JourneyTownshend3:43
40Tommy, a rock opera~Stereo Only Demos: ChristmasTownshend1:58
41Tommy, a rock opera~Stereo Only Demos: Do You Think It's Alright?Townshend:29
42Tommy, a rock opera~Stereo Only Demos: Pinball WizardTownshend3:47







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