Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Overture - Bill Buell
2. Captain Walker - Pete Townshend
3. It's a Boy
4. We've Won - Michael Cerveris
5. 1921
6. Amazing Journey - Michael Cerveris
7. Courtroom Scene (Dialogue)
8. Sparks
9. Amazing Journey (Reprise)
10. Christmas/See Me, Feel Me
11. Do You Think It's Alright? - Jonathan Dokuchitz, Marcia Mitzman
12. Fiddle About - Paul Kandel
13. See Me, Feel Me (Reprise) - Michael Cerveris
14. Cousin Kevin - Anthony Barrile
15. Sensation - Michael Cerveris
16. Sparks (Reprise)
17. Eyesight to the Blind - Michael McElroy, Lee Morgan
18. Acid Queen - Cheryl Freeman
19. Pinball Wizard

Disc 2:

1. Underture
2. It's a Boy (Reprise)/There's a Doctor - Jonathan Dokuchitz, Marcia Mitzman
3. Go to the Mirror/Listening to You
4. Tommy, Can You Hear Me? - Jonathan Dokuchitz, Marcia Mitzman
5. I Believe My Own Eyes - Marcia Mitzman
6. Smash the Mirror - Michael Cerveris
7. I'm Free
8. Streets of London 1961-63 (Dialogue)/Miracle Cure - Michael Cerveris
9. Sensation (Reprise)
10. I'm Free/Pinball Wizard (Reprise) - Paul Kandel
11. Tommy's Holiday Camp - Michael Cerveris
12. Sally Simpson - Michael Cerveris, Sherie René Scott
13. Welcome - Michael Cerveris
14. Sally Simpson's Question - Michael Cerveris, Buddy Smith
15. We're Not Gonna Take It - Michael Arnold, Jonathan Dokuchitz, Donnie Kehr
16. See Me, Feel Me (Reprise)/Listening to You (Reprise)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #37287 in Music
• Released on: 1993-07-13
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Cast Recording
• Dimensions: .27 pounds

Customer Reviews

Listening to this, you get the music...
The evolution of the rock opera "Tommy" from album to film to Broadway musical has been about as wild a trip as what happens to Tommy and the Walkers. For me it was always the Ken Russell film version that was the big mistake, while I find this musical version to be superb. First, I think the narrative device of having the four-year old and adult versions of Tommy able to confront one another does a fantastic job of unlocking the story and making a lot of the symbolism work. Second, I love the harmonies that exist in this version. Just compare the various versions of "Go to the Mirror" or "Sally Simpson" with what we have here. I think all of my really favorite parts on this album involve Marcia Mitzman as Mrs. Walker harmonizing with someone else. It reminds me of listening to Peter, Paul & Mary sing Bob Dylan and realizing how good his songs were musically despite that vocal affectation. For my money, "Tommy" has never been sung any better than what is preserved on this original cast album.

I think a lot of the credit for how great this "Tommy" sounds goes to producer George Martin, as Townsend himself points out in his liner notes. To quote the man: "this 'Tommy' is a bridge between the old, respected and beloved traditions of music theater and the relatively new and experimental world of rock-and-roll." That might be the rub, because the number of people who are truly comfortable in both spheres is certainly a minor subset of those who love each of those two art forms respectively. Yes, there is a fundamental magnificence to the original double-album of "Tommy" by the Who, represented by the sheer audacity of telling an entire music story sung by Roger Daltrey and the obvious attempt to strive for greatness by Pete Townsend. But this musical version represents this pivotal piece of rock and roll history in full flower.

Townshend's TOMMY!
Some say that the Broadway production lost the intention of the rock opera and butchered it to pieces. I say this is just one more recording / interpretation of TOMMY and part of a creative process.

To think it started initially as a concept recoring, then a film (another bold and different interpretation) then a concert in the UK. Finally the show made it to the LaJolla Playhouse in California, USA where Des McAnuff created a new technicolor playground for Tommy. That production made its way to Broadway, to acclaim from all types of media, MTV did a feature on the musical a rare occurence for a Broadway show.

That production is the one that has been recorded brilliantly on a two disc set which contains the full score.What is most astonishing is the sheer talent of Mr. Townshend as a composer and lyricist. This may be labelled as "The Who's TOMMY" but in all honesty it is truly the brillance of Pete Townsend.

His additions to the score earned him a Tony Award for best score, and well deserved. The most surprising addition to the score is the song "I Believe My Own Eyes" written as a duet to show the strain of the marriage between Tommy's parents. Townsend himself was surprised how "Broadway" sounding it was.

This recording I believe to be the definitive version, though you may not agree with me. I think now the amazing journey is complete.

Hey, I actually saw the show...
I was younger then, about teenager age and I saw the promo for The Who's Tommy on the 1993 Tony Awards... granted my dad has the Who's original: it's a masterpiece.... BUT you can't judge a show's soundtrack without having seen the show... they are two very completely different things. Being an avid musical/show fan myself... Tommy is one of my favorite musicals and wish it would come back... okay, maybe some people think that the Broadway show or the recording of it butchered the Who's original Tommy but without having seen the show, no one can say that it sucks because the live music and the pure technicolor of the Broadway show is unbelievable... it is still the Who's music and how many other rock stars have (seriously) put on a rock opera on Broadway, other than Elton John, and Tommy has been big hits in Canada, Los Angeles, Germany, etc. The soundtrack is beautiful once you see the show that's when the music and the show connect, visually and mentally.