The Who's Tommy: Original Cast Recording (1992 Broadway Revival)

Excellent first CD, okay second CD

I have been the proud owner of this dual CD since 1994, when my first car had only a tape deck and I had to use one of those goofy converters with my diskman to listen to CDs. I think I wore the poor thing out. I also own the original rock opera written and performed by The Who, but it doesn't get the playtime that the Cast Album does. Why not? Because the women in this recording are phenomenal! I love speeding down the road screaming/singing "Acid Queen".

I will have to be honest though... as a play, Tommy is a bit lacking. You have to admit that the plot is a bit strange and often the character's actions leave the viewer scratching their head. I watched the touring cast in the late 90's and still have my piece of the mirror that fell from the ceiling.

In all honesty though, the reason to buy this CD is entirely for the first disk. The first disk is brilliant, engaging, and won't leave your head for days. The second CD was always just "eh" in my mind. Granted "Smash the Mirror" was brilliant, but I tend not to put in a CD for a single song, so the second CD has only been played a handful of times. The first CD is worn beyond recognition.

This cast recording is not for everyone though, I have some friends who are musical theater purists, they turn up their nose at this recording almost as if it were blasphemy (electric guitars in the theater!) I also have several friends who are classic rock purists, they snarl at the site of the CD and declare that it should never have been made that I should burn it and replace it with my copy of The Who doing the songs. Sorry to both of you, but I love it and will continue listening to the first CD off of this album until it finally dies on me.
February 21, 2008

such a great album

This version is so good. i loved the original album, But never liked the movie. i saw this version in new york and loved it. i download this strait to my ipod. the amazon mp3 service is pretty good and it was a quick download. disregard to the bad reviews they probably have never seen the show on Broadway February 16, 2008

Tommy says "Hear Me"

I was beginning to worry that I was getting to harsh in my reviews because I was saying the same things over and over, but Tommy broke me out of that. This is a great CD, musical lover or not. The music is fantastic. As in all operas (in any genre) themes repeat and Tommy has some repetitions, but not to many, and not annoyingly. The story is told out great through this CD. Although reading the synopsis helps visualize more, the lyrics and music really let the listener grip it all. A word on the lyrics, They aren't the greatest words ever written, but they're pretty good. And the singers on this CD give it so much life its unbelievable. I strongly suggest this CD to new musical fans, as well as collectors, it will please most audiences. Favorite Song: "I'm Free/Pinball Wizard (Reprise)" January 8, 2007

Go back to the original

Save your money and get the original WHO version of Townshend's masterpiece. I am a BIG fan of Pete Townshend but this CD is almost laughable: a pit band that tries to sound rock "heavy"; the overly slick production; every spect of the story is literally explained with lots of very unclever "hit the audience over the head" messages. Did the director really think us rock/theatre fans would like this? There is no subtext and everything is nauseatingly "on-the-nose" (e.g. the re-written "let's all get along" family ending almost makes me giggle, if it's not causing my stomache to turn.) October 15, 2006

Tommy original cast recording

I LOVE this album!! I haven't listened to it in ages but upon listening to it again it brings the show back into my head. I can picture what takes place during each scene by listening to the music again. I saw the show when it toured through about 12 years ago. I LOVED the show and must've seen it close to 20x before it left the L.A. area. This show just rocks and was such a fun show to see too!! If you saw this show either on Broadway or touring this is a must have in your collection. I highly recommend it if you're a Who fan too! July 18, 2006

More reviews at Amazon.com ...