tommy can you hear me?

So why would i post an iconic album like this? Well the truth is I've never heard Tommy all the way thru.Yep that's the truth.In the 70's when i was growing up i never even saw the movie version nor listened to the soundtrack.So why?
I guess you could say the 4 big British bands from the 60's were the Stones,Beatles,Kinks & Who.First thing i heard by the Beatles was the red & blue comps.I didn't actually own or hear a complete Beatles album until about 1986.I heard Celluloid Hero & Lola by the Kinks on the radio but the first Kinks i actually heard all the way thru was Sleepwalker.I dug the 70's Kinks.I didn't hear the 60's stuff until the late 1990's.The Stones? First thing i heard was Sticky Fingers & then i bought everything after that.I also had the Hot Rocks comp but i preferred the 70's stuff.Sensing a pattern here? I just liked actually living breathing music.All the 60's music by these bands sounded weak to me.Or old.Just wasn't loud enough.
The Who were no different.I heard the 70's radio staples off Who's Next.But the first Who album i really liked was Quadrophenia.I always thought they were the weakest of the 4 bands.And Tommy? Just sounded small production wise.The songs didn't stick with me.Not enough power chords.In any case i just didn't dig it.And i just never tried again.Never even bought it in the cd age.My favorite part of Tommy is the few minutes of the album they use in the Almost Famous movie.
Well the other day i ran across this.It's the original U.S. stereo version on vinyl remastered by Doctor Ebbetts.He did great things with the Beatles albums so i figured I'd give it a shot.
I still haven't made it all the way thru(i fell asleep) but this is probably as good as i've ever heard the album sound.I still think the songwriting is weak & the concept is stupid but I've come to appreciate the "sound".There are so many Who isms that one of my favorite artists Robert Pollard has stolen for his albums that to me Tommy sounds like a great lost GBV album.I suppose that's sacrilegious to 60's fans but the truth is we all approach music from our own personal angles.To me reading how music affects people is more interesting than reading about the music.I liked the Who as a giant powerchord wielding band in the 70's not as a poorly produced band in the 60's.Hearing other people play that sound but play it 'louder" has led me to here.
So enjoy the best sounding version of Tommy you'll ever listen to.This time i might actually play the entire album.Maybe...


tommy-part-1

tommy-part-2