| Review by FivePointOne October 31, 2003 (2 of 2 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics: |
Wow.
I've had this on LP, cassette, CD, remastered CD, and I've even got a bootleg of Townsend's home-cooked demos. This is like a wholly different piece of music altogether.
This one goes to "11"
The redbook layer is a huge improvement over the recently remastered CD.
The 5.1 mix is revelatory. If you've heard the CD before, you know there are lots of layers of voices and instruments in that wall of sound. Now you can hear each one individually because of the depth 5.1 allows. The effects are impressive--vocals and instruments are spread among the 5.1 landscape (I could swear I even heard music coming from my 6.1 rear center) in pleasantly unexpected ways. Sometimes the "choir" will be in one area, other times the various voices will be spread about. Layers of guitars are now spread out. Drums and precussion spread out.
You get the picture?
It's like "Tommy" finally got fitted for a custom-tailored suit.
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| Review by peteyspambucket December 31, 2003 (2 of 2 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics: |
This recording is from the 60's?? I don't believe it. This album is SO GOOD.
I don't know TOMMY at all, and this is my first WHO album. Listening from this vantage, I now understand why it was turned into a major Bway musical. The performance captured on this recording is dramatic, intensely musical, and intelligent.
In terms of sound, listening only to the 2channel SACD layer, the drums sound incredibly lifelike. The piano has a wonderful live sound, and the guitars and bass sound very crisp and succinct. The vocals are very nice and clear. I like the close-up sound, since it lets you really hear the musicianship, and the mixing creates a nice balance so everything has space around it. I couldn't really tell that this is a 25 year old recording at all. The sound is as good as, and in some places better, than the Rolling Stones SACDs.
I'm impressed and loving the music. I only wish Goodbye Yellow Brick road sounded like this.
While I'm not immediately appreciative of the 2nd disk with alternate material, there is a wealth of different version of songs, and in some cases, I like the alternates better. It's great to hear the variations. These are also all in excellent sound, and there's a jam session that almost sounds like you're there.
I would easily put this album into the "must-have" category.
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| Review by vonwegen January 30, 2004 (6 of 6 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics: |
Tommy is a snapshot of the Who in transition from their loud Mod roots to the more sophisticated fare of Who's Next and Quadrophenia. It has both the bare-bones hard rock of the My Generation album and baroque touches like John Entwhistle's French horn, making this release both raw & refined at the same time.
The 5.1 mix is like having Keith Moon in your living room--this has to be the most natural-sounding rock drum sound I've ever heard on disk, with the main drums positioned in the front right and the deeper rack toms and the floor toms put in the center speaker at peak moments. The electric guitar crunches all around and dances in and out of the masses of acoustic guitars (which sound like they were recorded with dynamic mics instead of the sweeter-sounding condenser microphones, giving a rawer feel). The vocals sound excellent, as does the bass guitar, lots of punch and clarity.
Disk one is essential, disk two less so, but still interesting, especially Moon's cackling laughter during abortive takes of "Tommy, Can You Hear Me?". There are a fair amount of instrumental versions of rejected takes.
The stereo mix is of historical importance because it is the original Kit Lambert 2-track mixdown tape, released 'as-is' for the first time. As such, it's less refined than the Jon Astley remix that is featured on the 1996 CD re-issue--the drums are markedly further back in the mix, and the guitars are not as clearly seperated and tend to overwhelm the drums, especially in loud sections.
30+ years on, the overall story of Tommy has dated badly in parts, but the main attraction of this SACD is that it showcases how well the Who played together as a band--despite Townshend's multiple guitar tracks on each sone & Entwhistle's overdubbed French horn parts, this album still sounds incredibly live and raw in both surround & stereo.
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| Review by drp February 23, 2004 (1 of 2 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics: |
| I gotta be honest, I was disappointed. Maybe I'm just too familiar with the original mix but it seemed so dry without even a tinge of reverb on the horn during the overture and the acoustic guitar part into Captain Walker, I understand wanting to keep it close and personal but I thought it rather unastounding. A little depth woulda been nice throughout almost the whole thing. Also, I thought Pete totally under-utilized the 5.1 mix, Keith Moon should have crashing out of every speaker, they could have utilized the full range of each channel but in my opinion he was hardly there at all. I wanted Keith in my living room, I didn't get that. Same with Entwistle's bass, it was mixed in too low. I don't know, I've heard some spectacular 5.1 SACDs and of all of them, I hate to say it but this one was the biggest disappointment. I hope they do Quadrophenia right, I know Pete doesn't hear so well.
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| Review by rsbeck March 10, 2004
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Performance: Sonics: |
| Everyone knows the music, so you need to know the quality of the sonics. Excellent.
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| Review by WalterM May 6, 2004 (1 of 2 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics: |
Tommy-I can hear you! Great performance. The Who never sounded better. No hiss, no pops, no ticks. The sound is unbelievable. The mix is fun and very detailed. The Ultimate Tommy
The Multichannel mix is GREAT!
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| Review by Compression Must Die May 8, 2004 (3 of 3 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics: |
Between tapes, vinyl, original (wretch-book) CDs, and the MFSL gold release I have owned at least a dozen versions of this Pete Townshend opera. I have also heard it live through the Sony Isle Of Wight release and the most recent "complete" Live At Leeds release. I can confidentially say that I am pretty familiar with all its warts (drop-offs, poor drum mix, poor bass mix, overmixed guitars, etc.)
When Pete Townshend went into hiding to complete this re-mix, it was a labor both of love and sanity by all accounts. What he delivered to Who fans everywhere is a more complete musical package. The bass and drums are clearer, the backup vocals strong/clear, and the guitar/keyboard work steady.
By far the best rendition/re-issue of this product, geometrically enhanced by the SACD mastering technique. Of the 65+ SACDs I now own, this is one of my top 5 pop/jazz must haves.
o The Who - Tommy
o Steely Dan - Gaucho
o Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
o Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue
o Duke Ellington - Blues In Orbit
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| Review by hawkfan May 22, 2004 (0 of 1 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics: |
| Tommy......you either love it or hate it, i like it,loads better than the LP no pops and crackles, a nice clear sound, must buy the film on DVD when its been remastered.
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| Review by jsp January 11, 2005 (0 of 1 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics: |
A great album now made better
pete townsend has done an excelent job on the multichannel mix.
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| Review by eesau February 2, 2005 (1 of 3 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics: |
Well, this is a recording from the late 60es and you can hear it.
Nothing special there. Music is good but I still like Who's later
stuff from the 70es more.
Multi-channel mix is sometimes OK but not always. I especially dislike
how Daltrey's voice is mixed to the rear channels at the beginning.
The use of rear speakers is sometimes too loud.
My advice is to set the rear speaker level lower or simply listen to
the two channel mix, only.
Townsend should not have done the mix himself but use some professional
multi-channel expert instead.
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| Review by sthebkrman February 14, 2005 (0 of 2 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics: |
| This is definitely one of my favorite SACD's and I am not really a Who fan. Pete Townsend must have loved remixing this in Super Audio. I enjoy starting at Pinball Wizard and listening to the end. The first part of the album gets a tad boring. Pinball Wizard sounds amazing. The second CD is also fun because it takes you into the studio and some of the songs really show off Keith Moon's skills as a drummer. You won't regreat buying this one.
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| Review by CaryGrant May 30, 2005 (1 of 2 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics (S): |
This is a great sounding SACD, no question about it. I have no use for the second disc, but fans of historical Who stuff may.
Everything sounds so rich and full, crisp and clear. I never got into this album as a teenager - too non-mainstream for where I was at the time, but it soars on SACD. Townsend's guitar, Moon's percussion, Entwhistle's bass, Daltrey's vocals - they'll reach out and grab you.
I wish the rest of The Who catalog would come out on SACD; until then, I'll listen to it on vinyl.
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| Review by mystic fred December 26, 2005 (2 of 3 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics (S): |
| christmas eve 1969 (or was it 1970..?).....after spending most of the afternoon in the pub i had something left of my first christmas bonus and found myself in the local record shop. browsing through the racks i came across TOMMY and, though I was somewhat inebriated and it was something i wouldn't have normally bought as i'd never seen much publicity for the album, it was the WHO and the money was burning a hole in my pocket. double albums weren't cheap in those days and on the way home i pondered on the wisdom of my purchase. i needn't have worried, the music was fantastic... i'd never heard any thing like it before. my elder brother scorned it, saying it doesn't sound like the who, but i couldn't stop playing it for months (...years!). there seemed to be two camps of who fans (not so much nowadays), before tommy and after tommy. the who, verging on bankruptcy, came up with this work of genius which took them up into the stratosphere, leaving mod bands like the small faces, the kinks and the move far behind, filling football stadiums and setting themselves among the greats like led zeppelin and the stones. the immediacy and freshness of the original recording comes through brilliantly on stereo SACD, the original recording was great but this is like hearing it for the first time. keith's drums and cymbals come crashing through the speakers like never before, john's bass, pete's guitar parts and roger's vocals are so clear you can literally almost see them. overall a highly recommended recording, SACD is definately the way forward if they keep to this standard of remastering. can't wait to hear it on the 5.1 surround channel!
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| Review by Ericvhalfabee January 22, 2006
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Performance: Sonics (S/MC): / |
| The multichannel authoring is just superb. You don't have to crank up the volume, but this deserves it. The 'orrible ooo, were never in my favourite top ten of rock bands, but this is my best SACD so far.
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| Review by Tito February 27, 2008 (2 of 7 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics (MC): |
Tenemos que agradecer el gran trabajo de Pete, es una OBRA DE ARTE el como quedo grabado este SACD, tengo el CD original que también esta muy bien grabado aunque en 2 canciones del álbum podemos escuchar gis, pero tiene unos bajos y una separación de voces e instrumentos genial aun cuando es stereo, ahora con el SACD se elimino el gis, los sonidos provienen de los 6 canales con mucha claridad, hay instrumentos agregados, voces, sonidos, que en el Cd no están y que en conjunto hacen que este sea un gran, si no es que el mejor SACD con los que cuento. Lo recomiendo ampliamente.
P.D. No lo he escuchado en stereo así que no puedo dar opinión, pero después de escucharlo en multicanal no he pensado en ponerlo en stereo.
Tito Zenteno
México City
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