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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 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 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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