The Who
Tommy

See me, feel me

The Who were the embodiment of English youth restlessness in the Sixties, during their mod origins and the successful debut album My Generation (1965); then acclaimed glam-pop prophets with the concept album Tommy (1969); finally champions of powerful and vibrant hard rock, starting from Who's Next (1971). This is one of the most influential bands in British rock music and perhaps the only one that knew how to adapt with modesty and consistency to the changing musical fashions in Albion between the '60s and '70s.

The Who were a heterogeneous combination of characters: the rowdy Keith Moon, unparalleled and unrestrained drummer who died in 1978 from an overdose of sedatives, the excellent vocalist Roger Daltrey, insolent and charismatic stage animal, John Entwistle, the bassist and "diplomat" of the band (who passed away in 2002 from a heart attack), and finally "the mind" Pete Townshend, the intellectual guitarist and brilliant composer, as well as a masterful example for posterity in playing his instrument. Among the few to succeed in the United States, The Who made a long tour in America in 1967, whose highlight was the Monterey Festival, where Moon destroyed yet another drum set, Daltrey another microphone, Townshend performed his usual acrobatic jumps, and Entwistle watched carefully so that no one got hurt. It was the triumph and definitive consecration of the band.

In 1969, the explosion of Tommy (Polydor) fell into the four Englishmen's hands, the first Rock Opera in history that managed to set a new role for young music. The secret of the success of this double LP (conceived mainly among Townshend's active neurons) is the compelling story of a child, Tommy, who sees his father kill his mother's lover, and the shock renders him blind, mute, and deaf. He then suffers abuse: sexual by an uncle and physical by his older cousin. However, young Tommy has a gift: he is a phenomenal and unmatched pinball player. He will become a worldwide star, filling arenas and stadiums by participating in pinball competitions, only to fail in his illusory attempt at absolute omnipotence.

The plot unfolds through a series of unforgettable tracks, such as the very famous song See Me Feel Me, or I'm Free, Sparks, The Acid Queen, Tommy Can You Hear Me?, and We're Not Gonna Take It. Thanks to these tracks and the instrumental parts of the album - where rock, pop, psychedelia, and progressive are blended into a definitive balance - Townshend was able to demonstrate his genius to critics and colleagues, becoming a champion of the exceptional progress achieved by pop music up to that point.
The conceptual setup of the album was then paired with an acclaimed film directed by director Ken Russell (Tommy: The Movie - 1975), a fantastical film, with typically "glam" settings, colorful, iridescent, with irrational images and situations, with a phenomenal and engaging Roger Daltrey in the tormented role of the protagonist. Besides the rest of the band, the cast actors were formidable too: Eric Clapton in the role of the Preacher, Jack Nicholson as the Specialist Doctor, Tina Turner in the "stupendous" role of Queen of LSD, and Elton John is the lively PinBall clown with oversized glasses and satin kitsch suits; there are also actors Oliver Reed, Robert Powell, and Ann-Margret.

From then on, the band's story will be marked by the comparison with this double masterpiece, a comparison more than supported by the greatest masterpiece of their career, the legendary Who's Next, an album that delivered The Who to the Olympus of Great Classics. But that is another (long) story.

"Tommy can you hear me?"