Re: Tommy

[dat93sbo@ludat.lth.se (Svante Borjesson)]

Hi,

In reply to:


>So which version of tommy is better. The Original or the Broadway 
>version? Personally I find faults with both of them. In the recording 
<of Tommy by The Who (original) I find that Roger is holding back. 
>He's not doing his usual screaming and yelling. I kept thinking Roger 
>why are you holding by? But in the Broadway version of Tommy I
>can't stand how they moved all the songs around and changed the 
>ending. So I'd like to hear someone elses opinion about the matter
>
>Rebecca
>Doug Shatford
>Amherst, Nova Scotia
>dshatfor@fox.nstn.ns.ca

I haven't even heard the Broadway version, mainly because I'm not a
Tommy-fan; I'm a Who fan first and foremost. There are so many versions
of Tommy that it's almost sickening. The Broadway version might still
be a good one though, musically.

Of the different versions I've heard, the movie soundtrack, and the London
symphony orchestra version are the worst. The movie soundtrack is extremely
uneven in quality, the lows being the songs sung by Ann-Margret and Oliver
Reed. There are some good songs though. I actually like Elton John's version
of Pinball Wizard, even though I'm no E.J. fan. It's one of the high points
in the movie aswell. The LSO version of Tommy sounds like a symphony orchestra
trying to sound like the Who! The result is that it's only sounding pompous.
I like the version of Underture though.

The best Tommys are of course the original from '69; After all, there is
only one _original_. And now with the aid of digital remastering and the
abilty to put the entire two LP set on one CD, a think it's much to the
advantage of the old recordings. I have the LP version, and it bores the
hell out of me having to change sides every 20 minutes. (But maybe I'm 
just lazy?) And the 2nd side isn't the flip side of the 1st, instead 
they're paired off as side 1 and 4, and 2 and 3! (A cheap marketing trick?)

The version I'd really like to push for, is the live version, the first CD
on the "Join together" 2-CDs, from the tour in '89. It's simply the best and
most Rock&Roll version yet. The live versions from '69 are awsome too (lots
screaming and yelling and feedbackguitars), but nothing has been released yet,
except for individual tracks.

Lots of IMHO in here....

- Svante