Re: Tommy: the Movie - Love it or Hate it?

[amck@eden.com (Alan McKendree)]

At 13:46 7/25/97, The Who Mailing List Digest wrote:
>Date: Fri, 25 Jul 1997 07:02:45 -0400 (EDT)
>From: BearInLV@aol.com
>Subject: Tommy: the Movie - Love it or Hate it?
>
>I see references to the movie version of Tommy on the list from time to time,
>and I'm beginning to wonder if I'm alone among fans by liking it.

I love it, up until about "Welcome", when it loses a lot of its appeal to
me.  The early songs are like individually-crafted gems -- Amazing Journey,
Eyesight, Acid Queen...just great.  Elton John in Pinball Wizard is OK but
doesn't set me on fire, but the number features Our Boys in full performing
regalia which redeems it -- the 3 seconds of Pete jumping into the frame
and leaning against (Roger?) while playing is all I need (although I'd like
more).  And I love "Champagne", not so much because of the song itself as
for the beans-n-chocolate with its brilliant crashing finale as
Ann-Margaret clutches and thereby soils the last pure thing in the room --
a large white chyrsanthemum -- and Russell's inspiration in following that
with Reed walking into the spotless room making us realize we've been
viewing things from inside Mrs. Walker's head, not from an objective
viewpoint.

Alan

"When I'm on stage, it's not like bein' possessed...it's just...*I* *do*
*my* *job*."                 - Pete Townshend