Album
Tommy
Tommy is the fourth studio album by the Who, a double album released on 19 May 1969 through Polydor. Pete Townshend wrote most of it, shaping the story of Tommy Walker, who becomes a spiritual leader and messianic figure. The idea grew from Townshend's introduction to the teachings of Meher Baba, whose ideas he set out to translate into music. It is one of rock's earliest rock operas.
Sessions began in September 1968 and ran for six months, as the material had to be arranged and re-recorded in the studio. The tour that followed, with the band performing Tommy live, took in Woodstock, the Isle of Wight and the Metropolitan Opera House, and it revitalised their career. The album was acclaimed as their breakthrough and entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. It later became a ballet, a film directed by Ken Russell in 1975 and a Broadway musical in 1992.
Tommy: tracklist, credits and charts
24 tracks · 1:14:55Tracklist
- Disc 1
- 1OverturePete Townshend3:52
- 2It’s a BoyPete Townshend2:07
- 31921Pete Townshend2:49
- 4Amazing JourneyPete Townshend4:26
- 5SparksPete Townshend2:43
- 6Eyesight to the Blind (The Hawker)Sonny Boy Williamson2:15
- 7ChristmasPete Townshend4:34
- 8Cousin KevinJohn Entwistle4:06
- 9The Acid QueenPete Townshend3:34
- 10UnderturePete Townshend10:05
- Disc 2
- 1Do You Think It’s Alright?Pete Townshend0:25
- 2Fiddle AboutJohn Entwistle1:31
- 3Pinball WizardPete Townshend3:01
- 4There’s a DoctorPete Townshend0:24
- 5Go to the MirrorPete Townshend3:47
- 6Tommy Can You Hear Me?Pete Townshend1:36
- 7Smash the MirrorPete Townshend1:35
- 8SensationPete Townshend2:28
- 9Miracle CurePete Townshend0:12
- 10Sally SimpsonPete Townshend4:10
- 11I’m FreePete Townshend2:39
- 12WelcomePete Townshend4:32
- 13Tommy’s Holiday CampKeith Moon0:57
- 14We’re Not Gonna Take ItPete Townshend7:07
- Produced by
- Kit Lambert
- Executive producer
- Chris Stamp
- Recorded at
- IBC Studios, Morgan Studios, IBC and Morgan, London
- Recorded
- 19 September 19687 March 1969
- Engineered by
- Damon Lyon-Shaw
- Artwork
- Michael McInnerney
- Photography
- Barrie Meller
- Labels
- Polydor, Track (UK), Decca (US)
- Length
- 1:14:55
Line-up
- John Entwistle · bass guitar, French horn, vocals, lead vocals, spoken vocals
- Keith Moon · drums (drum set) · guest
- Pete Townshend · guitar, keyboard, vocals, lead vocals
- Roger Daltrey · vocals, background vocals, lead vocals
- The Who
Singles
- “Pinball Wizard" / "Dogs Part Two” · 7 March 1969
- “I'm Free" / "We're Not Gonna Take It” · July 1969
- “See Me, Feel Me" / "Overture from Tommy” · September 1970
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1969–70 | 2 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1969–70 | 4 |
| Dutch Albums · 1969–70 | 5 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1969–70 | 6 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1969–70 | 8 |
| German Albums · 1976 | 50 |
| French Albums · 2002 | 143 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 2013 | 175 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 2013 | 181 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| France · 1977 | Gold |
| Italy · 2016 | Gold |
| New Zealand | Gold |
| United Kingdom · 2013 | Gold |
| United States · 1993 | 2× Platinum |
Awards
- Grammy Awards · 1998
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
88.1
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
8.3k
ListenBrainz listeners
273k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
18k
Deezer fans (all editions)
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More from The Who
Full discography →
My Generation
1965
Ready Steady Who
1966
A Quick One
1966
The Who
1967
The Who Sell Out
1967
Number Two
1968
Magic Bus: The Who on Tour
1968
Direct Hits
1968
Live at Leeds
1970
Who’s Next
1971
Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy
1971
Quadrophenia
1973
Odds & Sods
1974
Investigacion de mercado
1975
Tommy
1975
The Who by Numbers
1975
Substitute
1976
The Story of The Who
1976
Who Are You
1978
The Kids Are Alright
1979
Face Dances
1981
Hooligans
1981
It’s Hard
1982
Who’s Greatest Hits
1983
The Singles
1984
Who’s Last
1984
Who’s Missing
1985
Two’s Missing
1987
This Is My Generation
1988
Who’s Better, Who’s Best
1988
Won’t Get Fooled Again
1988
Join Together
1990
Thirty Years of Maximum R&B
1994
My Generation – The Very Best of The Who
1996
Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970
1996
20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of The Who
1999
BBC Sessions
2000
The Who Live: The Blues to the Bush 1999
2000
Live at the Royal Albert Hall
2001
The Ultimate Collection
2002
Then and Now
2004
Live From Toronto
2006
Endless Wire
2006
Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who
2008
Greatest Hits
2009
Greatest Hits Live
2010
Live at Hull 1970
2012
Quadrophenia: Live in London
2014
The Who Hits 50!
2014
Live at Shea Stadium 1982
2015
Ready Steady Who Two
2016
Ready Steady Who Three
2017
Live at the Fillmore East 1968
2018
WHO
2019
The best of 1969
All of 1969 →
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Led Zeppelin · 1969
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The Rolling Stones · 1969
The Rolling Stones – Vol. 6
The Rolling Stones · 1969
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The Rolling Stones · 1969
Ruby Tuesday / She Smiled Sweetly / Let’s Spend the Night Together / Connection
The Rolling Stones · 1969
Satisfaction
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Honky Tonk Women
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Sympathy for the Devil
The Rolling Stones · 1969
Ummagumma
Pink Floyd · 1969
David Bowie
David Bowie · 1969
In the Court of the Crimson King
King Crimson · 1969
More on Polydor
The label →
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Wish
The Cure · 1992
Hackney Diamonds
The Rolling Stones · 2023
Songs of a Lost World
The Cure · 2024
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The Rolling Stones · 2016
Perfect Strangers
Deep Purple · 1984
Rising
Rainbow · 1976
The Who
The Who · 1967
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The Who · 1988
Substitute
The Who · 1976
It’s Hard
The Who · 1982
Bad Attitude
Deep Purple · 1987
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia 1969-05-19; musicbrainz + wikidata 1969-05-23 (4 days apart, likely another territory)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 23 May 1969 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 19 May 1969 | |
| Wikidata | 23 May 1969 | |
| US release | 31 May 1969 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 23 May 1969 | earliest UK or European date |
53 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | XE | Polydor | 731453104327 | other |
| — | US | — | 00602567803034 | other |
| — | DE | Polydor | 3259180007720 | other |
| — | CA | MCA Records | 008811080129 | other |
| — | US | — | 00602567803058 | deluxe |
| 1969 | DE | Polydor | other | |
| 1969 | FR | Polydor | other | |
| 1969 | US | Decca Records | other | |
| 23 May 1969 | GB | Track Record | original | |
| 31 May 1969 | US | Decca Records | other | |
| 12 May 1972 | GB | Track Record | other | |
| 1973 | US | MCA Records | other | |
| 1973 | GB | Track Record | other | |
| 1984 | US | MCA Records | other | |
| 1984 | US | BMG Direct Marketing, Inc. | other | |
| 1984 | GB | Polydor | 042280007720 | other |
| 1984 | US | — | other | |
| 1 June 1986 | JP | Polydor | 4988005002532 | other |
| 1 June 1986 | JP | Polydor | other | |
| 1989 | JP | Polydor | 4988005002532 | other |
| 1989 | DE | Polydor | 042280007720 | other |
| 20 April 1990 | US | Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab | 015775153325 | other |
| 1993 | US | BMG Direct | other | |
| 1993 | AU | Polydor | 042280007720 | other |
| 30 March 1993 | US | MCA Records | 008811080129 | other |
| 1996 | CA | MCA Records Canada | 008811141721 | other |
| 1996 | US | BMG Direct Marketing, Inc. | other | |
| 1996 | — | MCA Records | 020831168526 | other |
| 1996 | XE | Polydor | 731453104327 | other |
| 4 March 1996 | GB | Polydor | 731453104327 | other |
| 12 March 1996 | US | MCA Records | 008811141721 | other |
| 12 March 1996 | US | — | other | |
| 2001 | ZA | Polydor | 6001210291930 | other |
| 28 October 2003 | US | Geffen | 602498610114 | deluxe |
| 19 January 2004 | GB | Polydor | 602498610114 | deluxe |
| 27 April 2004 | US | Geffen | 602498618363 | other |
| 8 March 2005 | DE | Polydor | 602498272367 | deluxe |
| 28 September 2006 | US | Classic Records | 601704006161 | other |
| 28 September 2006 | US | Classic Records | 601704006161 | other |
| 7 December 2006 | US | — | 760644627970 | other |
| 12 November 2008 | JP | Polydor | 4988005535467 | other |
| 12 November 2008 | JP | Polydor | 4988005535467 | deluxe |
| 2011 | US | Geffen | 008811141721 | deluxe |
| 25 April 2012 | JP | Polydor | 4988005705181 | other |
| 2013 | GB | Polydor | 0602537474004 | deluxe |
| 2013 | CA | Polydor | 602537474035 | other |
| 2013 | XE | Polydor | 602537474059 | other |
| 2013 | — | Universal | 602537474035 | remaster |
| 11 November 2013 | US | Polydor | 602537474004 | remaster |
| 12 November 2013 | US | Polydor | 602537473960 | deluxe |
| 27 August 2014 | JP | Polydor | 4988005838124 | other |
| 4 November 2014 | US | Geffen | 602537947782 | deluxe |
| 26 April 2019 | XW | UMC | 00602567803218 | other |
Cover art sources
deezer · upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1200×1200 | upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25) |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |
| coverartarchive | 301×300 | upscaled |