Review Summary: The perfect live rock experience. Don't miss this one.
Best live rock album. Ever. Just wanted to let that out before any objections come on board. Now let’s move on to the album. By 1969 the Who were considered one of the greatest live attractions in the world because… well because Tommy, that’s why. So before you start bashing the acclaimed rock opera, think for a moment that it is this exact opera that made the Who the greatest live rock band. Of course, it has its flaws, but I will not discuss them at length here, because it’s not a review about Tommy anyway.
The mood of this live recording is certainly exciting. It is raw, dirty, noisy, and cathartic all at once. The sound that the fully distorted guitar creates when it meets Entwistle’s fat and loud bass tone, and Moon’s crazy and uncontrolled, full of inventive fills drumming can’t be explained with words. I mean, I really Can’t Explain the sound of the recording, but take a look at the first two tracks for a good example. Heaven and Hell crashes in with great force that is followed by Entwistle’s steady singing. The harmonies are pitch-perfect both in the verses and the chorus with the ‘Never Dieee?’ part standing out. The solo is Pete at his finest. Melodic and fast, with a touch of power chords here and there, and some outstanding riffing midway through the solo. The song ends and quickly follows I Can’t Explain with the familiar stop and start riffing and Keith’s sudden burst into the song. The oh we are particularly interesting in that song as well as Roger’s singing, with that trademark and powerful tone. And the solo is pure bliss, combining again Pete’s best soloing abilities.
Fortune Teller follows which starts as a mid-tempo rocker with nice arpeggios and suddenly breaks down and becomes faster. Great song, great rendition. But the cover that receives my congratulations is definitely Young Man Blues. What a performance! Pete’s masterful riffing combined with his simple but effective soloing give the song a hard-hitting edge. And the rhythm section is not less impressive, really. Μoon is on fire, hitting everything he can find with perfection and giving, with his fills an epic feel to the song. As for Entwistle, well, best bass player ever, really. He is one of the few rock bassists that can give the song depth and feel with constant licks and riffs. Oh, and I forgot Tattoo, which is segued with Fortune Teller. A highlight performance, rest assured. The harmonies are pure beauty, and the fills of Keith Moon, different from the studio result in a different, but maybe even better experience than the studio counterpart.
Substitute is great, definitely better than the studio, because this time around the sound is much fuller. And the playing is phenomenal as always. Happy Jack is arguably better than the studio version, too, as well as I’m a Boy because these three pop songs get a very different treatment live, that’s more intriguing than the pure pop style of the originals. I mean, Happy Jack’s chorus is utterly powerful, as well as the pounding of the drums and bass in the verses that punctuates the guitar riff perfectly. Same goes for I’m A Boy. A Quick One has quite possibly the best banter on the entire record (and the record is filled with funny banter), but the main plus here is, of course, the rendition which far surpasses the original because it flows better and with more precision and tension. Just listen to those guitar windmills, the bass fills, and the insane drumming of Keith Moon that ranges from bombastic to subtle to powerful and so on.
Now, Summertime Blues is one hell of a highlight, that’s for sure. Full of energy, great interplay between the instruments and Roger singing his heart out, this is one track not to be missed. Shaking All Over is breathtaking as well with a great riff and harmonies, too. My Generation kicks off with unstoppable force and it’s clear by now that the guys just won’t let anything go wrong. After 2 minutes, the band dives into Listening To You with ease and then there’s a brief, spectacular Naked Eye, and after that, it’s Pete for 2-3 minutes churning out some mighty inventive finger-picking, riffing, soloing, whatever you want, he does it. Then the rest of the band kicks in brutally and they play a bit of Sparks and other Tommy themes. Finally, it all ends with a crescendo that will take your breath. If it hasn’t been taken already, that is. Magic Bus closes the first disc with a great groove. Right from the beginning percussion sounds followed by Pete’s guitar through John’s thumping, you are guided through a musical journey with harmonicas, shredding, drum thrashing and extremely powerful vocals. A show stopping finale to the first disc.
I won’t talk that much about the Tommy songs, because, you know, they pretty much stay true to the studio counterparts. But I will refer to the highlights, which include Overture, 1921, Amazing Journey/Sparks, Christmas, Pinball Wizard, I’m Free and We’re Not Gonna to Take It which closes the whole album on a perfect note. Overture starts with extreme energy and precision, but has a different edge when compared to the original because the faster tempo and aggressive guitar sound make this version arguably more exciting. 1921 ditches the piano in the introduction for John’s subtle bass performance. Amazing Journey/Sparks is now a fierce, raw track with the amazingly tight rhythm section highlighting Pete’s passages with utmost care. Christmas now, might not be that better than the studio one, due to the unfocused first ‘’Tommy Can You Hear Me’’ passage, but the ‘’See Me Feel Me’’ redeems it completely. Pinball Wizard is, even without the meticulous production, a big highlight of the show because it retains the energy found in the studio with just four instruments. I’m Free makes the already punkish in nature riff even more punkish and the middle section, while not featuring the lovely piano parts of the original, is still great. But the major highlight of the Tommy suite is the grand finale. Who can one resist the relentless climax of this song that goes faster and faster and drenched in windmills, loud screams and a terrific rhythm section.
The album is that amazing, fortunately. Too bad that the only other ‘prime period’ live album is Live At Hull, which is equally good and whatever songs exist in the Kids Are Alright soundtrack. Well, catch this before it’s too late.
