Tommy (Original Soundtrack Recording)
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Album Summary
Back in 1975, Polydor Records dropped something that stopped the world cold — the original soundtrack recording to Ken Russell's fearless, fever-dream adaptation of Pete Townshend's rock opera, Tommy. This was no ordinary soundtrack. Russell took Townshend's visionary creation, originally brought to life by The Who back in 1969, and exploded it into full cinematic color with a cast that had no business being that good — Roger Daltrey embodying Tommy with raw, aching soul, Ann-Margret turning in one of the most electric performances ever committed to film, Oliver Reed bringing that brooding thunder, and Elton John absolutely owning every frame he occupied. John Entwistle handled orchestral arrangements that gave the material new muscle and grandeur, while Russell's theatrical instincts pushed every track to its dramatic limit. The result was a double-album soundtrack that didn't just document a film — it stood on its own as one of the boldest, most fully-realized musical statements of the entire decade.
Reception
- The soundtrack climbed to #2 on the UK Albums Chart and settled at #9 on the Billboard 200, making it one of the strongest-performing soundtrack releases of the 1970s.
- The film itself drew polarizing critical responses upon release, but the soundtrack earned Grammy nominations and moved serious commercial units, finding an audience far beyond the faithful Who devotees.
- Over time, Tommy the film — and by extension this soundtrack — ascended to genuine cult classic status, with the album's reputation only deepening as the years rolled on.
Significance
- This album represents a pivotal moment when rock music's most ambitious conceptual storytelling collided head-on with the full spectacle of 1970s cinema, proving that the rock opera was a form worthy of the silver screen.
- The orchestral and symphonic arrangements crafted for this recording expanded Tommy far beyond its rock origins, placing it at the crossroads of progressive rock, classical music, and theatrical drama in a way that felt genuinely unprecedented.
- By bringing Tommy to a mass film audience in 1975, this soundtrack cemented the work's permanent place in popular culture and helped define what a serious, artistically ambitious rock film could aspire to be.
Tracklist
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A1 Prologue - 1945 —
3:00
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A2 Captain Walker/ It's A Boy —
2:37
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A3 Bernie's Holiday Camp —
3:43
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A4 1951/ What About The Boy? —
2:49
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A5 Amazing Journey —
3:19
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A6 Christmas —
3:39
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A7 Eyesight To The Blind —
3:21
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B1 Acid Queen —
3:47
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B2 Do You Think It's Alright (1) —
0:56
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B3 Cousin Kevin —
3:07
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B4 Do You Think It's Alright (2) —
0:45
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B5 Fiddle About —
1:40
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B6 Do You Think It's Alright (3) —
0:30
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B7 Sparks —
3:05
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B8 Extra, Extra, Extra —
0:45
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B9 Pinball Wizard —
5:14
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C1 Champagne —
4:42
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C2 There's A Doctor —
0:22
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C3 Go To The Mirror —
3:57
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C4 Tommy Can You Hear Me? —
0:56
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C5 Smash The Mirror —
1:22
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C6 I'm Free —
2:36
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C7 Mother And Son —
3:26
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C8 Sensation —
2:49
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D1 Miracle Cure —
0:23
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D2 Sally Simpson —
5:13
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D3 Welcome —
4:15
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D4 T.V. Studio —
1:15
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D5 Tommy's Holiday Camp —
1:30
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D6 We're Not Gonna Take It —
5:47
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D7 Listening To You / See Me, Feel Me —
3:13
Artist Details
Here's the thing about Various, baby — this artist burst onto the 1980s rock scene like a force of nature, blending raw energy with a sound that was somehow both timeless and perfectly of its era. Various carved out a reputation for delivering tracks that hit you right in the chest, the kind of music that made you pull over your car just to let the song breathe. With a catalog that speaks for itself, Various remains one of the most compelling figures to come out of that decade of big hair, bigger riffs, and even bigger feelings.
