The Who’s Tommy Returns, Bigger And Bouncier
The deaf, dumb and blind boy's amazing journey goes deluxe.
TOMMY, PETE TOWNSHEND’s rock opera ode to the teenage spirit (with sinister side-order of child abuse), returns in November via two new deluxe editions. The Deluxe and Super Deluxe versions of the album will feature 20 previously unreleased demos taken from Townshend’s archive and an unseen live performance of the album recorded at Capital Theatre, Ottawa, Canada in October 1969. Bob Pridden, The Who’s long-serving sound guru, was originally instructed to destroy the tapes, but, unbeknownst to Townshend, decided to keep them, meaning that this gig can now join Woodstock and The Isle Of Wight as one of the only documents of Tommy being played live during its first year of release. Good work, Bob!
If you plump for the Super Deluxe set you’ll also get a 5.1 surround sound mix, 80-page book and a rare facsimile Tommy poster. Both sets are due out on November 11.
Here’s what we’re told it will look like...
In the meantime, get in the mood with this glorious HD clip of The Who delivering Tommy’s finale at Woodstock: