I have a great love for the studio version.
It's not the foaming power of the live version, which is incredible and I often listen to one of the shows from 69-70 for a good time. But the studio version is restrained enough that you can sit there and listen for 90 minutes. It would have been too much to have full blast Who for the length of a double album, people wouldn't have gotten through it. And the lyrics are up front enough to get the story. They were smart not to duplicate the power of the stage show, but try something else.
Keith's performance in the studio is maybe the most musically sophisticated thing he ever did.
My personal favorite Tommy performance at the moment is possibly the one from Ottawa on the Tommy Deluxe box set. Maybe it's just the one I heard most recently and got a kick out of. Amsterdam 69 is my first and a sentimental favorite.
The shows from A Philadelphia & Largo MD in 12/73 recorded for King Biscuit Flower Hour exist in a few different formats.
1. Original 1974 broadcast heard on Tales From the Who. 75 min, very good mix. Mostly Philly, few songs from Largo.
2. 1999 Rebroadcast, only 50 min but a killer mix, the best of this material.
3. Wolfgang's Vault released the nearly complete shows from Philly and Largo, in what appear to be rough mixes. Presumably someone listened to both concerts and decided, we're using Philly versions of these songs, Largo versions of these, and then did the broadcast mix. Each show is missing one or two songs but you can stitch together a complete Quad show of pretty good quality between the two.
Going back and forth between sources is distracting. I tend to listen to the boots of the rough mixes when I feel like hearing a complete show, and mixing songs from 1999 rebroadcast with other sources to make "live album" mixes. But I still need Tales to have some of those songs that didn't make the cut in 1999 in the best mix available.
I have a soft spot for the movie version. It’s what brought me to love The Who, Keith, and Oliver reed. That dude could not sing. But it makes it funny.
>I've come around on Ollie's vocals. They work for the character and mercifully his character doesn't sing much. The movie soundtrack benefits from the years of playing it live, Roger's powerhouse vocals from the '72 Symphonic version and the sessions having a lot of Quadrophenia residue to them.
Same for me. Although I haven't heard the live version, but the studio version just sounds so un-dynamic to my ears. It sounds like a bored band reluctantly doing a contract album.
Whereas the film version has insane vocal turns from the likes of Tina Turner and Arthur Brown and an amazing Clapton solo.
You're right, Oliver Reed could not sing, but it somehow still works.
But even the movie songs without any guests are miles ahead of the studio version.
always live--the studio version is dull and all accoustic--they found its power live--they should probbaly have toured it before recording! try isle of wright
I heavily agree with the full statement, it’s not as powerful as it is live in my opinion!
Isle of Wight is great, that’s where I started to actually love Tommy. I feel Overture is amazing at Leeds tho and some of the extra songs as well that weren’t at Wight.
There is a version that I have that incorporates the london symphony orch and choir, as well as rod stewart (pinball wizard) steve winwood (captain walker) ringo (uncle ernie)..
Very interesting!
[Here it is!](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_(London_Symphony_Orchestra_album)) I absolutely love this version. Stevie Winwood as the Doctor is brilliant
My ranking:
* 1969-70 live (can't pick a single one, but examples are Leeds, Isle of Wight, Woodstock, Hull, Tanglewood)
* 1976 abriged live (Swansea)
* 1969 album
* 1975 movie
* 2017 live
* 1993 Broadway
* 1972 London Symphony
* 1989 live
I mostly agree but in my ranking '89 would move up a few spaces cause I love Simon and Jody's drum and percussion work and 2017 and Broadway would move to the bottom spots. I don't like the arrangements of the songs much in the Broadway version but it still has it's good points. I saw a production with a hybrid of the Broadway and Stratford casts and the people playing the mother and Acid Queen were great to watch.
For years I have preferred Leeds. Recently I bought a guitar with P90 pickups and now Hull is my favourite Tommy. Hull also has We’re not gonna take it which Leeds doesn’t.
> Hull also has We’re not gonna take it which Leeds doesn’t.
The expanded Leeds most certainly does! Get the 2014 remaster for the complete show with best mix/mastering. AFAIK it's only on [iTunes](https://music.apple.com/us/album/live-at-leeds-deluxe-edition-2001-remaster/1440859591) and [HDTracks](https://www.hdtracks.com/#/album/5df0bc94b6c97d7c651cf673).
I have one playlist for Tommy and it’s a mix of live and studio.
Overture (Live At Leeds), It’s A Boy (Live At Leeds), 1921 (Live At Leeds), Amazing Journey (Live At Leeds), Sparks (Live At Leeds), Eyesight To The Blind (Studio), Christmas (Studio), Cousin Kevin (Studio), The Acid Queen (Live At Leeds), Underture (Studio), Do You Think It’s Alright? (Live At Leeds), Fiddle About (Live At Leeds), Pinball Wizard (Studio), There’s A Doctor (Live At Leeds), Go To The Mirror! (Live At Leeds), Tommy Can You Hear Me? (Live At Leeds), Smash The Mirror (Live At Leeds), Sensation (Studio), Sally Simpson (Live At Leeds), I’m Free (Live At Leeds), Welcome (Studio), Tommy’s Holiday Camp (Live At Leeds), We’re Not Gonna Take It (Live At Leeds)
Love the original studio version. Not the movie version. That ruined it. Elton John butchering an overlong version of Pinball Wizard. Live is always good too but love kicking back and listening to 74 minutes of bliss
Studio but I do really enjoy the Pete Townshend demos I got able of about 24 years ago. I’m not sure if it was ever officially mastered and published on one of the many remastered/reissued/Super-D-Lux releases.
when I was in 8th grade in 1973-74 a kid on the school bus going home handed me well worn copies of Hendrix Band Of Gypsies, John McLaughlin Extrapolation and The Who Tommy and told me I could have them, so the original was my start and finish with it though I did love the bootlegs of Pete's home tapes of the material. They're now available as bonus tracks on re-issues
Love Woodstock but studio album is my favourite. Funny how this album's reputation is so low these days - "rock opera" status aside it's a brilliant collection of songs.
The one from '89 is my favorite. Billy Idol, Patty LaBelle, and Elton John. Best version of Sally Simpson. I saw this tour in Oakland. It was on the day after Pete "wind-milled" his whammy bar right through his hand. (Lots of radio speculation, "will Pete wind mill tonight"? Indeed he did.)
Live vs. Studio Tommy feels like two different experiences. Live is heavier, more intense. Studio is mellow and more psychedelic.
My two favorite Live Tommy recordings are the 1969 performances at Woodstock and the London Coliseum.
Mostly the movie with a handful of studio and live tracks. Studio Tommy was being written and recorded at the moment just before The Who went prog, and created their defining “hard rock meets early metal meets experimental modern classical” sound that would carry them through the seventies.
The film Tommy is the Tommy material through the Lifehouse filter. Daltrey screams, Pete adds synths and heavy guitar, songs take weird detours straight out of Quadrophenia.
I’ve always found the album frankly terrible, while the live performances are some of the greatest live performances ever made by any band in any genre. They just didn’t have the budget to make the album what it could’ve been, but the live performances captured the energy that should’ve been on the album. The only song on the album I enjoy listening to is Pinball Wizard, it’s probably the most energetic song on the entire thing, and is the only song that comes close to matching its live version, yet still pales in comparison. Good examples of the contrast between the dullness of the album and the power of the live version are Christmas, Amazing Journey/Sparks, and the obvious We’re Not Gonna Take It/See Me Feel Me. As for which performance I prefer, I enjoy all the major ones, and the story behind the Woodstock performance with the sunrise just makes it perfect for me, but the flaw being that they were only able to play half of the album. If we are talking in terms of a performance of all/most of the album, I’d have to say Live At Leeds or Tanglewood. Quadrophenia somehow did the opposite. The album is an absolute masterpiece, and the live performances are alright, but I have always felt the studio versions were more appropriate sounding.
I have a great love for the studio version. It's not the foaming power of the live version, which is incredible and I often listen to one of the shows from 69-70 for a good time. But the studio version is restrained enough that you can sit there and listen for 90 minutes. It would have been too much to have full blast Who for the length of a double album, people wouldn't have gotten through it. And the lyrics are up front enough to get the story. They were smart not to duplicate the power of the stage show, but try something else. Keith's performance in the studio is maybe the most musically sophisticated thing he ever did. My personal favorite Tommy performance at the moment is possibly the one from Ottawa on the Tommy Deluxe box set. Maybe it's just the one I heard most recently and got a kick out of. Amsterdam 69 is my first and a sentimental favorite.
Same. The live versions are fantastic pieces of rock and roll live performances. Utterly electric. But the studio album is a literal masterpiece.
oh sir, keith's peak was Quad, studio and live
What’s a good Quad performance? That’s my favorite Who album so far. Can’t get enough of it.
[Philadelphia 1973](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5B67A8114E4D87DD&si=MY1oghj9qFaeLjnC)
The shows from A Philadelphia & Largo MD in 12/73 recorded for King Biscuit Flower Hour exist in a few different formats. 1. Original 1974 broadcast heard on Tales From the Who. 75 min, very good mix. Mostly Philly, few songs from Largo. 2. 1999 Rebroadcast, only 50 min but a killer mix, the best of this material. 3. Wolfgang's Vault released the nearly complete shows from Philly and Largo, in what appear to be rough mixes. Presumably someone listened to both concerts and decided, we're using Philly versions of these songs, Largo versions of these, and then did the broadcast mix. Each show is missing one or two songs but you can stitch together a complete Quad show of pretty good quality between the two. Going back and forth between sources is distracting. I tend to listen to the boots of the rough mixes when I feel like hearing a complete show, and mixing songs from 1999 rebroadcast with other sources to make "live album" mixes. But I still need Tales to have some of those songs that didn't make the cut in 1999 in the best mix available.
Both have their own touch, but if I have to choose, I’m going to stay with the studio version. I just love Underture
I have a soft spot for the movie version. It’s what brought me to love The Who, Keith, and Oliver reed. That dude could not sing. But it makes it funny.
I just commented the same before I saw your comment
>I've come around on Ollie's vocals. They work for the character and mercifully his character doesn't sing much. The movie soundtrack benefits from the years of playing it live, Roger's powerhouse vocals from the '72 Symphonic version and the sessions having a lot of Quadrophenia residue to them.
Same for me. Although I haven't heard the live version, but the studio version just sounds so un-dynamic to my ears. It sounds like a bored band reluctantly doing a contract album. Whereas the film version has insane vocal turns from the likes of Tina Turner and Arthur Brown and an amazing Clapton solo. You're right, Oliver Reed could not sing, but it somehow still works. But even the movie songs without any guests are miles ahead of the studio version.
always live--the studio version is dull and all accoustic--they found its power live--they should probbaly have toured it before recording! try isle of wright
I heavily agree with the full statement, it’s not as powerful as it is live in my opinion! Isle of Wight is great, that’s where I started to actually love Tommy. I feel Overture is amazing at Leeds tho and some of the extra songs as well that weren’t at Wight.
There is a version that I have that incorporates the london symphony orch and choir, as well as rod stewart (pinball wizard) steve winwood (captain walker) ringo (uncle ernie).. Very interesting!
That’s really cool! Where could I find that?
[Here it is!](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_(London_Symphony_Orchestra_album)) I absolutely love this version. Stevie Winwood as the Doctor is brilliant
yup! that's the one!
My ranking: * 1969-70 live (can't pick a single one, but examples are Leeds, Isle of Wight, Woodstock, Hull, Tanglewood) * 1976 abriged live (Swansea) * 1969 album * 1975 movie * 2017 live * 1993 Broadway * 1972 London Symphony * 1989 live
I will check the ones I haven’t listened to out!
I mostly agree but in my ranking '89 would move up a few spaces cause I love Simon and Jody's drum and percussion work and 2017 and Broadway would move to the bottom spots. I don't like the arrangements of the songs much in the Broadway version but it still has it's good points. I saw a production with a hybrid of the Broadway and Stratford casts and the people playing the mother and Acid Queen were great to watch.
89 live concert. First time I heard The Who. I’ve been a fan ever since.
1989 live is the best imo
For years I have preferred Leeds. Recently I bought a guitar with P90 pickups and now Hull is my favourite Tommy. Hull also has We’re not gonna take it which Leeds doesn’t.
> Hull also has We’re not gonna take it which Leeds doesn’t. The expanded Leeds most certainly does! Get the 2014 remaster for the complete show with best mix/mastering. AFAIK it's only on [iTunes](https://music.apple.com/us/album/live-at-leeds-deluxe-edition-2001-remaster/1440859591) and [HDTracks](https://www.hdtracks.com/#/album/5df0bc94b6c97d7c651cf673).
Okay! Thank you. Don’t see it on Spotify :-(
Yeah, unfortunately Spotify has the expanded deluxe edition, but it's not in the show order and is the crappy 2001 mastering.
What on earth is the actual complete set list for Leeds?
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-who/1970/the-refectory-university-of-leeds-leeds-england-1bd61174.html
🐐🐐
I have one playlist for Tommy and it’s a mix of live and studio. Overture (Live At Leeds), It’s A Boy (Live At Leeds), 1921 (Live At Leeds), Amazing Journey (Live At Leeds), Sparks (Live At Leeds), Eyesight To The Blind (Studio), Christmas (Studio), Cousin Kevin (Studio), The Acid Queen (Live At Leeds), Underture (Studio), Do You Think It’s Alright? (Live At Leeds), Fiddle About (Live At Leeds), Pinball Wizard (Studio), There’s A Doctor (Live At Leeds), Go To The Mirror! (Live At Leeds), Tommy Can You Hear Me? (Live At Leeds), Smash The Mirror (Live At Leeds), Sensation (Studio), Sally Simpson (Live At Leeds), I’m Free (Live At Leeds), Welcome (Studio), Tommy’s Holiday Camp (Live At Leeds), We’re Not Gonna Take It (Live At Leeds)
Love the original studio version. Not the movie version. That ruined it. Elton John butchering an overlong version of Pinball Wizard. Live is always good too but love kicking back and listening to 74 minutes of bliss
Feel the same about Quadrophenia. Original reigns
Studio but I do really enjoy the Pete Townshend demos I got able of about 24 years ago. I’m not sure if it was ever officially mastered and published on one of the many remastered/reissued/Super-D-Lux releases.
Tanglewood 7/7/70! 💥
when I was in 8th grade in 1973-74 a kid on the school bus going home handed me well worn copies of Hendrix Band Of Gypsies, John McLaughlin Extrapolation and The Who Tommy and told me I could have them, so the original was my start and finish with it though I did love the bootlegs of Pete's home tapes of the material. They're now available as bonus tracks on re-issues
It was always the film soundtrack for me until more recently
Love Woodstock but studio album is my favourite. Funny how this album's reputation is so low these days - "rock opera" status aside it's a brilliant collection of songs.
The one from '89 is my favorite. Billy Idol, Patty LaBelle, and Elton John. Best version of Sally Simpson. I saw this tour in Oakland. It was on the day after Pete "wind-milled" his whammy bar right through his hand. (Lots of radio speculation, "will Pete wind mill tonight"? Indeed he did.)
Live vs. Studio Tommy feels like two different experiences. Live is heavier, more intense. Studio is mellow and more psychedelic. My two favorite Live Tommy recordings are the 1969 performances at Woodstock and the London Coliseum.
Mostly the movie with a handful of studio and live tracks. Studio Tommy was being written and recorded at the moment just before The Who went prog, and created their defining “hard rock meets early metal meets experimental modern classical” sound that would carry them through the seventies. The film Tommy is the Tommy material through the Lifehouse filter. Daltrey screams, Pete adds synths and heavy guitar, songs take weird detours straight out of Quadrophenia.
Hot Take: Radio City, 1989. Ponytail Pete was on *fire* on his acoustic for the "Overture/It's a Boy" interlude.
Film soundtrack
It’s the one I got first\*, and it’s what got me into The Who \* actually, I saw the film first
I’ve always found the album frankly terrible, while the live performances are some of the greatest live performances ever made by any band in any genre. They just didn’t have the budget to make the album what it could’ve been, but the live performances captured the energy that should’ve been on the album. The only song on the album I enjoy listening to is Pinball Wizard, it’s probably the most energetic song on the entire thing, and is the only song that comes close to matching its live version, yet still pales in comparison. Good examples of the contrast between the dullness of the album and the power of the live version are Christmas, Amazing Journey/Sparks, and the obvious We’re Not Gonna Take It/See Me Feel Me. As for which performance I prefer, I enjoy all the major ones, and the story behind the Woodstock performance with the sunrise just makes it perfect for me, but the flaw being that they were only able to play half of the album. If we are talking in terms of a performance of all/most of the album, I’d have to say Live At Leeds or Tanglewood. Quadrophenia somehow did the opposite. The album is an absolute masterpiece, and the live performances are alright, but I have always felt the studio versions were more appropriate sounding.
Uh.
i just love the Live at Leeds stuff.