By far the longest cut on "Tommy"...I love Pete's guitar work, much of it reminds me of some type of Spanish guitar. Moon is brilliant here, but of course.
growing up in the 60's and 70's this album was must for your collection, most times with the album jacket worn out and taped up, really a milestone piece of musical artwork
I've been listening to this album for 42 years (I am 45 now) and just took my 15 year old to see Roger Daltrey perform "TOMMY" last week. We both loved it!
Underrated track from the album, actually, because it allows you to create the kinds of images in your mind of what Tommy's "journey" was actually like, before Ken Russell blew out your brain cells with his own version....
This album shows the Who are at the Level of Martain and the Beatles, But they
Don't keep it up............ the best recording they have done to date.
I don't know who produced this album... Should have kept um ar,,,,,,,,and this music show they had the goods, but later Lyrics....Melodies PEEEE UUUUU sorry Pete.
Should hav stayed on course with this>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
@tahoevic Vic, this album was put out about the time the Beatles (who were indeed in a class by themselves) broke up. Who's Next came out about 2 years later, and IMHO is a classic as well. Things were a bit uneven after that, according to Pete largely because of his estrangement from producer Kit Lambert. I am still trying to figure out who Martain is and why you compared him/her/it to these 2 giants of rock music.
this song is really the only way to describe tommy's trip....I mean really a song with words could not, only this glorious music can! And by the sound of it tommy had one hell of an acid trip! :D
This one of the most impressive pieces of the rock opera..the guitar of Pete and the composition of the instrumentals and harmonics are wonderful. The Who sum up the whole musical here!
This one of the most impressive pieces of the rock opera..the guitar of Pete and the composition of the instrumentals and harmonics are wonderful. The Who summ up up the whole musical here!
Your knowledge of music is woefully underwhelming. Although Townsend and company make fun in an even-then postmodern way calling the piece the underture, if you listen to or just read the libretto of almost any classic opera, it starts with an overture, the opening music that’s over the beginning of the show.
The only thing I hate about this is how Decca records managed to engineer this dynamic and explosive group so that the fidelity of this record sounded like it was coming out of a tiny transistor radio speaker with absolutely no dynamic range or fidelity. You might as well be listening to this over the telephone.
@pilesovinyl Thanks a lot for this comment. For years I wondered if my record was somehow defective: the music is awesome but it feels as if higher harmonic waves are missing. Fortunately (actually, unfortunately) my ears are getting worse with age, so it's making less of a difference now.
I have been listening to this song since I was three years old. My uncle gave my parents Tommy and they didn't even listen to it, so I got it! I am now 44, going through a painful divorce and I seriously could not make it through without the WHO! Ever since I was dumped, I have had their music on and it helps like crazy! It's so weird to think-I've been listening to this for over 40 years! LOVE THEM!
Sorry Tad but I have t disagree. Having lived during those years I can tell you that if you were enjoying a slice of pizza at the local parlor, walking through any college dorm or even stuck in traffic Tommys overature or undertuare were the two pieces that was being played loud and often. Why? because those two were longer then the standard 3 minute recording. Also because they were the BEST two songs on the album. Go see the Who today and you will hear bolth pieces played...enough said?
@FetaCheese222 As Pete Townshend once wrote, he hardly leaves any good ideas unused. He works them out into more elaborate songs over time. According to that it´s no surprise that there are glimpses of Tommy in the early Who stuff, like Rael, Glow Girl etc.
@FetaCheese222 That entire LP (Sell Out?) has some other great stuff in addition to Rael, and its done in the style of a London radio broadcast ! Tattoo, Armenia, City in the Sky, A Quick One While He's Away.....Fun & Good Stuff!!!
First heard this in a downhill skiing segment during the 1972 Olympics on ABC television in America. Moon, Townsend and JE are incredible. Definitely one for th ages.
@druklic1 You too, eh? I remember that segment very well.
In fact, The Underture still makes me think of skiing fast down a mountain. Great stuff to listen to with your eyes closed, as you watch the images fly through your mind.
there is very subtle sounds in this song tht you can't hear unless you blast it full volume. if you listen real closely, there are horns in background.
@slylang It still stands the hardest test of all-- the test of time. I can't believe something written so long ago still sounds freshly-minted. How many other bands can you say that about???
@alabhaois Hey, i just happen to buy " Who's Next " lately and i was so impressed to hear that everything there is stil very good and so great to listen to even today. I can even share it with my son wich is 16 !!! And you are absolutely right, there's not many albums from this time that we can say that about. Enjoy my friend !
My first exposure to this instrumental was the more bombastic version on "Live at Leeds" (actually, it's the shorter variation called "Sparks"), so this took some getting used to, but I love the acoustic guitar throughout. Plus, at 8:54, I was doing the YouTube equivalent of "hitting the rewind button" or picking the needle up-that's some serious drumming.
Am I the only one who thinks this song is right up there with Barbra O'riely, Purple Haze & Magic Carpet Ride? Back in the early 70's you couldn't walk your neighborhood, drive down a highway, or through a college campus without hearing Underture. There wasn't a cover band or radio station who didn't have this classic on their play list How about some comments!!
@dunamon all of the bands were into the Rock Operahs after songs like Knights in White Satan. Queen, Rush, The Who all did them. One of the best times in history of music. I might shift over from my 80s post punk back to the 70s. Grow my hair out. meh! I will have to do a combover though :(
By far the longest cut on "Tommy"...I love Pete's guitar work, much of it reminds me of some type of Spanish guitar. Moon is brilliant here, but of course.
cc92103 1 week ago in playlist Instrumentals
growing up in the 60's and 70's this album was must for your collection, most times with the album jacket worn out and taped up, really a milestone piece of musical artwork
bluestreakbuck 2 weeks ago
The WHO Great song, shows the talent of this band (as musicans they took it to another level that very (and I mean very) few bands have reached.
Chris208BX 3 weeks ago
the track "Underture" features a single toot on the horn
WHERE IS IT AT???
MichaelHansenFUN 1 month ago
I've loved this tune since I first heard it when "Tommy" was current.
I even heard them perform it live in concert.
JTheThird 1 month ago
Keith Moon was in a class of his own.
jonsilence 3 months ago
I've been listening to this album for 42 years (I am 45 now) and just took my 15 year old to see Roger Daltrey perform "TOMMY" last week. We both loved it!
HeideHolsinger 4 months ago 3
it sounds better on vynil but what doesnt i was 13 when this came out and wore the grooves off two copies by the way exellant music to trip to
MrLronhoover 4 months ago
Underrated track from the album, actually, because it allows you to create the kinds of images in your mind of what Tommy's "journey" was actually like, before Ken Russell blew out your brain cells with his own version....
Survivor2002 5 months ago
This album shows the Who are at the Level of Martain and the Beatles, But they
Don't keep it up............ the best recording they have done to date.
I don't know who produced this album... Should have kept um ar,,,,,,,,and this music show they had the goods, but later Lyrics....Melodies PEEEE UUUUU sorry Pete.
Should hav stayed on course with this>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
tahoevic 6 months ago
@tahoevic I think it was Kit Lambert who produced this for Decca.
iggyshwartz 4 months ago 2
@tahoevic Vic, this album was put out about the time the Beatles (who were indeed in a class by themselves) broke up. Who's Next came out about 2 years later, and IMHO is a classic as well. Things were a bit uneven after that, according to Pete largely because of his estrangement from producer Kit Lambert. I am still trying to figure out who Martain is and why you compared him/her/it to these 2 giants of rock music.
HeartoftheDragonColo 1 month ago
this song is really the only way to describe tommy's trip....I mean really a song with words could not, only this glorious music can! And by the sound of it tommy had one hell of an acid trip! :D
XxDazedandConfusedx1 6 months ago
Listen close people. There will never be music like this again.
motorcityquig 11 months ago 6
@motorcityquig
Truer words have never been posted on YT or any other forum.
freedumb2003 7 months ago
you take the breath i was keeping for underture
texas4christ 11 months ago
This is a fantastic musical piece! The guitar solos and harmonics basically sum up the entire rock opera.
yamaha89 11 months ago
This one of the most impressive pieces of the rock opera..the guitar of Pete and the composition of the instrumentals and harmonics are wonderful. The Who sum up the whole musical here!
yamaha89 11 months ago
This one of the most impressive pieces of the rock opera..the guitar of Pete and the composition of the instrumentals and harmonics are wonderful. The Who summ up up the whole musical here!
yamaha89 11 months ago
To yamaha89 and pilesovinyl et al
Your knowledge of music is woefully underwhelming. Although Townsend and company make fun in an even-then postmodern way calling the piece the underture, if you listen to or just read the libretto of almost any classic opera, it starts with an overture, the opening music that’s over the beginning of the show.
TheRuleofthebone 9 months ago
The only thing I hate about this is how Decca records managed to engineer this dynamic and explosive group so that the fidelity of this record sounded like it was coming out of a tiny transistor radio speaker with absolutely no dynamic range or fidelity. You might as well be listening to this over the telephone.
pilesovinyl 1 year ago
@pilesovinyl Thanks a lot for this comment. For years I wondered if my record was somehow defective: the music is awesome but it feels as if higher harmonic waves are missing. Fortunately (actually, unfortunately) my ears are getting worse with age, so it's making less of a difference now.
GlimmerOfLight 11 months ago
Best 10 minutes of manipulated guitar riff EVAR!!!
gkchvh 1 year ago
I have been listening to this song since I was three years old. My uncle gave my parents Tommy and they didn't even listen to it, so I got it! I am now 44, going through a painful divorce and I seriously could not make it through without the WHO! Ever since I was dumped, I have had their music on and it helps like crazy! It's so weird to think-I've been listening to this for over 40 years! LOVE THEM!
Shae629 1 year ago
Sorry Tad but I have t disagree. Having lived during those years I can tell you that if you were enjoying a slice of pizza at the local parlor, walking through any college dorm or even stuck in traffic Tommys overature or undertuare were the two pieces that was being played loud and often. Why? because those two were longer then the standard 3 minute recording. Also because they were the BEST two songs on the album. Go see the Who today and you will hear bolth pieces played...enough said?
dunamon 1 year ago
Beatiful transition / guitar pattern......6:36
glueforall 1 year ago
i can listen to this song all day.. how the fuck do u right all this?
LongLiveWho 1 year ago 2
@AAAmitD Sorry, but I'm a little obsessive, so could you please add a hyphen, sorry for the complaint.
WormYourHonor64 1 year ago
Greatest live concert ever...2 nites in a row at Chicagos Symphony hall...great accoustics...greater perfomance!
rickcanning 1 year ago
It's interesting that everyone says this is one of the Who's best when the main riff is recycled from a part of Rael 1&2 from The Who Sell Out.
FetaCheese222 1 year ago
@FetaCheese222 As Pete Townshend once wrote, he hardly leaves any good ideas unused. He works them out into more elaborate songs over time. According to that it´s no surprise that there are glimpses of Tommy in the early Who stuff, like Rael, Glow Girl etc.
ChristianPaul75 1 year ago
@ChristianPaul75 I'm not saying it's a bad thing, it's a neat set of riffs, but I'm just saying people should look into Rael as well.
FetaCheese222 1 year ago
@FetaCheese222 That entire LP (Sell Out?) has some other great stuff in addition to Rael, and its done in the style of a London radio broadcast ! Tattoo, Armenia, City in the Sky, A Quick One While He's Away.....Fun & Good Stuff!!!
MrCrosstiewalker 1 year ago
@ChristianPaul75 Definitely! Especially Rael, which he modified and it grew into a larger concept
MrCrosstiewalker 1 year ago
First heard this in a downhill skiing segment during the 1972 Olympics on ABC television in America. Moon, Townsend and JE are incredible. Definitely one for th ages.
druklic1 1 year ago
@druklic1
You too, eh? I remember that scene quite well. It's what got me interested in "Tommy." And it still reminds me of skiing fast down a mountain.
JTheThird 1 year ago
@druklic1 You too, eh? I remember that segment very well.
In fact, The Underture still makes me think of skiing fast down a mountain. Great stuff to listen to with your eyes closed, as you watch the images fly through your mind.
JTheThird 1 year ago
Probably the best Who song I've heard yet!
xxxhentaikingxxx 1 year ago
@xxxhentaikingxxx
there are better ones, believe me
brandinator22 1 year ago
there is very subtle sounds in this song tht you can't hear unless you blast it full volume. if you listen real closely, there are horns in background.
quidnick 1 year ago
I used to listen to this song when i was ten in 1970 and i was reading a book about haunted houses in the same time... I still get it. Great music !
slylang 1 year ago
@slylang It still stands the hardest test of all-- the test of time. I can't believe something written so long ago still sounds freshly-minted. How many other bands can you say that about???
alabhaois 1 year ago
@alabhaois Hey, i just happen to buy " Who's Next " lately and i was so impressed to hear that everything there is stil very good and so great to listen to even today. I can even share it with my son wich is 16 !!! And you are absolutely right, there's not many albums from this time that we can say that about. Enjoy my friend !
slylang 1 year ago
This piece was actually the instrumental section of the song "RAEL" in their previous album "The Who Sell Out".
A lot of the riffs and concepts used in Tommy are in this album.
garc1a 1 year ago
i've been listening to this song since 12:00pm it's 3:30 now.
Autobot71Ironhide 2 years ago 31
@Autobot71Ironhide Dont worry...by 7 or 8 you'll start to come down.... :)
glueforall 1 year ago
Keith Moon was the greatest rock drummer who ever lived, on this album. He had added subtlety since the Who formed in 1965. He was never as good.
robertschelly 2 years ago
12string at 8.10
manton2y 2 years ago
great instrumental for a great 2010
Ravgavriel 2 years ago 2
My first exposure to this instrumental was the more bombastic version on "Live at Leeds" (actually, it's the shorter variation called "Sparks"), so this took some getting used to, but I love the acoustic guitar throughout. Plus, at 8:54, I was doing the YouTube equivalent of "hitting the rewind button" or picking the needle up-that's some serious drumming.
balddanny72 2 years ago
@balddanny72 I was listening to "my Generation" (14 min. long) from LAL last night and it just ROCKED-- NO ONE can do rock like the Who. Brilliant!!
alabhaois 1 year ago
Love the drumming of this song!!
luksmr88 2 years ago
I am with you too dunamon. This is one of my favorite The Who pieces.
diegolawc 2 years ago
Am I the only one who thinks this song is right up there with Barbra O'riely, Purple Haze & Magic Carpet Ride? Back in the early 70's you couldn't walk your neighborhood, drive down a highway, or through a college campus without hearing Underture. There wasn't a cover band or radio station who didn't have this classic on their play list How about some comments!!
dunamon 2 years ago 22
You're right :) But it's Baba O'Riley actually
AAAmitD 2 years ago 11
@dunamon Everything the Who does is awesome-- I love Underture!!
alabhaois 1 year ago
@dunamon This song still sounds as fresh as ever truly great instrumental!
styx4ever1963 1 year ago
This is honestly up there, dude. It's such a shame that this song is so underrated.
youthboy14 1 year ago
@dunamon all of the bands were into the Rock Operahs after songs like Knights in White Satan. Queen, Rush, The Who all did them. One of the best times in history of music. I might shift over from my 80s post punk back to the 70s. Grow my hair out. meh! I will have to do a combover though :(
lifepod2036 1 year ago
@dunamon Yes, you are the only one. ;-)
Underture continues to miss the mark. Still awesome compared to most but the weakest link in an incredible album. Just my opinion.
TadRapidly 1 year ago
@dunamon Magic Carpet Ride is Steppenwolf.
raindelayshowfan1 2 months ago