Tommy is a soundtrack album by The Who with contributions from numerous artists. The soundtrack was used in the 1975 Tommy film that was based on the original album that was released by The Who in 1969. Pete Townshend oversaw the production of this double-LP recording that returned the music to its rock roots, and on which the unrecorded orchestral arrangements he had envisaged for the original Tommy LP were realised by the extensive use of synthesiser.
The soundtrack LP also employed many leading sessions musicians including Caleb Quaye, Phil Chen and Nicky Hopkins (who also receives a "Special Thanks" in the album credits for help with the arrangements) as well as members of The Faces' Ronnie Wood and future Keith Moon replacement Kenney Jones. The song "Pinball Wizard", performed by Elton John, was a major hit when released as a single.[1] Although the music for this song is performed by "The Elton John Band", as he was calling his musical team, the film depicts John being backed by The Who (dressed in pound-note suits). According to the album's back cover credits, the song was the only one not produced by Townshend, helmed instead by Elton's producer, Gus Dudgeon.
Townshend performs additional synthesizer and/or guitar on all tracks. Credits to "The Who" indicate performances by Townshend, John Entwistle and Moon jointly, regardless of vocalist.
The length 2:49 is the length of "Sensation" on the LP and 8-track; the cassette and CD feature a lead-in verse sung by Pete Townshend and a guitar solo (labeled parts 1 and 2 of 3), making it 4:37
The soundtrack album's liner notes give Oliver Reed a vocal credit for "Go to the Mirror" even though his vocals are only on the film version of the song—not the soundtrack-album version. The song book for the soundtrack album, however, correctly attributes the concluding verses' vocals solely to "Mother" (Ann-Margret).
"See Me, Feel Me/Listening To You" is the name given in the song book for the soundtrack album; the soundtrack album itself, counterintuitively, calls it "Listening To You/See Me, Feel Me". Also, the original 1993 CD version, curiously, splits the last two tracks at the onset of the "Listening To You" movement, leaving the "See Me, Feel Me" movement with "We're Not Gonna Take It". Times given here, however, represent the correct split between the two songs. The 2000 remastered version has the song-book track labeling and the correct split on the CD.
^Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 282. ISBN0-646-11917-6.
