Tommy: Musical

by Pete Townshend

Nice clean copy, CD MISSING

Genres: Music, Theatre, Plays, Rock N Roll, Nonfiction

Hardcover

First published October 19, 1993

About the author

Pete Townshend (born Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend), is an award-winning English rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, composer, and writer.

Townshend made his name as the guitarist and principal songwriter for rock band The Who. His career with them spans more than 40 years, during which time the band grew to be considered one of the greatest and most influential rock bands of all time, in addition to being "possibly the greatest live band ever." Townshend is the primary songwriter for the group, writing well over 100 songs for the band's eleven studio albums, including the rock operas Tommy and Quadrophenia, plus dozens more that appeared as non-album singles, bonus tracks on reissues, and tracks on rarities compilations such as Odds and Sods. He has also written over 100 songs for his solo albums and rarities compilations. Although known mainly for being a guitarist, he is also an accomplished singer and keyboard player, and has played many other instruments on his solo albums, and on some Who albums (such as banjo, accordian, synthesizer, piano, bass guitar, drums).

Townshend has also written newspaper and magazine articles, book reviews, essays, books, and scripts.

Reviews

[Thomas Schulte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Filled with images and interviews, and book (dialogue, etc.) tells all the details of the 1993 musical version of this famous "rock opera". I saw the touring company perform it in Detroit. There is a lot of history of the development of themes and characters from the original song cycle by The Who to the Kenneth Russel film to the casting, choreography, and direction of this adaptation. Interviews include Townsend, artistic directors, cast members and more including content analysis by critics, etc.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

My husband and I recently saw a local production of Tommy. I really wanted to understand it more than on the surface, so I checked this out from the library. There was a lot of background given on the plot, the songs, the meanings, the differences between the musical and the movie and the original album. This is a very good guide to the musical, and I'd recommend it to anyone wanting a more complete Tommy experience. Also, lots of pictures!

[Angie Macelroy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Who's Tommy was a groundbreaking classic rock album was a revolutionary Broadway musical in the early 1990s. The staging and lighting was brilliantly executed and helped to shape the way the shows are produced today. Pete Townshend's original (Classic) compositions, along with a handful of new ones for the Broadway stage worked wonderfully in this medium. A show that won't soon be forgotten.

[robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

The album never made sense, but somehow the musical makes perfect sense. Saw in a college production where a friend sizzled as the Acid Queen.

There was one great dancer who appeared throughout the play. I realized that if you are close enough to the stage, all you need is one great dancer to focus on and the choreography will work. All you need is one.

[Elizabeth Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

It doesn't make much sense to rate this as a "book," but...

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've seen the Broadway musical The Who's Tommy three times, the most I've ever seen a single show (although Rent and Spring Awakening might be catching up soon). This book is a great companion to the musical, as it follows the progression of taking The Who's original music and turning it into a hit Broadway show.

The book is filled with a lot of photos of the band, behind-the-scenes shots of the original Broadway cast rehearsing the show, and production photos of the musical on stage. As with most Broadway musical books, this contains the full libretto of the musical. A bonus to this gorgeous hardcover is a CD single of the original song written specifically for the musical by Pete Townsend called "I Believe My Own Eyes".

TOMMY: The Musical is a must-have for any fan of this rock opera.

[jacky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I became obsessed with The Who in seventh grade. I was introduced to this book then, but I don't think I read it until I owned my copy which was a couple of years later. Its a great book for lovers of the musical. It has all the words, stage directions, great photographs, and other extras like the original casts thoughts and a background on the Who. The one I got came with a single of Pete Townsend singing "I Believe My Own Eyes," which was new for the musical.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful photos and great tidbits, reviews, interviews, etc from the Broadway production, as well as the complete libretto. Definitely one for the coffee table