5/23/2005
Tommy Pinball A Must Have
The Who's rock opera gets own exhibit at Rock Hall of Fame
By Rick BirdPost staff reporter
It is a multi-media exhibit of manuscripts, letters, random notes, movie and interview clips, garish costumes, guitars and, of course, a pinball machine.
It would seem to be a lot of fuss over a "deaf, dumb and blind boy." It's all in a display attempting to bring to life what is considered the first - and still best - rock opera: The Who's "Tommy."
For the first time the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland has chosen to construct a single exhibit entirely around a rock album, instead of an artist, time frame or genre.
"Tommy: The Amazing Journey" opened last month and will remain up until March 2006.
The 1969 double album is almost entirely the creation of The Who's Pete Townshend about a boy who can't hear, talk or see after witnessing his father's murder, but becomes a pinball wizard of messianic proportions as Tommy feels everything through the rhythms and vibrations.
On one level it is Townsend's rant against organized religion and charlatanism, yet it remains a deeply spiritual story. It also references child abuse, the myth of super-stardom, psychedelic consciousness and age-old questions of spiritualism, yearning and betrayal.
When the album was released it had mixed reviews. Some called it bombastic; its story lines are often incomplete. Some of the music can feel self-absorbed and overdone. It is probably not rock's most creatively hailed album, certainly behind such tour de force efforts as the Beatles' "Sergeant Pepper" and Brian Wilson's "Pet Sounds."
But it may be rock's most celebrated album. It has an enduring quality that makes it ripe for an exhibit. "Tommy" has never really faded away like some rock classics. There is still a touring theater production and as late as 1995 the Broadway version won five Tony Awards.
"I guess what made 'Tommy' interesting for us was that there was the album, the movie, a Broadway version. Ballet companies have done interpretations and so have symphony orchestras," said Jim Henke, the Rock Hall's chief curator and a former Rolling Stone magazine editor. "It was written in 1968 and over 30 years later it's still being reinterpreted by different types of artists."
What also made it easier for the Rock Hall is that it has always had a close relationship with Townshend, who has frequently donated memorabilia. In fact, the first item ever donated to the Rock Hall was an acoustic guitar Townshend used to write "Pinball Wizard." He made the donation in 1993, two years before the opening.
"He is something of a pack rat," Henke said, "and he kept a lot of his correspondence. He had saved a lot of stuff."
The exhibit features many of Townshend's original handwritten lyrics and conceptual notes about the project, along with numerous artifacts like tickets and programs from "Tommy" performances.
There is also much in the exhibit about the movie version directed by Ken Russell, which has become almost as iconic as the original album with its glossy surreal look. The movie celebrated the 30th anniversary of its release in March with a DVD reissue. Henke loves Townshend's letters to Russell in which he suggested who should play the various roles. "He thought Tiny Tim should have a part," Henke said. "As for the Acid Queen, Townshend thought he could play the role himself, if he shaved off his beard."
Fortunately, we got Tina Turner in her most memorable role. There was also Ann-Margret wallowing in baked beans, Elton John's oversized Pinball Wizard, Jack Nicholson trying to sing and tremendous performances from The Who's Roger Daltrey, the late Keith Moon and Eric Clapton.
"Tommy's" importance in rock history is that it made rock respectable at a time when the genre was barely 15 years old and still considered disposable art in many critic circles. The notion of a rock classic was an oxymoron.
Calling "Tommy" a "rock opera" sent the message this was somehow high art, a concept fueled by The Who, which often performed the piece live in its entirety, like any respected classical work.
"The Who pushed the rock opera notion by playing places like the Metropolitan Opera House in New York and opera houses all over Europe," Henke said. "They became the first rock act to play at these classical venues."
The release of "Tommy" also coincided with the emerging FM rock format. (For example, Cincinnati's WEBN came on the air in 1967). It was the perfect album for DJs suddenly willing to play long album tracks and looking for material that worked in the format. It was an album that helped jump-start the new format and, in turn, the radio play assured "Tommy" became an instant classic.
Purists might grumble over the use of the word "opera." Henke figures that's semantics. "It is music with a story line," he said. "I guess it would more properly be called a musical, rather than an opera. The story is told through song."
And rock history purists might debate what is the first rock opera. A British band, Pretty Things, released "S.F. Sorrow" in 1968, a concept album about the struggles of a character named Sebastian Sorrow.
But no one's going around humming melodies from that. And in the final analysis, that is what makes "Tommy" so enduring. Townshend never let his meandering metaphysical storyline get in the way of catchy and edgy pop melodies. It was an album that gave us "Pinball Wizard," "I'm Free" "We're Not Going to Take It," "Sensation" and "Christmas." It also was the album that cemented The Who's lasting place as the third rung of the seminal British invasion bands behind the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.
And for those who think "Tommy" may be fading 35 years after its release, consider that TV viewers have almost nightly heard its "overture" this year in a commercial for Clarinex, a drug for treating allergy symptoms and hives.
By Rick BirdPost staff reporter
It is a multi-media exhibit of manuscripts, letters, random notes, movie and interview clips, garish costumes, guitars and, of course, a pinball machine.
It would seem to be a lot of fuss over a "deaf, dumb and blind boy." It's all in a display attempting to bring to life what is considered the first - and still best - rock opera: The Who's "Tommy."
For the first time the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland has chosen to construct a single exhibit entirely around a rock album, instead of an artist, time frame or genre.
"Tommy: The Amazing Journey" opened last month and will remain up until March 2006.
The 1969 double album is almost entirely the creation of The Who's Pete Townshend about a boy who can't hear, talk or see after witnessing his father's murder, but becomes a pinball wizard of messianic proportions as Tommy feels everything through the rhythms and vibrations.
On one level it is Townsend's rant against organized religion and charlatanism, yet it remains a deeply spiritual story. It also references child abuse, the myth of super-stardom, psychedelic consciousness and age-old questions of spiritualism, yearning and betrayal.
When the album was released it had mixed reviews. Some called it bombastic; its story lines are often incomplete. Some of the music can feel self-absorbed and overdone. It is probably not rock's most creatively hailed album, certainly behind such tour de force efforts as the Beatles' "Sergeant Pepper" and Brian Wilson's "Pet Sounds."
But it may be rock's most celebrated album. It has an enduring quality that makes it ripe for an exhibit. "Tommy" has never really faded away like some rock classics. There is still a touring theater production and as late as 1995 the Broadway version won five Tony Awards.
"I guess what made 'Tommy' interesting for us was that there was the album, the movie, a Broadway version. Ballet companies have done interpretations and so have symphony orchestras," said Jim Henke, the Rock Hall's chief curator and a former Rolling Stone magazine editor. "It was written in 1968 and over 30 years later it's still being reinterpreted by different types of artists."
What also made it easier for the Rock Hall is that it has always had a close relationship with Townshend, who has frequently donated memorabilia. In fact, the first item ever donated to the Rock Hall was an acoustic guitar Townshend used to write "Pinball Wizard." He made the donation in 1993, two years before the opening.
"He is something of a pack rat," Henke said, "and he kept a lot of his correspondence. He had saved a lot of stuff."
The exhibit features many of Townshend's original handwritten lyrics and conceptual notes about the project, along with numerous artifacts like tickets and programs from "Tommy" performances.
There is also much in the exhibit about the movie version directed by Ken Russell, which has become almost as iconic as the original album with its glossy surreal look. The movie celebrated the 30th anniversary of its release in March with a DVD reissue. Henke loves Townshend's letters to Russell in which he suggested who should play the various roles. "He thought Tiny Tim should have a part," Henke said. "As for the Acid Queen, Townshend thought he could play the role himself, if he shaved off his beard."
Fortunately, we got Tina Turner in her most memorable role. There was also Ann-Margret wallowing in baked beans, Elton John's oversized Pinball Wizard, Jack Nicholson trying to sing and tremendous performances from The Who's Roger Daltrey, the late Keith Moon and Eric Clapton.
"Tommy's" importance in rock history is that it made rock respectable at a time when the genre was barely 15 years old and still considered disposable art in many critic circles. The notion of a rock classic was an oxymoron.
Calling "Tommy" a "rock opera" sent the message this was somehow high art, a concept fueled by The Who, which often performed the piece live in its entirety, like any respected classical work.
"The Who pushed the rock opera notion by playing places like the Metropolitan Opera House in New York and opera houses all over Europe," Henke said. "They became the first rock act to play at these classical venues."
The release of "Tommy" also coincided with the emerging FM rock format. (For example, Cincinnati's WEBN came on the air in 1967). It was the perfect album for DJs suddenly willing to play long album tracks and looking for material that worked in the format. It was an album that helped jump-start the new format and, in turn, the radio play assured "Tommy" became an instant classic.
Purists might grumble over the use of the word "opera." Henke figures that's semantics. "It is music with a story line," he said. "I guess it would more properly be called a musical, rather than an opera. The story is told through song."
And rock history purists might debate what is the first rock opera. A British band, Pretty Things, released "S.F. Sorrow" in 1968, a concept album about the struggles of a character named Sebastian Sorrow.
But no one's going around humming melodies from that. And in the final analysis, that is what makes "Tommy" so enduring. Townshend never let his meandering metaphysical storyline get in the way of catchy and edgy pop melodies. It was an album that gave us "Pinball Wizard," "I'm Free" "We're Not Going to Take It," "Sensation" and "Christmas." It also was the album that cemented The Who's lasting place as the third rung of the seminal British invasion bands behind the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.
And for those who think "Tommy" may be fading 35 years after its release, consider that TV viewers have almost nightly heard its "overture" this year in a commercial for Clarinex, a drug for treating allergy symptoms and hives.
