Tommy (London Symphony Orchestra album)

Tommy
Studio album by
London Symphony Orchestra and the English Chamber Choir
ReleasedOctober 1972
GenreClassical
Length70:38
LabelOde
ProducerLou Reizner

Tommy is a 1972 album by the London Symphony Orchestra and English Chamber Choir, conducted and directed by David Measham, performing arrangements by Wil Malone of The Who's 1969 album Tommy with additional arrangements by James Sullivan. The project was conceived and produced by Lou Reizner, initially with Rod Stewart singing Roger Daltrey's main role. As Pete Townshend and Daltrey became more involved, Stewart's role was reduced to singing "Pinball Wizard".[1][2]

The studio version of the orchestral Tommy was issued in boxed-set LP format. It featured original artwork and photography, which used a pinball as its main motif, was designed by Tom Wilkes and Craig Braun and won the Best Album Package Grammy in 1974.[3][4] The art was by Richard Amsel, Robert Heindel, Jim Manos, Alex Gnidziejko, Wilson McLean, Doug Johnson, David Edward Byrd, Robert Grossman, Charles White III, Richard Harvey and Mark English.[citation needed]

Though it yielded no hit singles, the album fared well on Billboard's Top Pop Albums chart, debuting on 9 December 1972, peaking at #5, and remaining on the chart for 38 weeks.[5]

  1. ^ Mark Wilkerson (2006). Amazing Journey: The Life of Pete Townshend. p. 200. ISBN 1411677005. Stewart's role was reduced to singing Pinball Wizard
  2. ^ Elizabeth L. Wollman The Theater Will Rock: A History of the Rock Musical 2006 0472115766 - Page 161 Despite a few accusations of pretentiousness in the press and among fans, Tommy was a big hit in both the UK and the ... sold so well that a second version — recorded by the Who with the London Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Choir, ...
  3. ^ Kristopher Spencer ilm and Television Scores, 1950-1979: A Critical Survey 2008 0786452285 Page 314 "... an all-star production on Ode Records with the London Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Choir, starring the Who's Roger Daltrey ... Packaged like a classical opera with a full libretto, the orchestral version of Tommy is overblown and lacks the raw energy of the original on MCA. Still, the extravagant production is suggestive of the piece's dramatic possibility, "
  4. ^ Mike Segretto The Who FAQ 21480392529 014 Lou Reizner organized two performances of the version of Tommy he recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra to benefit the organization.
  5. ^ Joel Whitburn (2001). Billboard Top Pop Albums 1955-2001. p. 1140. ISBN 0-89820-147-0.