I think it would be a great idea to have a Tommy themed costume party!! I, of course, would be the one covered in beans over by the hors d’œuvres table!!
What a post! I went to Leicester Square in 1975 to experience Tommy in what was called ‘quintaphonic sound’. The film was an almost overwhelming experience and - well - brilliant. Yes, some of it is terrible, but the Tommy movie lives in its own universe.
Brilliant post. Tommy came out when I was 10, and it remains a special memory of my childhood despite its obvious flaws, particularly Oliver Reed's singing.
At the time, my father was on enough pharmaceuticals to kill an elephant due to congenital neck and back issues that plagued him for the last 30+ years of his too short life. He took me to see the movie — actually my mom dropped us off at the second-run theater since he couldn't legally drive at the time. His reasons for seeing it: Ann-Margaret, Nicholson, Tina Turner, and Elton John (in that order, though for very different reasons for each). It turns out that, with the exception of a few odd singles, he wasn't into The Who.
I managed to persuade him to get me the soundtrack that year for Christmas and, oddly enough, that became my entree into The Who. While I agree that the soundtrack does not equal the original, I've always had a fond spot in my heart for it nonetheless.
You are welcome, Glenn. Many of us have important memories attached to this film, and while yours is more detailed than mine, my memory is one of the few that attaches to my own father. I hope you will subscribe over at my https://tonyfletcher.substack.com/subscribe as there is plenty more content where this came from!
I subscribed and have started looking around. Hope you'll consider taking a look at mine as well, although I'm not exclusively a music writer — http://glenncook.substack.com
I love this post. This movie is insane, and I mean that in the absolute best way. This film is messy and doesn’t always make sense and that is Ken Russell at his best. I like The Who and I like Pete Townshend, but he does tend to take himself too seriously at times, so applying Russell’s insanity was just the right touch. Plus it had Ann Margaret.
"This movie is insane, and I mean that in the absolute best way" is very much what I was getting at. And yes, the film had Ann-Margret too, who I was fortunate enough to also speak with for the Moon book. Glad you liked what I wrote; please come on over and join me at https://tonyfletcher.substack.com/subscribe for more of the same but different. Cheers!
It’s an AWFUL movie but my friends and I were soooooo stoned when we saw it that we laughed out loud at the squirminess of it all. Singing all of the songs out loud was the only cure for terrible acting and shoddy screenplay.
Wow. That is awesome. Well done.
Thanks man!
I think it would be a great idea to have a Tommy themed costume party!! I, of course, would be the one covered in beans over by the hors d’œuvres table!!
That is a frightening thought, but you host the party and we will do our best to make it magic!
People who know me know that I could act out this entire movie to the capital T!
What a post! I went to Leicester Square in 1975 to experience Tommy in what was called ‘quintaphonic sound’. The film was an almost overwhelming experience and - well - brilliant. Yes, some of it is terrible, but the Tommy movie lives in its own universe.
A few other peopel let me know they saw it at Leicester Square (Odeon), which confirms my memory of how I did NOT see it at the time of release.
Brilliant post. Tommy came out when I was 10, and it remains a special memory of my childhood despite its obvious flaws, particularly Oliver Reed's singing.
At the time, my father was on enough pharmaceuticals to kill an elephant due to congenital neck and back issues that plagued him for the last 30+ years of his too short life. He took me to see the movie — actually my mom dropped us off at the second-run theater since he couldn't legally drive at the time. His reasons for seeing it: Ann-Margaret, Nicholson, Tina Turner, and Elton John (in that order, though for very different reasons for each). It turns out that, with the exception of a few odd singles, he wasn't into The Who.
I managed to persuade him to get me the soundtrack that year for Christmas and, oddly enough, that became my entree into The Who. While I agree that the soundtrack does not equal the original, I've always had a fond spot in my heart for it nonetheless.
Thanks for the walk down memory lane.
You are welcome, Glenn. Many of us have important memories attached to this film, and while yours is more detailed than mine, my memory is one of the few that attaches to my own father. I hope you will subscribe over at my https://tonyfletcher.substack.com/subscribe as there is plenty more content where this came from!
I subscribed and have started looking around. Hope you'll consider taking a look at mine as well, although I'm not exclusively a music writer — http://glenncook.substack.com
Cheers Glenn, likewise I did subscribe.
I love this post. This movie is insane, and I mean that in the absolute best way. This film is messy and doesn’t always make sense and that is Ken Russell at his best. I like The Who and I like Pete Townshend, but he does tend to take himself too seriously at times, so applying Russell’s insanity was just the right touch. Plus it had Ann Margaret.
"This movie is insane, and I mean that in the absolute best way" is very much what I was getting at. And yes, the film had Ann-Margret too, who I was fortunate enough to also speak with for the Moon book. Glad you liked what I wrote; please come on over and join me at https://tonyfletcher.substack.com/subscribe for more of the same but different. Cheers!
It’s an AWFUL movie but my friends and I were soooooo stoned when we saw it that we laughed out loud at the squirminess of it all. Singing all of the songs out loud was the only cure for terrible acting and shoddy screenplay.
I ALSO saw the play in 1995, which was not much better, but least false in its depiction of the story.