''Tommy'' is a soundtrack album by

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

with contributions from numerous artists. The soundtrack was used in the 1975 ''

Tommy Tommy may refer to: People * Tommy (given name) * Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Tommy'' (1931 film), a Soviet drama film * ''Tommy'' (1975 fil ...

'' film that was based on the original album that was released by The Who in 1969.

Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. Townsh ...

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 A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and f ...

. The soundtrack LP also employed many leading sessions musicians including

Caleb Quaye Caleb Quaye (born 9 October 1948), is an English rock guitarist and studio musician best known for his work in the 1960s and 1970s with Elton John, Mick Jagger, Pete Townshend, Paul McCartney, Hall & Oates and Ralph McTell, and also toured with ...

Phil Chen Phillip David Chen (21 October 1946 – 14 December 2021) was a Jamaican bassist. He was one of England's most utilized session bassists during the 1970s and 1980s, including Jeff Beck, and the Rod Stewart band from 1977 to 1980, but is prob ...

and

Nicky Hopkins Nicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins (24 February 1944 – 6 September 1994) was an English pianist and organist. Hopkins performed on many popular and enduring British and American rock music recordings from the 1960s to the 1990s, most notably ...

(who also receives a "Special Thanks" in the album credits for help with the arrangements) as well as members of

The Faces Faces are an English rock band formed in 1969 by members of Small Faces after lead singer and guitarist Steve Marriott left to form Humble Pie. The remaining Small Faces—Ian McLagan (keyboards), Ronnie Lane (electric bass, vocals), and Kenne ...

Ronnie Wood Ronald David Wood (born 1 June 1947) is an English rock musician, best known as an official member of the Rolling Stones since 1975, as well as a member of Faces and the Jeff Beck Group. Wood began his career in 1964, playing guitar with a nu ...

and future

Keith Moon Keith John Moon (23 August 19467 September 1978) was an English drummer for the rock band the Who. He was noted for his unique style of playing and his eccentric, often self-destructive behaviour and addiction to drugs and alcohol. Moon grew ...

replacement

Kenney Jones Kenneth Thomas "Kenney" Jones (born 16 September 1948) is an English drummer best known for his work in the groups Small Faces, Faces, and the Who. Jones was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 as a member of Small Faces/Faces ...

. The song "

Pinball Wizard "Pinball Wizard" is a song written by Pete Townshend and performed by the English rock band the Who, featured on their 1969 rock opera album ''Tommy''. The original recording was released as a single in 1969 and reached No. 4 in the UK charts ...

", performed by

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

, was a major hit when released as a single. 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 Angus Boyd "Gus" Dudgeon (30 September 1942 – 21 July 2002) was an English record producer, who oversaw many of Elton John's most acclaimed recordings, including his commercial breakthrough, "Your Song". Their collaboration led to seven US No ...

. Townshend performs additional synthesizer and/or guitar on all tracks. Credits to "The Who" indicate performances by Townshend,

John Entwistle John Alec Entwistle (9 October 194427 June 2002) was an English musician who was the bassist for the rock band The Who. Entwistle's music career spanned over four decades. Nicknamed "The Ox" and "Thunderfingers", he was the band's only member ...

and Moon jointly, regardless of vocalist.

Track listing

All songs are written and composed by

, except where noted. (For narrative, see ''Tommy'' (1975 film).)

Personnel

comprises the skeleton band for most of the songs. All instrumentation (both credited and uncredited) on each song is by them, except for ''additional or alternate musicians'' indicated below for individual songs in which the lineup is wholly or partially different.''Tommy the movie: Original Soundtrack Recording'', CD liner notes. Many of Pete Townshend's guitar and keyboard contributions, and all of his

ARP synthesizer ARP Instruments, Inc. was a Lexington, Massachusetts manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, founded by Alan Robert Pearlman in 1969. It created a popular and commercially successful range of synthesizers throughout the 1970s before de ...

contributions, are not explicitly credited on a song-by-song basis, but are instead mentioned holistically in the "Musicians" list. Six tracks have ''The Who'' as their explicit instrumental credits. ''

Lead vocal The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

s'' are as indicated in ''track listing'' above. ''The Who:''

Roger Daltrey Roger Harry Daltrey (born 1 March 1944) is an English singer, musician and actor. He is a co-founder and the lead singer of the Rock music, rock band The Who. Daltrey's hit songs with The Who include "My Generation", "Pinball Wizard", "Won't Ge ...

– vocals for (grown up) "Tommy" ("Young Tommy" by Alison Dowling)

– bass, brass overdubs

– drums, vocals for "Uncle Ernie"

– guitars, synthesizers, keyboards, drums, vocals for "Narrator"

"Overture from Tommy"

''The Who''

"Prologue - 1945"

John Entwistle – brass overdubs Pete Townshend – all other instruments

"Captain Walker/It's a Boy"

Pete Townshend – all instruments

"Bernie's Holiday Camp"

''The Who''

"1951/What about the Boy?"

– piano

Mike Kellie Michael Alexander Kellie (24 March 1947 – 18 January 2017) was an English musician, composer and record producer. In a career that spanned more than 50 years, Kellie was a member of the rock bands the V.I.P.s, Spooky Tooth and the Only One ...

– drums

Mick Ralphs Michael Geoffrey Ralphs (born 31 March 1944, Herefordshire) is an English musician, vocalist and songwriter, who was a founding member of rock bands Mott the Hoople and Bad Company. Career Ralphs began his career as a teenager, playing with b ...

– guitar

Chris Stainton Christopher Robert "Chris" Stainton (born 22 March 1944) is an English session musician, keyboard player, bassist and songwriter, who first gained recognition with Joe Cocker in the late 1960s. In addition to his collaboration with Cocker, Stai ...

– organ

"Amazing Journey"

– bass Nicky Hopkins – piano Tony Newman – drums

"Christmas"

Nicky Hopkins – piano Vocal chorus – backing vocals

"Eyesight to the Blind"

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...

– vocals and guitar

– drums

Arthur Brown Arthur Brown may refer to: Entertainment * Arthur William Brown (1881–1966), Canadian commercial artist * H. Arthur Brown (1906–1992), American orchestral conductor * Arthur Brown (musician) (born 1942), English rock singer * Arthur Brown, ak ...

—vocals

"Acid Queen"

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer o ...

– vocals

– drums Nicky Hopkins – piano

– guitar

"Do You Think It's Alright?" (1, 2, and 3)

Phil Chen – bass Graham Deakin – drums Nicky Hopkins – piano Alan Ross – acoustic guitar

"Cousin Kevin"

Tony Newman – drums

Dave Wintour David M. Wintour (1 September 1944 – 12 July 2022) was a British bass guitarist and session musician. Wintour was born on 1 September 1944 in Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire and died on 12 July 2022 in Drumnacross, Kilraine. Dave Wintour is be ...

– bass

"Fiddle About"

''The Who''

"Sparks"

''The Who''

"Extra, Extra, Extra"

Kenney Jones – drums Alan Ross – acoustic guitar

Tony Stevens Tony Stevens (born 12 September 1949) is an English musician, best known as the bassist with the bands Foghat, Savoy Brown, and Nobody's Business. Career Stevens joined the British blues-rock band Savoy Brown in 1968, and contributed to fo ...

– bass

"Pinball Wizard"

– lead vocals and piano

Davey Johnstone David William Logan Johnstone (born 6 May 1951) is a British rock guitarist and vocalist, best known for his long-time collaboration with Elton John as a member of the Elton John Band. Career Johnstone's first work was with Noel Murphy in 1 ...

– guitar

Dee Murray Dee Murray (born David Murray Oates; 3 April 1946 – 15 January 1992) was an English bass guitarist. He was best known for his long-time collaboration with Elton John as a member of the Elton John Band. Biography Murray was born in Gillingham ...

– bass

Nigel Olsson Nigel Olsson (born 10 February 1949) is an English rock drummer and singer best known for his long-time affiliation with Elton John. A dynamic drummer and backing vocalist, Olsson helped establish the Elton John sound as a member of the Elton J ...

– drums

Ray Cooper Raymond Cooper (born 19 September 1947) is an English musician who has worked as a session and road-tour percussionist. During his career, Cooper has worked and toured with numerous musically diverse bands and artists including Elton John (as ...

– percussion

"Champagne"

''The Who''

"There's a Doctor"

Kenney Jones – drums Alan Ross – acoustic guitar Chris Stainton – piano Ronnie Wood – guitar

"Go to the Mirror"

Richard Bailey – drums Phil Chen – bass Nicky Hopkins – piano Caleb Quaye – guitar

"Tommy, Can You Hear Me?"

Nicky Hopkins – piano

Alan Ross Alan John Ross (6 May 1922 – 14 February 2001) was a British poet, writer, editor and publisher. Early years Ross was born in Calcutta, India, son of John Brackenridge Ross, CBE, a former Lieutenant in the Indian Army Reserve ( Supply and T ...

, Chris Stainton – acoustic guitar

"Smash the Mirror!"

Kenney Jones – drums Alan Ross – acoustic guitar

"I'm Free"

Nicky Hopkins – piano Kenney Jones – drums

"Mother and Son"

Pete Townshend – all instruments

"Sensation"

Phil Chen – bass Nicky Hopkins – piano Alan Ross – acoustic guitar

"Miracle Cure"

Kenney Jones – drums Alan Ross – acoustic guitar Tony Stevens – bass

"Sally Simpson"

Phil Chen – bass Eric Clapton – guitar Graham Deakin – drums Nicky Hopkins – piano

"Welcome"

Pete Townshend – all instruments

"T.V. Studio"

Pete Townshend – all instruments

"Tommy's Holiday Camp"

Gerald Shaw – organ

"We're Not Gonna Take It"

Nicky Hopkins – piano Mike Kelly – drums Alan Ross – acoustic guitar

Fuzzy Samuels Fuzzy or Fuzzies may refer to: Music * Fuzzy (band), a 1990s Boston indie pop band * Fuzzy (composer) (born 1939), Danish composer Jens Vilhelm Pedersen * ''Fuzzy'' (album), 1993 debut album by the Los Angeles rock group Grant Lee Buffalo * "Fuz ...

– bass Chris Stainton – organ Caleb Quaye – guitar Vocal chorus – backing vocals

"See Me, Feel Me/Listening to You"

''The Who'', plus: Nicky Hopkins – piano Chris Stainton – organ Vocal chorus – backing vocals

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control The Who soundtracks 1975 soundtrack albums Polydor Records soundtracks Pete Townshend Tommy (rock opera) Fantasy film soundtracks Drama film soundtracks