The Who - Tommy (Music CD)

The definitive rock opera, Tommy liberated the Who from a "singles band" stigma, marking them as a substantial artistic force. Composer Pete Townshend had flirted with the conceptual format on two previous releases, but here his vision is spread over two ambitious records that play to the Who's main strengths. Anthems such as the raucous "Pinball Wizard" and the surprisingly serene "I'm Free" emphasize the kinetic power of the band, while Townshend's cast of characters (the perverted Uncle Ernie, the inscrutable Tommy) reveals a wild and unconventional imagination. Townshend even incorporates Sonny Boy Williamson's "Eyesight to the Blind" as part of his fable about the "deaf, dumb, and blind kid," making a successful reference to the past in what is an undeniably groundbreaking and forward-looking achievement.