Tommy

Tommy, The Who's defining, breakthrough concept album - a full-blown rock opera about a deaf, dumb and blind boy that launched the band to international superstardom, was originally released in May 1969. The Who were at a career crossroads. They were known mainly as a singles band, but this project launched them as a serious 'albums band' and has now sold tens of millions of copies and regularly turns up in lists of the most influential albums of all time.

This new Deluxe version of the album includes the original album newly re-mastered plus a wealth of previously unheard material in the form of a full live performance of Tommy from 1969 taken from tapes that infamously Townshend asked the band's sound engineer to burn! 18 of the previously unheard and thought to be long lost live tracks are taken from a live show at the Capital Theatre, Ottowa, Canada on October the 15th 1969. Three others, 'I'm Free,' 'Tommy's Holiday Camp,' and 'We're Not Gonna Take It' were lost due to tape reels being changed during the show so are taken from later shows of the same era. As discussed at length in Pete Townshend's autobiography the tapes were all supposed to be destroyed but were kept by long time Who soundman Bob Pridden despite Pete's instructions.