New album featuring Roger Daltrey performing The Who's Tommy live with an orchestra due in June

Posted By: Staff
May 9, 2019 @ 2:00 pm
Music News

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Polydor/UMe

Polydor/UMeThe Who are currently playing a portion of their 1969 rock opera Tommy on their just-launched Moving On! orchestral tour, but last year, Roger Daltrey performed the entire album — also with orchestral accompaniment — during his own solo trek. Now, a live album feature a full performance of Tommy by Daltrey, his backing band and an orchestra will be released on June 14.

The Who’s Tommy Orchestral can be pre-ordered now, and is available on CD, digitally and as a two-LP set on either black or colored vinyl. The album was recorded at concerts in Bethel, New York, and Budapest, Hungary, with a group featuring various musicians who’ve played live with The Who, including guitarist Simon Townshend. The orchestras were conducted by Keith Levenson, who worked on the touring version of the Tommy musical.

The arrangements for Tommy were newly created by award-winning composer and arranger David Campbell, who also worked with The Who in preparation for their current trek.

You can check out a live version of “Pinball Wizard” from the Tommy Orchestral album now at The Who’s YouTube channel.

“Pete [Townshend]’s music is particularly suited to being embellished by the sounds that an orchestra can add to the band,” says Daltrey in a statement.

“Tommy can mean whatever you want it to mean, I use the characters in it as metaphors for parts of the human condition, so it’s a kind of a story of the human spirit.”

He adds, “Even though it is 50 years on, I approach it as though I’m singing it for the first time.”

This May 23 will mark the 50th anniversary of the release of Tommy.

Here is the full track list of The Who’s Tommy Orchestral:

“Overture”
“It’s a Boy”
“1921”
“Amazing Journey”
“Sparks”
“Eyesight to the Blind”
“Christmas”
“Cousin Kevin”
“The Acid Queen”
“Do You Think It’s Alright”
“Fiddle About”
“Pinball Wizard”
“There’s a Doctor”
“Go to the Mirror”
“Tommy, Can You Hear”
“Smash the Mirror”
“Refrain — It’s a Boy”
“I’m Free”
“Miracle Cure”
“Sensation”
“Sally Simpson”
“Welcome”
“Tommy’s Holiday Camp”
“We’re Not Gonna Take It”