TOMMY: LIVE AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL

First: this review is made from the audio-version. It was released also as 3LP and 2CD. Little bit odd was, that there was no DVD in vinyl version as there was in 'Live In Hyde Park'. On the other hand 'Quadrophenia: Live In London' didn't come vinyl at all, only as DVD & 2CD. Anyway this review is based from the one I made in Finnish prog sites 2017. Today I listened first listening after that year. Little bit odd was, that they decided to make this two years before Tommy would have been 50 years old. Well, maybe they thought this had to be done before it's too late, Daltrey had had some health problems just before this. Because the horrible acoustic of Royal Albert Hall of rock concert they originally planned this to be acoustic version. But as Roger said in the begin of concert, their four weeks rehearsal's wouldn't benefit the charity where the concert profits were going, so they decided to play Tommy in as they've played it many years.

But adverts still says this was first time when Who played Tommy as it entirety. It's not exactly true, over ten minutes 'Undertune' is just few minutes piece and played only by guitar. Really would liked to hear Starkey's doing some original kind of drumming in that. But what's great here was first time really good live version of 'Welcome' that was the one of the most proggy pieces in Tommy. Really wonderful also was they've added in 'Overture' the horn parts originally played by Entwistle. I am not going to write about every songs from this album just because they're mostly very loyal to original. But have to say Starkey's drumming is little bit sticky at first (just like he's predecessor Moon had in some gigs). But when he warms up, it's again very amazing to hear! Daltrey singns as usual, although he's voice has become little bit thicker, also some songs goes into lower keys as original. Townshend has lost his voice and it's his brother Simon who sings the highest parts of Peter's. As in always the Who plays Tommy in gigs, here are also other their classic pieces in the end of the album. They played all of them already in 'Live In Hyde Park' and versions are as great. I believe they have played 'Baba O`Riley' & 'Won't Get Fooled Again' almost in their all gigs after sixties, but they sounds in this album like they were new songs!

At the moment there won't come in my mind any others in the begin of sixties started bands that still can play their old classics so well as the Who and The Rolling Stones. I just can't give this great live album five stars, because this still don't rise into level of the original masterpiece, maybe partly because that torso version of Undertune, but also they just couldn't full achieve the freshness of Tommy 1969 (who could after 50 years). But I think this is great live album to those, who don't like those more sixties sounds of the original version, also in this live vocals are not as front. Still this is not sounding too clean. Really this was a concert I would have liked to be with!