DVD review: THE WHO – Sensation – The Story of Tommy

Eagle Vision [Released 10.03.14]

When The Who released their seminal double album “Tommy” in 1969 it was the first album to be blatantly labelled “a rock opera” and went on to sell over 20 million copies worldwide. Following the relatively poor sales of their last 3 singles, The Who needed to come out with something that would catapult them back to the top of their game and with “Tommy” they hit the jackpot with the album having an impact on music culture that they could have not imagined when creating it.

This new “Sensation- The Story of Tommy” DVD is an extended version of the documentary previously aired on the BBC and comes with some great extras. Interviews with Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend and the late John Entwistle, in addition to original engineer Bob Pridden and sleeve designer Mike McInnerey, tell the story of the album and there is a fair amount of footage not seen in the original BBC broadcast.

“Tommy” itself includes some of the band’s best loved material, the story was retold by film maker Ken Russell in the mid-seventies and the band took a stage production of the album on the road in the early nineties, proving that it had stood the test of time.

But the most exciting addition to the DVD is the inclusion of a 33 minute feature form German TV show The Beat Club. Filmed in 1969 it includes tracks from “Tommy” intercut with interview footage with Townshend.

“Sensation- The Story of Tommy” will no doubt become a must have for fans of The Who. ****

Review by Nikk Gunns

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