Listening to you, I get the music

The Who - Tommy - 1969

By the mid to late 1960s, The Who had already released three albums, and were looking for material and ideas for their continuing work. Pete Townsend, who wrote most of the songs, had found himself attracted to the Eastern philosophies (it was the thing at the times), and started thinking of applying some concepts of introspection and self knowledge. 

They also were trying to differentiate themselves from popular bands, like The Beatles, or The Beach Boys, and were looking for something more challenging and ambitious.

And what can be more ambitious than a "rock opera"? 

While it's not really true that they were the first ones to release one, they were the first ones to actually promote it like one, and they were the ones to make the term famous.

I don't know how long it's been since I've heard this one. I am a bit more familiar with the versions from the 1975 movie (which I haven't watched in ages either). 

Listening to it now, I have mixed feelings. Some of the songs are brilliant, with a lot of classics, like "Pinball Wizard", "The Acid Queen", and the "See me, Feel me / Listening to you" sequence at the end, which is actually part of the last track, "We're not Gonna Take it".

There are other brilliant tracks, like "Christmas", or "Eyesight to the Blind". But for the most part, listening back to it, it feels a bit dated, slightly too long, and it drags a bit in the middle. 

Still, it's a classic album, and one everyone should give a listen from time to time. After all, it may be pretentious, and larger-than-life, but isn't it exactly what rock is? 

• In case you don't know, the story is about a boy who sees his father murder his mum's lover, is told by him "You didn't see it, you didn't hear it, you won't tell" and becomes blind, deaf and mute. He eventually becomes a pinball wizard and, after lots of coming and goings, his family discover that his troubles are psychosomatic and eventually he regains his senses, and starts a cult. Or something like that.
• Ken Russell filmed the story in 1975. The movie had the band in the cast, together with many famous musicians, including Eric Clapton, Tina Turner (the Acid Queen), and Elton John, who plays the most famous version of "Pinball Wizard".
• The whole "See me, Feel me / Listening to you" sequence never fails to put me in a great mood. It's a brilliantly cool piece of music.
• They played it at Woodstock in 1969. They played between 5 and 6 am, and story has it that by the time they were playing this song, the sun was starting to rise behind the stage. It gives me goosebumps just to think about it.

Who is the girl with the crying face?

The Bee Gees - Odessa - 1969

Way before they became ultra famous (and after that, ultra infamous) by leading the whole world into the disco frenzy with "Saturday Night Live", The Bee Gees had released a bunch of albums. 

I think this one is the only one I have from those days, and while it's cool to listen to them doing something other than disco, this one is a bit disappointing.

I wonder if they decided to do a double album because, you know, The Beatles. This one feels like it has a lot of filler, and also it feels a bit that it lacks a unifying concept, musically.

There are a lot of pop songs, that actually sound a lot like a couple of years before. There are a few more ambitious tracks, like "Odessa (City on the Black Sea)", and a couple of instrumental ones, but they don't get to be too special either. Oh, and there are also a few that sound quite country.

It's not a bad album, but one that would have benefitted from being a single issue. 

• I wonder if anybody can really tell which songs are sung by Barry, Robin or Maurice. I can't even when I am looking at who's singing each one.
• Just a word of warning: I don't have any other Bee Gees album until we get to the disco days. So be prepared for that.
• One of the best known songs here is "Melody Fair". There was a movie in the 70's called "Melody", and had this song in the soundtrack. It's a nice song, but tell me if it doesn't sound a lot like The Beatles 1965? 

You don't know what it's like to listen to your fears

The Beatles - Yellow Submarine - 1969

Word of warning: If you are listening to an album by The Beatles in which one of the best songs is "Yellow Submarine", two things are certain: One, you're listening to this album. Two, you better run as fast as you can!

I'm exaggerating a bit, because there are at least two songs that are better than the title track. But one of them is "All you Need is Love", and we had that one already in Magical Mystery Tour. 

So we're only left with "Hey Bulldog", which is a hell of a good song. 

The rest are just bad, or silly. And there's the "b-side", which is fully instrumental, fully George Martin, and I guess it's ok as far as incidental movie music goes, but hardly something you want to listen to often.

• I had forgotten how bad the two songs written by George are here. They actually make me want to listen to the whole "Eastern phase" ones again. He would write a few more great songs in the next couple of Beatles albums.
• "All Together Now" is not necessarily horrible, but it's so silly that when I hear it I can't help but imagine that it's the kind of song the Flanders would play on a road trip. 
• Did I say that "Hey Bulldog" is a great song? Really, give it a listen, it's kind of a hidden gem.