Sorry, I used the wrong emoticon in my post. I had really never heard it before. So I am grateful you posted about it. I am sorry if I offended you.
Amazing Journey The intro/verse chords are a descending chord pattern in fifths......used a lot in Rock. Some funky sounding effects. So, Roger is the lead singer! Roger finally gets to sing and he sounds fantastic. Some backwards guitar and Moonie kicks it into high gear. Man does he raise the somewhat repetitive sound to another level. An A power chord underneath grounds all the chord changes . The chorus at 1:18 goes to G and then C but does a minor drop. A bridge enters at 1:35 and rocks out. Moon sounds crafty. At 1:50 a transition section starts and goes thru fifths but starts on different chords that the verse proper. Great use of repetition but with different chords. The verse returns and does not go into the wild section as before but goes straight to the chorus instead. The chorus gradually ramps up......fantastic use of tempo and dynamics. The bridge returns and then the transition section leads us to the next song...... I love this tune. Brilliant use of fifths in the chords give it a distinct sound. Not to sound cliché but the guys really rock here. Crafty use of tempo and dynamics. Something that is missing from a lot of today's music.
The Japan first issue is my favorite sounding vinyl version, and then the dvd audio disc that came in the SDE box set is probably my favorite digital version.
Fantastic analysis, as always, Rose River Bear. I was curious to know what those funky sounding effects could be. Sounded like something being played backwards. So I reversed the intro to see: I do believe that it is simply claves, being played backwards. But it sounds so good!
Reb, when listening to live original Who (and you know that I do that a lot! lol!), that is my very favorite thing to listen to! That transition from AJ into Sparks, oh my, there is just nothing that can top it!
Absolutely! I was going to say the same thing. Moon's assault of this is great. I love the way the tension builds on the toms before the machine gun blast of the snare. If that makes any sense?
Not that I own any of her music, but not only did TT have a great career with and especially without Ike, but seems like she owned every cover song she ever did. I suppose people used to play CCR Proud Mary at weddings just as an easy to dance to rock song, but who wouldn't rather listen to Tina rollin' on the river?
Since people are mentioning the Tommy movie - and I really feel like chiming in - I was familiar with The Who and Tommy before I saw the film. (First big Who tune was the sublime "I Can See For Miles.") Didn't really enjoy the movie too much. Too weird, I couldn't take it seriously, it all seemed like a big lark. I got a kick out of seeing Clapton on the big screen, and was surprised Roger got to play the titular role. He did do a little bit of acting along the way. I think I owned the old tri-fold MCA double album before the movie came out, but I don't know how I swung the dough for what seems like an expensive record for the time. I'll admit I didn't listen to it a ton. Only a couple songs could be considered Hit Material (imho) but I still loved The Who. Who's Next had been released long before the Tommy film, so they were cemented in my estimation. And as a funny aside, a friend who was joining a mail-order record club asked if he should order Meaty, Beaty, Big, and Bouncy. I answered in the affirmative, and later he blamed me because he didn't like the songs. I think he (and I) were listening to more Tull and Yes and Zep at the time, and the Who hits sounded like kid pop to us. But I'm glad I was able to hear all those singles from the early catalog. Substitute, The Seeker, Boris, Can't Explain, what a bunch of great stuff.
“Amazing Journey” is the “Pure and Easy” of “Tommy” (more like “Pure and Easy” is the “Amazing Journey” of “Lifehouse”, but the threads are moving chronologically backwards). These are the exposition-heavy songs, the pivotal songs that explain the larger narrative (while still being outstanding rock songs unto themselves).
So here is the Amazing Journey scene from the movie. Heavily loaded with Pete's synthesizer, but, I love his vocals! I also like a lot of the visual imagery, including the use of the pinball to show the random nature of war's destruction, the mirror, and how the little kid looks like a baby Elton John, not a baby Roger Daltrey!
Captain Walker I usually think of this more as an intro/setup piece than as a full-fledged song. It sounds nice for what it is, but it isn’t much as a stand-alone piece. It’s a Boy There’s nothing here but story and setup here IMO. That’s fine because it’s so brief, but there’s really nothing here. 1921 I like this song, but I can’t imagine myself enjoying it outside the context of the album. The melody is pretty good (especially on the polyphonic section) and it tells the story in a decently interesting way, but it’s still quintessentially part of the rock opera. Amazing Journey This song is good, but I never get excited about hearing it on the album, probably because I’m spoiled on the explosive live versions. The studio version feels much weaker by comparison, making it feel a bit tedious when listening to the album straight through.
I prefer this set of lyrics to the album version (“The truth burns so bright it can melt winter snow”). How about some blue contact lenses for young Tommy?
The first time I heard “Girl’s Eyes” on bootleg, I figured it was a seminal “Tommy” outtake. Knowing the chronology now, I wonder if this song played any role in inspiring Pete when he put together “Tommy” , and “Amazing Journey” in particular.
"Time to get back on the road with the 'orrible 'oo. The worst rock'n'roll band in the world!" --Roger, in The Kids Are Alright movie
I love this Tommy cover. It's not Psychedelic or Surreal. it's like Stream Of Consciousness. I can figure out Who designed it (pun!) but it's so different. It's not even in color - much. I suppose it's a cage with the impaired band members trying to find their way around, while birds fly free on the outside. It's like Dali or something.
Thanks. Now when I wear my "On the Wings of Goodyear (tires) Est. 1898" tee shirt, maybe I'll think of the Who and "1921" instead of the company that let me go after 17 1/2 years. We didn't sell tires, but we did sell Goodyear products. Got a feeling 2019 is going to be a Good Year, especially if we see it in together !
Sorry man, all good. I thought you were having a crack and being sarcastic. I should have checked with you first. It's a really important part of, not just the song, but the story as a whole, don't you think?
I wonder if the lack of overdubs (organ/elec guitar, what have you) helps with the story of "tommy". its less cluttered and you can't help but be mpre engrossed with the narrative on this than most other concept albums....some of them you forget about the concept altogether
Definitely London Coliseum ‘69! We are so lucky that they decided to release the footage that does exist from that concert - that’s The Who in their live prime!
