Koch Records
2009
Tommy
About This Album
After releasing two albums devoted entirely to Beatles tunes in a year and a half (Meet the Smithereens and B-Sides the Beatles), the Smithereens clearly wanted to prove that they were still a band capable of more than just coasting on the strength of another act's legacy, and with this in mind they've decided to boldly branch out -- and spend an entire album covering the Who. Tommy is, you guessed it, the Smithereens' own rather faithful interpretation of Pete Townshend's rock opera about a deaf, dumb, and blind pinball champion and spiritual leader, though they have tightened it up quite a bit, editing the piece from 24 selections to a lean 13 tunes and zipping through the work in 41 minutes. It's hard not to be baffled by the Smithereens' decision to become a cover band, but they do seem better suited to interpreting the Who than the Beatles; guitarist Jim Babjak may lack Townshend's epic vision and sense of flourish, but he gets the crunchy bash of this music right, and drummer Dennis Diken and bassist Severo Jornacion find a way to pare down the style of the most manic rhythm section in rock history while achieving some approximation of their power and musical sense.
Track List (try tracks 1,3,4,5,7,8,9 and 11)

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