"Super Deluxe" reissue of The Who's Tommy on the way

A "super deluxe" reissue of the Who's pioneering rock opera Tommy is out Nov. 11 in a variety of formats.

Here's the press release:

“TOMMY” BY THE WHO

SUPER DELUXE BOXSET and DELUXE EDITION

Remastered with 20 UNRELEASED DEMOS, A FULL UNRELEASED LIVE VERSION OF TOMMY and HI FIDELITY 5.1 MIX

Released November 11th 2013

August 28, 2013 – Tommy, The Who’s defining, breakthrough concept album – a full-blown rock opera about a deaf, dumb and blind boy that launched the band to international superstardom is to be released in Deluxe and Super Deluxe editions this Autumn.

Originally released in May 1969, The Who were at a career crossroads, known mainly as a singles band, but this project launched them as a serious ‘albums band’ and it has now sold over 20 million copies as well as regularly turning up in lists of the most influential albums of all time.

Coming after The Who Sell Out in 1967, it marked a complete change in style with Pete Townshend’s lengthy conceptual narrative bringing exciting new opportunities to rock music. Tommy was and remains to be an ambitious, complex and controversial work, which was initially banned by the BBC.

This new Deluxe and Super Deluxe version of the album comes with a wealth of previously unheard material in the form of 20 demos from Pete Townshend’s archive and also a full live performance of Tommy from 1969 taken from tapes that infamously Townshend asked the band’s sound engineer to burn!

18 of the previously unheard and thought to be long lost live tracks are taken from a live show at the Capital Theatre, Ottawa, Canada on October the 15th 1969. Three others, I’m Free, Tommy’s Holiday Camp and We’re Not Gonna Take It were lost due to tape reels being changed during the show  so are taken from later shows of the same era.

As discussed at length in Pete Townshend’s autobiography the tapes were all supposed to be destroyed but were kept by long time Who sound man Bob Pridden despite Pete’s instructions.

The Super Deluxe box also features a 5.1 mix featuring the complete album remixed in surround sound on new Hi Fidelity Pure Audio Blu-ray format

As well as the music the limited edition Super Deluxe boxset comes with a hardback 80-page full-colour book featuring rare period photos, memorabilia, a 20,000-word essay by legendary Who aficionado Richard Barnes and a rare facsimile Tommy poster housed in a hard-back deluxe slip-case. 



TRACKLISTING AND FURTHER INFORMATION

Super-Deluxe Edition (UPC 006025 37473960)

Disc 1 – The original album (2013 re-master)
Digitally re-mastered in HD
Disc 2 – The demos and out-takes
Features 20 previously unreleased tracks from Pete Townshend’s demo archive.

Disc 3 – The 5.1 album mix – Hi Fidelity Pure Audio Blu-ray
The complete album remixed in surround sound on new Hi Fidelity Pure Audio Blu-ray format

Disc 4 – The live ‘bootleg’ album
Features 21 previously-unreleased tracks from various live shows from 1969 

Hardback 80-page full-colour book featuring rare period photos and memorabilia 

20,000-word essay by legendary Who aficionado Richard Barnes

Rare facsimile Tommy poster

Limited edition, housed in a hard-back deluxe slip-case  



Tracklisting:
Disc 1 The original album (2013 re-master)

1.     Overture                                                          5.20
2.     It’s A Boy                                                         0.38
3.     1921                                                                2.49
4.     Amazing Journey                                            5.04
5.     Sparks                                                             2.05
6.     The Hawker (Eyesight To The Blind)              2.13
7.     Christmas                                                        4.34
8.     Cousin Kevin                                                   4.05
9.     The Acid Queen                                              3.34
10.  Underture                                                        10.01
11.  Do You Think It’s Alright?                               0.24
12.  Fiddle About                                                    1.29
13.  Pinball Wizard                                                 3.01
14.  There’s A Doctor                                             0.23
15.  Go To The Mirror!                                           3.47   
16.  Tommy Can You Hear Me?                            1.35
17.  Smash The Mirror                                           1.34
18.  Sensation                                                        2.25
19.  Miracle Cure                                                    0.12
20.  Sally Simpson                                                 4.10
21.  I’m Free                                                           2.39
22.  Welcome                                                         4.32
23.  Tommy’s Holiday Camp                                  0.57
24.  We’re Not Gonna Take It                                7.06

Disc 2 Demos & extras
1.     Overture                                                         4:07
2.     It’s A Boy                                                        0:41
3.     1921                                                               3:13
4.     Amazing Journey                                           4:47
5.     Dream One                                                    3:09
6.     Sparks                                                            7:38
7.     The Hawker                                                    4:45
8.     Christmas                                                       4:42
9.     Acid Queen                                                    3:35
10.  Underture   (Dream Two)                               1:47
11.  Do You Think It’s Alright                                 0:26
12.  Pinball Wizard                                                3:42
13.  There’s A Doctor                                            0:24
14.  Go To The Mirror!                                          4:32
15.  Success                                                         0:10
16.  Tommy Can You Hear Me                             1:15
17.  Smash The Mirror                                          1:37
18.  Sensation                                                       2:47
19.  Miracle Cure                                                   0:11
20.  Sally Simpson                                                4:50
21.  I’m Free                                                          2:27
22.  Welcome                                                        3:26
23.  We’re Not Gonna Take It                               5:02
24.  Trying To Get Through                                   2:27
25.  Young Man Blues                                           2:47

Tracks 1 – 23 - Pete Townshend – original demos.
All previously unreleased except 2, 11 and 12 – released in 2003
Track 24 – The Who – studio demo/out-take.
Track 25 – The Who – studio recording (NOTE: This version was previously only available on ‘The House That Track Built’ vinyl sampler).

Disc 3 Hi Fidelity Pure Audio -Blu-ray disc (5.1 mixes)
  1. Overture                                                          5.20
  2. It’s a boy                                                          0.37
  3. 1921                                                                2.49
  4. Amazing journey                                             5.05
  5. Sparks                                                             2.05
  6. The Hawker                                                     2.14
  7. Christmas                                                        4.34
  8. Cousin Kevin                                                   4.07
  9. The acid queen                                               3.34
  10. Underture                                                        10.05
  11. Do you think it’s alright?                                  0.25
  12. Fiddle about                                                    1.31
  13. Pinball wizard                                                  3.01
  14. There’s a doctor                                              0.24
  15. Go to the mirror!                                              3.48  
  16. Tommy can you hear me?                              1.35
  17. Smash the mirror                                            1.33
  18. Sensation                                                        2.27
  19. Miracle cure                                                    0.12
  20. Sally Simpson                                                 4.11
  21. I’m Free                                                           2.39
  22. Welcome                                                         4.32
  23. Tommy’s holiday camp                                   0.57
  24. We’re not gonna take it                                   7.06
Disc 4 Live Bootleg 

1.     Overture (including Introduction)                    7.00 
2.     It’s A Boy                                                        0.39
3.     1921                                                               2.28
4.     Amazing Journey                                           5.07
5.     Sparks                                                            2.49
6.     The Hawker (Eyesight To The Blind)1.54
7.     Christmas                                                       3.11
8.     The Acid Queen                                             3.30
9.     Pinball Wizard                                                2.47
10.  Do You Think It’s Alright?                               0.21
11.  Fiddle About                                                   1.12
12.  Tommy Can You Hear Me?                           0.55
13.  There’s A Doctor                                            0.24
14.  Go To The Mirror!                                          3.22
15.  Smash The Mirror                                          1.10 
16.  Miracle Cure                                                   0.12
17.  Sally Simpson                                                4.01
18.  I’m Free                                                          2.12
19.  Tommy’s Holiday Camp                                 0.48
20.  We’re Not Gonna Take It                               3.28
21.  See Me, Feel Me / Listening To You              7.51

OTHER FORMATS OF THE WHO’s TOMMY DELUXE EDITION

Physical
2-CD deluxe, digi-pak
CD 1 Original album remastered
CD 2 Live Bootleg
     
1-CD remastered version
Original album (single disc)

Deluxe vinyl edition  
2-piece, heavyweight
Original LP configuration

UVINYL Website
Exclusive vinyl version of live ‘bootleg’ album

Hi Fidelity Pure Audio (Blu-ray)
‘Stand-alone’ original album mixed in 5.1

Digital Formats
Super-deluxe box set 
Tracks from SDE box, excluding 5.1 mixes
+ MFiT version (iTunes only)

Digital deluxe edition
‘Mirror’ of 2-CD physical
+ MFiT version (iTunes only)

Digital album (original album)
Mirror’ of 1-CD physical
+ MFiT version (iTunes only)

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