It's a ludicrous idea. Get the London Symphs, add a huge chamber choir to the mix... then, stick in The Who, Richie Havens, Rod Stewart, Sandy Denny, Ringo Starr, Stevie Winwood, Richard Harris, Merry Clayton and more... and you've got some concept. Of course, that's sidestepping the fact that they're all on board to sing a tribute to a fictional disabled kid with a penchant for pinball. Tommy is one of the weirdest footnotes in rock 'n' roll history.

It shouldn't have existed... but aren't you glad it does?

Fact is, this reissue has been a long time coming. Amongst Tommy nuts, this has been something of a Holy Grail. The original LP is easy enough to get yer mitts on... and the Original Soundtrack is, well, a bit lame in chunks. As a result, people have been paying way over the odds on this all-star jamboree, with some paying £250 for the now-scarce '89 issue of the American CD. Get that! All those notes on a poxy compact disc.

Well, this Repertoire re-release has pulled out the stops. We'll get to the music in a minute... because the artwork is a feast. If you've got greedy eyes, this'll knock you out. A fat-rump booklet filled with ace Mucha-esque paintings of all the musicians that feature on the LP, as well as a loada psychedelic images of floating orbs hanging over derelict houses, with That Pinball Machine, weirdly hanging around outside.

It's just right. It's pompous faux-high-art, which will tick a box for anyone who likes psychedelic music. I can't stop thumbing it back and forth.

As for the grooves contained... man... again... it's ludicrous. Full damn orchestrations of The Songs You Know from Tommy! Whaddahoot! Fact is, some of the songs lose their funk when put into the hands of a buncha well-paid sessionmen in penguin suits... but for the most part, it pretty much realises what Pete Townshend was trying tah do in the firs' place. Yup. In some cases, this LP contains the best versions.

For example, Richie Havens' take on 'Eyesight To The Blind' is outstanding. His soulful drawl, backed by staccato strings (a la Eleanor Rigby if you're no classical fiend) is worth your entrance fee alone. Sure, the original cut is great and all... but jus' wait 'til you hear this version! If you could splice the two... boy oh boy. Merry Clayton's 'Acid Queen', again, is a stonking cut. The funk is transposed for panoramic orchestrations with Clayton showing why she's so adored in soul circles.

The 'casting' of Ringo Starr in 'Fiddle About' is an interesting one... I mean... it's a depressing tale of sexual deviancy and abuse and yet, you can't help yourself from adding ...said Thomas to the Fat Controller... to some of the lines.

For my money, there's no definitive version of 'Tommy'. I mean, the original LP is great, the OST has it's moments... but when you hear Rod Stewart belting through 'Pinball Wizard' on this cut, you find yourself beggin' for it to get rocked up... funked up... as opposed to the knuckle cracking, long tails of the orchestra that he's found with.

That said, it's a really cool long player... this version, especially when Richard Harris turns up with his boozy breath and dulcet croons, feels more like the sounds that must've been in Townshend's head all that time. While The Who were almost limited by rock 'n' roll programming, leant to the LSO and under the guidance of David Measham, it sounds more realised.

Of course, it's a preposterous release... it's grand, swooping and takes itself very seriously, but it's kinda cut in a way. It's the snapshot of when rock 'n' roll started aiming so high that it got a nosebleed. You gotta applaud it. I mean, when listening to the overblown arrangements, baroque strings bled together with phased guitars, I clean got knocked out at the notion that this was played live over two nights at the Rainbow Theatre in front of a giant pinball machine... how great is that? All those stiffs from the LSO hanging with Ringo and Winwood!

All in all, this is a curio that can't be ignored. If you're a fan of The Who, then it's a long player you just have to buy. Your collection ain't complete without it. As for the casual fan... well... if you're open-minded about it, then you'll find a lot to love about it. If you're 16 years old and still diggin' 'Pictures Of Lily' and 'I Can't Explain', you'd probably be better off filing this in your mind and coming back to it when you've more disposable income. The rest of you? Buy it if you want the weirdest, more preposterous record I've heard in donkey's years.