THE WHO'S TOMMY, The Musical; Music and lyrics by Pete Townshend; Hardcover; 173 pages; Published by Pantheon (1993)
From the dust jacket: "Here is the ultimate book of the twenty-five-year phenomenon of TOMMY. From the 1969 best-selling album by Pete Townshend and THE WHO to the 1975 film to the 1993 Tony award-winning musical, TOMMY is the outstanding rock opera that has had a message for every decade and has become a rock-and-roll classic. This large-format, lavishly illustrated book--with more than 150 photographs in black and white and color--captures the excitement and beauty of the world of TOMMY. A full libretto with sidebar facts, a revealing interview with pete Townshend, a complete WHO histroy, a compelling interview with director Des McAnuff, and dynamite behind-the-scene photography make up this book, which will become a timeless record of timeless music."
Of course, now it's been almost 50 years (!) since TOMMY the album came out. I think the themes of the musical are still shocking and powerful even in 2016. The music holds up, because let's face it, Townshend is a rock genius! This book deals mostly with the Broadway musical, but touches on the whole history of Tommy and The Who.
