The Who's Masterpiece 'Tommy' Debuts On The Charts — Again
A new version of The Who's Tommy, featuring the London Symphony Orchestra, debuts on two U.K. charts ... More after its Record Store Day 2025 reissue. MARCH 19: Pete Townshend, Keith Moon and John Entwistle of the rock and roll band "The Who" perform in a still from the rock opera movie "Tommy" which was released on March 19, 1975. (Photo by Michael)
More than 50 years after it was first released, Tommy is back. The Who's groundbreaking rock opera returns to the charts in the United Kingdom in a slightly altered form, one which is counted as a brand new entity as far as the Official Charts Company is concerned, even though fans of the outfit already know the music. The classic project was just re-released for Record Store Day 2025, and it has once again become a hit.
A new version of Tommy, credited to both The Who and the London Symphony Orchestra (or LSO for short), arrives on the U.K. charts this week. The newly-released edition opens at No. 86 on the Official Physical Albums chart and No. 88 on the Official Albums Sales tally.
The Who has long been a staple of the U.K. albums rankings, and that's especially true when it comes to physical sales. Throughout the decades, the legendary rock outfit has scored 25 placements on the Official Albums Sales chart, a ranking that only includes pure purchases. When looking specifically at the Official Physical Albums tally, which narrows in on just formats that don't include downloads, that total balloons to 49.
This latest iteration of Tommy is now the third version of the project to reach both the Official Albums Sales and Official Physical Albums charts. The original set was, of course, a bestseller upon its initial release. Years later, Tommy – Live at the Royal Albert Hall also made an appearance and spent time on both lists.
This time, Tommy was released as a double-colored vinyl offering, with one light blue record and one orange. It was a standout product shipped for Record Store Day 2025, and fans of The Who must have purchased a sizable number of copies to turn it into a bestseller, even if it debuts fairly low on the two lists it reaches.
Tommy isn't just any old album. Since The Who first unveiled the rock opera in 1969, the story and its music have been adapted in numerous formats, including a ballet, a stage opera, a feature film released in 1975, and even a Broadway musical. That show was recently revived and it picked up new Tony Award nominations along the way. Clearly, there's an audience for the title, either as a show or an album.
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