Tommy - the WHO - The CD re-issue and book

From left to right: the original vinyl, the new DVD-A and the book/4CDs recent re-edition 0f TOMMY by THE WHO

The CDs and DVD-As - 1969/2004/2013

My original vinyls of this emblematic piece of music is still in fairly good condition and certainly plays very well!
However, when my daughter asked me what I would like for Christmas, I had no hesitation in suggesting this new edition. Although I still have to go through the 4 CDs coming with the book, I have rushed to listen to the 2 DVD-As sold separately. I believe the main disc is actually a duplicate of one in the box set - labeled at the 5.1 hi-fidelity pure audio Blu-Ray, and disc 2 is not worth much - in my humble opinion - as it is mainly outtakes and demos, some of them at least also included in the box set, and certainly more of a historical interest that purely musical.. So, you could probably save 20$ by not ordering the separate DVD-As.
The DVD-As are recorded at 96kHz/24bits and it is very close to the vinyl rendition - minus the noise and dust accumulated over the years...Why not gone for 192/24 is a bit of a mystery, but might just be disc space limitation. If anybody out there knows, I would be keen to know and update this post accordingly.

The movie - 1975

I was lucky enough at the time to view a 35mm copy on a friend's own projector, who lived at the time in the servant's quarter of a castle in Sologne, a remote part of France south of the Loire and Orleans, famous for growing asparagus, sprinkled with extraordinary "restaurants gastronomiques" and hiding a munition depot and armoury for the French Army.
We were both working for a subsidiary of Thomson - now Thales - which was involved in refurbishing and upgrading nukes for NATO, hence the use of this highly secured facility. Telling you more would probably getting me into trouble - my name is neither Assange nor Snowden, lol...
It was a full moon night and one had to drive about 5 kms from the gate of the property to the castle through moors, lakes and forests, with the wild rabbits crossing the gravel road in front of us - lucky they were not deers also roaming the countryside and a highly prized target for hunters who come from all over the World. So the mood was certainly set for a film that I thought of at the time as more horror movie than cinema masterpiece. Hence the reason why I would be very keen to see it again. This castle is actually for sale for about 1 MUSD
You can buy a Blu-Ray version on Amazon, and I will very soon, indeed...

Buy Tommy, the movie on Amazon

The Book - 2013

The accompanying book is riveting to read and contains 60 pages of photos, memorabilia and the history of the genesis of the opera and the recordings. It is an "Amazing Journey" into the evolution of one of the most famous english bands of the time and certainly worth the money on its own.

Buy the book and 4 CD set on Amazon