Music heals!
If you aren’t feeling up to par, there is a gypsy who can make you feel alive.
Go to your room and close the door. Turn up the stereo. Soon, the Acid Queen will enter and put you right.
When Pete Townshend wrote ‘Tommy’, ‘The Acid Queen’ was intended to represent a pivotal moment. While the character ‘Tommy’ was famously depicted as a “deaf, dumb and blind kid”, he was actually the personification of a society that Pete Townshend perceived to be both spiritually and emotionally out of touch. He was convinced that the lack of compassion and empathy would be the downfall of civilization if we did not recognize our true potential as a collective.
Townshend uses ‘The Acid Queen’ as a metaphor to help us understand how our own vain pursuits are detrimental to our development. The solace found in sex, drugs and rock and roll is only a temporary solution.
Ironically, as we all know Pete Townshend fell prey to the ravages of the allure of such excesses, but fortunately he lived to tell the tale.
On the album version of ‘Tommy’, Townshend delivers the sneering version of ‘The Acid Queen’ and hauntingly; it hangs there like a noose before the vulnerable.
In a broader context, the song is framed by a handful of characters. ‘The Hawker’ is the one who suggests that his wife known as ‘The Acid Queen’ may be the one who can deliver Tommy from his disassociation. This is presented in the form of the album’s only cover version. Enter Sonny Boy Williamson.
Here is the ‘Tommy’ track known as ‘The Hawker’. Roger Daltrey belts out this song like only he can.
She has got the power to heal you
Never fear
She has got the power to heal you
Never fear
Just one word from her lips
And the deaf can hear”
What a performance.
Before we are introduced to The Hawkers’ woman, Tommy must endure more abuse from ‘Cousin Kevin’ which was written by John Entwistle at the behest of Townshend. Entwistle also wrote ‘Fiddle About’. Tommy’s cousin sadistically treats him as a pin cushion, to satisfy his evil tendencies.
As the Acid Queen’s visit hangs over us, The Who allows us to contemplate what we just saw with the interlude known as ‘Underture’. I could listen to this forever. It is a reflection of the fact that although ‘Tommy’ was Pete Townshend’s brainchild, each member of The Who brought their integral qualities to the production.
On the whole, Tommy was meticulously thought out by Townshend. It represents rock and roll theatre at its finest, and it is still celebrated 55 years later as the standard for what became known as the rock opera.
All this being said, it is the power of Tina Turner’s portrayal of ‘The Acid Queen’ that brings us here today. This is why Ted Tocks Covers led this feature with her role in the movie version of ‘Tommy’ which came out in 1975.
One year ago today, the music world was saddened by the loss of this immense talent.
To say she steals the show may be hyperbolic because in the context of Tommy, she graces the screen and then departs in a seamless way. She numbs the audience, which of course was Pete Townshend’s point.
The song’s not just about acid: it’s the whole drug thing, the drink thing, the sex thing wrapped into one big ball. It’s about how you get it laid on you that if you haven’t fucked forty birds, taken sixty trips, drunk fourteen pints or whatever…society – people – force it on you. She represents this force.”
There it is…
…Tina Turner was the force, and in retrospect, no one else could have delivered this song to such affect. These are the words she sang as she acted out this role alongside Roger Daltrey, who can likely still feel her presence every time he closes his eyes.
If your child ain’t all he should be now
This girl could put him right
I’ll show him what he could be now
Just give me one night
I’m the gypsy, the acid queen
Pay before we start
The gypsy, I’m guaranteed
To tear your soul apart
Give us a room, close the door
Leave us for a while
Your boy won’t be a boy no more
Young, but not a child
I’m the gypsy, the acid queen
Pay before we start
The gypsy, I’m guaranteed
To tear your soul apart
Gather your wits and hold on fast
Your mind must learn to roam
Just as the gypsy queen must do
You’re gonna hit the road
My work is done
Now look at him
He’s never been more alive
His head, it shakes
His fingers clutch
Watch his body writhe
I’m the gypsy, the acid queen
Pay before we start
I’m the gypsy, I’m guaranteed
To break your little heart
If your child ain’t all he should be now
This girl will put him right
I’ll show him what he could be now
Just give me one night
I’m the gypsy, the acid queen
Pay before we start
The gypsy, I’m guaranteed
To tear your soul apart”
Tina Turner released her own version of ‘Acid Queen’ in 1975 on her album of the same name. It was chosen as the third single from what was her second solo album. Side one of this album famously consisted of five cover versions. ‘Under My Thumb’ and ‘Let’s Spend the Night Together’ by The Rolling Stones, ‘Acid Queen’ and ‘I Can See for Miles’ by The Who, before culminating with ‘Whole Lotta Love’ which was Led Zeppelin’s homage to the great Willie Dixon.
Here is her version of ‘Acid Queen’. Dance! What a soulful adaptation. What a voice. So good.
As we remember Tina Turner’s contribution too music on this day, take some time and listen to this entire album.
This period signified the transition of Tina Turner from the Ike and Tina Revue to Tina Turner, the solo artist. By 1976, the relationship had deteriorated, and in July of that year Tina famously escaped Ike’s clutches with only 30 cents in her pocket. By 1978 their divorce was finalized. For a sense of what Tina Turner was all about around the time of the release of ‘Acid Queen’ through to her divorce, here is a live performance from 1978. While it lacks the bite of her original ‘Tommy’ performance it still lulls you into a hypnotic disco trance
Moving ahead about three decades here is the ‘Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ in late 2009 in all her glory. She won’t get fooled again. Neither should you but in a sense, as we look back to Pete Townshend’s sociological concern, we failed to heed the warning. This is a flawless team effort. Check out that sinister laugh at the end…
Now, compare and contrast the Tina Turner versions with The Who.
Here they perform ‘Tommy’ at The Isle of Wight in 1970. This is unbridled, raw and explosive. The interplay between Roger and Pete is so strong while John lays down the bass line and Keith is given a little bit of freedom on the drums. By the time The Who had completed their run of ‘Tommy’, Keith Moon famously shouted ‘Thank God’ from the behind his kit.
On the 20th anniversary of ‘Tommy’ in 1989, The Who shared the stage with some friends. This version that features Patti LaBelle on vocals literally froze me in my tracks. This qualifies as a must listen. This cover will leave you speechless. Tina set the bar and everyone that followed rose to the occasion. It is so good to see John Entwistle on bass guitar. Look at Roger, enjoying the moment and the talent of the singer that he has so graciously given the stage to, for this song. When it is all over Pattie LaBelle is given a well-deserved standing ovation. This performance will leave you breathless!
Nearly 50 years later, here is the Roger and Pete version of The Who at Royal Albert Hall.
This is an example of the extended musical family that has been embodied by this band through the years. Pete’s brother, Simon is on rhythm guitar and Ringo Starr’s son Zak is behind the drums. This clip captures the run of songs from ‘Cousin Kevin’ to ‘The Acid Queen’ to ‘Underture/It’s a Boy (Reprise)’ to ‘Do You Think It’s Alright?’, concluding with ‘Fiddle About’.
We have done all this and still not really gotten to the cover portion of today’s feature. In other words; but wait; there’s more.
This cover version that goes all the way back to 1972, may have given Pete Townshend a sense of the possibilities of ‘The Acid Queen’ if it was delivered by an artist who could take on the role of the character. Check out Merry Clayton with The London Symphony Orchestra. This will leave you begging for shelter. The storm is threatening. This is so good.
In today’s feature, Tina, Merry and Patti steal the show.
Here is a Ted Tocks Covers favourite. I featured a bluegrass act from California called The HillBenders back in 2019 when I shared a post commemorating the 50th anniversary of ‘Tommy’. Here is their cover of ‘The Acid Queen’.
The adaptation to their style is seamless. It is incredibly creative while putting the band’s dexterity on full display. Here is ‘Tommy’ which in addition to a discussion of The Who album, also offers The HillBenders full tribute.
Another act that seems to come up often while Ted Tocks Covers is researching cover versions of classic songs is The Smithereens. Here is their version of ‘The Acid Queen’ from ‘The Smithereens Play Tommy’. Yet another quality interpretation.
Pete Townshend was looking for a way to share his story and through ‘Tommy’ we got a look at the complexity behind his own character. Just a peek, but enough to understand that he was walking a tightrope. That vulnerability was a key component to his productivity, and it also contributed to the downward spiral that nearly killed him. This is the razor’s edge that many an artist walks. Through the power of retrospective analysis we learn.
Before we conclude, let’s go back to this opus from the pen of Bob Dylan. When he wrote ‘Murder Most Foul’ he tied over 60 years into a kaleidoscope of memories. In this passage he connects ‘Tommy’ with the ‘Acid Queen’ riding along with John and Jackie in a black limousine. The image is in etched in our minds, but who other than Bob could have ever connected these puzzle pieces in this way? Bob Dylan agrees with Pete Townshend. Society was oblivious then and even as he wrote this piece over a period of time within the past decade we remain void of the senses that allow us to recognize what lies ahead.
Tommy, can you hear me? I’m the Acid Queen
I’m riding in a long, black Lincoln limousine
Riding in the backseat next to my wife
Heading straight on in to the afterlife
I’m leaning to the left, I got my head in her lap
Hold on, I’ve been led into some kind of a trap
Where we ask no quarter, and no quarter do we give
We’re right down the street from the street where you live
They mutilated his body and they took out his brain
What more could they do? They piled on the pain
But his soul’s not there where it was supposed to be at
For the last fifty years they’ve been searchin’ for that
Freedom, oh freedom, freedom over me
I hate to tell you, mister, but only dead men are free
If only dead men are free, we need to be careful who we choose to deliver us to salvation.
Beware of the false gods. They are never who they pretend to be. I say this while the trappings of a cult continue to threaten our future; led into some kind of trap.
Listen…
Just like Pete Townshend wrote;
Gather your wits and hold on fast
Your mind must learn to roam
Just as the gypsy queen must do
You’re gonna hit the road”
I leave you here to contemplate along with the trail of legendary performers shared in this post.
From Pete Townshend and his bandmate in The Who, to Merry Clayton, to The London Symphony, this post offers such an eclectic array of talent. As you turn the pages and get to the eternal brilliance of Tina Turner. She managed to transform this song, or perhaps more accurately; she interpreted the piece in the way Pete visualized ‘The Acid Queen’ when he wrote it. It was out of Tina’s version that everything else continued to flow.
So, we come to a fork in the river where we can celebrate ‘Tommy’ 55 years later or we can explore the dynamic presence of Tina Turner who literally brought Pete Townshend’s character to life.
‘The Acid Queen’ was the ‘Queen of Rock and Roll’ and like she promised; she could tear your soul apart both literally and figuratively.
Her mission was to always take you higher, and she delivered.
Today’s feature is just one of many examples.
Ted Tocks Covers 
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