The Smithereens recently released The Smithereens Play Tommy, a tribute to the landmark rock opera by the Who. The band is also currently rehearsing, with 12 new tracks for a forthcoming studio album due later in 2009.

Whether it was the Who or the Kinks that created the very first rock opera, or whether Tommy is even an opera at all, the May 23, 1969, release of the Who's double-disc magnum opus was a true landmark in rock history. Who fans had already been galvanized by the album's first single, "Pinball Wizard," released in March 1969 and already a huge hit, but critics and fans awere unprepared for what they would hear on the album.

Meticulously arranged and produced, the album's sound shocked many Who fans who were expecting the familiar power-guitar sound made famous in songs such as "Substitute," "I Can't Explain," or even the electrified version of "Summertime Blues" that the Who debuted on their celebrated 1968 tour. Instead, Pete Townshend played mainly acoustic guitars, and the album featured multiple overdubs, including keyboards, percussion, french horn and other parts. Listening to the album now—even the remastered version—it sounds somewhat brittle, thin and theatrical.

The Smithereens decided to make a proper all-out studio version of one of the albums that inspired their rock dreams of becoming a band in the first place for this 40th anniversary tribute. The Who's unique sound will never be duplicated, but then again neither will The Smithereens' sound, which has made them enduring rock icons over the past 25-plus years. The result is part Who, part Smithereens; part totally familiar and part unexpectedly unique—and 100 percent tour de force. The Smithereens' "musical dreams ain't quite what they seem"—the result is more than a loving tribute and much more like an inspired re-imagining. After listening to this album a few times, you may never hear any of the Who's versions of Tommy the same way again.

Having released seven albums over the band's career to date and having reached gold and platinum status along the way, the Smithereens' several top-40 radio hits include "A Girl Like You," "Too Much Passion," "Blood and Roses" and more. Look for a new studio album in fall 2009.