SOUND JUDGMENT

Rock: Townshend’s new album promises much more to come

THE IRON MAN

Pete Townshend (Atlantic): This is a tease. Who leader Townshend clearly has grand designs for his musical adaptation of Ted Hughes’ 1968 fable, expanding this album of 12 songs into a full theatrical production.

What we have until then is an undeniably interesting song cycle that, because of the time restrictions of a single album, suffers from holes in character development and plot.

Townshend describes Hughes’ story as being about “the fear and deprivation of children and the ignorance we display towards both history and nature.” But “The Iron Man” isn’t a preachy work, and Townshend makes crisp, direct points.

He takes the lead role, aided by a battery of musicians and singers including John Lee Hooker, Nina Simone and Who mates Roger Daltrey and John Entwistle on “Dig” and a remake of Arthur Brown’s “Fire.”

The production definitely feels like a Broadway musical, meaning only a couple of songs (“I Won’t Run Any More,” the excellent “All Shall be Well”) stand on their own.

But these 12 songs whet the appetite, and perhaps it won’t be long before Townshend gives “The Iron Man” the full-blown treatment he plans.

Pete Townshend: Broadway bound?