Rock Opera
Half-sibling of the rock musical (Hair), and cousin to the concept album (Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band), rock opera is less common than either one. While they can sometimes slip into bombast, successful rock opera albums have given musicians a chance to flex their muscles well beyond the limits of a single song. Here are a few of the more interesting examples from the past forty years:
- 1967-2004: Brian Wilson — Good Vibrations (from SMiLE)
- 1969: The Who — Pinball Wizard (from Tommy)
- 1970: Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice — Heaven On Their Minds (from Jesus Christ Superstar)
- 1974: Genesis — The Carpet Crawlers (from The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway)
- 1979: Pink Floyd — Goodbye Blue Sky (from The Wall)
- 1983: Styx — Mr. Roboto (from Kilroy Was Here)
- 1986: Tom Waits — Innocent When You Dream (Barroom) (from Franks Wild Years)
- 1996: Mägo de Oz — El Cuco y la Zingara (from Jesús de Chamberí)
- 2003: Neil Young — Devil’s Sidewalk (from Greendale)
- 2004: Green Day — Jesus of Suburbia (from American Idiot)
Note: all links will open in iTunes.
