Editing Rock opera (section)

== History ==
A number of rock artists became interested in the idea of creating a rock opera in the 1960s. Early use of the terms rock opera and teenage opera date from 1963, when [[Frank Zappa]] used both phrases to describe a work in progress, ''I Was a Teenage Malt Shop''. Zappa can be heard discussing his rock opera in a radio program: a recording of a which is included on the album ''[[Joe's Xmasage]]'', on the track ''The Uncle Frankie Show''. [[Captain Beefheart|Don Van Vliet]] was to be cast as a character named “Captain Beefheart”. Zappa abandoned the project in 1964 after a demo tape with a few of the songs was rejected by a record company. Several songs that were written for the uncompleted opera appeared on later albums (e.g. ''I Was a Teen-age Malt Shop'' on the album ''[[Mystery Disc]]'', ''Status Back Baby'' on the album ''[[Absolutely Free]]''). Zappa later wrote and produced ''[[Joe's Garage|Joe’s Garage]]'' in 1979.<ref>{{cite web |first= Kasper |last= Sloots |title= ''The Mystery Disc #2: Projects'' |url=https://www.zappa-analysis.com/i-was-a-teenage-malt-shop1.htm |work= Frank Zappa's Musical Language |accessdate=2025-02-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=David |last=Fricke |title=''Bad Taste Is Timeless: Cruising Down Memory Lane with Frank Zappa'' |url= https://www.afka.net/Articles/1979-04_Trouser_Press.htm |work= Trouser Press, April 1979, Vol. 6 No. 3 Issue 37: 20-23, 58 pp. |accessdate=2025-02-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last= killuglyradio |title=''I Was A Teenage Malt Shop'' |url=https://wiki.killuglyradio.com/wiki/I_Was_A_Teenage_Malt_Shop |work=Zappa Wiki Jawaka |accessdate=2025-02-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first= Román  |last= García Albertos |title=''I Was A Teen-age Malt Shop'' |url=https://www.donlope.net/fz/songs/I_Was_A_Teenage_Malt_Shop.html  |work=Information Is Not Knowledge |accessdate=2025-02-25}}</ref>

Another early use of the term, the July 4, 1966, edition of ''[[RPM (magazine)|RPM Magazine]]'' (published in Toronto) reported that "[[Bruce Cockburn]] and Mr [[William Hawkins (songwriter and poet)|[William] Hawkins]] are working on a Rock Opera, operating on the premise that to write you need only 'something to say'."<ref>{{cite book|first=Stuart|last=Maconie|title=The People's Songs: The Story of Modern Britain in 50 Records|date=2013|page=167|isbn=9781409033189|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6xmq82qoq70C&pg=PA167}}</ref> [[Mark Wirtz]] explored the idea in a project ''[[A Teenage Opera]]'', from which an early song "[[Excerpt from A Teenage Opera|Excerpt from A Teenage Opera (Grocer Jack)]]" recorded by [[Keith West]] was released and became a hit song in 1967.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium/excerpt-teenage-opera-keith-west-b1880532.html |title=Excerpt from a Teenage Opera by Keith West |work=The Independent |first=Robert |last=Webb |date=10 July 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first=John |last=Atkins|date= 2015 |title=The Who on Record|url={{Google Books |errwCQAAQBAJ|page=111|plain-url=yes}}|isbn=9781476606576|publisher=MacFarland|page=111 |via=[[Google Books]] }}</ref> However, the album for the rock opera was not released until 1996, and it was only fully realised and staged in 2017.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jul/29/grocer-jack-teenage-opera-keith-west-mark-wirtz |title= Grocer Jack has his day as A Teenage Opera finally goes on stage|first=Vanessa |last=Thorpe|date= 30 July 2017 |work=The Guardian}}</ref>

Colin Fleming of ''[[The Atlantic]]'' described ''[[The Story of Simon Simopath]]'' (1967) by British psychedelic band [[Nirvana (British band)|Nirvana]] as an "early foray into the rock opera sub-genre".<ref name=atlantic>{{cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/11/the-who-made-the-best-rock-opera-ever-but-its-not-the-one-you-think/248431/|title=The Who Made the Best Rock Opera Ever, but It's Not the One You Think|last=Fleming|first=Colin|work=[[The Atlantic]]|date=2011-11-15|access-date=2014-05-24|url-status=live|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20140524142611/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/11/the-who-made-the-best-rock-opera-ever-but-its-not-the-one-you-think/248431/|archive-date=May 24, 2014|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Neil Strauss of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote that ''[[S.F. Sorrow]]'' (1968) by [[the Pretty Things]] is "generally acknowledged as the first rock opera".<ref name=nyt>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/03/arts/the-pop-life-the-first-rock-opera-no-not-tommy.html|title=THE POP LIFE; The First Rock Opera (No, Not 'Tommy')|last=Strauss|first=Neil|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=1998-09-03|access-date=2014-05-24}}</ref>

Scott Mervis of the ''[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]'' wrote that [[the Who]]'s 1969 record ''[[Tommy (The Who album)|Tommy]]'' was the first album to be billed as a rock opera.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/music/2012/11/08/The-Who-resurrects-its-other-rock-opera-Quadrophenia/stories/201211080382|title=The Who resurrects its 'other' rock opera, 'Quadrophenia'|last=Mervis|first=Scott|work=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]|date=2012-11-06|access-date=2014-05-24|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140525221223/http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/music/2012/11/08/The-Who-resurrects-its-other-rock-opera-Quadrophenia/stories/201211080382|archive-date=May 25, 2014|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The album tells the story of Tommy Walker, a "deaf, dumb and blind kid." ''Tommy'' displays the titular character's experiences with life and his relationship with his family. Although the band's guitarist [[Pete Townshend]] denied taking any influence from ''S.F. Sorrow'', critics have compared ''Tommy'' to it. The ''Tommy'' album developed into other media, including a [[Seattle Opera]] production in 1971, an [[Tommy (London Symphony Orchestra album)|orchestral version]] by [[Lou Reizner]] in 1972, a [[Tommy (1975 film)|film]] in 1975, and a [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] [[The Who's Tommy|musical]] in 1992. The original album has sold 20 million copies and has been inducted into the [[Grammy Hall of Fame Award|Grammy Hall of Fame]]. ''Tommy'' would also go on to influence ''On and On'', a [[rap opera]] by [[the Fat Boys]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.philly.com/1989-10-05/entertainment/26116275_1_rap-opera-darren-buff-robinson-fat-boys|title=Fat Boys Built To Rap Opera Album Hits Stores Today|last=Wayne|first=Renee Lucas|work=[[Philadelphia Daily News]]|date=1989-10-05|access-date=2014-05-24|url-status=dead|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20160329220715/http://articles.philly.com/1989-10-05/entertainment/26116275_1_rap-opera-darren-buff-robinson-fat-boys|archive-date=March 29, 2016|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and ''[[American Idiot]]'', a punk rock opera by [[Green Day]], the latter of whom having made ''[[21st Century Breakdown]]'', another rock opera.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.accessatlanta.com/news/entertainment/music/american-idiot-brings-heart-of-rock-n-roll-to-stag/nfkTG/|title='American Idiot' brings heart of rock 'n' roll to stage|last=Ruggieri|first=Melissa|work=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]|date=2014-04-29|access-date=2014-05-24|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518002101/http://www.accessatlanta.com/news/entertainment/music/american-idiot-brings-heart-of-rock-n-roll-to-stag/nfkTG/|archive-date=May 18, 2014|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The Who had previously toyed with the concepts which would lead to the full-blown rock opera with their six-movement 1966 track "[[A Quick One, While He's Away]]".<ref>{{cite web |first=Richie |last=Unterberger |title=A Quick One, While He's Away - The Who |url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/a-quick-one-while-hes-away-mt0033393728 |work=Allmusic |accessdate=2022-12-10}}</ref>

A rock opera that experienced commercial recording and Broadway success is ''[[Jesus Christ Superstar]]'' (1970), written by [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]] and [[Tim Rice]], and in respect of which Lloyd Webber said "the piece was written as a rock album from the outset and set out from the start to tell the story through the music itself."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.classicrockreview.com/2013/03/jesus-christ-superstar/|title=''Jesus Christ Superstar'', a Rock Opera - Classic Rock Review|website=www.classicrockreview.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171124183208/http://www.classicrockreview.com/2013/03/jesus-christ-superstar/|archive-date=November 24, 2017|df=mdy-all}}</ref> In 1972, [[David Bowie]] released the rock opera ''[[The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Every song on David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust, ranked |url=https://ew.com/music/david-bowie-ziggy-stardust-songs-ranked/ |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]}}</ref>

''[[Bat Out of Hell]]'' is a rock album by [[Meat Loaf]] that remains one of the [[List of best-selling albums|best-selling albums of all time]], having sold over 50 million copies worldwide.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://ultimateclassicrock.com/meat-loaf-bat-out-of-hell-released/|title=35 Years Ago: Meat Loaf's 'Bat Out of Hell' Released|first=Sterling|last=Whitaker|publisher=Ultimate Classic Rock|date= October 21, 2012 |access-date=December 28, 2014}}</ref> It is certified [[RIAA certification|14× Platinum]] by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA).<ref name="RIAA Database, Bat Out of Hell">{{cite web |title=RIAA Database, Bat Out of Hell|website = [[Recording Industry Association of America]]|url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?tesultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=Meatloaf&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2011&sort=Artist&perPage=25 |access-date=February 11, 2011}}</ref> As of June 2019, it has spent 522 weeks in the [[UK Albums Chart]], the second longest chart run by a studio album.<ref>{{cite news|title=Meat Loaf: In and Out of Hell|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04xdrrb|agency=BBC|date=July 15, 2015}}</ref> ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' ranked it at number 343 on its list of the [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|500 Greatest Albums of All Time]].<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/meat-loaf-bat-out-of-hell-48183/|title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time|date=2012-05-31|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=2018-09-09}}</ref><ref name="500-greatest">{{cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/meat-loaf-bat-out-of-hell-48183/|title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time|year=2012|publisher=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=September 9, 2019}}</ref> [[Bat Out of Hell: The Musical|A musical]] based on ''Bat Out of Hell'', staged by [[Jay Scheib]], opened at the [[Manchester Opera House]] in 2017. The album's producer, [[Jim Steinman]], coined the term [[Wagnerian rock]] after composer [[Richard Wagner]] to describe the genre of the record.

Perhaps the archetypal and most famous rock opera is ''[[The Wall]]'', a double album released by [[Pink Floyd]] in 1979. ''The Wall'' chronicles the story of Pink, a character who ultimately constructs an emotional wall to protect himself after being driven into insanity as a result of traumatic life experiences. The album was included in ''[[Rolling Stone]]''{{'}}s lists of the [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|greatest albums of all time]] in 2003, 2012, and 2020.<ref name=":1">{{Cite magazine|date=2020-09-22|title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/|access-date=2020-09-24|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US|archive-date=10 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201210033747/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/|url-status=live}}</ref> James Guthrie, the album's engineer, won the 1980 [[Grammy]] award for Best Engineered Recording (non-classical), and the album was nominated for the [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year]].<ref>{{Citation | title = Grammy Award Winners (search for The Wall) | url = http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/Winners/Results.aspx | publisher = National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences | access-date = 7 October 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091002044148/http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/Winners/Results.aspx | archive-date = 2 October 2009 | url-status = live }}</ref> The album was subsequently made into a 1982 film entitled ''[[Pink Floyd – The Wall]]''. An elaborate [[The Wall Tour (1980–81)|1980-1981 concert tour]] was conducted by the band after the album's release and bassist [[Roger Waters]] reincarnated the tour twice; once in [[The Wall – Live in Berlin|Berlin in 1990]] to commemorate the fall of the [[Berlin Wall]] and again around the world from [[The Wall Live (2010–13)|2010-2013]], a series of shows that became the highest-grossing tour by a solo musician. 

In 1999, [[progressive metal]] band [[Dream Theater]] released their album ''[[Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory]]'', which has been regarded as Rock Opera.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Littleton |first=Candice |date=2016-10-25 |title=Dream Theater Metropolis, Pt. 2 A Legendary Prog Rock Opera |url=https://www.classicrockhistory.com/dream-theater-metropolis-pt-2-a-legendary-prog-rock-opera/ |access-date=2023-01-11 |website=ClassicRockHistory.com |language=en-US}}</ref> The album tells the story of Nicholas, a man getting flashbacks from a previous life, as he undergoes hypnosis sessions to recall the memories of Victoria, a young girl who he discovers was murdered as a violent result of a love affair.

In an effort to appeal to more modern audiences, opera companies have welcomed more pop and rock influences. The resulting rock operas have met varying degrees of success as the worlds of [[high art]] and [[low art]] mix.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/articles/2007/08/17/at_last_a_rock_opera_that_sings/|title=At last, a rock opera that sings|last=Swed|first=Mark|work=[[Boston.com]]|date=2007-08-17|access-date=2014-05-24|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140525200122/http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/articles/2007/08/17/at_last_a_rock_opera_that_sings/|archive-date=May 25, 2014|df=mdy-all}}</ref> In Russian music, the term ''zong-opera'' (Зонг-опера) is sometimes used, since the first Soviet-Russian rock-opera ''[[Orpheus and Eurydice (rock opera)|Orpheus and Eurydice]]'' was described with this term, though the term "rock-opera" was already known in the Soviet rock music circles.