In the 80’s the punk rock rebellion against the excesses of rock recording and touring led to “rock opera” becoming a pejorative term associated with the overly bloated budgets and personas associated with the increasingly corporate-dominated rock establishment. “Schoolboys In Disgrace” – The Kinks (1975) “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” – Genesis (1974) “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars” – David Bowie (1972) The influence of Tommy on the rock music world was profound, and the 1970s was the first golden age of rock opera, with many great works being created. This would be the first of several great rock operas written by Ray Davies and performed by the Kinks in tours that bridged the gap between rock concerts and theatrical presentations. Most notably, the KInks released “Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)” just after Tommy was released in 1969. In 1967, a British group called Nirvana (not the famous American band) released “The Story of Simon Simopath” and in 1968, The Pretty Things released “S.F.Sorrow”. Along the way, he becomes a pinball champion, and eventually a messianic spiritual leader who is worshipped by fans who eventually become disillusioned by him and attack and abandon him.Īt the same time Pete Townshend was writing Tommy, other artists were working on their own rock operas. It tells the story of a boy who has a psychological trauma rendering him deaf, dumb and blind, and his parent’s efforts to find a cure for his illness. Two years later, Townshend and The Who created “Tommy”, perhaps the best known rock opera, and the first musical work explicitly billed as a “rock opera”. It is generally accepted that the first rock opera was in fact a rock operetta called “A Quick One While He’s Away”, a 9 minute song written by Peter Townshend for The Who’s 1966 album “A Quick One”. A BRIEF (AND INCOMPLETE) HISTORY OF ROCK OPERA
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