According to Wikipedia, the first Rock Opera would be A Quick One While He's Away, by Pete Townshend.

Here's the Wikipedia entry on that:
--quote--
the earliest completed and recorded example of a 'rock opera' appeared later in 1966 - Townshend's A Quick One While He's Away on The Who's second album, A Quick One. It was a nine-minute suite of short songs telling the operatic story of the seduction of a young girl guide (Townshend) by an engine driver named Ivor (played by John Entwistle). Kit Lambert had the original idea for a 9-minute suite. There was 10 minutes of space left on the LP, so Lambert suggested to Pete Townshend that he write "something linear... perhaps a 10 minute song." Townshend responded by saying that rock songs are "2:50 by tradition!" Lambert then told Townshend that he should write a 10 minute story comprised of 2:50 songs.
--unquote--
Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Quick_One,_While_He%27s_Away
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_opera

Asker's Rating:

Permalink | Report