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shakespearegeek | January 14, 2009 03:15 PM | in Musicals

Looking for some good, rock-opera type music.

As a programmer I find that my optimal productivity comes from getting just the right type of music blasting in my headphones. One type that does it for me is what I can best dub "rock opera-esque" - HAIR, Jesus Christ Superstar, Rent. Not entire soundtracks, but specific songs (Aquarius, La Vie Boheme, Heaven On Their Minds, etc...)

What other shows can I cherry pick some tunes from? Hopefully folks get what I'm asking for - not looking for a generic "best Broadway soundtracks". I can NOT program to Les Mis or Phantom. I need the stuff that rocks.

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BEST ANSWER chosen by asker | michaelpaul | January 14, 2009 08:06 PM

Hey shakespearegeek,

This isn't exactly what you're looking for, but I thought it was worthy of mention anyway: I created a playlist using Pandora and the specific songs you mentioned (Aquarius, La Vie Boheme, Heaven On Their Minds). What Pandora's going to do next is suggest songs that are similar to those three. You can add more "seed songs" to train Pandora on what you like, but it'll do the programming for you. If you don't like a song, just click the thumbs down button and it'll skip it and move on to the next one.

All you need to do is sign up for an account, which takes about 15 seconds. I've found Pandora to be a GREAT way to discover new music and must say that it's extremely intelligent based on the seed songs and/or artists you give your station.

Hope this helps,

Mike

source(s):
http://www.pandora.com/stations/86116346c11e1d85be6be9633f938e703a5582c0cdf...

Asker's rating:

I have to give it to Michael, because while I was familiar with Pandora, I had completely dismissed it due to the iPhone's lack of multiple seed songs. His answer made me go visit the web site and feed in all my examples, and I am listening to my new channel right now!

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shakespearegeek | January 14, 2009 08:17 PM

Great idea, I'm well familiar with Pandora. Perhaps I was doing something wrong, but last time I did try to do that, it kept telling me it couldn't find any music for me. I'm trying again, the trick now is to train it that I don't want all theatre, just a particular kind :). I'm not sure if the iPhone app I'm using allows multiple seed songs.

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michaelpaul | January 14, 2009 08:23 PM

The Pandora iPhone app does not support multiple seed songs, so that'll need to be done through the web interface. But that's probably your best unless someone here's a rock-opera expert ;)

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darth continent | January 14, 2009 03:22 PM

Hmm you may enjoy Nightwish:

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bugsy | January 14, 2009 03:30 PM

Anette is horrible. Just horrible. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWd6j5rphtg

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bugsy | January 14, 2009 03:25 PM

The best example that comes in mind is Nightwish, especially their Wanderlust and Gethsemane song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0RnPHfLrkY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6RuDVwXNLM

A less known band is the Diablo Swing Orchestra, with their Poetic Pitbull Revolutions, Ragdoll Physics and such.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYjVrnWkriA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xlQFiHAKe8

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shakespearegeek | January 14, 2009 04:29 PM

You know, I heard about the first five seconds instrumental on Wanderlust and thought, "Yes, this is perfect, this is the best $3 I've ever...."..and then the lead singer opened her mouth. Ummm...hmm. Makes one think of bad American Idol auditions. The second one (was that Gethsemane?) was better. These bands German, by any chance? For some reason, perhaps some operatic quality in the voice, it made me think these are European bands.

I think if you put the lead singer from Evanescence onto Nightwish's instrumentals you'd have the sort of thing I'm looking for.

Still, though, best answer yet (with acknowledgement to Darth who I think was technically first, but you provided more examples...)

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bugsy | January 14, 2009 04:48 PM

Nightwish is Finnish and Diablo Swing Orchestra is Swedish.

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drmatt | January 14, 2009 03:40 PM

Chess (the musical)

http://www.amazon.com/Chess-1988-Original-Broadway-Cast/dp/B000002WBG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1231947639&sr=8-1

Not a "rock opera" per say, but:

Genesis' The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway

http://www.amazon.com/Lamb-Lies-Down-Broadway/dp/B000002J1S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1231947682&sr=1-1

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shakespearegeek | January 14, 2009 03:57 PM

I do have Chess, I had forgotten about that one. "One Night In Bangkok" is in my current playlist, but I'd forgotten that the entire first act of Chess rocks pretty good.

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rosshann | January 14, 2009 03:51 PM

Meatloaf, bat out of hell album, one the rock-operaesque I know of. One song in particular is For Crying Out Loud, but the whole album is worth it. Song of the best rock guitar recorded is on this album. Big sound.

source(s):
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=TVXrLxOTJk4

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shakespearegeek | January 14, 2009 03:58 PM

I find it hard to separate Meatloaf musically from high school memories of Paradise By The Dashboard Light. Know what I mean? Part of the theatric appeal of the examples I cited are the big full-company choruses that shake the back wall of the theatre when you see them live.

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evan | January 14, 2009 06:11 PM

You might like Dream Theater. Try something from "Scenes from a Memory" which is basically a prog-rock opera.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ-dNUOYNLA

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teff torbes | January 14, 2009 07:38 PM

Trans Siberian Orchestra has one rock opera type album - Beethoven's Last Night - a couple songs off of it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0yDoWbBQOo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDIXGiG_KZ8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MoGXNOm_2o

That album has a major broadway/theatrical sound to it.

Ayreon is modern prog metal, done by a guy that gets 8-12 vocalists and 30+ instrumentalists, and makes an album with them. These are from one of his albums, The Human Equation -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-ncSNUswVY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgP7pVScWRI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTSt58Xelz8&feature=related

This many songs from the entire album, apparently, on a playlist on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ve6sJTvHyys&feature=PlayList&p=D7145E369E27F515&playnext=1&index=19

Here are a couple off of different albums:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYEzZyLyzlM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDENdUH_1WA&feature=PlayList&p=9DF5693112229FFD&playnext=1&index=1
The only vocalist they have in common with the other album is the guy that is the band.

He has used singers from Iron Maiden, Dream Theater, Devin Townsend, Opeth, The Gathering, Elfonia, Faith Machine, and numerous other groups. If you like the style of the music but not the vocalists, just try one of his other albums!

Therion may be overdoing it here, but you might like it. It's more gothic, and operatic - it also happens to be metal, to varying degrees:
Here's a quiet song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpvJNvp-Uqk&feature=related

And some stuff that's heavier:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqLYjRn--GI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_o6lX_qdlLI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPLb9FVKoqI

Note that you won't find much in the way of metal style vocals in Therion. Most are operatic. Here's a song with a classic metal style vocalist, this is more or less power metal - this song is covering Manowar, a rather fun and obnoxious power metal group:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol0D1tdw0BA

All the way to very awkward but interesting metal/opera combos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar2p8upbjc0

Haggard is a better group but is even more awkward. They combine death vocals with operatic vocals, and are in general similar to Therion but more intense. It's more classical than "rock opera", though.
Here's a famaliar song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIi_S3kUzeo

And here's a fairly typical Haggard song. Strangely catchy, a combo of metal, classical, and opera, but with simple, melodic tunes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9pVmQpgjgU&feature=related

Odds are you like some Haggard and hate other stuff depending on the vocals. Some songs are strange juxtapositions of a female operatic style vocalist with male growling.

Lastly, if you have a sense of humor, this might count as theatrical to you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyVuheZx4BQ

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jennybeanses | January 14, 2009 09:05 PM

Have you ever listened to Savatage? During the early 1990's, the band Savatage released the CD: "Streets: A Rock Opera" that featured the rise and fall of a rockstar named DT Jesus. It's a really compelling and dark story that really ecompasses the essence of rock star mentality that was popular during the 1980's and 1990's. The whole CD is phenomenal.

source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streets_(Album)

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dumblonde | January 15, 2009 07:22 AM

My favorite rock opera is Tommy by the Who.
It's a great album and a great movie. I especially love Pinball Wizard the movie version sung by Elton John.