Great rock operas!

[MLE]

psykosonik's self titled album isn't rock opera, but it does tell a story through it if you're into that type of music as well. Good techno was hard to come by in the 90's, yet this still existed.

[Arioch]

To breakdown King Diamond a bit further...

5 songs on Diamond's first post-Mercyful Fate album, Fatal Portrait, are all part of the same story: The Candle, The Jonah, The Portrait, Dressed in White, and Haunted. The next King Diamond album, Abigail, is entirely of the same concept, and is arguably his finest effort. Them and Conspiracy are both the same concept. The Spiders Lullabye and Abigail II are also concept albums, with Abigail II a continuation of Abigail.

Queensryche's Operation: Mindcrime is an opus "rock opera" concept album, followed by Operation: Mindcrime II.

Fates Warning released an album called No Exit, and the entire second side is all of one concept: The Ivory Gate of Dreams (Innocence, Cold Daze, Daylight Dreamers, Quietus, Ivory Tower, Whispers on the Wind, Acquiescence, Retrospect).

For more instrumental "rock opera" themed concepts: Agalloch put 3 songs on Pale Folklore that are connected, "She Painted Fire Across the Sky (parts 1,2, and 3)".

Continuing in the instrumental vein, Burzum released two albums, Daudi Baldrs and Hlioskjalf that are loosely connected concepts, but can be listened to separately.

These are the albums I can think of off the top of my head. I'm sure there are a lot more that I'm forgetting.

Unfortunately, finding complete accompanying videos or movies based on these works is impossible. There were single videos made of some of the songs though and you can probably find them on YouTube.

[JediScum]

A few days ago, I looked up Rock Opera on Wikipedia, since they are such authorities on it, to see what they had to say about it. Rock Opera, is basically a story, told through music, from the first person perspective, having one or more charcters. A lot of time the characters are named, but it doesn't always have to be so.

There was also mention of metal, kinda sorta qualifying.

To argue FOR metal, The music is usually a lot more technical and some people won't listen to metal because of "that opera singer crap". So, I think, metal shouldn't be so easily dismissed of a genre for Rock Opera.

However, metal or not, if Rock Opera tells a story, through at least one character, in the first person, then these do have to be included.

Residents - "Mark of the Mole" and "GOD in Three Persons"
David Bowie - "Outside"
Almost anything King Diamond has ever done outside of Mercyful Fate.
Voivod - "Dimesion Hatross"

There are those works which are given Rock Opera status, but the main reason I haven't listed them is because I am unfamiliar with them.

The Who - "Tommy"
Jesus Christ Superstar
possibly Pink Floyd - "The Wall" (wiki didn't list them)
Queensryche - "Operation:Mindcrime"

These are all albums where the story is not interupted by extraneous songs such as many of GWAR's releases.

Other suspects of potential Rock Opera may be Rush, King Crimson, Tom Waits, and Helloween. Send me money so I can find out.

[MLE]

Originally Posted by JediScum

A few days ago, I looked up Rock Opera on Wikipedia, since they are such authorities on it, to see what they had to say about it. Rock Opera, is basically a story, told through music, from the first person perspective, having one or more charcters. A lot of time the characters are named, but it doesn't always have to be so.

Definition of Rock opera that was ALREADY STATED IN THIS THREAD YOU COLOSSAL IDIOT. (zbf, not you GW i would never say that about you)