10 Albums That Changed Rock History

Towards the end of the '60s, rock had started to look a lot different than it did at the start of the decade. Since the psychedelic era was kicking into high gear and socially conscious lyrics coming to the forefront, this was no longer just some fun songs that you could blast at a party. So it was only a matter of time before someone actually brought the power chord swagger to the theater.

Imagined by Pete Townshend fresh out of the Mod scene, The Who's Tommy was the prototype for what would become the rock opera, as it followed the titular deaf, dumb, and blind boy and how he could possibly live a normal life through the power of rock and roll. Even with people not understanding the story, every song seemed to register with the public, with Pinball Wizard becoming one of the strangest songs to reach the top of the charts.

Outside of the handful of hits though, the Who managed to go even further when it was on the live stage, often playing the album in its entirety to capture the same energy that they could on the record. While they might not have been able to write a story this concise again, it's a miracle that we at least got one of them.