Tommy (1969)

Pete Townshend pioneered the rock opera format with this ambitious double album chronicling the surreal journey of a traumatised boy who becomes a pinball champion and messianic cult leader. Recurring overtures, leitmotifs, and acoustic reprises bind the sprawling tracks into a coherent narrative suite that flows effortlessly from side to side. Heard from start to finish, the tragic rise and eventual abandonment of Tommy delivers an overwhelming dramatic catharsis that single tracks cannot match.