On May 23, 1969, The Who released their ground-breaking double album, Tommy, and introduced the world to the concept of the “rock opera” (and also gave guitarists that damn cool Pinball Wizard lick).

The genius of Tommy is, in part, due to it’s simplicity. Most of the double-album centers around Pete Townhsend’s incredible acoustic guitar work and The Who’s backing vocals. Of course, none of that would work without Keith Moon’s frenetic drumming, which gives the whole thing a bit of operatic pomposity that just makes the whole thing click. And don’t forget that they pulled the whole shebang off live night after night. It’s nothing short of amazing.

Although other acts had hinted at so-called conceptual works previously (including The Who themselves), Tommy was the first rock opera to achieve widespread popularity. The success of Tommy paved the way for others like it, such as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s masterpiece Jesus Christ Superstar, The Who’s Quadrophenia, Frank Zappa’s Joe’s Garage, Pink Floyd’s The Wall, and even later works like Queensryche’s Operation Mindcrime. There are many others.

Tommy stands out from other music of the era in part because of The Who’s anti-hippy attitude. When pop culture moved away from face-painting, flower power, dragon flies, and rainbows, so went with it much of the music. But Tommy was different. The Who were different.

Long live rock!