Streets - A Rock Opera
| Streets - A Rock Opera | ||||
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| Studio album by Savatage | ||||
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Publication |
1991 |
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| Label (s) | Steamhammer (USA), Edel Music / SPV (D) | |||
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Format (s) |
CD, LP |
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Title (number) |
16 |
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running time |
68 min 33 s |
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Streets - A Rock Opera is a 1991 concept album by American heavy metal band Savatage .
The story
The main character in Streets is DT Jesus, a drug dealer in New York City who pursues a career as a rock star before becoming addicted and crashing himself. His friend and manager Tex helps him out of the gutter. Just as DT's comeback is underway, his drug supplier Sammy, to whom he still owes money, visits him. Tex comes along by chance and wants to help DT, but Sammy stabs Tex. DT escapes in shock. On his wrong way through New York, in his deep crisis, he looks for answers to his questions in a church (St. Patrick's), with a pimp and a homeless person. However, he does not find any satisfactory answers. When he begins to wonder if something would remain of his life if he died now, he discovers an idol of his youth, a musician, drunk, smelly, in rags, dying on the side of the road. None of the bystanders want to be of any help. However, DT takes care of him. He sees the soul of the musician stepping out of the body in the form of a child and after this experience feels deep peace and satisfaction, expressed in the song "Believe".
Streets contains strong religious moments, but does not follow the teachings of any denomination , ultimately depicts God more forgiving than is the case in the official teachings of all major Christian denominations.
background
The story was written by Paul O'Neill back in 1979, before his collaboration with Savatage. Originally, the concept was a Broadway - Musical thought up by Criss Oliva, the proposal was to turn it into an album. Although the concept album is based on the O'Neill story, most of the lyrics were written by Oliva. Two of the songs that were originally part of the concept ( Gutter Ballet and When the Crowds Are Gone ) were already used on the previous album Gutter Ballet .
Jon Oliva plays drums on the songs Jesus Saves and Can You Hear Me Now , while Criss Oliva played the bass . Since the record company wasn't happy with the original recordings, the two band members had to rewrite the songs to add a little more metal . The original versions can be heard on the album From the Gutter to the Stage .
The recordings for this album lasted almost a year and it was originally planned to release it as a double album.
title
- Streets - 6:50
- Jesus Saves - 5:13
- Tonight He Grins Again - 3:28
- Strange Reality - 4:56
- A Little Too Far - 3:25
- You're Alive - 1:51
- Sammy and Tex - 3:07
- St. Patrick’s - 4:17
- Can You Hear Me Now - 5:11
- New York City Don't Mean Nothing - 4:01
- Ghost in the Ruins - 5:32
- If I Go Away - 5:17 am
- Agony and Ecstasy - 3:33
- Heal My Soul - 2:35
- Somewhere in Time - 3:17 am
- Believe - 5:42
Bonus tracks:
- on the European Edel Records re-release
- Desiree - 3:54
- on the European SPV republication
- Ghost in the Ruins (live) - 5:20
- Jesus Saves (live) - 4:02