Chapter 01 — Today in music
On a day like today May 23
1969
The Who release 'Tommy' and rock learns to tell full stories
On May 23, 1969, The Who released 'Tommy', the rock opera about a deaf, dumb and blind boy who becomes a pinball messiah. Pete Townshend proved a rock album could sustain a complete narrative from start to finish, clearing the path for seventies conceptual rock. From the Metropolitan Opera House to Broadway, 'Tommy' took the genre where nobody expected it.
The Who
1934
Robert Moog is born, the engineer who gave rock a brand-new instrument
On May 23, 1934, Robert Moog was born in New York — the engineer whose modular synthesizer redrew the sonic map of popular music. From the Beatles and the Doors to the whole of progressive rock, the Moog opened territories guitars could not reach. Without this shy electronics obsessive, neither Kraftwerk nor much of modern pop would exist.
Robert Moog
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