What IS an opera, anyway? It is a dramatic story told with music rather than acting. The songs tell us the story. The 1970s was not only a golden era for classic rock, it was especially a golden era for the rock opera. This episode of For the Record: The 70s examines some of songs from the iconic rock operas of the decade, most of which have the similar theme of youth angst and desire at their core. Artists and bands such as The Who, Meatloaf, and Pink Floyd created characters and told stories with their songs and, in the process, created some of the best rock that the 70s had to offer.