-->''I never wanted to know''
-->''Never wanted to see''
-->''I wasted my time''
-->''Till time wasted me''
-->''Never wanted to go''
-->''Always wanted to stay''
-->'''Cause the person I am''
-->''Are the parts that I play''

''Streets: A Rock Opera'' is a 1991 album by Music/{{Savatage}}, the first of three [[RockOpera Rock Operas]], and the final album featuring Jon Oliva as lead vocals with his brother Criss on guitar. It is more commonly known as simply ''Streets''.

The concept started as a play, ''Gutter Ballet'', written by the band's producer Paul O'Neill. Intended for Broadway and forgotten about until Criss discovered it and suggested it be made into an album. As ''Gutter Ballet'' was already the title of their previous release they planned on the opera being called ''Ghost In the Ruins'' before settling on ''Streets''. Originally also planned to be a DistinctDoubleAlbum had the record label not lost reels of the recording sessions, the lost tracks eventually re-written and included into future Savatage albums.






!! This album features examples of:

* AuthorCatchphrase: A pair of recurring verses "I never wanted to know, never wanted to see-" and "I am the way, I am the light-", both appear on ''Streets''. They are shared between three songs on three-ish albums; "When the Crowds are Gone" (''Gutter Ballet''), "Believe", and "Alone You Breathe" (''Handful of Rain''). However, "When the Crowds Are Gone" was intended to have been part of ''Streets'' before being added to ''Gutter Ballet''.
* {{Biography}}: Subverted. It was ''not'' meant to be Jon Oliva's autobiography, especially given that O'Niell first wrote the play in 1979. It ''does'' have an uncanny resemblance to what Jon had struggled with in the past.
* CherubicChoir: "Streets" begins with a children's chorus singing from [[WolfgangAmadeusMozart Mozart]]'s ''Theatre/TheMagicFlute''.
* ConceptAlbum
* ExecutiveMeddling: The subtitle "A Rock Opera" was forced onto the album by the label.
* GoingColdTurkey: DT pulls it off in order to salvage his career.
* JesusSaves: Title of both a song on the album and a catch phrase.
* KnownOnlyByTheirNickname: "DT Jesus".
* MissingEpisode: A number of tracks meant to be on the aborted double CD ended up being released on other albums or cannibalized into different songs. Among them:
** "When the Crowds Are Gone", released on their preceeding album ''Gutter Ballet''.
** "DT Jesus", later released on the ''From The Gutter to the Stage'' compilation.
** "Desiree", released on a later re-release of ''Streets''.
** "Stay", an accoustic version was released with ''Music/TheWakeOfMagellan''.
** "Tonight I Would Be King" and "Sanctuary" were both dropped.
** "Larry Elbows" and "Beyond Broadway" were both written into songs for Music/JonOlivasPain.
* MusicVideo: "Jesus Saves" received some MTV playtime and can be seen [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiHyP3wHae8 here]]. Their cover artist Gary Smith played DT. A video for "New York City Don't Mean Nothing" was also filmed but was lost and never aired.
* OfficiallyShortenedTitle: The album is formally known by the band as ''Streets''.
* RagsToRiches: DT was a drug dealer turned smash rock and roll hit.
* VillainSong: "Agony And Ecstasy", the song partially represents the knowledge that drugs destroyed him once and cannot do anything to ''help'' him and he still longs for them.
* WhatDidIDoLastNight: DT often didn't know where he was or what he had done during his junkie days.
* WretchedHive: The streets of New York City are a grim and miserable place.