Jesus Christ Superstar, a two-act rock opera, gave opera a radical facelift through its use of vibrant rock music for a solemn topic. Andrew Lloyd Webber (music) and Tim Rice (lyrics) created a new kind of Jesus, a prophet / rock star whose appeal stems as much from the crowd's energy as from his own inspirational message. The album of songs, released a year before the first stage production of the play, created a market for the dramatic version, which opened to sold-out audiences who were already familiar with its songs.