Topic: What Are Your Favorite Concept Albums? (Read 2024 times)

The Alchemist · « **on:** January 06, 2014, 08:00:08 PM »

As the title states, what are some of your favorite Concept albums? By Concept album I mean an album in which the entire album is a story or album where all musical or lyrical ideas contribute to a single overall theme or unified story.

Please feel free to explain what the concept album is about if you want to, and of course the album and artist. I personally like concept albums and hopefully I will find some posts with some concept albums I have never heard before and could open myself (and others) up to new music and genres.

One of my all time favorite concept albums is Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory by Dream Theater

Basically the story is the sequel to an earlier song from the band Metropolis–Part I: The Miracle and the Sleeper. It is a story about a man named Nicholas (present day) who keeps having nightmares about something tragic that happened to a young women in the past. Nicholas is very concerned about these reoccurring nightmares so sees a hypnotherapist to go through regression therapy. Basically the album goes through the regression therapy memories that are being revealed to Nicholas giving more details about who this young woman is and what had happened to her. It is revealed as the story goes on that back in 1928 the young woman was in a relationship with a Senator but ends up falling in love with the senator's brother. After some time, the young woman (later revealed to be named Victoria) realized that she was wrong and wanted to do the right thing and stay with the senator and not continue the affair with the senator's brother. The senator's brother got extremely jealous and set them up and ended up murdering both his brother and Victoria (the young woman Nicholas has been dreaming about). When this comes to light during the regression session, Nicholas also realizes that HE himself was Victoria in a past life.

The album ends with Nicholas going back to his home in present day after the regression session and sitting down to have a drink and listen to a record. As he is sitting in the chair in his home, he hears the door creak open, the hypnotherapist walks through the door of Nicholas' home and then proceeds to murder Nicholas (present day). It turns out that the hypnotherapist was the re-incarnation of the jealous brother who murdered Victoria (Nicholas' past life) and his brother the senator.

If you want the full story you can read it here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scenes_From_A_Memory

It is actually a really awesome album and I recommend anyone into progressive rock give it a listen. Even if you do not like that genre of music, one can still appreciate the musical skills and talents of Dream Theater, each of the members are all very technically advanced musically in their own right (of course that is my opinion).

Now I look forward to hearing about your favorite concept albums! I want to explore some new music!

Tari · « **Reply #1 on:** January 06, 2014, 08:37:18 PM »

Some that come immediately to mind:

DSOTMITCOTCK
O&O
TKATVGPS
AOTS
MFTUFS:DACC

All are musically conceptual, but I would only consider three of them lyrically so.

Original_Ken · « **Reply #2 on:** January 07, 2014, 04:52:08 AM »

Actually there is a pretty decent Wikipedia article on the subject:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concept_album

Your example is listed therein. Certainly The Beatles' Sergent Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon are the biggest ones.

The Alchemist · « **Reply #3 on:** January 07, 2014, 05:48:14 AM »

Thanks Ken for the link. There are some good lists there and sorted by decade too!

M3NTAL · « **Reply #4 on:** January 07, 2014, 06:07:31 AM »

I really enjoyed the Coheed and Cambria albums. They remind me a bit of Rush - so it's a love hate thing for a lot of people. I can take it in small doses and return to it every once and a while.

Hands · « **Reply #5 on:** January 07, 2014, 07:31:00 AM »

Eh, I guess I'll put in the band you'd expect me to put in...Opeth.

I really like the concept behind their "Still Life" album. Here's the Wikipedia excerpt on it:

Like its predecessor, My Arms, Your Hearse, Still Life is a concept album. Frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt explains: "Still Life was not Satanic but an anti-Christian theme. It sounds pretty naive when I explain it like this. It kind of takes place a long time ago when Christianity had a bigger importance than it has today. The main character is kind of banished from his hometown because he hasn't got the same faith as the rest of the inhabitants there. The album pretty much starts off when he is returning after several years to hook up with his old 'babe'. Obviously a lot of bad things start happening with, as I call it on the album, 'the council.' The big bosses of the town know that he's back. A lot of bad things start happening. They see him as a hypocrite in a way. It's almost like a devil's advocate or whatever it's called."

First, I think it's funny how Akerfeldt talks about what sounds like a serious, metal album (i.e. returning for your lover after many years = returning to hook up with your old "babe"). It's interesting that his goofy nature didn't start showing itself more in their music until "Watershed."

Anyway, the guy returns to this city, and the "big bosses" know it. Shortly after reuniting with his lover, Melinda, and being more or less turned down when he asks her to come away with him, one of these "big bosses" or their henchmen slits her throat in front of him. Naturally, he gets angry and goes on a killing spree of sorts. The final song is about his last moments before they hang him.

Akerfeldt has also referred to some of their earlier albums as "black metal nonsense," and it certainly applies here in many ways. I still love the album and the way it plays out. I especially like that their concept albums generally focus on a single issue or one individual's personal scenario.

The Alchemist · « **Reply #6 on:** January 07, 2014, 07:32:22 AM »

Yeah lol I was hoping someone would mention Opeth

anetode · « **Reply #7 on:** January 07, 2014, 09:10:20 AM »

Wish You Were Here is an easy favorite.

First two by Mars Volta -- Deloused in the Comatorium / Frances the Mute. I don't claim to understand what their concepts are, but they seem legit. See this article for a track-by-track review of Frances that's actually worth reading.

Frank Zappa - Joe's Garage. A brilliant response to the age which brought us The Who's Tommy bullshit and an absurdly funny filler for the 70s before everyone got all serious.

Everlast - Whitey Ford Sings the Blues. Yes, really.
The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. Don't really care for whatever ideas that hippy is peddling, more of an emotionally atmospheric piece.
Tool - Ænima. Their peak as far as I'm concerned. A few songs that really get under your skin, a few angry denouncements, topped off with a properly psychedelic meandering outro.

Deltron 3030 - Deltron 3030. I love scifi hiphop when it's done this well.

of Montreal - Really almost any album, provided I'm in the right mood. I think they're all semi-focused concept albums but as with Mars Volta it's kind of tough to tell.

Melvins - Hostile Ambient Takeover. For all of their theatric apathy they really do push themselves with this album.

Gorillaz - Demon Days. Doesn't have quite the poppy playfulness of their first album though it is more cohesive than any of their other works.

Mastodon - Crack the Skye. Fun little metal ditty.

µ-Ziq - µ-Ziq vs the Auteurs. A drum'n'bass DJ takes apart an album he despises and manages to salvage it with a lightheartedly cheesy remix.

Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral. Couldn't be a teen in the 90s without liking that album. Even when Reznor's dysthymic hyperbole falls flat I can still enjoy the bravery of its intent.

The KLF - Chill Out. An ambient mix-session focusing on a trip through rural southern US as imagined by two Brits working the comedown tent at a rave.

Muse - Black Holes and Revelations. I have a soft spot for over the top grandeur in music. The world's ending for vocalist Matthew Bellamy in every other song.

Roger Waters - Amused to Death. A more mature version of Muse's indignation at the state of the world. Roger Waters sounds weary, cynical and aged.

Nick Cave - No More Shall We Part. Kind of a turning point for Cave, a spiritual album that is neither shallow nor abashed.

Tom Waits - Small Change. The culmination of his 70s hard-drinking lowbrow persona, just as the carnival barker influence began to creep in. The songs are on the corny side and the ballads are a little too bare to be literary. Still it's a solid concept album at an interesting point of his maturation.

Alabama 3 - Exile on Coldharbour Lane. Really a brave piece of dance music. This time the Brits are borrowing American Christian revivalist tropes, more country than gospel. Oh, and it has that one song from The Sopranos.

The Alchemist · « **Reply #8 on:** January 07, 2014, 09:14:57 AM »

Great post and great picks. Not sure if I would personally consider Tool's Ænima album to be a concept album, I can certainly see it being interpreted as such. But as Maynard says, it is all about interpretation to each individual listener. Great post pirate.

Stapsy · « **Reply #9 on:** January 07, 2014, 01:26:35 PM »

A Love Supreme by John Coltrane - Obviously not a rock concept album, I think this is one of the best examples of a cohesive musical theme outside of classical music. Supposedly this tells the story of Coltrane discovering religion.

Jewels of Thought by Pharoah Sanders - This album is based on the "a love supreme" riff. The best way I can describe it is psychedelic jazz. Pharoah was a member of Coltrane's band for a couple of years and I find his playing an interesting counterpoint to Trane. These are really two different takes on the same idea.

Time Out by Dave Brubeck Quartet - This is not a musical theme/storytelling concept album. The concept is simple, songs with new and unusual time signatures. If you can understand why I think this is a concept album then you will probably appreciate the others on my list.

Animals by Pink Floyd - Any Pink Floyd album could be considered a concept album, but this one is my favorite.

Suburbs by Arcade Fire - Tells the story of living in the Suburbs. I am not that big into lyrical/storytelling concept albums because I don't really internalize lyrics in that way (too distracted by music to pay attention to what they are saying). Musically and lyrically I think this album captures something about the theme. I won't say it is the best concept album ever, but I really like it.

Honorable mention goes to Kind of Blue and Bitches Brew by Miles Davis. I don't know if Kind of Blue is a true concept album, but I am sure that Miles Davis new exactly what he was doing when he created the modal jazz style. I think it should get a mention in the same way that Time Out does. Unusual time signatures is a more interesting concept than modal improvisation, so it makes it on my list. Bitches Brew is an album that I love. It feels like a concept album, but I am not sure what the concept is. There is a very definitive sound on every song that is different from anything else I have heard.

Author Topic: What Are Your Favorite Concept Albums? (Read 2024 times)

The Alchemist

What Are Your Favorite Concept Albums?

Tari

Re: What Are Your Favorite Concept Albums?

Original_Ken

Re: What Are Your Favorite Concept Albums?

The Alchemist

Re: What Are Your Favorite Concept Albums?

M3NTAL

Re: What Are Your Favorite Concept Albums?

Hands

Re: What Are Your Favorite Concept Albums?

The Alchemist

Re: What Are Your Favorite Concept Albums?

anetode

Re: What Are Your Favorite Concept Albums?

The Alchemist

Re: What Are Your Favorite Concept Albums?

Stapsy

Re: What Are Your Favorite Concept Albums?

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Author Topic: What Are Your Favorite Concept Albums? (Read 2024 times)