UKC

I had my ipod on "shuffle" mode, and had "The Great Marsh," off "The Snow Goose" by Camel, come up. Just had to switch over and play the whole album.

Surely the greatest "concept" album of all time?

In reply to stroppygob:
drive by truckers: a southern rock opera. masterful.

In reply to mike123:

200 Motels, by Frank Zappa.

Great concept, shame about the music.

In reply to stroppygob:

"Trout Mask Replica" by Captain Beefheart

..put on continuous loop for maximum obtuseness.

In reply to stroppygob:

Im Gonna go symphonic Light rock with:

ELO - out of the blue.

Second:

Jeff Waynes war of the worlds.

In reply to stroppygob:



Would the pros and cons of hitch hiking fit the bill?

In reply to stroppygob:
OTTOMH:

Bowie - Ziggy Stardust (obviously)
The Orb's Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld
King Geedorah (MF Doom) - Escape from Monster Island
Dangerdoom - The Mouse and the Mask
Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin
Mercury Rev- Deserters' Songs
Pretty much everything by Drexciya - more of a concept career than a concept album.

In reply to stroppygob:

Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (the slipperman - eeek!)
Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick
Neil Weedon Watkins Pie - Neil's Heavy Concept Album
Queensrÿche - Operation Mindcrime
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here

I love concept albums.

In reply to stroppygob:

Demon Days - Gorillaz

In reply to stroppygob:

Control - Pedro The Lion

Beautiful, poignant concept album about a marital break up which also happens to be rammed full of brilliant songs. And it isn't overblown proggy bollocks. Hurrah.

In reply to stroppygob:

For a more modern day non-proggy bollocks howabout Midlakes' The Trials of Van Occupanther.

In reply to stroppygob:
youtube.com/watch?v=tK9iMx_orZM& S.F Sorrow by the Pretty Things, brilliant!

In reply to stroppygob: A fine record indeed. The live version is better still, the three track passage ending in Dunkirk is utterly magnificent.

T.

In reply to stroppygob:

surprised nobody has mentioned the best ever

The Who Quadrophenia

(the original not the film soundtrack)

In reply to kevin stephens:

Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters- Bob Calvert

R for ruminant...

In reply to stroppygob0: Radiohead - OK Computer.

In reply to Nath93:

Really? What was the concept

In reply to stroppygob:

Contempory - The Mars Volta, Delouced in the Comatorium

Classic - David Bowie, Low

In reply to stroppygob:

Can somebody explain what a 'concept album' is, then I might be able to take part in the debate? I'm at a loss to understand the term, but I'll go for Transformer by Lou Reed.

In reply to stroppygob:

The Who Sell Out

In reply to Al Evans:

just Means an album where all the Tracks have a unifying theme, or tell a story.

For example, radioHead albums have the unifying theme of Making you consider ending it all

In reply to kevin stephens: Societies downward spiral.

In reply to Choss:


I think it's a difficult argument to pin down, the thematic one. For example, Dark Side of the Moon is, Wish You Were Here and Animals aren't even though both are strongly thematic.

I wouldn't have said OK Computer was either.

T.

In reply to stroppygob:

Marillion script for a jesters tear

Is tubular bells a concept? if so, that

In reply to stroppygob:
Still love Crime of the century - Supertramp

In reply to Siward:

Are you wearing makeup?

In reply to stroppygob:

+1 for Tubular Bells

In reply to stroppygob:

Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden

In reply to stroppygob:

Just remembered another good one: The Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs.

In reply to Pursued by a bear:



Wow!! I never even knew it existed!! Will search it out!!

In reply to The Pylon King:

Not really a concept album, in the true meaning of the term? (But also one of my top 5 albums of all time.)

In reply to stroppygob: It's the second disc - sides three and four of a double album, in old money - of 'A live record'.

The LP release had six tracks on the first disc; the CD version has rather more. The definitive version of Never Let Go is on there as well as a lovely version of Lady Fantasy.

One of my all-time favourites and one of the best 'live' albums, that record.

T.

In reply to stroppygob:


It was a concept album as in how it was created.

In reply to stroppygob:

A concept album is a studio album where all musical or lyrical ideas contribute to a single overall theme or unified story.

So juts about any classical symphony!

In reply to stroppygob:

Frank Zappa: Joes Garage 1,2 & 3
Husker Du: Zen Arcade

In reply to stroppygob:

King Crimson; In The Court Of The Crimson King

Aphrodites Child; 666 (who's heard that then? If you have, then you won't forget it).

In reply to stroppygob:
how about Mandalaband's Prophecies and the Eye of Wendor?

or Dave Greenslade's Pentacheuch of the Cosmogany?

In reply to Bulls Crack:

the full wiki quote:"A concept album is a studio album where all musical or lyrical ideas contribute to a single overall theme or unified story.[1] In contrast, typical studio albums consist of a number of unconnected songs (lyrically and otherwise) performed by the artist. It has been argued[2] that concept albums should only refer to albums that bring in themes or story lines from outside of music, given that a collection of love songs or songs from within a certain genre are not usually considered to be a "concept album"

In reply to BlownAway:

Dave Greenslade's Pentateuch eh? I've got a C120 I recorded from one of my mates in about 1982.I never saw another copy of that album...to be honest one was probably too many. Did you get the whole magnificent book too?

How about Hawkwind's "Warrior at the edge of time" as a suggestion? Maybe not a concept album...but its more fun to Listen to than "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway"

In reply to stroppygob:

Anyone ever heard 'The Shipbuilder' by Bob Pegg and Nick Strutt?
That was kinda quaint.

In reply to stroppygob:

I'll give
Dream Theater - Scenes from a memory
Yes - Tales from Topographic Oceans (much better now than when it first came out)
Jon Anderson - Olias of Sunhillow Anderson played all the instruments too. - It gets a bit samey but certainly fits the 'concept album' requirements.
Petrovitch Mussorsky - Pictures at an Exhibition.

In reply to jim jones:


Heard it? I've got it. Every five years or so I convince myself that maybe it had its moments and haul it out and play it again. For a while I think I was right and then it gets carried away with itself and I put it away for another five years.

In reply to stroppygob:

David Axelrod - Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience.

In reply to stroppygob:

This is Spinal Tap (Soundtrack)

In reply to stroppygob:

Erm am I missing something here, nobody has mentioned the elephant in the room....The Wall? Featuring arguably the best guitar solo of all time, sod the arguably, the best guitar solo of all time, - Comfortably Numb. Turn the lights off, wind the stereo up and let it rip....it doesn't work so well on an I-phone!

In reply to Rob Exile Ward:




A work of pure genius

In reply to sbc_10:


Incredible record. Life changing.

In reply to philhilo:
Was just going to mention the wall. Also the who's Tommy hasn't been offered yet <has it?>

In reply to Siward:

G for Germany!

In reply to stroppygob:

Mind you for me I think it would be Hawkwind's 'Space Ritual'. Which I'll be seeing them do on Saturday

In reply to stroppygob:

Springsteen's The Rising. I recommended it to David Hooper once but never found out if he listened to it. He was a fan of The Boss I know that much.

In reply to stroppygob: 50+ post about concept albums and no mention of Rush!

2112 is the obvious one to go for, but the concept lasts half the album. Well, one song. So I'm going for Clockwork Angels. Stunning album, great concept, its even got it's own book to go with it. And a series of comics. Proper concept.

Andy F

In reply to jim jones:



Wasn't Demis Roussos the lead singer with Aphrodites Child?

In reply to wilkie14c:

Or indeed, Ziggy Stardust.

In reply to stroppygob:

Pink Floyd - wish you were here
Rush - 2112
Demon - the plague

In reply to andy farnell:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_King_of_Elfland's_Daughter_(album)


Preposterous hippy plot - check

OTT album cover - check

narration by Christopher Lee - check

Your quest is complete my lord. The ultimate concept album lies before you, though verily thou must purchase the vinyl to appreciate the cover, and only then willst thou spot the Rizla packet that lies therein

The foul engine that drivest the forums has rebelled against the musical brilliance and refuseth to let me post the link, so verily thou must cut and paste to gain the secret knowledge of this opus that is held within wikipedia

In reply to stroppygob: Since I'm now at a PC rather than using a phone, here's a link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Live-Record-Remastered-Expanded-2CD/dp/B00005V1B4/r...

(it's also available from stores that pay more tax).

T.

In reply to andy farnell:

Good call. Took a few plays to get into it but it's on at least once a fortnight now. Wasn't looking forward to them ramming most of it down our throats last tour but it worked pretty well, especially with the visuals.

In reply to stroppygob:

Mike Oldfield, Songs of distant earth.
A track for each chapter in the book.

In reply to andrew ogilvie:


The book was the work of Patrick Woodruffe I think. Sadly I never owned it on vinyl so missed the full impact of the book. The CD version includes a smaller copy though.

In reply to stroppygob:

Does Babbacombe Lee by Fairport Convention count as a concept album, being a true story?

In reply to stroppygob:

Dark side of the moon,
The wall, Pink floyd.
B side to Hounds of love album, by Kate bush.
Quadraphenia,
Tommy, the who.
Ziggy stardust, Bowie
Thug life , 2 PAC
Fear of a black planet, public enemy.
Pros and cons of hitchhiking,
Radio chaos,
Amused to death, ( incredible production ) roger waters

In reply to BlownAway:

No mention of any of the three Gong Flying Teapot LPs, either.

Some things mentioned here have dredged up memories that would better have been left in the period's foul-smelling silt, most notably that Pentateuch thing (I owned a copy of the LP). Even worse than Gong and the 'Wind, etc. Christ, what a shocking embarrassment the 70s were in many ways, an abomination, despite being in several, or even many, respects great.

Of course, if we'd had any notion that the worse abomination that was the 80s was just around the corner ...

In reply to I like climbing:


Absolutely agree, Trout Mask is an incredible record...but what is the concept?

I wrote about one of my faves here:

http://devonrecordclub.com/2012/09/27/tom-waits-bone-machine-round-37-toms-...

In reply to tomrainbow:


Everyone playing in different time signatures?
Producing an LP while the band is kept hostage?

In reply to felt:


I was listening to Angel's Egg last night and thinking how good it still was.

In reply to felt:


As the discussion has moved on from the best concept albums to a discussion of concept albums more widely, and in a related vein to the Gong albums, how about Fish Rising by Steve Hillage?

The concept seems to have been based on a discussion enhanced by herbal smokes popular at the time about how fishes were, like, cool. Salmon, man.

Despite this, it does contain some very good bits - Hiram Afterglid meets the dervish is particularly nice - but there's a deal of stoned nonsense too. And some very good guitar playing; a frequently under-rated guitar player, Steve Hillage.

T.

In reply to Pursued by a bear:

Yes, he was proficient, certainly, but, like most guitarists, got rather stuck playing one scale over and over again. Best thing he did IMO was Rainbow Dome Musick or whathaveyou. His range of effects, too, seemed to be stuck on the Isley Brothers "Summer Breeze", with added echo box. That said, he's a nice guy, not like some of that lot.

In reply to Clarence:


Really? The one I liked was You, as it had fewer words (did it?) and more music. But I can't have heard it since the 80s.

Did Can ever do a concept album? Faust's Faust Tapes was probably one...

In reply to stroppygob:

Spirit, I'd still rate them. Potatoland and Future Games certainly concept albums, then 12 Dreams concept-y. Looked them up on WIki, I knew that Randy had died but hadn't realised he'd done so rescuing his 12-yr-old in Hawaii. What a guitarist he was, unbelievable talent.

In reply to felt:


Wow. So negative.


I would have agreed at the time, but with hindsight I think this is also too negative. Mind you what concept albums emanated from the 80s?

In reply to BlownAway:

Yes, I'm sorry, it does seem like that. You know how it is when you fall out of love and see the same things in a quite different light?

Now, if we were talking about music of the latter part of the seventeenth century, or of the Elizabethan period, I might not come across so negatively.

In reply to BlownAway:


It is indeed the work of Patrick Woodroffe - he's my other half's uncle, and although I may be biased, his artwork is absolutely stunning. You can still find copies of the album and book on eBay - often at extortionate prices, but they're sometimes quite reasonable.

OM

In reply to felt:

What interests me is why people feel the need to say this sort of thing so often and so load. Almost any music clip on the internet is besiged by hate mail. Some 70's concept music may have been pretentious but much of that was certainly carefully and skillfully crafted and seems to me in terms of value, at worst, in the over-rated to occasionally mildly embarrassing category. Looking back on the Elizabethan's in comparison is hardly fair as all the dross from those times will have disappeared.

In reply to Offwidth:

You've answered your own point. The dross hadn't disappeared in the 70s and we listened to it.

But there was some good stuff. See my comments on Spirit and the last sentence of the 70s para. What interests me is why people only read what suits their agenda.

In reply to nastyned:

Or indeed, Lucky Leif and the Longships.

Ba Ba Ba, Barbarians...

In reply to stroppygob:

Not mentioned so far, from my past:

Moody Blues: Voices in the Sky
Moody Blues: To our children's children's children
The Nice: Five Bridges Suite

In reply to Siward:

And then there's Hype though I prefer Test Tube Conceived.

In reply to stroppygob:

Another one from way back: Argus, Wishbone Ash. I believe there was a bit of an argument about whether or not this qualified as a concept album. The theme is certainly one of history/time and historical battles, sort of a "Lord of the Rings soundtrack." (Culminating in Throw Down the Sword) but I've got a vague memory that Andy Powell said that all happened by chance and there was no concept when they went into the studio?

In reply to stroppygob:

Wasn't the term originally coined for Sgt Pepper's?

Sham 69 - That's Life

In reply to stroppygob:

skinnyman - council Estate of mind

In reply to Al Evans:

Yes he was also Irene Papas featured memorably on one track also!

In reply to Al Evans:


For some reason I initially read that as "Wasn't Demis Roussos the lead singer with Destiny's Child?"

An alarming thought.

In reply to philhilo:


Pretty obvious one really and as you say the elephant in the room; unfortunately though what should have been the introductory track on "The Wall" didn't appear until "The Final Cut".

In reply to stroppygob:

I'm a fan of "Devin Townsend - Ziltoid the Omniscient" for just how silly it is. About an extra terrestial being in search of the ultimate cup of coffee.

youtube.com/watch?v=jfozhqAkDhM&

In reply to Pursued by a bear:

My eternal thanks.

In reply to philhilo:

I was going to post this. You read my mind.

In reply to tomrainbow:

Many thanks, Tom. Great review and I look forward to listening to it.

In reply to felt:

That's certainly part of it. Well put !

In reply to stroppygob: You're most welcome. Always happy to help a Camel fan!

T.

In reply to stroppygob:

Emerson Lake and Palmer - Pictures at an Exhibition? or is a concept album based on another composers concept of an art gallery a bit too tenuous?

In reply to stroppygob:

Dream Theater - Scenes from a memory

My desert island disc!

In reply to stroppygob: Another album worth noting for the concept underpinning it is Peter Hammill's 'And Close as This'. The concept - that each track features just voice and keyboard, with the keyboard pieces recorded in a single take - might seem jejune to, say, a classical audience, but at a time when studio re-engineering was all-pervading, it was a marked departure for a supposedly rock musician.

As it features Hammill's sometimes over-emotive vocal style and the inevitable missed note or two that can go with a one-off take, it isn't going to be something with universal appeal (my wife hates pretty much everything he's done). It does have some classics; Too Many Of My Yesterdays and Other Old Cliches are personal favourites, but best not to listen to these if you're in a dark place with your relationship.

So not a traditional 'concept' album, but worth noting in this thread, I think.

T.

In reply to jim jones:


Which track are you referring to on The Final Cut? As far as I know, 'In the Flesh' was always intended for The Wall as its intro, being, as it is, a hard rock parody. Or are you meaning in your opinion there is a track on Final Cut that would have made a better intro? IMO 'When the Tigers broke free' should definitely have gone onto The Wall, but it certainly wouldn't have made a better inro than 'In the Flesh'.

Remember that about 2/3rds of The Final Cut are rejected demos and leftovers from The Wall sessions. Hence Gilmour's ire at the time of recording Final Cut with the choice of Waters' choice of material: "If the song wasn't good enough then, why is it good enough now?"

In reply to paul-1970:

Yes exactly that, "When the Tigers broke free";

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

In reply to toad:

Erm, mascara. Only a little bit. Not enough for nomination though, so here's another vote for The Oo's Quadrophenia.

In reply to several: I don't get the concept behind Zen Arcade - anybody? Or Trout-mask Replica. If these are concept albums, so is Home by Procol Harum, which would then get my vote.

The Pro's and Cons of Hitchhking is pretty thin stuff - best as a once-only listen or maybe a radio play. The Wall is crap - their first bad LP.

In reply to jim jones:

From what I've read, 'When the tigers broke free' was certainly intended for the album, being as it is lyrically integral to the concept and, of course, part of the film soundtrack. But it was excised toward the end, as was other material from The Wall (most notably, 'What shall we do now' criminally butchered into its hastily abbreviated 'What now') because of limitations of space.

Apparently Roger Waters was all for releasing The Wall as a triple album, but this was one step too far both for the record company, and for the other members of the band, who knew that, for tax purposes, the album had to be a success.

One listens to many double albums then and now, and often immediately thinks of the great single album that could have been created if the filler and the fluff had been cut out. I've been a Wall enthusiast (and obsessive!) most of my life, and I know that if I could somehow alter time and conjure up Waters' intended magnum opus from the original sessions, then we'd have the contradiction of perfection being bettered!

In reply to stroppygob:

Gruff Rhys has a good way with a concept album.
The excellent Stainless Style by Neon Neon. About the life and times of John deLorean.
His wonderful solo album Hotel Shampoo about er, the shampoos he's collected from hotels through years of touring. An associated artwork involved building a mini hotel from the bottles and spending a night in it.
And the really good but not as good as the 1st, although brilliantly named , 2nd Neon Neon album Praxis Makes Perfect, about mad Italian millionaire communist Giangiacomo Feltrinelli.

In reply to stroppygob:

Thanks for all the replies, but we all agree "The Snow Goose" is still the best, yes?

In reply to stroppygob:

Red-Headed Stranger - Willie Nelson

In reply to felt:

Why should we trust your opinions on what is good and ignore others who would disgree? Its a bit arrogant to equate personal taste with universal value.

In reply to Offwidth:

For no reason whatsoever; follow your own nose. It would be arrogant if I did so, you're quite right. But I'm merely expressing my own opinion.

In reply to stroppygob:

Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral
Mercury Rev - The Secret Migration
Current 93 - The Inmost Light trilogy

In reply to stroppygob:

Lou Reed, Berlin.

In reply to stroppygob:

A Grand Don't Come For Free is good, but if you want to set sail on the good ship prog rock then it has to be Rick Wakeman's 'Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table'. That's proper concept, that is.

In reply to Mike Mead:

and so is 'the 6 wives of henry VIII' and criminal record.

In reply to stroppygob:

Concept albums still going.

The defamation of Strickland banks, plan b.

In reply to graeme jackson:


Albums that do what they say on the tin!

In reply to stroppygob:

What about The Residents? Particularly the Mole Trilogy or the Commercial Album. You could argue that their entire career is a concept of sorts.

In reply to Removed Userena sharples:
Very cool

In reply to stroppygob:

Swans: The Seer

Godspeed You! Black Emperor: 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!.

In reply to stroppygob:

does The Small Faces 'ogdens nut gone flake' count as a concept album? all tied together by Stanley Unwin

In reply to stroppygob:

Mastodon : Crack the Skye.

In reply to paul_in_cumbria:


Ooh yes. I diddle eye reckony so

In reply to stroppygob:

Because it just turned up on shuffle - I'd forgotten about Brave by Marillion. Has its moments, even if it isn't a total success

In reply to paul_in_cumbria:



Side two of it does

In reply to stroppygob: Just listening to more Camel (The Paris Collection, which has a lovely version of Fingertips from Stationary Traveller and some rather dodgy French, amongst other things), and wondered how you were getting on with A Live Record.

I think that'll be next on the hifi. My neighbours are probably blessing the thick walls...

T.