Favorite Concept Albums?

[R.Sammy]

I'm a huge fan of concept albums. Whether following a single idea, creating a story, or exploring a world, they have a more "cinematic" feel than other albums. I have a special soft spot for the more science fiction themed ones.

Some of my favorites:
Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero, The Downward Spiral
Deltron 3030
David Bowie - Outside
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of The Moon, Wish you Were Here, Animals
30 Seconds to Mars - self titled
Beck - The Information, Midnite Vultures
David Holmes - Bow Down to the Exit Sign
Mars Volta - Frances the Mute

Any thoughts or recommendations?

[burlivesleftnut]

Say Hi - Impeccable Blahs... it's about vampires.

[theunforgettablefire]

well this thread didn't exactly take off.

anywho, mine would be "skylarking" by xtc. just to change it up a bit.

[so sorry]

Duh... the answer is Kilroy was Here by Styx.

Locking thread.

[Fried Gold]

Neon Neon - Stainless Style

Now lock the thread.

[Seppuku]

well this thread didn't exactly take off.

anywho, mine would be "skylarking" by xtc. just to change it up a bit.

What's the concept of that one? Summer? Awesome album though.

My personal favourite has to be one of the first, too: S.F. Sorrow by The Pretty Things. Made in Abbey Road at the same time as The Beatles' Sgt Peppers with a fraction of the budget but a dozen times the finesse. Spiky psychedelic pop at its best!

[minstrel]

Quadrophenia by The Who. Just ... wow!

Also, Tommy by The Who, even though it's not as powerful as Quadrophenia.

Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd.
Les Cinq Saisons and L'Heptade (though the live recording of L'Heptade, titled En Tournee, is far better) by Harmonium.
Thick as a Brick by Jethro Tull.

There are others, I'm sure, and they'll come to me later.

[so sorry]

Tarkus by ELP

[Seppuku]

Les Cinq Saisons and L'Heptade (though the live recording of L'Heptade, titled En Tournee, is far better) by Harmonium.

Oh wow, awesome pick! Possibly the greatest French-Canadian symphonic prog album ever released...

[minstrel]

Les Cinq Saisons and L'Heptade (though the live recording of L'Heptade, titled En Tournee, is far better) by Harmonium.

Oh wow, awesome pick! Possibly the greatest French-Canadian symphonic prog album ever released...

Woohoo! Someone else has heard of it! I had the double album set of En Tournee back when I was in university, and lost it during the hundred moves since then, but I just recently found that it's available on iTunes and I bought it and now I'm buzzing with French-Canadian prog folk jazz rock total coolness ... I love that music!

[The Vicar]

Tarkus by ELP

Nice.

[The Vicar]

War of the Worlds by Jeffrey Wayne
( the reissue sounds great )

Side one of Moontan by Golden Earring
( The original order of the tunes was Radar Love, Candy's Going Bad and Vanilla Queen.
All three songs are supposed to be about the same girl. )

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
( Peter Gabriel's last Genesis trip - excellent )

Tales of Mystery & Imagination by the Alan Parson's Project ( EAP )
( The reissue, with V/O by Orson Welles, is superb. Could also add I Robot. )

Pawnhearts by Van Der Graff Generator
( Plague of Lighthouse Keepers - with guest guitar by Bob Fripp.
All about a man losing his mind. What's not to love?)

[TheBaxter]

Hounds of Love.... oh i do love me some bush.... Kate Bush...

Haunted by Poe

i suppose The Wall would be too obvious.

[minstrel]

I thought about including both The Wall and The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, but they both suffer from the same problem: they're too long and padded out. Lots of dull stuff in them. If they hadn't been stretched to double-album length, they would have been much better. If they'd been held to single-album length, they'd have been classics - well, most people do regard them as classics, but that's probably more because of the reputations of the bands than the actual quality of the music on the albums.

[so sorry]

I thought about including both The Wall and The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, but they both suffer from the same problem: they're too long and padded out. Lots of dull stuff in them. If they hadn't been stretched to double-album length, they would have been much better. If they'd been held to single-album length, they'd have been classics - well, most people do regard them as classics, but that's probably more because of the reputations of the bands than the actual quality of the music on the albums.

To be fair, the thread is "Favorite", not "Classic".... I listed Tarkus because ELP is one of my favorite bands, but I would never think that Tarkus is a classic.

[The Vicar]

I thought about including both The Wall and The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, but they both suffer from the same problem: they're too long and padded out. Lots of dull stuff in them. If they hadn't been stretched to double-album length, they would have been much better. If they'd been held to single-album length, they'd have been classics - well, most people do regard them as classics, but that's probably more because of the reputations of the bands than the actual quality of the music on the albums.

To be fair, the thread is "Favorite", not "Classic".... I listed Tarkus because ELP is one of my favorite bands, but I would never think that Tarkus is a classic.

Irresponsible rumor!!

[minstrel]

Is Tarkus actually a concept album, though? There's stuff on it that isn't part of the Tarkus suite (if that's what you call it). "Tarkus" might be a concept piece-of-music, but is the whole album a concept album because it's on it?

I was thinking of including Trespass by Genesis because it has "Supper's Ready" on it, but decided that having one side-long piece does not a concept album make.

[The Vicar]

Is Tarkus actually a concept album, though? There's stuff on it that isn't part of the Tarkus suite (if that's what you call it). "Tarkus" might be a concept piece-of-music, but is the whole album a concept album because it's on it?

I was thinking of including Foxtrot by Genesis because it has "Supper's Ready" on it, but decided that having one side-long piece does not a concept album make.

Edited for clarity.

Why not?
Some of my favorites only take up one side ( Golden Earring/Van Der Graff Generator).
Supper's Ready should qualify...and deserves the mention.

[minstrel]

Is Tarkus actually a concept album, though? There's stuff on it that isn't part of the Tarkus suite (if that's what you call it). "Tarkus" might be a concept piece-of-music, but is the whole album a concept album because it's on it?

I was thinking of including Foxtrot by Genesis because it has "Supper's Ready" on it, but decided that having one side-long piece does not a concept album make.

Edited for clarity.

Why not?
Some of my favorites only take up one side ( Golden Earring/Van Der Graff Generator).
Supper's Ready should qualify...and deserves the mention.

Ooops! Thanks for the correction, Vic. The early Genesis albums haven't been in my collection for decades. The version of Supper's Ready that I'm most familiar with is the one on the live album "Seconds Out".

[The Vicar]

I like the studio version on Foxtrot, with Peter Gabriel, better.
Not knocking Second's Out, which is a very nice live LP,
but I like listening to Gabriel more than Collins.

[Worst Part's Almost Over]

'Supper's Ready' is amazing.

[The Vicar]

'Supper's Ready' is amazing.

Without question. Love that big ending.
The new remixes are very sweet.

[minstrel]

'Supper's Ready' is amazing.

Without question. Love that big ending.
The new remixes are very sweet.

There are new remixes? Point me to them!

[The Vicar]

I just bought the digital download version of Nursery Cryme, with all new stereo mixes from Amazon.
Well worth $9.99. Hells yes. They sound fresh again. Alot of the old Genesis catalog is disappearing - the Lamb Lies Down is not easily gotten. The remixes of the early stuff, when you might have Hackett, Rutherford and Banks working the 12 stringers together, sound lovely.
There were some "Definitive Edition" remasters released in 1994, I believe, of most of the early ( 1970-1975 ) catalog.
There's also a 1970-1975 SACD release, which is stupidly expensive. I think these remixes, done last year, are represented by the "new stereo mixes" gotten off Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_dmusi ... me&x=0&y=0

[TheBaxter]

Here Come the ABCs - They Might Be Giants
Here Come the 123s - They Might Be Giants