concept albums

[darkandrew]

[quote name='kendall' timestamp='1455023165' post='2975082']
[i]The Nefilim - Zoon[/i]
[/quote]

A very underrated and often overlooked album. One of the very few albums that I have to play from beginning to end without skipping any tracks. It's a real emotional roller coaster; starting with beauty and sensitivity (Shine), through anger and devastation (Venus decomposing) and ending with the conflicting emotions felt by a betrayed father in Zoon (Wakeworld).

I suppose it had two big problems; firstly it was impossible to pigeon hole - was it goth, death metal, or something else completely? And secondly it was certainly not Elizium part 2. Whatever label you want to put on it, it's a great album and, getting back to the "concept album" topic of the thread, a great piece of story telling.

Edited February 14, 2016 by darkandrew

[jonsmith]

[quote name='Roger2611' timestamp='1455039576' post='2975318']
I have never really understood what a "concept" album was, I guess from the albums mentioned thus far, Punk and New Wave had no concept of......err, concept albums then!
[/quote]

Actually, there is a punk one: That's Life by Sham 69.

Most of them seem to be prog though.

IQ's Subterranea has recently been made into a (small budget) film.

One of my bands is currently working on an album, which started out as a 'loosely thematically linked' work. One day I realised that it would actually tell a full story if we were to change the running order, so we have. Although the influence is there, we're certainly not a prog band.

[kendall]

[quote name='darkandrew' timestamp='1455482774' post='2979536']
A very underrated and often overlooked album. One of the very few albums that I have to play from beginning to end without skipping any tracks. It's a real emotional roller coaster; starting with beauty and sensitivity (Shine), through anger and devastation (Venus decomposing) and ending with the conflicting emotions felt by a betrayed father in Zoon (Wakeworld).

I suppose it had two big problems; firstly it was impossible to pigeon hole - was it goth, death metal, or something else completely? And secondly it was certainly not Elizium part 2. Whatever label you want to put on it, it's a great album and, getting back to the "concept album" topic of the thread, a great piece of story telling.
[/quote]

Glad I'm not the only one who loves this album. Although these days people find it more palatable than when it was first released.

[scojack]

[quote name='leschirons' timestamp='1455109023' post='2975944']
This is the one that really comes to mind for me. Jack Lancaster's prog production of Peter and the wolf. Used to play this a lot.

Judging by the list below, he had a rather well connected phone book.

[color=#000000]The Cast:[/color]
[color=#000000]- Narrator / Vivian Stanshall[/color]
[color=#000000]- Peter / Manfred Mann[/color]
[color=#000000]- Bird / Gary Brooker[/color]
[color=#000000]- Duck / Chris Spedding[/color]
[color=#000000]- Duck / Gary Moore[/color]
[color=#000000]- Cat / Stephane Grappelli[/color]
[color=#000000]- Wolf / Brian Eno[/color]
[color=#000000]- Pond / Keith Tippett[/color]
[color=#000000]- Grandfather / Jack Lancaster[/color]
[color=#000000]- Hunters / Jon Hiseman, Bill Bruford, Cozy Powell, Phil Collins[/color]

[color=#000000]Additional Musicians:[/color]
[color=#000000]- John Goodsall, Pete Haywood, Alvin Lee / guitars[/color]
[color=#000000]- Percy Jones, Andy Pyle, Dave Marquee / bass[/color]
[color=#000000]- Robin Lumley / keyboards[/color]
[color=#000000]- Cozy Powell & Phil Collins / drums[/color]
[color=#000000]- Bernie Frost, Julie Tippetts, The English Chorale / vocals[/color]
[/quote]

Never heard/seen this definately going to check it out.

Another one for the pot....

Days Of Future Passed - Moody Blues

[keefbaker]

I'm going to bang in Dimension Hatross by Voivod and Yoshimi battles the Pink Robots by The Flaming Lips.

[tauzero]

[quote name='silverfoxnik' timestamp='1455386776' post='2978721']
And does Tubular Bells count as a concept album (if it hasn't already been mentioned)?
[/quote]

I was wondering the same myself - I suspect it would fall in the same category as ELP's "Pictures at an Exhibition" so it's a composition rather than a concept album (though Oldfield wrote it himself rather than just lifting Mussorgsky's work ).

[dmccombe7]

Arjen Lucassen Lost In The New Real is one of my fav concept albums at the moment.
Then thre aeth classic Rush 2112.
The Wall - Pink Floyd
The Road of Bones by IQ has a very conceptual feel.
Pallas XXV lesser known but great album

[Bikenbass]

Yes - Relayer

Not sure on this one, but it certainly feels to me it's telling a story, what's anyone else think?

[kendall]

There is also Stone Sour - House of Gold and Bones parts 1 & 2. Which to be honest I thought were utter sh*te.

[Mr Arkadin]

[quote name='Bikenbass' timestamp='1455640056' post='2980995']
Yes - Relayer

Not sure on this one, but it certainly feels to me it's telling a story, what's anyone else think?
[/quote]

Well l think Gates of Delerium which takes up a while side is, but I don't think the two B-side tracks continue the theme.

Edited February 17, 2016 by Mr Arkadin

[The-Ox]

How would you go about defining it? Yoy could potentially say The Who Sell Out as its structured like a pirate radio station

Boy by U2 had a clear theme of adolescence. Do concept albums have to tell a story?

[MacDaddy]

Neil's Heavy Concept Album - Neil.

[Bassassin]

[quote name='The-Ox' timestamp='1455754575' post='2982236']
Boy by U2 had a clear theme of adolescence. Do concept albums have to tell a story?
[/quote]

I think the clue's in the name - concept album. Doesn't need a story, just a deliberate overarching theme.

If U2 had sat down & decided to write songs for Boy specifically about the one topic, then yes, but if it just turned out that way, then I don't think that would count.

J.

[spectoremg]

Defector, Steve Hackett.

[Beer of the Bass]

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1455026490' post='2975146']
Carla Bley - Escalator Over the Hill
[/quote]

This is an interesting one, it certainly has the feel and structure of a concept album but Paul Haines' lyrics are so abstruse that I couldn't tell you what the concept was, or what happened to whom in a narrative sense. Great album though!

[jacko]

Have we had the new Dream Theater double concept 'The Astonishing'? Not bad at all although not a patch on their other concept 'Scenes from a memory'

[Stu-khag]

Well this programme goes out on Friday at 10pm on bbc4. Quite a beast to work on- lots of people will be wondering where is so and so etc. I wish there could have been more time to nail down some more interviewees (some declined, many were too busy) and gain access to certain archive. Thanks for everyone's input. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03t1rmn

[TrevorR]

Really looking forward to it. Perfect iPlayer commute watching...

[vsmith1]

Well Iots in my list have already been mentioned, but I'd add:

The Lord of the Rings by Bo Hansson - yes it is based strongly on the books - but still a concept album
Radio-Activity, ComputerWorld, Tour de France - Kraftwerk
Animals - Pink Floyd

[spectoremg]

[quote name='Stu-khag' timestamp='1462476086' post='3043415']
Well this programme goes out on Friday at 10pm on bbc4. Quite a beast to work on- lots of people will be wondering where is so and so etc. I wish there could have been more time to nail down some more interviewees (some declined, many were too busy) and gain access to certain archive. Thanks for everyone's input. [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03t1rmn"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...rammes/p03t1rmn[/url]
[/quote]Watched it last night. It fell short for me because a. it was only an hour long (surely a program about concept albums should be a double hour ) and b. for exactly the same reasons we've been discussing on this thread; when is a concept album a concept album.

Edited May 7, 2016 by spectoremg

[Dandelion]

Impious. Holy Murder Masquerade..

It comes with a comic book accompaniment.

[Stu-khag]

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1462606695' post='3044277']
Watched it last night. It fell short for me because a. it was only an hour long (surely a program about concept albums should be a double hour ) and b. for exactly the same reasons we've been discussing on this thread; when is a concept album a concept album.
[/quote]
I agree. You wouldn't believe the stuff that was cut to get to duration!

[Rubbersoul]

Devin Townsend presents Ziltoid the Omniscient. Totally bonkers.

[TrevorR]

Well, I for one enjoyed it as a bit of BBC4 Friday night entertaining fluff. Very much up to the entertaining standards of the regular BBC4 one hour music docs, all of which adopt much the same format and tone. And a couple of albums mentioned that I will definitely be checking out later...

Of course I'd love to have seen the full triple album, gatefold sleeve version too but it was still very diverting! Nice one Mr Researcher Stu Sir!

And speaking or triple, good to catch a glimpse of the Wal triple neck in action at the start!

Edited May 7, 2016 by TrevorR

[FinnDave]

Good to see a few mentions of Hawkwind in this thread, but I'd like to add their new album 'The Machine Stops', based on an E.M. Forster short story from 1909. They played it in full on their recent tour and it was the best they've been for many years.