Best/worst stories in a concept album

[wolfking]

I'd probably go as far and say that WASP's Crimson Idol is my fav concept album.  Simple story, but amazingly exectued.

[Progmetty]

Among concept albums that I listened to a lot and know the story well:
Best: O:M, SFAM & Ameircan Idiot.
Worst: The Wall & 21st Century Breakdown

[MetalManiac666]

Not particularly a fan of the concept album.  CTS is pretty cool I suppose.  Even if it makes absolutely no sense, at least it's purposely batshit insane.

[Mladen]

My favorite is probably The Wall, just a great story all around.

The Lamb lies down on Broadway has to be one of my lesser favorites, I just don't like it. Seventh son, although being one of my favorite albums of all time, isn't really spectacular when it comes to the  concept - the lyrics for pretty much every song on its own are great, but as a story it doesn't quite impress me.

[carl320]

TPE Pt.1, O:M and The Wall are my favorite concepts.  Personally, even though SFAM is full of great music, the concept seems a little flat to me.  There isn't the depth that an album like The Wall has.

[Lowdz]

The first two Avantasia albums where total shite story-wise. A child could have written a better fantasy story than that. Never even botheredd following the story to the Scarecrow and the last two as I don't imagine it was any better. Great albums though.

Agree with Wolfie about WASP's Crimson Idol. Great album.

I really like the Virgin Steele House Of Atreus cds. Great story lifted straight from Greek mythology so I guess that's cheating a bit.

[Beowulf]

I gotta go classic for the best: The Wall is always gonna be up at the top, but for me so is The Lamb.  Its a bizarre story, but a good 'un.  The story is spelled out in the liner notes, for those who "don't know what the fuck is going on".  I don't really know one that is the worst, simply for the fact that if I find it bad, I wouldn't listen to it anyway!  I mean, even Sgt. Pepper's sorta, kinda has a single story idea.... sorta, and that's a good record.  But one of my all-time tops is Misplaced Childhood.  Marillion with Fish was amazing.  The live version on La Gazza Ladra was incredible. 
So, believe it or not, I would post the top three as:
   The Lamb
   Misplaced Childhood
   The Wall
Go ahead... Let the bashing begin for those who don't agree.

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

All three of those are great storywise, so no bashing from me.

[Dr. DTVT]

In response to Lowds, The Scarecrow had a good story, but it petered out in the two follow ups.  And since my other post was probably largely ignored since it was the last post of the page...here it is again.  Fuck off reposting it pisses you off.

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There are plenty of great examples: Mindcrime, TDH's Acts, Streets, Amaran's Plight, Arena's The Visitor and Contagion, Henning Pauly's Babysteps, Dominici's Trilogy (not joking), Haggard's Tales of Itheria, and Clutching at Straws are probably as good as it gets.

There are several other good ones: Falconer's Scepter of Deception, Haken's Aquarius, the Rhapsody of Fire catalog (if you can get past the poor English at points), Sy X's V:The New Mythology Suite, fuck it too many to list...I know I'm leaving a ton off.

Blind Guardian's Nightfall on Middle Earth is probably the best adaptation of a well known story.

The Avantasia trilogy started off as good music and story but the story was lost on me on the last two albums.

As SDN said, Into the Electric Castle is pretty bad story wise, but the hippie took a two car accident and made it a 26 car flaming pileup.

I don't feel like going through all of mine.  PM if you want a rundown.

[SystematicThought]

Wait, what's the plot for Crack the Skye? Brent always seems to dismiss the Russia storyline.

[MetalManiac666]

Wait, what's the plot for Crack the Skye? Brent always seems to dismiss the Russia storyline.

Well some dude has an out-of-body experince...and then I pretty much lose track

[Fluffy Lothario]

Holes in the sky, Rasputin, dicks with noses, that sort of thing.

[Dark Castle]

Wait, what's the plot for Crack the Skye? Brent always seems to dismiss the Russia storyline.

When asked in multiple interviews Dailor said the record would tell a story dealing variously with the art aesthetics of Tsarist Russia, astral travel, out of body experiences and Stephen Hawking's theories on wormholes.[11]

    "There is a paraplegic and the only way that he can go anywhere is if he astral travels. He goes out of his body, into outer space and a bit like Icarus, he goes too close to the sun, burning off the golden umbilical cord that is attached to his solar plexus. So he is in outer space and he is lost, he gets sucked into a wormhole, he ends up in the spirit realm and he talks to spirits telling them that he is not really dead. So they send him to the Russian cult, they use him in a divination and they find out his problem. They decide they are going to help him. They put his soul inside Rasputin's body. Rasputin goes to usurp the czar and he is murdered. The two souls fly out of Rasputin's body through the crack in the sky(e) and Rasputin is the wise man that is trying to lead the child home to his body because his parents have discovered him by now and think that he is dead. Rasputin needs to get him back into his body before it's too late. But they end up running into the Devil along the way and the Devil tries to steal their souls and bring them down…there are some obstacles along the way."[12]

[Liberation]

Favourite: absolutely Opeth - Still Life. It's mostly dark... but for me incredibly beautiful and romantic.

Don't have a worst one, also because I don't know that many concept albums anyway. But the one in the OP is hilarious.

How the hell could I forget Scarsick?

It took me ages to fully appreciate it, but this album is a total masterpiece, especially the concept.