Your top 3 concept albums?

[KevShmev]

This is a tough one for me, in part because it depends on what you consider a "concept album". You have full on narrative-driven albums, and then there's albums with a central "concept" or theme as its focus.

It's not really a thing, but I do make that distinction, a "themed" album.

I consider a concept album something that tells a story, like SFAM or Mindcrime.
I consider a themed album something where the songs have a unifying theme, but they don't tell a story from beginning to end.

if DT had released the title track of Six Degrees as a standalone "album", I would consider it a themed album. There's no story told there, it's just that all the "songs" are about the same subjects, mental diseases / issues.

Agreed.  Call it splitting hairs, but I do think there is a difference between a concept album and a thematic album.  Take Pink Floyd.  The Wall is a concept album.  Dark Side of the Moon and Animals are thematic albums.  IMO, of course.

[Lowdz]

This is a tough one for me, in part because it depends on what you consider a "concept album". You have full on narrative-driven albums, and then there's albums with a central "concept" or theme as its focus.

It's not really a thing, but I do make that distinction, a "themed" album.

I consider a concept album something that tells a story, like SFAM or Mindcrime.
I consider a themed album something where the songs have a unifying theme, but they don't tell a story from beginning to end.

if DT had released the title track of Six Degrees as a standalone "album", I would consider it a themed album. There's no story told there, it's just that all the "songs" are about the same subjects, mental diseases / issues.

I used to think of Iron Maiden’s Killers as a concept album but it is more a thematic one.

[HOF]

This is a tough one for me, in part because it depends on what you consider a "concept album". You have full on narrative-driven albums, and then there's albums with a central "concept" or theme as its focus.

It's not really a thing, but I do make that distinction, a "themed" album.

I consider a concept album something that tells a story, like SFAM or Mindcrime.
I consider a themed album something where the songs have a unifying theme, but they don't tell a story from beginning to end.

if DT had released the title track of Six Degrees as a standalone "album", I would consider it a themed album. There's no story told there, it's just that all the "songs" are about the same subjects, mental diseases / issues.

Agreed.  Call it splitting hairs, but I do think there is a difference between a concept album and a thematic album.  Take Pink Floyd.  The Wall is a concept album.  Dark Side of the Moon and Animals are thematic albums.  IMO, of course.

I agree that this is usually what people think of in terms of a concept album, but I sort of think these are just two different types of concept albums. You’re describing more of a rock opera concept, but historically the term has also included an album where the songs all explore or deal with a unifying theme (I looked this up on Wikipedia yesterday :-).

I think there’s less gray area with the “story” type of concept album though. It’s pretty easy to identify that as a concept album, whereas the unifying theme idea can be more of a gray area as far as when something is or isn’t a concept album.

[jingle.boy]

This is a tough one for me, in part because it depends on what you consider a "concept album". You have full on narrative-driven albums, and then there's albums with a central "concept" or theme as its focus.

It's not really a thing, but I do make that distinction, a "themed" album.

I consider a concept album something that tells a story, like SFAM or Mindcrime.
I consider a themed album something where the songs have a unifying theme, but they don't tell a story from beginning to end.

if DT had released the title track of Six Degrees as a standalone "album", I would consider it a themed album. There's no story told there, it's just that all the "songs" are about the same subjects, mental diseases / issues.

Agreed.  Call it splitting hairs, but I do think there is a difference between a concept album and a thematic album.  Take Pink Floyd.  The Wall is a concept album.  Dark Side of the Moon and Animals are thematic albums.  IMO, of course.

This guy gets it.

[bosk1]

^Yeah, as far as how those terms are actually defined within music circles, that's right.  But it can get fuzzy when the artists themselves blur the lines, which is the case for quite a few albums.  And for purposes of this thread, I'm not sure the distinction matters. 

[Buddyhunter1]

I'd argue albums where there isn't an overarching narrative but it's clearly about a specific theme are definitely concept albums. I.E. Thrice's The Alcehmy Index (different sections representing Fire, Water, Air and Earth), The Caretaker's Everywhere At The End Of Time (a musical representation of the different stages and progression of dementia), or pretty much any album by The Ocean.

[romdrums]

No judgment, just observation, but surprising to me that the references to Brave outnumber the references to Misplaced Childhood by approximately 254 to 1.

It’s partly because I’m more of an H fan, but I just think Brave is on a totally different level than Misplaced Childhood. For whatever reason Misplaced Childhood doesn’t resonate with me all that much. It has some songs I really like (Heart of Lothian, Blind Curve), and I enjoy most of the rest, but in terms of a concept album it starts and ends with weak tracks (Pseudo Silk Kimono and White Feather) and I’m not even sure what the concept is to be honest. It’s also overshadowed by Clutching at Straws, which is Fish’s best work and Marillion’s best work to that point IMO.

I've always seen Misplaced Childhood as 3 hours worth of lyrics crammed into the same space they had to stretch 20 minutes worth of music into.  I mean, they had to extend Lavender to make it a single for radio play!  And Clutching is better in every way.

Brave, on the other hand, is where the H-era finds it sound, and it's a wonderful marriage of music and lyrics. 

[HOF]

No judgment, just observation, but surprising to me that the references to Brave outnumber the references to Misplaced Childhood by approximately 254 to 1.

It’s partly because I’m more of an H fan, but I just think Brave is on a totally different level than Misplaced Childhood. For whatever reason Misplaced Childhood doesn’t resonate with me all that much. It has some songs I really like (Heart of Lothian, Blind Curve), and I enjoy most of the rest, but in terms of a concept album it starts and ends with weak tracks (Pseudo Silk Kimono and White Feather) and I’m not even sure what the concept is to be honest. It’s also overshadowed by Clutching at Straws, which is Fish’s best work and Marillion’s best work to that point IMO.

I've always seen Misplaced Childhood as 3 hours worth of lyrics crammed into the same space they had to stretch 20 minutes worth of music into.  I mean, they had to extend Lavender to make it a single for radio play!  And Clutching is better in every way.

Brave, on the other hand, is where the H-era finds it sound, and it's a wonderful marriage of music and lyrics.

I also kind of don’t love Lavender (I used to but now the melodies grate a little), and those themes repeat on Blind Curve. I don’t love Waterhole either, so that’s kind of a big chunk of the album I’m not huge on. I was listening to it in the car on the way in to work this morning, and it’s still a good listen. It’s just a little uneven.

[pg1067]

My Chemical Romance - Welcome To The Black Parade

I don't know anything about this band or album, but I can only assume it's a hockey-themed concept?  ;-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZL7S6vCVKY&t=41s

[Stadler]

No judgment, just observation, but surprising to me that the references to Brave outnumber the references to Misplaced Childhood by approximately 254 to 1.

It’s partly because I’m more of an H fan, but I just think Brave is on a totally different level than Misplaced Childhood. For whatever reason Misplaced Childhood doesn’t resonate with me all that much. It has some songs I really like (Heart of Lothian, Blind Curve), and I enjoy most of the rest, but in terms of a concept album it starts and ends with weak tracks (Pseudo Silk Kimono and White Feather) and I’m not even sure what the concept is to be honest. It’s also overshadowed by Clutching at Straws, which is Fish’s best work and Marillion’s best work to that point IMO.

I've always seen Misplaced Childhood as 3 hours worth of lyrics crammed into the same space they had to stretch 20 minutes worth of music into.  I mean, they had to extend Lavender to make it a single for radio play!  And Clutching is better in every way.

Brave, on the other hand, is where the H-era finds it sound, and it's a wonderful marriage of music and lyrics.

Those are not unfair statements, and with Clutching, you nailed it (Clutching is in my top five or so albums of all time, by any band).   For me, MC has resonance simply because it was the first.  That's what introduced me to Marillion.    I really was going more for the "Fish/H" thing than whether MC was a "better" album.   I thought for sentimental reasons there would be more than one (my own) reference.

FWIW, Brave is probably my favorite H era record (Marbles and Season's End come close, though).

[SoundscapeMN]

I'd argue albums where there isn't an overarching narrative but it's clearly about a specific theme are definitely concept albums. I.E. Thrice's The Alcehmy Index (different sections representing Fire, Water, Air and Earth), The Caretaker's Everywhere At The End Of Time (a musical representation of the different stages and progression of dementia), or pretty much any album by The Ocean.

I agree with this, although to varying degrees. People felt or looked at Jethro Tull's Aqualung as a Concept Album frequently after it was released, but Ian Anderson contended it never was, and that is largely why they made Thick as a Brick right after to distinguish what he felt actually is a Concept album.

I think between a Story (or Music written as an "Opera," or largely in a Theatrical Way), and just music/songs/pieces that focus on 1 shared theme or idea constitutes as a "Concept" work.

But then you just consider when music is made and then released on 1 work, and the Title is usually supposed to represent at least 1 part or idea of all of the pieces on that release, then almost any album could be considered loosely as a "Concept" album.

[kirksnosehair]

An egregious oversight....so far, after perusing two pages worth.....Seventh Wonder "Mercy Falls".

The problem, though, is I can come up with 20 or more albums that all deserve to be pretty high on this list.  Where do you draw the line?


For me the defining characteristic is longevity in rotation. 


I still listen to ALL the albums I listed in my top 3 and runners up regularly.  There are at least 20 more concept albums I listen to semi-regularly, like the rest of Neal Morse's solo catalog, which other than his first two solo records, are all concept albums.  What's that, like 25 albums right there? 


Mercy Falls would probably make it into my "top 25 concept albums' along with stuff from Pain of Salvation, Hourglass, Ayreon, Beardfish, Daydream XI, Dominici, Blaze Bayley, Fates Warning, Heart of Cygnus, Rush, Glass Hammer, Mercyful Fate, Megadeth, Shadow Gallery, The Tangent, Theocracy, Threshold, Vanden Plas

[Stadler]

I'd argue albums where there isn't an overarching narrative but it's clearly about a specific theme are definitely concept albums. I.E. Thrice's The Alcehmy Index (different sections representing Fire, Water, Air and Earth), The Caretaker's Everywhere At The End Of Time (a musical representation of the different stages and progression of dementia), or pretty much any album by The Ocean.

I agree with this, although to varying degrees. People felt or looked at Jethro Tull's Aqualung as a Concept Album frequently after it was released, but Ian Anderson contended it never was, and that is largely why they made Thick as a Brick right after to distinguish what he felt actually is a Concept album.

I think between a Story (or Music written as an "Opera," or largely in a Theatrical Way), and just music/songs/pieces that focus on 1 shared theme or idea constitutes as a "Concept" work.

But then you just consider when music is made and then released on 1 work, and the Title is usually supposed to represent at least 1 part or idea of all of the pieces on that release, then almost any album could be considered loosely as a "Concept" album.

Half the Rush catalogue - or at least that part from Signals on - falls into that category, no?

[kirksnosehair]

I'd argue albums where there isn't an overarching narrative but it's clearly about a specific theme are definitely concept albums. I.E. Thrice's The Alcehmy Index (different sections representing Fire, Water, Air and Earth), The Caretaker's Everywhere At The End Of Time (a musical representation of the different stages and progression of dementia), or pretty much any album by The Ocean.

I agree with this, although to varying degrees. People felt or looked at Jethro Tull's Aqualung as a Concept Album frequently after it was released, but Ian Anderson contended it never was, and that is largely why they made Thick as a Brick right after to distinguish what he felt actually is a Concept album.

I think between a Story (or Music written as an "Opera," or largely in a Theatrical Way), and just music/songs/pieces that focus on 1 shared theme or idea constitutes as a "Concept" work.

But then you just consider when music is made and then released on 1 work, and the Title is usually supposed to represent at least 1 part or idea of all of the pieces on that release, then almost any album could be considered loosely as a "Concept" album.

Half the Rush catalogue - or at least that part from Signals on - falls into that category, no?

For me?  Nope.  As far as I'm concerned Rush stopped making music I care about after Moving Pictures.  I like the odd song here and there from the rest of their catalog but it's all very hit and miss with me, mostly miss.  The problem is, I came for the guitar playing and they became a very keyboard/synth-centric group after Moving Pictures and it just never really did much of anything for me.  I know that's blasphemy in these parts     But it's the truth

[425]

I certainly considered Mercy Falls, but for someone like me who listens to genres that tend to produce a lot of concept albums, three is not that many to choose!

[pg1067]

For me?  Nope.  As far as I'm concerned Rush stopped making music I care about after Moving Pictures.  I like the odd song here and there from the rest of their catalog but it's all very hit and miss with me, mostly miss.  The problem is, I came for the guitar playing and they became a very keyboard/synth-centric group after Moving Pictures and it just never really did much of anything for me.  I know that's blasphemy in these parts     But it's the truth

Blasphemy?  No.  But it's also not "the truth."

Rush did become very keyboard/synth-centric for a few albums in the 80s, but they moved away from that starting with 1989's Presto, to the point that their 2002 release (Vapor Trails) had not a single keyboard on it (a first since 1975's Caress of Steel).  So...if you "came for the guitar playing," you might want to check some of the post-Hold Your Fire material.

[Stadler]

I'd argue albums where there isn't an overarching narrative but it's clearly about a specific theme are definitely concept albums. I.E. Thrice's The Alcehmy Index (different sections representing Fire, Water, Air and Earth), The Caretaker's Everywhere At The End Of Time (a musical representation of the different stages and progression of dementia), or pretty much any album by The Ocean.

I agree with this, although to varying degrees. People felt or looked at Jethro Tull's Aqualung as a Concept Album frequently after it was released, but Ian Anderson contended it never was, and that is largely why they made Thick as a Brick right after to distinguish what he felt actually is a Concept album.

I think between a Story (or Music written as an "Opera," or largely in a Theatrical Way), and just music/songs/pieces that focus on 1 shared theme or idea constitutes as a "Concept" work.

But then you just consider when music is made and then released on 1 work, and the Title is usually supposed to represent at least 1 part or idea of all of the pieces on that release, then almost any album could be considered loosely as a "Concept" album.

Half the Rush catalogue - or at least that part from Signals on - falls into that category, no?

For me?  Nope.  As far as I'm concerned Rush stopped making music I care about after Moving Pictures.  I like the odd song here and there from the rest of their catalog but it's all very hit and miss with me, mostly miss.  The problem is, I came for the guitar playing and they became a very keyboard/synth-centric group after Moving Pictures and it just never really did much of anything for me.  I know that's blasphemy in these parts     But it's the truth

No, no, I'm with you on that.  I meant more about the thematic part.  Neil would write 8 or 10 songs that weren't a story, weren't a concept, but were all thematically in line.  Certainly Power Windows and Roll The Bones are like that.  I think Signals is.  Hold Your Fire is.  p/g is.

[KevShmev]

Very true, and I never got the sense that the band went in with any preconceived notions of trying to make a record thematic lyrically; it's just the headspace Neil was in at the time that would inevitably come out in the lyrics he would write.

[Stadler]

I don't say this to argue, I say this to learn in case my understanding is wrong, but I thought he admitted that, at least with Power Windows.  I seem to recall that.

[kirksnosehair]

For me?  Nope.  As far as I'm concerned Rush stopped making music I care about after Moving Pictures.  I like the odd song here and there from the rest of their catalog but it's all very hit and miss with me, mostly miss.  The problem is, I came for the guitar playing and they became a very keyboard/synth-centric group after Moving Pictures and it just never really did much of anything for me.  I know that's blasphemy in these parts     But it's the truth

Blasphemy?  No.  But it's also not "the truth."

Rush did become very keyboard/synth-centric for a few albums in the 80s, but they moved away from that starting with 1989's Presto, to the point that their 2002 release (Vapor Trails) had not a single keyboard on it (a first since 1975's Caress of Steel).  So...if you "came for the guitar playing," you might want to check some of the post-Hold Your Fire material.

By "the truth" I was referring to my position, not how much or how little guitar is in some of their later albums, jesus.  Kind of thought that was obvious, but I forget where I am 

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

I've realized I have a lot of Thematic albums that I consider my top albums, stuff like Marillions Marbles, Moonsorrows Verisakeet, Tools Lateralus, Oceansizes Frames, etc etc...

But if we are talking about full on Conceptual story album...

1. Sieges Even - The Art of Navigating by the Stars
2. Coheed and Cambria - In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
3. The Mars Volta - Frances the Mute

Honorable mentions

Riverside - Out of Myself
Shadow Gallery - Room V
Negură Bunget - Om
Enslaved - Isa
Lykathea Aflame - Elvenefris

I tend to gravitate towards music that is Thematic or Conceptual in nature. I probably need to look through my collection again, because I know there are some more recent albums that would probably be ranked higher than these.

[TAC]

Alice Cooper-School's Out

I have never heard the album, and have never been an Alice fan in general.  I haven't disliked anything I have heard.  But nothing really grabbed me either.  Just another of many artists where, if a song of his came on, I enjoyed it well enough, but never felt compelled to seek out any of his music.  The other day, while having YouTube cycle through stuff on autoplay while I was working, a pro-shot Alice show from Wacken a few years back came up, and MAN what a fun, fanstastic performance that was!  School's Out (the song) was one of many highlights.

That's a great show.

He's fantastic live and always sports a hot band. His current band has been with him well over a decade and they are tight as hell.

If you ever have an extra 40 minutes and you're not sure what you want to listen to, go ahead and pull up School's Out on Spotify. It's a great album. I consider the original Alice Cooper band the most underrated American rock band going. Their songwriting was way ahead of its time. My two faves are School's Out and Killer. Halo Of Flies, off of Killer, is what I consider the original progressive metal song.

His radio hits don't even scratch the surface.

[bosk1]

It really was a great show.  I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was.  Was he the closer that night?  It looked like it.  But I didn't think he was huge enough to close a festival that gigantic.

[TAC]

It really was a great show.  I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was.  Was he the closer that night?  It looked like it.  But I didn't think he was huge enough to close a festival that gigantic.

Wacken is a 3-4 day festival and runs two stages side by side. Technically Nightwish headlined the Saturday night and their slot was 10:45 -12:15, but Alice Cooper played right before them and their slot was 9:00-10:30.

[kirksnosehair]

Question for the hard-core Rush fans:


Is 2112 a concept album?


I don't think it is, but I admit I have no authoritative source for that information.

[Max Kuehnau]

Question for the hard-core Rush fans:


Is 2112 a concept album?


I don't think it is, but I admit I have no authoritative source for that information.

it's not IMHO (and neither is Hemispheres), because there is only 2112 that tells a story, not the rest of the album (same with Hemispheres). IIRC though, Neil Peart mentioned Clockwork Angels (their final album) to be one.

[pg1067]

Question for the hard-core Rush fans:


Is 2112 a concept album?


I don't think it is, but I admit I have no authoritative source for that information.

it's not IMHO (and neither is Hemispheres), because there is only 2112 that tells a story, not the rest of the album (same with Hemispheres).

Concur.

[kirksnosehair]

I really tried with that last album, but like all the other stuff they've done post Moving Pictures I just can't get into it.  It was a chore to get through the entire CD once and I never went back to it.  I had the same reaction to Snakes and Arrows, Vapor Trails was unlistenable because of the awful production, and I've tried every other album of theirs and like I've mentioned before I usually find one or two tracks that are OK but they tend to be the radio songs.  Rush is one of the very few bands I use playlists for. 

[Max Kuehnau]

This is a tough one for me, in part because it depends on what you consider a "concept album". You have full on narrative-driven albums, and then there's albums with a central "concept" or theme as its focus.

It's not really a thing, but I do make that distinction, a "themed" album.

I consider a concept album something that tells a story, like SFAM or Mindcrime.
I consider a themed album something where the songs have a unifying theme, but they don't tell a story from beginning to end.

if DT had released the title track of Six Degrees as a standalone "album", I would consider it a themed album. There's no story told there, it's just that all the "songs" are about the same subjects, mental diseases / issues.

Agreed.  Call it splitting hairs, but I do think there is a difference between a concept album and a thematic album.  Take Pink Floyd.  The Wall is a concept album.  Dark Side of the Moon and Animals are thematic albums.  IMO, of course.

as with DT IMHO: Met2 and TA are concept albums, 6D and Octa are thematic albums. Quite a difference there IMHO. (DT15 might be a thematic one too, given what Jordan mentioned already, more on that as it happens of course)

[425]

Question for the hard-core Rush fans:


Is 2112 a concept album?


I don't think it is, but I admit I have no authoritative source for that information.

I don't see why anyone thinks 2112 is a concept album, although I see it described as one with some regularity. The song 2112 tells a continuous story from start to finish, but that story has nothing to do with Twilight Zone or Something for Nothing.

[HOF]

Question for the hard-core Rush fans:


Is 2112 a concept album?


I don't think it is, but I admit I have no authoritative source for that information.

I don't see why anyone thinks 2112 is a concept album, although I see it described as one with some regularity. The song 2112 tells a continuous story from start to finish, but that story has nothing to do with Twilight Zone or Something for Nothing.

My guess is just because the title track dominates the album and the other tracks are almost like B-sides (technically they were b-sides I guess)

[kirksnosehair]

I never thought of it as a concept album myself but I was having this discussion with a couple of people in my band the other day when we were talking about cover tunes we'd like to do.  We have a vocalist who sounds exactly like 2112-era Geddy Lee so we are thinking about doing the entire album and our drummer said something like, "oh cool I always wanted to play an entire concept album from beginning to end at a live show" I was polite about it and didn't correct him but I was pretty sure he was mistaken because I always thought the same thing.  Side A is the epic and side B is all individual songs that are completely unrelated. 

[Kotowboy]

Crack The Skye

Scenes From A Memory

The Astonishing


Cant think of many other concept albums i even like !

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Crack The Skye

Scenes From A Memory

The Astonishing


Cant think of many other concept albums i even like !

Crack the Skye is a great choice!! I think I'll go listen to it now.....

[TAC]

Crack The Skye is a concept album?