Author Topic: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums - The Top 2 to wrap things up  (Read 19697 times)

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Offline jingle.boy

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Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums - The Top 2 to wrap things up
« on: December 31, 2022, 05:31:14 PM »
I teased this last year, and even put my list together - but then I got sidetracked by listening to all of my music from the 2010s, month-by-month the last year (I flamed out after taking until mid-November to complete my listen of 2020 music).  So, time to finally launch this fucker - 10 years to the day that I fired off my last Top 50 album list... which seemed serendipitous.  A couple of guidelines here … First, "concept album".  To me, this means an album that tells a story, complete with a definable plot and distinct characters.  Albums that follow a theme or common thread are out of scope for this list. So, The Wall = Concept Album; Wish You Were Here and Dark Side of the Moon?  Not a Concept Album - at least for my purposes here.  Capiche?  Maybe I should be calling this the Top 50 Rock Operas, but I think there are a few albums here that fall don't quite fit that bill (distinct "acts"; protagonist/antagonist + broader supporting cast etc…)

Second, it's quite likely that I'm going to 'miss' including some albums, simply because I was unaware they were 'concept albums'.  For instance, I almost didn't even consider I Am Anonymous, because I hadn't clued in to the fact it was a concept album.  There will surely be others I forget to include here on that basis.

Next, I'm not always going to dive into a deep review of the story / concept, for some of the lower ranked ones I haven’t spent enough time with to get to truly and deeply "know".  Others I have a lot to say, others not as much.  It is what it is.

Also, more than a handful of these appeared on my original, and v2 Top 50 list, so I'm likely to re-hash those posts, perhaps adding a couple of quick additional/current thoughts about those entries.  Some will rank higher/lower (ie, inconsistently) with how they previously rated - that's a matter of how well they've aged, and/or how I rate them as a concept album, and not just on the merits of the music.

And now for something completely different...if there's one thing I'll never be accused of, it's being single minded in my tastes…

I can't help but think this was partly directed at me.  And I ain't bothered, I know I'm GUILTY on this account!  And unashamedly so.  I'll just quote myself from my Top 50 v2:
Like my first top 50, there ain't a lot of variety here – this list will be about as diverse as a ‘60s Klan convention. I know what I like, and I stick to it.  I said it to open my first Top 50, and it's worth repeating.  You won't find any bands/albums that require the words "post" or "core" to describe their style/genre.

I'll also add to that by stating there won't be any j-<anything> or k-<anything> :biggrin: (luv ya RJ).  A quick scan of this list shows it leans WAY HARD to prog & metal as opposed to classic or more traditional prog.  Just so you know what's in store. 

One more thing ... some of these are multi-album stories.  In some cases I've lumped them together as a single entry; in others, I separated individual albums, ranking them individually.  I know it's inconsistent, but oh well.

Finally, anytime I use the term "filler", it's meant just to imply songs that are 4* and not 5*.  Nothing on any of these albums is "filler".  In the framework of Concept Albums, every single one of these are all "killer".

When I link my "Fave Song" from the album, do people have a preference for the source?  YouTube or Spotify?

First up, a few quick Honorable Mentions.  Some of which originally made it on to this list only to be bumped upon additional reviews; others which I really would have liked to find a spot for them, but for various reasons, I just couldn't.

50. Spheric Universe Experience / Back Home [2022]
49. Odd Dimension / The Blue Dawn [2021]
48. Sixx A.M/ /The Heroin Diaries [2007]
47. Seventh Wonder / Tiara [2018]
46. My Chemical Romance / The Black Parade [2006]
45. A.C.T. / The Last Epic [2003]
44. Kamelot / Epica; The Black Halo [2005]
43. W.A.S.P. / The Neon God: Part 1 - The Rise; Part 2 - The Demise [2004]
42. Marillion / Brave [1994]
41. Tangerine Circus / The Conspiracy Chronicles [2015]
40. Ayreon / The Source [2017]
39. Flaming Row / Mirage - A Portrayal Of Figures [2014]
38. Absolute Priority / Hunter [2012]
37. Rhapsody / Dawn of Victory [2000]
36. Marillion / Clutching at Straws [1987]
35. Affector / Harmagedon [2012]
34. Teramaze / Her Halo [2015]
33. Styx / Paradise Theatre (1981)
32. The Chronicles Project / When Darkness Falls [2015]
31. Stargate / Beyond Space and Time [2012]
30. Royal Hunt / Paradox [1997]
29. Transatlantic / The Whirlwind [2009]
28. Hemina / Venus; Nebulae [2016; 2014]
27. W.A.S.P. / The Crimson Idol [1992]
26. Threshold / Legends of the Shire [2017]
25. Trans Siberian Orchestra / Christmas Eve and Other Stories [1996]
24. Epysode / Fantasmagoria [2013]
23. Trond Holter / Swing of Death [2015]
22. Consortium Project / V:Species [2011]
21. Green Carnation / Light of Day, Day of Darkness [2001]
20. Seventh Wonder / Mercy Falls [2008]
19. V: The New Mythology Suite / Symphony X [2000]
18. Spock's Beard / Snow [2002]
17. Mind's Eye / A Gentlemen's Hurricane [2007]
16. Mindmaze / Resolve [2017]
15. M.I.GOD / Specters on Parade [2019]
14. Ostura / The Room [2018]
13. Symphony X / Underworld [2015]
12. Dream Theater / Metropolis Part 2: Scenes From A Memory [1999]
11. Vanden Plas / Chronicles of the Immortals: Netherworld (Path 1); Netherworld II [2014/2015]
10. Ayreon / Into the Electric Castle [1998]
9. Avantasia / The Scarecrow [2008]
8. Anthriel / The Pathway [2010]
7. Beyond the Bridge / Old Man and the Spirit [2012]
6. Daydream XI / Circus of the Tattered and Torn [2017]
5. Pink Floyd / The Wall [1979]
4. Epysode / Obsessions [2011]
3. Queensryche / Operatione: Mindcrime [1988]
2. Flaming Row / Elinoire [2011]
1. Ayreon / The Human Equation [2004]
« Last Edit: April 09, 2023, 05:21:29 AM by jingle.boy »
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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums
« Reply #1 on: December 31, 2022, 05:41:40 PM »
I never knew Led Zeppelin IV was a concept album.  ;D


Definitely following. Remember, you promised...NO FILLER!!
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums
« Reply #2 on: December 31, 2022, 06:11:07 PM »
Actually that comment wasn't targeted at anyone, just a general pat on my own back about my diversity in tastes.



And following of course.

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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums
« Reply #3 on: December 31, 2022, 06:17:20 PM »
While you guys are blowing kisses at each other, I fucking better not get caught in the crossfire. :lol
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums
« Reply #4 on: December 31, 2022, 06:45:40 PM »
I'm definitely following.
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Offline DTwwbwMP

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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums
« Reply #5 on: December 31, 2022, 10:28:39 PM »
 :tup

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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums
« Reply #6 on: January 01, 2023, 07:13:03 AM »
There was a time when I thought concept albums were the bee's knees.
Over time I came to the realization that sone of them have really strange stories and a lot of them outright stupid stories. And more often than not I have the feeling that the music suffers because it must fit the concept.

That said there are still stellar concept albums out there and I'm following, hoping to discover some more.
Must've been Kwyji sending all the wrong songs.   ;D

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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums
« Reply #7 on: January 01, 2023, 07:38:32 AM »
Totally following, I don't event think I know of 50 concept albums.

Offline jingle.boy

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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums
« Reply #8 on: January 01, 2023, 08:04:22 AM »
Alrighty then, here's the first batch of honorable mentions that just missed the cut.

The Dear Hunter - the whole damned "Acts" pentalogy.  Every time I listen to any of the Acts, I very much quite enjoy them, but having only discovered them after four had already been released, I just haven't given the proper amount of time to them to include on the list with a good conscience, and couldn't tell you any real specifics as to what I love about each album.  You could play me any one of the 5, and I wouldn't be able to tell you which one it was.  For that reason, I had to chop them.

Headspace / I Am Anonymous
Having recently revisited this because of lonestar's Top 50, it resonated much better in these ears than when it first dropped.  Part of my issue with this is that A) I'm a big Damian Wilson fan, and B) 2012 had a better release (for these ears) with Wilson on the mic that I connected much more with, and thus it got a lot more spin-time from me.  For those reasons, I had to chop this.

Roswell Six / Terra Incognita: Beyond the Horizon
Roswell Six / Terra Incognita: A Line In the Sand
I rated these albums pretty high when I first listened to them, perhaps in the afterglow of having just ready the Kevin Anderson books that each of these are based on. Organized by Shawn Gordon of ProgRock Records (where I've discovered many gems over the years), the first album was musically written by Erik Norlander (and thus very keyboard influenced); the second by Henning Pauly (much more guitar led).  Both albums have a great cast of vocalists, including JLB on the first; and one of my all-time favorite female vocalists, Sass Jordan, on the second.  This was planned to be a trilogy, with each album reflecting each book in the trilogy. But alas, the third never came. These albums did not age very well, and get little airtime in my ears nowadays.
 
Redemption / This Mortal Coil
I mean, c'mon... it's Redemption, and I think most would argue it's a Top 3 album from them.  My only issue is that I discovered this at the same time I discovered Redemption as a whole (thanks DTF!), and  snagged this along with s/t, Fullness, Origins, AND Snowfall all at the same time.  With so much awesomeness at once, it was really hard to decide which one to spend most of my time with.  Art of Loss was a HUGE disappointment, and disconnected me from Redemption for a while.  For those reasons, I had to chop this.

That's a word salad - and take it from me, I know word salad
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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums - Honorable Mentions
« Reply #9 on: January 01, 2023, 08:20:00 AM »
I've only listened through The Dear Hunter but to me that sounded too samey. A lot of the tracks blend together which makes it tough to grab onto something. I understand the point of a concept record is to have a theme to it but with the Acts there is no emotional rise or fall. Take my opinion with a grain of salt, it's been 10 years since I last listened to the first three Acts.

The little I've heard of Redemption I've really enjoyed it. I'll have to listen to This Mortal Coil per your honorable mention.

I've heard of the other two but not enough to form an opinion.

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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums - Honorable Mentions
« Reply #10 on: January 01, 2023, 08:45:09 AM »
I'll follow for sure. I think I could confidently guess at least 2 of your top 10 here dude, possibly more.

As for the honourable mentions, I am familiar with a few of the bands and obsessed with one (no surprises for guessing there). I'm quite pleasantly surprised to see The Dear Hunter here, as I thought they were one of those bands you'd tried and weren't into at all, like Haken or Porcupine Tree. Maybe there's a shot that my all time favourite band will be featured on the list :neverusethis:

As for The Dear Hunter, I've said it before but Act IV is the single greatest album I've discovered in the last decade. It is just top notch perfection from start to finish.

Offline jingle.boy

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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums - Honorable Mentions
« Reply #11 on: January 01, 2023, 08:47:12 AM »
I'll follow for sure. I think I could confidently guess at least 2 of your top 10 here dude, possibly more.

As for the honourable mentions, I am familiar with a few of the bands and obsessed with one (no surprises for guessing there). I'm quite pleasantly surprised to see The Dear Hunter here, as I thought they were one of those bands you'd tried and weren't into at all, like Haken or Porcupine Tree. Maybe there's a shot that my all time favourite band will be featured on the list :neverusethis:

As for The Dear Hunter, I've said it before but Act IV is the single greatest album I've discovered in the last decade. It is just top notch perfection from start to finish.

You're clearly mixing The Dear Hunter with Coheed & Cambria. Or maybe Pain of Salvation. :lol
That's a word salad - and take it from me, I know word salad
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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums - Honorable Mentions
« Reply #12 on: January 01, 2023, 09:01:32 AM »
That Headspace album is a good one, never knew that it was a concept album and never cared.

Never could get into Redemption. I've tried many times, as they seem to have all the ingredients that I like, but they never did anything for me.

The Dear Hunter is on my long "music I will check out some day" list.

Roswell Six doesn't sound like it's my thing.
Must've been Kwyji sending all the wrong songs.   ;D

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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums - Honorable Mentions
« Reply #13 on: January 01, 2023, 09:45:07 AM »
I'll follow for sure. I think I could confidently guess at least 2 of your top 10 here dude, possibly more.

As for the honourable mentions, I am familiar with a few of the bands and obsessed with one (no surprises for guessing there). I'm quite pleasantly surprised to see The Dear Hunter here, as I thought they were one of those bands you'd tried and weren't into at all, like Haken or Porcupine Tree. Maybe there's a shot that my all time favourite band will be featured on the list :neverusethis:

As for The Dear Hunter, I've said it before but Act IV is the single greatest album I've discovered in the last decade. It is just top notch perfection from start to finish.

You're clearly mixing The Dear Hunter with Coheed & Cambria. Or maybe Pain of Salvation. :lol

Wait, I thought you didn't like Haken and Porcupine Tree?? Also Pain of Salvation, I get that.

Don't slander Coheed and Cambria that way!

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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums - Honorable Mentions
« Reply #14 on: January 01, 2023, 10:13:13 AM »
I'll follow for sure. I think I could confidently guess at least 2 of your top 10 here dude, possibly more.

As for the honourable mentions, I am familiar with a few of the bands and obsessed with one (no surprises for guessing there). I'm quite pleasantly surprised to see The Dear Hunter here, as I thought they were one of those bands you'd tried and weren't into at all, like Haken or Porcupine Tree. Maybe there's a shot that my all time favourite band will be featured on the list :neverusethis:

As for The Dear Hunter, I've said it before but Act IV is the single greatest album I've discovered in the last decade. It is just top notch perfection from start to finish.

You're clearly mixing The Dear Hunter with Coheed & Cambria. Or maybe Pain of Salvation. :lol

Wait, I thought you didn't like Haken and Porcupine Tree?? Also Pain of Salvation, I get that.

Don't slander Coheed and Cambria that way!

You think correctly!
That's a word salad - and take it from me, I know word salad
I fear for the day when something happens on the right that is SO nuts that even Stadler says "That's crazy".
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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums
« Reply #15 on: January 01, 2023, 10:26:45 AM »
Alrighty then, here's the first batch of honorable mentions that just missed the cut.

The Dear Hunter - the whole damned "Acts" pentalogy.  Every time I listen to any of the Acts, I very much quite enjoy them, but having only discovered them after four had already been released, I just haven't given the proper amount of time to them to include on the list with a good conscience, and couldn't tell you any real specifics as to what I love about each album.  You could play me any one of the 5, and I wouldn't be able to tell you which one it was.  For that reason, I had to chop them.

Headspace / I Am Anonymous
Having recently revisited this because of lonestar's Top 50, it resonated much better in these ears than when it first dropped.  Part of my issue with this is that A) I'm a big Damian Wilson fan, and B) 2012 had a better release (for these ears) with Wilson on the mic that I connected much more with, and thus it got a lot more spin-time from me.  For those reasons, I had to chop this.

Roswell Six / Terra Incognita: Beyond the Horizon
Roswell Six / Terra Incognita: A Line In the Sand
I rated these albums pretty high when I first listened to them, perhaps in the afterglow of having just ready the Kevin Anderson books that each of these are based on. Organized by Shawn Gordon of ProgRock Records (where I've discovered many gems over the years), the first album was musically written by Erik Norlander (and thus very keyboard influenced); the second by Henning Pauly (much more guitar led).  Both albums have a great cast of vocalists, including JLB on the first; and one of my all-time favorite female vocalists, Sass Jordan, on the second.  This was planned to be a trilogy, with each album reflecting each book in the trilogy. But alas, the third never came. These albums did not age very well, and get little airtime in my ears nowadays.
 
Redemption / This Mortal Coil
I mean, c'mon... it's Redemption, and I think most would argue it's a Top 3 album from them.  My only issue is that I discovered this at the same time I discovered Redemption as a whole (thanks DTF!), and  snagged this along with s/t, Fullness, Origins, AND Snowfall all at the same time.  With so much awesomeness at once, it was really hard to decide which one to spend most of my time with.  Art of Loss was a HUGE disappointment, and disconnected me from Redemption for a while.  For those reasons, I had to chop this.
Pleasantly surprised to see The Dear Hunter here. They are an amazing band, I mean it's mostly just Casey Crescenzo who writes everything, but they are amazing nonetheless. I didn't know you had heard them and liked them.

Headspace has Damien Wilson, so no go for me. Can't stand his voice.

Roswell Six's first album was pretty good. Did not like the vocal cast on the second.

As far as Redemption goes, This Mortal Coil was my least favorite album they released until Long Night's Journey Into Day. It isn't a bad album though, I just like the others more.

I'm fairly certain I know what your #1 is going to be. :corn
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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums - Honorable Mentions
« Reply #16 on: January 01, 2023, 12:35:49 PM »
While you guys are blowing kisses at each other, I fucking better not get caught in the crossfire. :lol

Is it even a proper DTF thread if you're not catching strays at some point?
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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums - Honorable Mentions
« Reply #17 on: January 01, 2023, 01:11:20 PM »
listing the 5 Acts from The Dear Hunter, wouldnt necessarily eliminate The Color Spectrum or even Antimai I suppose. But per your take on the Acts, it seems unlikely.

But for what it is worth, I know a number of fans of The Dear Hunter who discovered the band through The Color Spectrum and still regard that as their greatest work.

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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums - Honorable Mentions
« Reply #18 on: January 01, 2023, 01:17:48 PM »
While you guys are blowing kisses at each other, I fucking better not get caught in the crossfire. :lol

Is it even a proper DTF thread if you're not catching strays at some point?

Don't worry, Tim shoots himself in the foot all the time.
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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums - Honorable Mentions
« Reply #19 on: January 01, 2023, 01:44:12 PM »
listing the 5 Acts from The Dear Hunter, wouldnt necessarily eliminate The Color Spectrum or even Antimai I suppose. But per your take on the Acts, it seems unlikely.

But for what it is worth, I know a number of fans of The Dear Hunter who discovered the band through The Color Spectrum and still regard that as their greatest work.

Well, then, I guess I should check those out as well!
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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums - Honorable Mentions
« Reply #20 on: January 01, 2023, 01:56:36 PM »
This Mortal Coil is phenomenal. :metal
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums - Honorable Mentions
« Reply #21 on: January 01, 2023, 04:41:25 PM »
This Mortal Coil is phenomenal. :metal

That's a word salad - and take it from me, I know word salad
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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums - Honorable Mentions
« Reply #22 on: January 01, 2023, 05:12:53 PM »
 :corn

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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums - Honorable Mentions
« Reply #23 on: January 01, 2023, 06:46:16 PM »
 :corn :corn

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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums - Honorable Mentions
« Reply #24 on: January 01, 2023, 06:46:42 PM »
That's a word salad - and take it from me, I know word salad
I fear for the day when something happens on the right that is SO nuts that even Stadler says "That's crazy".
Quote from: Puppies_On_Acid
Remember the mark of a great vocalist is if TAC hates them with a special passion

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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums - Honorable Mentions
« Reply #25 on: January 02, 2023, 03:09:01 AM »
Following.  I had no idea This Mortal Coil was a concept album!
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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums - Honorable Mentions
« Reply #26 on: January 02, 2023, 04:42:52 AM »
Following.  I had no idea This Mortal Coil was a concept album!

I might be stretching it a bit to call it a 'concept album', but it does focus on Nick's experiences around his cancer diagnosis.
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Offline jingle.boy

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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums - More Honorable Mentions
« Reply #27 on: January 02, 2023, 04:52:34 AM »
A few more that just missed the cut.

Jethro Tull / Thick as a Brick
Originally on the list, this is what I would consider the OG of Prog-rock concept albums, but Tull is very much hit-and-miss for me.  There's so much of this that is great, and a good portion that sounds like actual filler to me.  When discovering 60s/70s music, back in my teens, I leaned more towards the harder stuff.  By the time I really did start appreciating "progressive", stuff like this (and early Genesis/Yes) sounded dated to me.  Not bad, and not unenjoyable, but I'd sooner reach for Transatlantic, or Spock's, or Mystery, or IQ over something like JT.  And thus Tull was culled.

Dominici / O3: A Trilogy
This made my first cut, but after realizing there were a couple albums that A) had a more compelling story, or B) I listened to much more frequently.  Musically, this is great, and Charlie sounds really good (for him), but he's just not that dynamic a vocalist.  For those reasons I had to chop this.

Vanish. / The Insanity Abstract
Modern ambitious prog/power metal from Stuttgart, Germany, this album is crunchy af, and did make the list when I first made it last year just sneaking in in the high 40s.  And despite Kade shitting all over the ballad I submitted to him in a roulette once, this is an excellent album - though the lead vocals can be a bit of an acquired taste.  Alas, my #2 album of the year in 2021, and what's shaping up to be a Top 3 AOTY for 2022 bumped it out, and I had to chop this.

Nation Beyond / Aftermath Odyssey
It's not horribly innovative or mind-blowing, but some very solid, pounding, and head banging metal that leans a little to the prog side of things.  There's a bit of mediocrity here.  The highlight is the duet, Soulmates, and the rest of the album is pretty damned good.  But alas, I found it continually slipping in my rankings of these albums, to the point it ranked itself right out of the Top 50.

Lalu / Paint the Sky
It was a really close call between what album from 2022 would kick off this list, and I'm almost ashamed that my Damian Wilson fanboyism didn't push this one over the edge.  I mean, it's 5* start to finish, it made lonestar's last Top 50, but I can only rate this as #50-b.

The real list starts tomorrow.  I'll aim to do one a day, at least on average.  I've got almost all of the writeups done, so I should be able to keep that pace up and be done no later than the end of Feb
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Remember the mark of a great vocalist is if TAC hates them with a special passion

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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums - More Honorable Mentions
« Reply #28 on: January 02, 2023, 07:06:20 AM »
Jethro Cull
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums - More Honorable Mentions
« Reply #29 on: January 02, 2023, 07:10:48 AM »
Unpicked As A Brick
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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums - Honorable Mentions
« Reply #30 on: January 02, 2023, 02:43:00 PM »
Following.  I had no idea This Mortal Coil was a concept album!

I might be stretching it a bit to call it a 'concept album', but it does focus on Nick's experiences around his cancer diagnosis.

Oh yeah, I do recall that now.
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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums - #50
« Reply #31 on: January 03, 2023, 05:01:40 AM »
Spheric Universe Experience / Back Home [2022]


Let's kick it off by the best (and only) 2022 album on this list.  I've only spun this 3-4 times, but that's enough to know this needs to be mentioned here.  I'd tried this band a few times in the past, and none of their albums really grabbed me.  But after the opening intro track, they take off (pun intended - Back Home is a story is involving humans who left Earth long ago finally returning home… not overly unique or captivating, but it also serves as a metaphor for the band, given it had been 9 years since their last album, which was a bit of a divergence from the style of their first two releases).  Hammering out heavy guitar riffs, and some complementary keyboard runs sets the stage for this album with plenty of sound diversity - power, speed, some thrashy parts, instrumentals, ballads … the whole 9 yards.  Throughout the next 69 minutes, the band delivers a decent enough story, with the accompanying music showing a technical prowess without sounding like a musical wankfest just to prove how good they are technically. The production is crisp and clean, and they are clearly inspired by the likes of DT, S-X, Circus Maximus et al. 
Fave Song - Spheric Universe Experience - Where We Belong (official video)
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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums - #50
« Reply #32 on: January 03, 2023, 07:57:37 AM »
As expected with this list I didn't recognize the band or album but I did give Where We belong a spin. It's a good song with vocals that might take a little to grow on me. I'll put the album on my to-listen list!

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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums - #50
« Reply #33 on: January 03, 2023, 08:28:58 AM »
Like my first top 50, there ain't a lot of variety here – this list will be about as diverse as a ‘60s Klan convention. I know what I like, and I stick to it.  I said it to open my first Top 50, and it's worth repeating.  You won't find any bands/albums that require the words "post" or "core" to describe their style/genre.
And then literally the first honourable mention is a band whose style was rooted in post-hardcore from the start. :lol Very proggy, theatrical and varied of course, but the post-hardcore sound is absolutely there, especially on Acts I-III.

Anyway this should be an interesting thread - I wonder how many of the albums I'll know, and also how many you'll have sent me songs from in my roulettes!

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Re: Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums - #50
« Reply #34 on: January 03, 2023, 08:44:33 AM »
Like my first top 50, there ain't a lot of variety here – this list will be about as diverse as a ‘60s Klan convention. I know what I like, and I stick to it.  I said it to open my first Top 50, and it's worth repeating.  You won't find any bands/albums that require the words "post" or "core" to describe their style/genre.
And then literally the first honourable mention is a band whose style was rooted in post-hardcore from the start. :lol Very proggy, theatrical and varied of course, but the post-hardcore sound is absolutely there, especially on Acts I-III.

Yeah, I guess that comment was a little ironic.  I guess I really wouldn't/don't know what genre to classify The Dear Hunter as though.

Anyway this should be an interesting thread - I wonder how many of the albums I'll know, and also how many you'll have sent me songs from in my roulettes!

More than a handful.
That's a word salad - and take it from me, I know word salad
I fear for the day when something happens on the right that is SO nuts that even Stadler says "That's crazy".
Quote from: Puppies_On_Acid
Remember the mark of a great vocalist is if TAC hates them with a special passion