Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums - The Top 2 to wrap things up

[lonestar]

Hunter 

[jingle.boy]

No interest there.  Alrighty then .... moving on.

36. Marillion / Clutching at Straws [1987]


Allow myself to kick …. myself once again (see my Brave writeup) for not spending enough time with this album.  RJ's #1 Album of All-Time is a deeply personal story, and luckily, not one that I personally connect with.  The end of the Fish-era, it's an extremely cohesive album from start to finish, with no obvious flaws.  I should probably just stop writing, and let Cheffy tell you how great this album is, because my words and experiences won't do it any justice.  Hit that link to his writeup from 10ish years ago.  Given a recent FB post, I know that it all still applies today.
Fave Song - Incommunicado

P.S.  While you're there, hit his honoroable mention wrapup post.  One of the best posts in DTF history (imo)

[Evermind]

Fave Song - Incommunicado

That's my least favourite song from this otherwise great album

[lonestar]

Incommunicado is a crucial part of the story though... It describes the manic episodes, the false pedestals we put ourselves on in the course of addiction that only serve to fool us into thinking everything is OK. It's the mood of hitting the bar on payday and buying rounds of drinks like a king,only to be dead broke 2 days later.

Obviously I have much more to say about this album, but personal connection aside, it's hands down one of the most amazing lyrical products ever, the finest lyricist at the top of his game speaking to a very personal subject.

[HOF]

Clutching at Straws is the masterpiece of the Fish era, and definitely one of the great concept albums. I think it’s mostly a thinly veiled autobiographical sketch of Fish’s own issues, and the tensions in the band were super high at the time, especially between him and Rothery. I think you can feel that in some ways in the way Rothery’s playing seems really visceral, almost like he’s trading musical blows with Fish. The one oddball track that doesn’t seem to have much to do with the concept is White Russian, but that one especially is driven by Fish and Rothery.

It’s a dark but powerful album. In Marillion’s catalog, I rank it only below the big 3 of the H era (Afraid of Sunlight, Brave, and Marbles).

[lonestar]

Clutching at Straws is the masterpiece of the Fish era, and definitely one of the great concept albums. I think it’s mostly a thinly veiled autobiographical sketch of Fish’s own issues, and the tensions in the band were super high at the time, especially between him and Rothery. I think you can feel that in some ways in the way Rothery’s playing seems really visceral, almost like he’s trading musical blows with Fish. The one oddball track that doesn’t seem to have much to do with the concept is White Russian, but that one especially is driven by Fish and Rothery.

It’s a dark but powerful album. In Marillion’s catalog, I rank it only below the big 3 of the H era (Afraid of Sunlight, Brave, and Marbles).

It's definitely autobiographical, and it absolutely reflects band tensions. It was written on the road in the US, especially all the lyrics when Fish was in a really dark place. When he showed the lyrics for Going Under to his wife, she straight up asked him to be honest and tell her if she was ok. And you're correct about Rothery's playing as well, it too was feuled by the tensions, there was a story in one Marillion bio that said the solo in Hotel Hobbies was a one take, he walked into the studio all fucking pissed and blasted it out. There's so much rawness in it, so much I think anyone could relate to, not just an old school drunk like me.


And yeah, I never really figured out where White Russian stood in the story either.

[HOF]

And yeah, I never really figured out where White Russian stood in the story either.

The best I’ve come up with is that a writer/journalist might be concerned with covering those sorts of issues, and maybe digging into it is another part of what is feeding into Torch’s (Fish’s) personal crisis. The “racing the clouds home” section is epic though.

[Dr. DTVT]

Best Marillion album.  Period.

[Kwyjibo]

Great record, although I think Misplaced Childhood is a tad better.

[nick_z]

On most days, this is my favorite Marillion album.

[King Postwhore]

My second favorite Marillion album. That being said it's an A grade album!!

[SoundscapeMN]

yeah it was definitely a dark period for the band, and it got even darker after it came out through the time leading up to when Fish resigned.

I'm actually finally reading the Separated Out biography and I just finished the chapter that whole story is told. Basically Fish and the band were completely at odds. They wanted nothing to do with each other and couldn't stand being in the same room together. Looking back on it, it is sad to hear about, but I suppose it was meant to be and things happened how they did for a reason.

That being said, musically it's the band's greatest work with Fish and a record that is incredibly powerful. I get sucked in every time I listen to it now.

[ariich]

Not heard Lalo's Tangerine Dream stuff, so I guess I should give that album a listen along with checking out Brave. Will add them to my list.

The Source isn't my favourite Ayreon album, but it's a good one. I wouldn't say I'm super into the Ayreon story stuff, but this added nicely to the lore, and musically I rather enjoyed the quite direct approach.

After that has been a whole run of albums that I've heard, but none of which I've loved.

[Mladen]

I heard this one for the first time in the summer of 2021 and thought it was really good. 

[Stadler]

Incommunicado is a crucial part of the story though... It describes the manic episodes, the false pedestals we put ourselves on in the course of addiction that only serve to fool us into thinking everything is OK. It's the mood of hitting the bar on payday and buying rounds of drinks like a king,only to be dead broke 2 days later.

Obviously I have much more to say about this album, but personal connection aside, it's hands down one of the most amazing lyrical products ever, the finest lyricist at the top of his game speaking to a very personal subject.

This.  This is a top five all-time record for me, and one of those few records that has NEVER fallen out of favor. I'm just as likely to put it on today as I was back in 1987 when it came out. In fact, as I type this, a copy is sitting right to my right on my desk, and I just sent the "Warm Wet Circles" suite in a roulette last week.

And I STILL get new things, find new nuances in the lyrics.   I honestly don't know how he did it, given all the turmoil around the band at the time (and as much as I love Fish, he never reached these heights again). 

[Stadler]

And yeah, I never really figured out where White Russian stood in the story either.

The best I’ve come up with is that a writer/journalist might be concerned with covering those sorts of issues, and maybe digging into it is another part of what is feeding into Torch’s (Fish’s) personal crisis. The “racing the clouds home” section is epic though.

I think it fits nicely; Fish has spoken about this.  My opinion only, but it's Torch, dealing with internal demons and internal issues, being divided (in terms of the realist versus the escapist) and trying to look outside and finding no comfort, no relief, no AFFIRMATION for his conscience.  I think this is the key passage:

The more I see, the more I hear
The more I find fewer answers
I close my mind, I shout it out
But you know it's getting harder

To calm me down, to reason out
To come to terms with what it's all about
I'm uptight, can't sleep at night
I can't pretend every thing's alright

My ideals, my sanity
They seem to be deserting me
To stand up and fight
I know we have six million reasons

Fish has always had an eye to the world around him - Forgotten Sons, his period around Sunsets where he spent a fair amount of time talking about (and visiting) Bosnia - and this was him seeing the world was as fucked up as he is/was, and also realizing that to maintain some consistency with his own personal ideals he may have to reevaluate his own position.

But, in keeping with the bleakness of this record (and sort of contrary to how Fish ACTUALLY handled the situation over the next two years) Torch chose to 'race the clouds home' and escape, not face reality.  ("Racing the clouds home" a sort of reference to running from an impending storm; think of the black and white portion of The Wizard Of Oz where they see the storm coming and run for shelter). 

[HOF]

And yeah, I never really figured out where White Russian stood in the story either.

The best I’ve come up with is that a writer/journalist might be concerned with covering those sorts of issues, and maybe digging into it is another part of what is feeding into Torch’s (Fish’s) personal crisis. The “racing the clouds home” section is epic though.

I think it fits nicely; Fish has spoken about this.  My opinion only, but it's Torch, dealing with internal demons and internal issues, being divided (in terms of the realist versus the escapist) and trying to look outside and finding no comfort, no relief, no AFFIRMATION for his conscience.  I think this is the key passage:

The more I see, the more I hear
The more I find fewer answers
I close my mind, I shout it out
But you know it's getting harder

To calm me down, to reason out
To come to terms with what it's all about
I'm uptight, can't sleep at night
I can't pretend every thing's alright

My ideals, my sanity
They seem to be deserting me
To stand up and fight
I know we have six million reasons

Fish has always had an eye to the world around him - Forgotten Sons, his period around Sunsets where he spent a fair amount of time talking about (and visiting) Bosnia - and this was him seeing the world was as fucked up as he is/was, and also realizing that to maintain some consistency with his own personal ideals he may have to reevaluate his own position.

But, in keeping with the bleakness of this record (and sort of contrary to how Fish ACTUALLY handled the situation over the next two years) Torch chose to 'race the clouds home' and escape, not face reality.  ("Racing the clouds home" a sort of reference to running from an impending storm; think of the black and white portion of The Wizard Of Oz where they see the storm coming and run for shelter).

Yeah, that all makes sense. It’s also kind of similar to the end of Blind Curve, which initially comes a little out of nowhere in the scheme of Misplaced Childhood as well but fits upon further reflection.

[Stadler]

If it matters, I loved the record from the jump; I heard the "rock" version of Incommunicado before the album was released and was all in from the start.  White Rissian was the one song I didn't get (not in terms of fitting in, but generally).  The band was all invested in it, and there were a number of live versions put out (one as a b-side, if memory serves) and I didn't get that.  But in recent years, it's really clicked and it's one of my favorites (still doesn't top the WWC/TTON suite or Slainté Mhath, though. 

[lonestar]

If it matters, I loved the record from the jump; I heard the "rock" version of Incommunicado before the album was released and was all in from the start.  White Rissian was the one song I didn't get (not in terms of fitting in, but generally).  The band was all invested in it, and there were a number of live versions put out (one as a b-side, if memory serves) and I didn't get that.  But in recent years, it's really clicked and it's one of my favorites (still doesn't top the WWC/TTON suite or Slainté Mhath, though. 

My first experience was that first full spin, and man, did the Hotel Hobbies suite hit me like a fucking sledgehammer. Oddly enough, I really didn't make an emotional connection with it at the time, even though I was literally living that lifestyle, doing blow all night and feeling that sense of dread when you realized you partied till the sun came up. There's such a delicious sense of shame mixed with pride in it in the moment, and Fish captured it perfectly.... "and the sunlight flares, through a curtain's tear, shuffling its beams as if in nervous anticipation....of another day..."

Nobody ever did it better.... Pete came close in Quadrophenia.

[jingle.boy]

35. Affector / Harmageddon [2012]


The spiritual/religious/Christian aspects don’t bother me at all, everything about this is soooo good.  I used to spin this a ton - as evidenced by it's near Top-10 rating in my last Top 50.  Alas, if I need me a Ted Leonard fix, I don't normally come to this album.  Still, worth its inclusion here.  To steel some of my commentary from 10 years ago ...

I’ll start this one off by saying what I said all throughout 2012... this is the best album of 2012 featuring Neal Morse and a former Dream Theater member (ie, this one is better than Flying Colors).  Affector is a progressive rock/metal band founded by German guitar player Daniel Fries and Dutch drummer Collin Leijenaar (Neal Morse/Dilemma). Bass player Mike LePond (Symphony X) and vocalist Ted Leonard (Spock's Beard/Enchant/Thought Chamber) joined when they started working on this, the debut CD (and man-oh-man I hope there’s more to come). The best part of this album is the four special guests on keyboards: Alex Argento, Neal Morse, Jordan Rudess, and Derek Sherinian. 
Harmagedon fuses dark apocalyptic scenery with themes of hope and light and features heavy riffs and fast solos, but also has lighter and more fragile moments where the soulful singing of Ted Leonard opens a wide spectrum of vocal harmonies. Harmagedon consists mainly out of parts of Biblical text put to music.  The biblical theme’s in the lyrics are not overly prominent, but undeniably recognizable.  It’s by no means a religious album, just based on those stories in the bible around the end of the world – so don’t get all ornery when you hear the lyrics of “salvation”, “God”, “glory” and “halleluiah”. The album starts with a great 2-part opening instrumental overture, then runs through the next 6 tracks catering mainly to the progressive tastes of this listener, stepping on the edge of metal, but never fully diving into full head-bang mode for too long.  Lots of musical themes and melodies get reused, as should be the case with any good concept album.

When I met Ted in '14 on ProgNation at Sea, I asked if there was going to be any more Affector, and he kinda hinted there would/might be.  Either he was bullshitting me, or it just never came together.  Too bad, cuz this one is strong.

Fave Song - Harmagedon

P.S. I stumbled across acoustic versions of the final 2 tracks on YT late last year.  They don't have Ted singing on them, so I'm not sure if maybe they are actually covers - thought they're posted on their official YT channel.  Either way, they were pretty cool.

[senecadawg2]

What a shame—I was expecting Leonard Cohen.

You did send me a phenomenal song from this one though, way back when.

[Lowdz]

Best Marillion album.  Period.

This.

[Lowdz]

Catching up.

That Absolute Priority song was excellent, added that album to my playlist so will give the whole thing a go.

Dawn of Veek Torr Eee is a great album. Rhapsody’s best. The riffs are just incredible despite the obvious cheese.

[jingle.boy]

Catching up.

That Absolute Priority song was excellent, added that album to my playlist so will give the whole thing a go.

Dawn of Veek Torr Eee is a great album. Rhapsody’s best. The riffs are just incredible despite the obvious cheese.

  

[jingle.boy]

34. Teramaze / Her Halo [2015]


I swear this band is schizophrenic.  Their first 2 albums are nothing like anything else they did.  Very bizarre, tbh.  Then, a 14-year hiatus, and they come back with something pretty strong in 2012.  For me, though, they hit their stride 2 albums later with Her Halo.  The opening and closing tunes are pure bliss, and prog-metal perfection imo.  The 6 tracks in between are mostly top-shelf material, with a few "fillers" - again, not to be interpreted as duds or mediocre; it’s a matter of the songs being godly vs merely damned fucking good.  I wished they'd stuck with lead singer Nathan Peachey.  Teramaze founder Dean Wells has evolved to be a competent vocalist, but has not been able to deliver a performance anywhere near as strong as Nathan did on this release.
The story is about a travelling circus and a female trapeze artist, as displayed by the cover art depicting her "fall from grace" and the band incorporates those appropriate sound effects setting the scene as the tale unravels.  Vocal melodies are just *chef's kiss* and my ears hear a perfect complement between Nathan's voice and Dean's music/writing that they haven't recaptured since (don't get me wrong, I love all of their subsequent releases, just none of them have any of the highs that exist on this album).
Fave Song - Delusions of Grandeur

P.S.  Just yesterday, they announced the return of Nathan to tag-team the vocal duties (at least, when they perform live ... we'll see what their next release has in store).

[TAC]

Teramaze IS schizo. But this album I love, and Delusions Of Grandeur is one of the best songs released last decade.


And catching up a little, the Affector album is indeed awesome!!!

[wolfking]

This is the only Teramaze album I can really get into.  It's excellent.

I own that Harmageddon too.  It's very good, but for some reason the religious lyrics too it put me off slightly.  Musically it's fantastic.

[nick_z]

Her Halo is indeed an excellent album.

I lost track of their more recent releases, and the whole thing with the vocalists is a bit puzzling. But I also enjoy their 2012 album, Anhedonia. Not a ton of variety, but it's a good example of very riff-y prog metal.

[jingle.boy]

33. Styx / Paradise Theater [1981]


AD 1921 and Rockin the Paradise is an absolutely killer opening.  I'll never tire of that "Best of Times" intro… only to explode into an absolutely bombastic opening.  The whole album is just so theatrical – unsurprisingly so.  To me, this album encapsulates everything that was awesome about the 70s-AOR era.  As far as I'm concerned, this was peak Denis DeYoung.  Just read PG’s writeup of it - I can't top it.  https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=4997.msg2822155;topicseen#new

Fave Song - Rockin The Paradise - bask in the glory of that cheesiness!!!

[lonestar]

Brilliant fucking album 

[TAC]

Brilliant fucking album 

[Kwyjibo]

I don't know much Styx but I know this one.

Brilliant fucking album 

Nothing to add.

[King Postwhore]

Played at every jr high and high school dances in 82.

[pg1067]

33. Styx / Paradise Theater [1981]
...

AD 1921 and Rockin the Paradise is an absolutely killer opening.  I'll never tire of that "Best of Times" intro… only to explode into an absolutely bombastic opening.  The whole album is just so theatrical – unsurprisingly so.  To me, this album encapsulates everything that was awesome about the 70s-AOR era.  As far as I'm concerned, this was peak Denis DeYoung.  Just read PG’s writeup of it - I can't top it.  https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=4997.msg2822155;topicseen#new

Fave Song - Rockin The Paradise - bask in the glory of that cheesiness!!!

Dude...you spelled the name wrong!   

Thanks for the link to my write-up (I need to get back to those!).  I highly recommend checking out the Half-Penny, Two-Penny live video to which I linked (do it with headphones).  Also note Orbert's comment about this not being a "proper" concept album (in a similar vein to Genesis's Duke).

As I noted in my write-up, it was a GREAT return to form after Cornerstone.

[HOF]

Never became a Styx fan and only know the radio stuff. Kind of surprised the only song on this one that I know by the titles is Too Much Time On My Hands, which I never particularly liked.