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

[TAC]

In this thread, Rich ranks everything 7/10

 

[jingle.boy]

11. Ayreon / Into the Electric Castle [1998]



Arjen Lucassen writes some of the coolest and most creative of concepts.  Personally, I think he is a musical genius - at least, that's what I wrote 10 years ago.  Given his trend of 'meh' or 'ugh' output lately, I'm thinking his best material is in the rearview mirror.  This 100+ minute double disc tells a sci-fi story of eight different characters from different era's in time suddenly transported into another dimension and subject to experiments conducted by an alien race. In recording the album, Arjen went 'old-school' (relative to his previous 2 works) using less digitization/samples, and more true sounds direct from the instruments - including some vintage 70s synthesizers for the keyboard sounds, which tend to remind the listener of those fantastic 70s keyboard sounds produced by the likes of ELO, ELP, Yes, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, etc...  Using a plethora of instrumentation including mandolin, violins, flute, sitar, and Minimoog, the instrumentation, orchestration, and arrangement is all beyond compare.  With vocalists ranging from Damian Wilson (damn I love his voice), Robert Westerholt (Within Temptation), Anneke van Giersbergen (The Gathering) and Fish, Arjen finds some of the most talented, yet (mostly) unheralded singers, and mashes them together with a result that is pure auditory bliss.  There are is a litany of songs that start slow/soft, and build to absolutely epic outros.

Like any great concept album, it’s been delivered live (almost with the full original cast), and in a way that enhances the listening and viewing experience.  And unlike a few other albums on this list, the narration actually contributes to the story and the mood (at least on the studio version ... in the live show, DeLancie was given a new script, and while it was nice, it was a bit over the top - but I suppose that's to be expected with Arjen), rather than just being there (SFAM) or actively making things worse (Mercy Falls)

Fave Song - Across The Rainbow Bridge

[Dr. DTVT]

That hint was a dead give away.  Great album and rightfully in the top quarter of the rankings.  With THE still to come, the question is how much of the top 10 does AAL own?

[Zydar]

I'm not a huge Ayreon fan but this one is my favourite out of those I've heard, it hits the spot for me.

[Stadler]

Good record; I bought this on Jingle's recommendation, and he was right as rain. I think I might prefer 01011001 overall, but this is good.

[Kwyjibo]

Very good record but still not Arjen's best. But I can never devide if the story is clever or just stupid. And I could absolutely do without the narration, even if it contributes to the story.

[RoeDent]

On ITEC? That's not narration, that's Forever addressing the team of time travellers.

[Kwyjibo]

Call it what you want, I still think it hinders the flow. 

[jingle.boy]

On ITEC? That's not narration, that's Forever addressing the team of time travellers.

Yes, that's literally what it is.  But in the context of the structure of a concept album, it is essentially narration to connect the tracks.

[wolfking]

Early Ayreon is always solid.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

That's the start of the Ayreon golden era.  Lots of classics on that one. 

[jingle.boy]

10. Scarecrow / Avantasia [2008]



I'm not going to cheat and do the whole 3-album 'Scarecrow Saga', but just the opening album.  Some may argue this is not a proper concept album.  But from the booklet of The Scarecrow, Tobias offers the following introduction to the storyline “The Scarecrow is a tragic story of a lonesome creature, emotionally isolated from his environment and suffering from a distorted sensory perception. His feelings for the love of his life unrequited, he sets off on a journey exploring the left-hand path, striving for inner peace, sloughing his way to approval and eventually facing temptation at the inner depths of the human soul.”  Sounds like a legit concept album to me.

The Scarecrow is packed with 11 beastly tracks, and doesn’t disappoint for a single, solitary second.  With legendary voices of Khan, Lande, Kiske, Somerville, Cooper*, and Catley adding contributions, along with Kai Hansen and Henjo Richter laying down so mean solos, there is a lot of firepower on display here.

The follow up albums to the trilogy are a little more hit and miss, so this one comes in as a standalone entry to start the Top 10.

* It was actually the DTF member Scard that first mentioned Avantasia to me, at a meetup before DTF’s ADTOE show in Toronto in Oct '12.  I even wrote the name of the band down to check them out.  Alas, I completely forgot.  Thankfully, a few weeks later, Nick rolled them on his weekly WPaPU radio show (Toy Master specifically), and I thought ‘wow, these guys sound like Alice Cooper, but way proggier!’.

Fave Song - The Scarecrow... perfection

[wolfking]

Wonderful album.  Great songs throughout, even the more poppier ones.

Sadly, the last we hear from Henjo on an Avantasia album.  Wish Kai was featured on more than one track but the duel between those two was a nice touch on Shelter.

[Kwyjibo]

This is a really great record, my introduction to Avantasia and still my favorite.

[Dr. DTVT]

He just wants a brain?  Icy_skater the musical

[jingle.boy]

9. Anthriel / The Pathway [2010]



Years ago, as I was coming up to 1000 artists in my last.fm profile, I solicited DTF to make some recommendations as to who my 1000th artist should be.  Enter Zook, and this glorious masterpiece.  Outside of roulettes and the #1 (or #2… I still haven't decided yet) album to come, this was the best recommendation from an individual DTF'r I've ever received.  The album is inspired by fantasy author R.A. Salvatore's Forgotten Realms: The Dark Elf Trilogy (which I found last year as a single package for $20 - still haven't read it yet though). It is structured magnificently such that the album just flows from start to finish - and it doesn't even feel like 65 minutes has passed. There is excellent musicianship form all, catchy riffs and melodies that stay in your head and are not easily forgotten.  Some will accuse Anthriel of being DT and/or S-X clones, and even if it is a little true, I don't care - those are 2 of my favorite all-time prog-metal bands, so this isn't a bad thing. The album is largely progressive with a power metal style and a little neo classical thrown in as well. There is nothing really groundbreaking here but great a delivery of masterful songs played superbly!  This scratched me right where I was itching at the time, and always fulfills.

Fave Song - Promised Land

[wolfking]

You've sent me a couple of songs from this one in the past.  I never really caught onto it however.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Lots of fantastic guests on Avantasia albums, including that one, but I'm still not sure what to do with Tobias' voice.  I loved Edguy earlier on, soured on his voice, and in recent years it bugs me less than it did, but I still don't love it. 

[TAC]

Lots of fantastic guests on Avantasia albums, including that one, but I'm still not sure what to do with Tobias' voice.  I loved Edguy earlier on, soured on his voice, and in recent years it bugs me less than it did, but I still don't love it.

I have always kind of strugged with Tobi too. Like you say, it worked in early Edguy. But I thought he was exposed on the Avantasia albums, but over time, I feel like he's improved greatly.

He's a phenomenal vocal producer though, always getting the best out of his guests. I mean Joe Lynn Turner on The Mystery Of Time is fantastic, as is Geoff Tate when he came on board for Ghostlights.

[TAC]

Oh, and I'll vouch for the Anthriel.

[wolfking]

Lots of fantastic guests on Avantasia albums, including that one, but I'm still not sure what to do with Tobias' voice.  I loved Edguy earlier on, soured on his voice, and in recent years it bugs me less than it did, but I still don't love it.

I have always kind of strugged with Tobi too. Like you say, it worked in early Edguy. But I thought he was exposed on the Avantasia albums, but over time, I feel like he's improved greatly.

He's a phenomenal vocal producer though, always getting the best out of his guests. I mean Joe Lynn Turner on The Mystery Of Time is fantastic, as is Geoff Tate when he came on board for Ghostlights.

He tried to copy Kiske too much with the vibrato.  I think I remember that was a big aspect of what put people off.

[Dr. DTVT]

I read those books when I was in middle school.  Guess I have something to check out next Bandcamp day or when there is a slow release month.

[jingle.boy]

8. Beyond the Bridge / Old Man and the Spirit [2012]



My (and I’m sure plenty of others around here) album of the year for 2012.  Hard to believe it’s only been out for over 10 years now.  There’s no way I can top the review that Cheffy-poo wrote on this one, so (like Stargate earlier), I’m not even gonna try.

It was with trembling hands and a humbled soul that I removed the headphones, having just finished my first full listen to Beyond the Bridge’s debut album, The Old Man and the Spirit.  I had come across something miraculous, wondrous, and beautiful; a true work of art, and had to pause a moment to appreciate how the music had changed me.  Moments like this are rare in music; some bands can have a massive body of work, all wonderful, and yet only touch this height once or twice. The fact that this was a debut just stunned me all the more, usually bands have to work years, even decades, to develop a sound like this, and this band nailed it on the first shot.  My curiosity got the best of me, as it usually does, though luckily I had to go no further than their website to find what lay behind the maturity that they show.
The album is a concept album, in every sense of the word.  The basic story is that an old man, in the final stages of his life, is in a state of frustrated despondency, and in his desperation, calls out to a spirit to find meaning in his life.  The spirit who answers his call embodies all the wisdom that man cannot achieve, but lacks the real life experience to make sense of it.  A deal is presented by her, in that if the old man surrenders his memories, he will be given the wisdom.  Though simplistic, the story is deftly handled, and leaves enough room for the listener to interpret it via their own emotions and experiences, further involving the audience in the story in a personal way by letting their own emotions intimately ride the tale with the music.  This works perfectly, so perfectly that I was moved close to tears on a few occasions, reflecting upon where the music took me to in my own personal life, and how my memories and emotions mirrored those of the old man.  Would I be willing to sacrifice them for the ultimate answers? Were my most cherished possessions sacrificable at all?  Such is what this work left me to ponder.
Musically, this thing is a straight up prog metal monster.  From the textbook opening thunder of chords to the closing dreamscape of bliss, it dishes out a gauntlet of wondrous sound, covering all the best things that good prog has to offer; the beast of an instrumental in Triumph of Irreality, the soul searing ballad Worlds of Wonder, the staccato verbal onslaught of The Struggle, the soul crushing distorted beatdown of The Primal Demand, and so much more, it carries its message with authority.  Grounded by an extremely solid bass and drum performance, the other instruments dance and play around like caffeined up kids on the first day of summer, free and with the sole purpose to live for the day.
Vocally, it is near perfection.  Thematically, it is structured so unbelievably well, I am in awe with every subsequent listen.  Though the songs don’t tend to run together, they are tied musically in a fantastic fashion, and each piece is a stand alone work.  Lyrical and musical themes are repeated throughout, but are built upon with each use, the words expand with emotion, and the music expands with intensity.  This works wonderfully to build the gravity of the outcome, and ties the listener even closer to the struggle that the Old Man has to face.

There isn’t anything more I could add, even if I wanted to.  That sums it up perfectly.  Perfectly.  Full review is here

But if that wasn't enough, Morawintersoul also wrote an exceptional review of the album here

RIP Simon.  You gave us a most wonderful gift while you were with us. 

Hey, don't you see the light?
Don't you feel its might?
Tell me, donʼt you see?
Don't you feel it?
There's a strength in your veins of glory
And it breathes light in your soul

Fave Song - Triumph of Irreality*

*This is probably the first album on this list where it's virtually impossible to pick just one, but I'll offer up one of my most favorite instrumentals of all time, and one of the coolest fucking song titles.  I've used this song regularly in "instrumental" rounds of roulette's, and the worst score it ever got was a 9/10

[Evermind]

Had it at my #8 in my first Top 50.

This is such a brilliant album. I'm proud to own a copy and every once in a while I listen to it and I'm still in awe of how much it means to me. Incredible effort.

[Kwyjibo]

I've got nothing to add, but can confirm that this is a very very good record.

[lonestar]

Hmmm, guess I don't need to say anything about the album itself since you quoted my review...




I do want to share an experience surrounding the album though, one I don't think I've shared to anyone. So at the time I did this one, I was barely over a year sober. I was still struggling for day to day sobriety, still neck deep in debt, still had half my teeth rotted from years of meth usage, and still felt like a forgotten mistake as I walked through life each day. My life was work, and doing reviews for LO, it was the one thing that kept my sanity in check, and I'll never be able to repay Nem for what she did for me in those early days (and she's well aware of this, it's why were such close friends). Now, I was as floored by the album as much as anyone else, as my review shows. I think it was like my tenth review or so, very early in the game, and I hadn't had any interaction with musicians at this point. About a week after the review, it had gotten back to the band, and the guitarist Peter had reached out to me via FB to thank me for the review and tell me how touched he was by my words, and how beautifully written it was. I was in a Starbucks at the time, where I usually did my review work (it made me feel a bit more connected to humanity to be in public), and his comments, these massively complimentary remarks coming from this brilliant musician halfway around the world whose work so deeply touched me, did something magical. It was the first time in decades, maybe ever, that a sense of worth and value crept into me. That I had something to offer, that I had purpose and meaning. It cracked me open, and right there in Starbucks tears just started running down my face. Recovery is a process of peeling back layers of an onion, and this was the first, big layer. For decades I could never look anyone in the eye, I'd always stare at my feet as I went through my days in shame. This was when I started raising my head and looking around at life.



That is the power of music and connections. 

[jingle.boy]

Wow.  Amazing.   

I'll be forever grateful to everyone that had a hand in getting you to and thru your sobriety. 

[lonestar]

[wolfking]

Wonderful story mate.

Apologies, but I could never understand the hype for this album.

[TAC]

I do want to share an experience surrounding the album though, one I don't think I've shared to anyone. So at the time I did this one, I was barely over a year sober. I was still struggling for day to day sobriety, still neck deep in debt, still had half my teeth rotted from years of meth usage, and still felt like a forgotten mistake as I walked through life each day. My life was work, and doing reviews for LO, it was the one thing that kept my sanity in check, and I'll never be able to repay Nem for what she did for me in those early days (and she's well aware of this, it's why were such close friends). Now, I was as floored by the album as much as anyone else, as my review shows. I think it was like my tenth review or so, very early in the game, and I hadn't had any interaction with musicians at this point. About a week after the review, it had gotten back to the band, and the guitarist Peter had reached out to me via FB to thank me for the review and tell me how touched he was by my words, and how beautifully written it was. I was in a Starbucks at the time, where I usually did my review work (it made me feel a bit more connected to humanity to be in public), and his comments, these massively complimentary remarks coming from this brilliant musician halfway around the world whose work so deeply touched me, did something magical. It was the first time in decades, maybe ever, that a sense of worth and value crept into me. That I had something to offer, that I had purpose and meaning. It cracked me open, and right there in Starbucks tears just started running down my face. Recovery is a process of peeling back layers of an onion, and this was the first, big layer. For decades I could never look anyone in the eye, I'd always stare at my feet as I went through my days in shame. This was when I started raising my head and looking around at life.

Wow, that's an amazing story. Thank you for sharing.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Hmmm, guess I don't need to say anything about the album itself since you quoted my review...




I do want to share an experience surrounding the album though, one I don't think I've shared to anyone. So at the time I did this one, I was barely over a year sober. I was still struggling for day to day sobriety, still neck deep in debt, still had half my teeth rotted from years of meth usage, and still felt like a forgotten mistake as I walked through life each day. My life was work, and doing reviews for LO, it was the one thing that kept my sanity in check, and I'll never be able to repay Nem for what she did for me in those early days (and she's well aware of this, it's why were such close friends). Now, I was as floored by the album as much as anyone else, as my review shows. I think it was like my tenth review or so, very early in the game, and I hadn't had any interaction with musicians at this point. About a week after the review, it had gotten back to the band, and the guitarist Peter had reached out to me via FB to thank me for the review and tell me how touched he was by my words, and how beautifully written it was. I was in a Starbucks at the time, where I usually did my review work (it made me feel a bit more connected to humanity to be in public), and his comments, these massively complimentary remarks coming from this brilliant musician halfway around the world whose work so deeply touched me, did something magical. It was the first time in decades, maybe ever, that a sense of worth and value crept into me. That I had something to offer, that I had purpose and meaning. It cracked me open, and right there in Starbucks tears just started running down my face. Recovery is a process of peeling back layers of an onion, and this was the first, big layer. For decades I could never look anyone in the eye, I'd always stare at my feet as I went through my days in shame. This was when I started raising my head and looking around at life.



That is the power of music and connections. 

That's an amazing story of how music (and the people responsible for it) can be a catalyst for change. I've often said how music is the biggest thing in my life (outside of my parents) that made me who I am today. My emotional response to music is exponentially greater than any other art medium.

[King Postwhore]

RJ.  Love you my man.

[jingle.boy]

Agreed.

[lonestar]

 

That's an amazing story of how music (and the people responsible for it) can be a catalyst for change. I've often said how music is the biggest thing in my life (outside of my parents) that made me who I am today. My emotional response to music is exponentially greater than any other art medium.

And all of you should know, it all started here,  I met Nem here, along with all you losers. It all started with DTF... (and my pancreas shutting down and almost killing me    )

[Dr. DTVT]

And it all started when some dipshit showed up at your place of work in 2010