Best Conceptual Album Ever

[Rastafari]

It'd be interesting to hear what you all think is the best Album built around a concept. Please explain every song, and go into great detail. I'll post mine after a couple of people put DSOTM down.

[BOZG]

Just to make you happy, I'll say DSOTM even though I've never heard it.
Honestly I can't even think of any conceptual albums really. Nearest thing would probably be Apocalyptica, doing Metallica covers on cellos. Not a prime example.

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

You've never heard DSOTM??
Why aren't you running to your local record store right now instead of reading this?

And I'd say DSOTM or Who's Next, which I believe was part of the Lighthouse project. It nevere worked out, but I'd call it a conceptual album, eh?
Also Animals, Thick as a Brack, Aqualung, Tommy, The Wall, Days of Future Passed, Ziggy Stardust, We're Only in it fro the Money. Drive by Truckers, and uh... Snow by Spock's Beard.
Those all count, right?
They're all very good, by the way, if you're thinking of checking them out.

[BOZG]

I've heard some of the stuff off it. I'm one of those people that knows songs to hear and doesn't realise who sings it.

[celtopunk]

Perhaps he just doesn't realize that DSOTM stands for "Dark Side of the Moon". Just like if I were to say IISFFGWG is one of my all time favorite albums, most of you wouldn't know what the hell I was talking about.

That said I like Joe's Garage, or should I say JG by FZ? And no I'm not going to do a song by song breakdown or any other long winded response, I just like it, it makes me laugh.

[BOZG]

No I know what it means. So is IISFFGWG an actual album or just something you made up to make a point?

[Rastafari]

oh shit, I forgot about "Days of Future Passed." Oh well.


Aqualung
If my brother would have been here, he would remind you that the idea of Aqualung being a Conceptual Album isn't true, as the very insistence of it makes Ian Anderson angry. "Thick as a Brick" and "Passion Play" were the only two concept albums from that failed group called Jethro Tull. I should know-I was just lectured on it last night.

As for my pick, I'd have to say Mothership Connection. http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00008RV1A.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
Picks up a tempo with the first track "P-Funk (Wants to get Funked Up)" and never lets go until the end. There isn't a tune on here that hasn't been my favorite at one time or another. P-Funk has some great spoken words dropped in there as well->Can you imagine Doobie in your funk?After that, "Mothership Connection (Star Child)" is really cool, especially about halfway through (from "We have overcome to...Bermuda Triangle"-The Swing low part of the tune). "Unfunky UFO" is really awesome as well.
"Supergroovalisticprosifunksication (The Thump's Bump)" is probably my least favorite, but still is an awesome jam. "Handcuffs" used to be my least favorite, but it is now really up there as one of the best on the album. "Tear the Roof Off the Sucker (Give up the Funk)" was a pretty big hit and it's easy to see why. Finally, "Night of the Thumpasaurus" people uses the same formula as "Unfunky UFO", combining high soulful voices with low booming funky baselines to a great effect.
This was a horrible review, but so be it.

and don't let the Rolling Stones rag where this came in Two-hundreth and something place behind something like 5 The Smiths Albums fool you. The have no credibility with me anymore After this crap (what's wrong here?) (http://www.rollingstone.com/features/coverstory/featuregen.asp?pid=2515)


-Elliot the Long-Haired Sucker

[celtopunk]

Originally posted by [email protected] 25 2004, 10:19 PM
No I know what it means. So is IISFFGWG an actual album or just something you made up to make a point?
"If I Should Fall From Grace With God" is a Pogues album.

[Rastafari]

You know what WTF means, right?

[Alejandro C]

My favorite concept and creeping up on top five for my all-time is the Flaming Lips, Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots.

starts off with a brilliantly gorgeous song called Fight Test, which details a personal quest for finding the strength, or inner drive, to fight.

next comes One More Robot/Sympathy 3000-21. This track is sort of a rising of the robots, but the robots take on humanistic mentalities. this track centers around the idea- is it still a robot if it can love?

After this comes the title track Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots pt.1. As you may have guessed this track is about a young japanese girl who fights the robots which are try to eat the audience. this track is her gearing up for the fight, and the audience encouraging her.

Now comes Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots pt.2, again- self explanatory. screams seemlessly play with guitars and synthesizers to create a rockin good fight.

next- In The Morning of the Magicians, Ego Tripping At the Gates of Hell, Are You a Hypnotist??, and It's Summertime- seem to all be tracks deticated to celebration then confusion, then back to celebration.

after those four comes another incredibly beautiful song- Do You Realize?? i think this is dedicated back to Yoshimi as the song seems to fall in love with her.

next- All we Have is Now, this song i think is the courting of yoshimi. in it a man from the future comes and tells the audience that humanity wont make it. the song then repetedly gives advice to live in the moment.

Lastly- Approaching Pavonis Mons By Balloon (Utopia Planitia)- i assumed this song is the conception of the courting of yoshimi, at any rate it has an exscaping into bliss sort of sound.


For those of you who havn't heard this album i'd strongly recommend it. its only a couple years old and doesn't get much dissgussion. I think it might be the most beautiful mix of music ever combined into an album. i was listening to it recently ( a little stoned i admit, but just a little) and i actually started crying at the overwhelming beauty.

if your downloading a couple tracks to sample grab- fight test, yoshimi battle pt.1, ego tripping, and Do you realize?? then after you're blown away get the whole damn thing, its worth it, its brilliant.

[celtopunk]

Originally posted by [email protected] 26 2004, 04:25 AM
You know what WTF means, right?
Yeah, that was my reaction when you said Rolling Stone mag had no credibility wit you ANYMORE. That's a worthless music mag if ever there was one, maybe 30 years ago it was something but I first looked at one in 8th grade and knew it was crap.

[Rastafari]

exactly. Big Brother and the Holiday Company? What the Hell is that!?

or having Howard Dean or Justin Timberlake on the cover.

[Danton]

Money Mark - Mark's keyboard repair..

[BOZG]

I'm actually quite scared now, the Pogues are shite. =D Well except for their cover of "And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda"

[BOZG]

Once I finish downloading "The Downward Spiral", I shall commence the download of DSOTM. I will let you know what I think in a day or two, or I'll forget to.

[Hate Is Art]

fav concept album, hmmm, i can't actually think of any so I will just say yellow submarine by the beatles.

[Michael De Panama]

Emperor - Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire & Demise

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...=glance&s=music (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005OB0M/ref=m_art_bow_3/102-6591271-9192107?v=glance&s=music)

Best concept album ever, and one of the best albums in general.

Either that, or, for those of you who can't appreciate black metal...

Tom Waits - Alice.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...192107?v=glance (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005YX3L/qid=1078544797/sr=5-1/ref=cm_lm_asin/102-6591271-9192107?v=glance)

[Rastafari]

How do you like "Small Change?"

[Michael De Panama]

His old stuff is pretty good. A lot of people aren't into it. Personally, I think "Bone Machine" is his best album, but I like almost everything Waits has put out. If "Bone Machine" were as much a concept album as "Alice", I'd have mentioned it.

[Hegemonicretribution]

DSOTM yes...but I do think the Wall was more accessible, although that isn't what I look for.

One of my favourites is probably Dream Thetre-Metropollis part two: scenes from a memory. The story of a murder with really varried and great tracks. If it wasn't for the superiorority of DSOTM intoxicated then I might put this the other way around.

[Michael De Panama]

One of my favourites is probably Dream Thetre-Metropollis part two: scenes from a memory. The story of a murder with really varried and great tracks. If it wasn't for the superiorority of DSOTM intoxicated then I might put this the other way around.
Oh, man.

I remember when I used to be a huge Dream Theater nerd myself. Dude, give that shit up. Come join the wonderful world of black metal. Trust me. You won't regret it.

[Hegemonicretribution]

Oh it gets played occasionally. The latest album isn't played taht much, but I guess it the emotional attatchment to track seven "through her eyes" it is linked to a girl...you know the rest.

What would you suggest I get? I am in the mood for a new album actually.

[Lefty]

Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots is very high on the list, as is Machina:The Machines of God by Smashing Pumpkins. However, they cannot compete with Dark Side of the Moon. Also, Piper at the Gates of Dawn and The Wall are great Pink Floyd concept albums.

[commie kg]

OK Computer.

[Chips]

is OK computer really a concept album?

[Vinny Rafarino]

Bill Shatner's 1968 masterpiece "The Transformed Man".

[Rastafari]

highly illogical.

[Vinny Rafarino]

The only thing illogical was that if you purchased a copy of "the transformed man" they threw in an added bonus...Leonard Nimoy's "spock sings". It was not good.


How can you not love Bill doing Henry VIII set to Star Trek Music?

[The Rotten One]

Sgt. Pepper by the Beatles, Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie, and The Wall are all tied for me.

[Eastside Revolt]

Chant down babylon, or dub side of the moon are the only good albums that I can think of that I can even pretend to be conceptual.

[Lefty]

I forgot Ziggy Stardust and Sgt. Pepper's. Someone slap me for that.

[Hitman47]

So....................


Whats the concept of Dark Side of the Moon? <_< :D

[Timon of Athens]

Dark Side of The Moon. Definitely
Unless Sgt. Pepper can be counted

[Hitman47]

But whats the concept??? :)

[DaCuBaN]

But whats the concept?

This can be taken two ways: either the point is YOU tell us what you think the theme is, or the author of the thread means exploratory albums, testing boundaries.

One of the themes i felt came through from DSOTM was the comparison to life - the heartbeat building and the tune then exploding open, driving through indecisiveness and onto madness, then again into silence and incoherent mutterings.

As for the conceptualism, Put it this way: The music is fantastic, and Roger Waters couldn&#39;t have done a better job on the lyrics. The album is simply beyond the ken of mortal man :D It is the single reason I remain agnostic and not athiest - how can there be no god when something as amazing as this exists? It puzzles me.

It&#39;s the only album that deserves the one word review of &#39;unsurpassed&#39;

OK Computer I&#39;d be interested to hear what concepts are thought behind that - Radiohead have written literally hundreds of tracks, and really pick and choose what they publish so I&#39;d assume there is a &#39;theme&#39; of sorts in there... anyone picking it up?

[suffianr]

The Sixth Session. (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000508QC/104-5671529-1803924?v=glance)

[TheMODS]

radiohead- ok computer

[Ziggy]

Tommy- the Who
Nightfall in Middle Earth- Blind Guardian
the Metal Opera pt. 1 pt. 2- Avantasia
the white album- beatles

would anyone agree in that melancholie and the infinite sadness by the smahing pumpkins is a concept album?

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

I had no idea the White Album was a conceptual album.
What&#39;s the concept?

I fucking love Tommy. Just incredible, amazing stuff.

[Ziggy]

i&#39;ve always thought of it as a conceptual album not because it has one solid concept, like some of their other albums, but because it was an experiment in music. the beatles tried things completely new to them and it did seem to have these jumbled subltle undertones of different emotions guiding you through as the album progresses

[Rastafari]

my favorite now is Smell the Glove (the original black album).
http://spinaltapfan.com/atozed/images/smellsm1.jpg

None more black (http://members.aol.com/chiprowe/black.wav)

[antieverything]

Both of Dredg&#39;s records are killer concept albums. Lietmotif focuses on some sort of Dickensesque dream quest while El Cielo is about sleep paralysis. If you don&#39;t know about sleep paralysis, read a bit and you will be enlightened to say the least.

[elijahcraig]

Five greatest (that I can remember at the moment):

Sgt Peppers and White Album tie-Beatles

Ziggy Stardust-Bowie

The Wall and Dark Side of the Moon tie-Pink Floyd

Metal Machine Music-Lou Reed

Christ Gaines-Garth Brooks (j/k)

That&#39;s six albums actually.

[SgtPepper369]

Tommy... Quadrophenia... Tommy... Quadrophenia... aww fuck it&#33;

Hard choice. Tommy was the better rock opera. It can actually present a good audience. Quadrophenia never had a script, but it is musicaly better (on the who&#39;s standards). So I really can&#39;t decide between those two.

I&#39;m just gonna say "Dub Side of The Moon" for now. Since it keeps the original spirit of the album... and is kickass reggae at the same time.

[EL OBiSPO]

Originally posted by [email protected] 8 2004, 11:33 AM
One of my favourites is probably Dream Thetre-Metropollis part two: scenes from a memory. The story of a murder with really varried and great tracks. If it wasn&#39;t for the superiorority of DSOTM intoxicated then I might put this the other way around.
I love metropolis part 2. Awesome.

I&#39;m shocked no-one&#39;s said Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime <_<

[Pedro Alonso Lopez]

The new Streets album is a concept album, have a look, quite good.