What is your favourite concept album...?

Question

What is your favourite concept album...?

Answer 1

Cinnamon, it ALWAYS makes sense ;0 P



My favorite concept for an album probably has to be Pink Floyd's Animals. To have an whole album based on George Orwell's Animal Farm (one of my favorite books) was marvelous. Every person falls under a role and those rolls are divided in three in society. You can be the pig, the top man, the dog or the sheep that follows without question.



Wonderful isn't it?

Answer 2

I'd have to choose The Wall ~ Pink Floyd



Rent the Live In Berlin DVD ~ It's like a play or opera, acted out on stage with costumes, sets, etc., and the music is just so dark and intense ~ perfect for the theme of isolation and eventually, redemption.

Answer 3

Dark Side Of The Moon.



The concept is if humanity still has the capability of being humane.



I think not.

Answer 4

The Who's "Lifehouse" concept. It was supposed to be about a futuristic world where music had been banned along w/ all other forms of expression until some old guy tells a kid about how great music was and then it was gonna follow the kid's quest to bring music back and, hence, bring freedom back. Unfortunately, nobody could understand the concept except for Pete Townshend, so the project was scrapped and most of the Lifehouse songs were put on Who's Next, which went on to become The Who's best-selling album. If you ever listen to Who's Next, which you should, keep this concept in mind and you'll clearly see how most of the songs on the album fit into this concept.

Answer 5

A beautiful lie by 30 seconds to mars

not only being my favorite band of all time i love te whole concept of lies beneath beauty

the whole album is has 2 oposite sides of which each song has the overall impression of fighting between two views, the truth and the lie we want to hear

its amazing how the can build it up so every detail goes along witht he concept of the album

aswell as the simplicity of it

30 STM all the way,

Answer 6

"Worse Than A Fairy Tale" from Drop Dead, Gorgeous.

The album is about a real series of murders around Saylor Lake.

Answer 7

It's an oldie but, 2112 by Rush.

It was about a society where music and such 'frivolities' are outlawed.

A guy finds a guitar (i think in some sort of underground cave) but doesn't know what it is.

He touches said guitar and is amazed and startled by the sound it makes.

He is blown away by the possibilities of all the pleasure this 'thing' could bring etc,etc

It's why we all love music.

Answer 8

protest the hero- kezia



orr the coheed and cambria CD's

Answer 9

This Means War by Tank

Answer 10

Operation:Mindcrime by Queensryche. Best listened to on headphones, it's just so intense!



Edit: great minds, Socrates!

Answer 11

I have a long list of my favourite Concept albums.

So I am going to explain two of my favourites.



The Black Parade - My Chemical Romance



This is the journey of a character, The Patient and him going through his life until death. For example:

He remembers his father taking him to see a parade -

Welcome To The Black Parade and then at the end of the album, the final track is Famous Last Words.

The music videos very much reflect the concept.



Another is:



Tales Don't Tell Themselves - Funeral For A Friend



This is about the journey of a fisherman out at sea. He misses his family and thinks about them all the time.

For example: Into Oblivion to show the brutality of the sea. The Diary - he notes everything that happens to him.

The Great Wide Open - the beauty of the sea etc.



Good question to answer!

Answer 12

Some people consider Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" to be a concept album, the concept being the break-up of established relationships and the start of new ones.





Jethro Tull ~ "War Child"

It was a re-working of the earlier album "Passion Play", and was intended to be the soundtrack to a film. The basic concept is that a young ballet dancer, who is pregnant, is killed in an accident, and then her soul is fought over by Heaven and Hell.

The expanded remastered edition makes slightly more sense, because of the inclusion of extra songs.





I have 5 other absolute favourite concept albums, but I've no idea what the concepts were! Mike Oldfield's :~

"Tubular Bells" ; "Hergest Ridge" ; "Ommadawn" ;

"Incantations" ; "Platinum"



And I also love these :~

Jethro Tull ~ "Songs from the Wood"

Pink Floyd ~ "The Dark Side of the Moon"

Pink Floyd ~ "Wish You Were Here"

The Beatles ~ "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"





I know, I know, but I've never been good with singular favourites!

Answer 13

'In The Aeroplane Over The Sea' by Neutral Milk Hotel

Probably doesn't fit into most people's viewpoint of concept albums in terms of style or production but it does have a central theme which I'd say identifies it as such.

Inspired by Jeff Magnum reading Anne Franks 'Diary Of A Young Girl' whilst in his mid-twenties, Magnum experienced what could be described as a spiritual epiphany. For the most of the album Magnum sings songs inspired by this with more conviction then you are likely to here on any subject anywhere else.

I read this book too as an adult rather than a child and hearing 'Aeroplane...' has made me want to read again

Answer 14

There are two that come to mind.



"Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" by Elton John may well be my favorite rock album ever. The songs are the autobiographical account of Elton and his lyricist, Bernie Taupin, meeting and struggling to get a record deal. What was more amazing about the album was the fact that Elton put out this very UNcommercial album during the peak of his greatest commercial success, in June of 1975. It was the first album in "Billboard" album chart history to debut at #1.



The other concept album might be more accurately labeled a "rock opera" album. That's "Doug" by the Coolies (1988). The album's songs told the story of a skinhead who murdered a transvestite short-order cook, stole his book of recipes and published it under his own name, and became a major celebrity. Doug eventually became a victim of his own success and conscience, and ended up dead. Sounds odd, I know, but the songs were exceptional.

Answer 15

Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. Peter Gabriel/Rael goes to NYC and has a LSD trip like none other, before or since. Try finding music that is similar to this!



Our Lady Peace - Spiritual Machines. Based on Ray Kurzweil's book about the future and the eventual integration of humans and machines(computers).



Oh, and I cannot leave out Yes - Tales From Topographic Oceans. I can't explain that one except that Jon Anderson and Steve Howe seemed to try to conceptualize our human roots (maybe while on LSD too).



Great concept albums!

Answer 16

I can not link up any of my answers, I have very limited use of the Computers at work and no computer at home yet, but besides Quadrophenia, & Tommy by the Who and Animals and The Wall from Pink Floyd, two more quasi-concept albums..Tales of Mystery & Imagination by Alan Parsons Project and El Dorado from ELO. I guess they qualify as concept albums.

Answer 17

Probably Eldorado by Electric Light Orchestra. It's about a guy whose dream life is better than his real life. Honourable mentions: Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway Avantasia - The Metal Opera pts I & II Iced Earth - The Dark Saga

Answer 18

Mine is Zaireeka by the Flaming Lips.



Released as a 4-disc boxset, each with the same number of tracks with equal length, the album was designed to be played simultaneously on up to 4 different audio systems. This means the end result is different each time you listen, depending on:

- how well you line up the timing of the songs (harmonizing if perfect, but creating clever echoes and reverbs if not)

- the volume of each system

- the type of speakers played through (ie. one through huge bass system, another through CD alarm clock)

- the position of each audio system in the room, or even in a different room!

- whether you even choose to play all the CDs at once!



It's the ultimate versatile album, and to my knowledge it's completely unique, even if it is a lot of effort to listen to.

Answer 19

Queensryche Operation Mindcrime



What an incredible album. To me the whole concept was the story about Nicky and his struggles with love, addiction and loyalty.

Answer 20

Abbey Road (Beatles) is a good choice for a concept of free flowing music of all types on one side of an album.

Answer 21

The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack by Sixx: A.M.



It is a musical companion to the book of the same name and it chronicles Nikki Sixx's downward spiral into heroin addiction madness as Motley Crue were at the height of their fame. It is a great rock record as well as being revelatory and heartbreaking. I highly suggest anyone who has not heard it to check it out.

Answer 22

KISS' Music from The Elder — it's about a youth's journey into heroism. The critics hated it, but it's actually a really good album.

Answer 23

Sia - Some People Have Real Problems (the kiddie/playground theme website/album matched her tour and image perfectly)

Answer 24

Lola versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One

KINKS

deals with the music industry.



the song apeman is about wanting to leave the music industry, and swing in the trees like tarzan.

Answer 25

Mine would would be the wall, dark side of the moon by pink floyd

and the downward spiral buy Nine Inch Nails

Answer 26

The 12 Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus,



by Spirit



basically, the theme is whether to go on living or not.

pretty simple (although not explicitly stated)

Answer 27

Nirvana "MTV Unplugged". One of the most influential bands of all time. And to see them\listen to them play without all the "grunge" (which we all loved at the time) and see another side of them with Kurt's lyrics---with help from David Bowie's one song and the Meat Puppets---and his haunting eyes. It was and always will be one of the greatest performances of all time.

Answer 28

Fear Factory "Obsolete" it tells a story about how the world in the future will be all f*cked up,how "big brother" has taken over and how some people still fight it like "Mad Max" or "Doomsday" or "Terminator" machines take over and stuff

Answer 29

Mastodon's Leviathan album is based off of Moby Dick. It's very good.

Answer 30

The one in my head!



The concept is new & mine!



I like it coz I can hear it!



Does that make sense?

Answer 31

The Wall - Pink Floyd.

It "saved" me, simple as that (I sound like an MCR fan, ha).

Cool Q

Answer 32

I liek Queensryche 'Operation: Mindcrime'. The music is awesome and so is the story.

Answer 33

the lamb lies down on broadway - genesis



my father-in-law turned me on to it and it is very deep.



essentially the protagonist takes LSD and has a bad trip through NYC, but he finds an inner self ("brother") inside him and does everything he can to save him - which in turn is him taking action to change his ways and save himself.

Answer 34

the who's tommy is seriously funny.

Any album about a deaf dumb and blind kid who becomes a messiah by playing pinball gets my vote anyday.

Answer 35

jeff waynes war of the worlds

just awesome