Not exactly a concept album, but I still think that Fairport Convention's "Rising for the Moon" is one of the prettiest and saddest things I ever heard. Probably the saddest thing is the last cut in the album a massive song ... and it appears taht Sandy Denny died a couple of weeks after that ... or as I like to memorialize, she didn't get another chance. In the redone version a couple of years ago, there is a solo piano version that was the go for this song, that is so haunting as to turn your stomach. And by god, it is beautiful!

 

There are no albums I have ever heard that are "sad" per se ... although I remember listening to Nektar's "Recycled" and hearing the last song in there after their massively exhausting tour with Golden Earring, which kinda sad it was over. Their next album was all material that they already had and were playing in concert. And Nektar was over ... and yes, I did shed a tear, for this band had some wonderful music and it all felt like one of your closest friends was gone. And Nektar WAS done!

 

The other one is Amon Duul 2's "Vive La Trance". I remember hearing the album the first time and when the song "Apocalyptic Bore" ended, and I kinda had some tears ... some how, I thought the best from this band was over and the rest of the album is not as strong as the previous part. It's fun, and witty, but not half the strength and power that it had before. I kinda felt that the tripping and the explorations was over. And from that point on I always thought it was just a bunch of songs ... still nice ... but not the great beauty of Yeti, Wolf City ... and some of the incredible moments in Dance of the Lemmings. The album "Hijack" had some nice things, but just not the same and the band that once could explore and improvise like the best dervishes in rock music, all of a sudden can only do some songs ... to me, this was very sad!

 

There are other things ... Popol Vuh has some stuff that is highly meditative, and I have heard many people tell me that it is too sad! ... I have never felt sad with a Popol Vuh album! And the name of the band is from a Book of the Dead!

 

In general, I think that it is too easy to be considered "sad" just for the lyrics ... and not listen to the music.

 

I can listen to the "Blade Runer" soundtrack and get really sad, but that is because the movie was so powerfully well designed and visualized and used the music so beautifully, but I honestly do not think I can hear the music by itself and not cry hearing Roy's last words in my mind! Some of the prettiest poetry ever ...

 

Other than that, music is rarely "sad" for me. I'm not sure that anyone can write something "sad", since, for the most part, the ability to "express yourself" and is not a "sad" doing ... it is a relief, and sometimes blessing event (pardon the word) for many people. In general, for most artists, expression is ... what is is ... an expression ... and there is no sad or happy ... it's just an expression ... now, for you and I reading it, seeing it, or listening to it, we will always 'associate" this with something else ... in our own experience and think it is sad or not ...

 

It is important to separate this perception ... what you might think is sad, might not be for me at all! And vice versa. That is really important ... On top of it, the artist in question might even be doing it for another reason altogether! ... how's that for throwing a wrench in the works?

 

As for the music itself, and theatrical singers ... I like ANGE ... and you probably want to get some of their stuff. He's influenced by Jacques Brel, and he's very strong in the acting department. He doesn't sing rock'n'roll ... period! It's all acting for him!

 

I like Au Dela Du Deliere, Emile Jacotey, Tome VI ... but their first 2 albums are also excellent. Christian's first solo album is massive in the singing/screaming/acting department.

 

A little more classically minded but very enjoyable, even if it sometimes comes off a bit more like an operatic style of singing is Banco ... and their first 4 or 5 albums are all worth having.

 

After that, the best "emotional" singing there is, of course, is one of the classic albums of all time ... "Cheap Thrills" by Janis Joplin and the Holding Company ... and after that ... well, it's hard not to think of the Doors ... and all their long cuts!

 

My favourite band of the last decade Muse produced a wonderfull emotional crossover prog album- Absolution. Matt Bellamy sings as though his life depends on it.

very emotional

 

Non prog:

 

The Cure - Disintegration

 

Brings the melancholic goth out in you :-)

 

Dire Straits - On Every Street (title track) is realy emotional with the AMAZING  Jeff Porcaro on the drums which add such flow to the track(and the album as a hole) you sitt with a BIG smile on youre mouth.

 (time lost)

 

and many others

 

 

Zbigniew Preisner ... is actually a very good selection.

 

I have never found the soundtrack for "The Double Life of Veronique" but that is one heck of a haunting bunch of pieces of music ... and the film is fabulous and comes together ... probably because of the music! Without it, a part of the story is not as strong.

 

The Requiem for his close friend and director Kieslowski, is ... well, ... if you haven't heard it ... don't bother ... best kept it that way.

 

Yeah, even if for the visuals ... yeah!

 

 

 

 

 

Jacob Golden:

 

 

or

 

Red House Painters

 

 

The Difference Macine by Big Big Train.  It's somber, hopeful, melancholic, mournful, lonely, and deeply touching.

 

 

I agree actually.

 

However I really think that most of "The Final Cut" actually belongs in "The Wall" ... and that would have made the album a triple and too big. The war theme made better sense within the context of "The Wall" and would have explained the later part with its material, and also make the trial look a lot more justified story wise. It would have been, you skipped the draft, instead of you dropped out of school/society, both of which are solid either way and a big issue in America in the late 60's and early 70's.

 

A Passion Play is sad ... i its implications ... however, these would probably be considered "eccentric" on my part. The cover is probably a comment about Pink Floyd and Twyla Tharp doing their thing together ... and the album itself, I have discussed in other threads. "The Hare and His Spectacles" is a very important piece of music and lyrics in my book and it goes along really well with the cover and the whole thing. ... the real concept was that "classical" concerts ... were dead! AND they have been since ... why? EASY ... if you find a handful of people in this board that go see classical concerts let me know ... I want to shake their hands ... but you won't find a single one that has not gone to a rock music concert of some sort.

 

The time and place and music has changed ... and Ian knew that ... and he made his point beautifully!

 

Too bad that our generation is so stupidly stuck up on rock music to the point where we have created a massive generation gap, and we're going to wait until all orchestras an dconductors die ... before we go see your local orchestra do a Frank Zappa piece ... which is simply not gonna happen when our teachers are stuck on Elvis and James Dean and the Boston Pops is only playing muzak!

 

And not just that ... one could easily see how so much rock music is not that good ... but that would be denying their gods their existence! ... or as John Lennon said and paid dearly for it ... "working class heroes" ...

 

In general, even the discussion of history in here is sad. It's getting better, but I'm not sure you can ... how does the line go about pearls and swine?

 

Congrats Roger ... my sentiments exactly ... a lot of rock music has lost its music ...  and to me too much jazz is simply a college or bar band and I'm tired of that ... but then I got spoiled by listening to a lot of European jazz as well ... and if you catch ECM and the variety of nationalities in there, you learn quickly that "jazz" is an international language ... not a bar band or spectacle band. And that there are many out there that do some really far out things ... heck, Keith Jarrett is more progressive in his own experiments than half the bands discussed here ... and he is only using a piano ... not a keyboard ... on top of it he has played jazz stuff on an organ, which was originally thought as totally impossible!

 

I was thinking that "Snow Goose" is sadder for me ... specially when you know that the band got trashed viciously because of it ... and this piece of work was much better focused than the previous one that became a generations' imaginary stoney concept ... Jonathan Livingston Seagull ... I have always thought that "Snow Goose" is totally far out ... but many rock people simply do not have the discipline to sit and enjoy ,,, music!

 

Seconded on the Explosions mention.  Godspeed is great, but I've always thought the music of EITS was a wee bit more emotional.  For anyone interested, The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place is the best place to start with Explosions in the Sky.

 

Another one for me (and yes; I may get lambasted for it, but I LOVE this record) is Genesis' :...Calling All Stations...".

 

Let's see here: "Vapor Trails" from Rush.  It's blistering, paint-peeling anger, along with sadness, confusion and general ill-will.

 

There's a start.  Hope this helps.

Sun Kil Moon (basically a later incarnation of Red House Painters)

Probably my two favourite groups for melancholic/generally heartbreaking stuff.

Oh, and as for albums, Red House Painters first self-titled release (sometimes called Rollercoaster) and Sun Kil Moon's April or Admiral Fell Promises are all brilliant albums/fit into what it seems like you're asking for [:Y:}

Ayreon - The Human Equation

Phideaux - Doomsday Afternoon

David Minasian - Beauty

 

just for something weird:

Soundtrack - 2001 a space odyssey