Greatest Double Concept Album

Voted IQ, in second place I would put Pink Floyd followed in third place by Yes. The Lamb and Brave are albums I really don´t like by two bands I otherwise enjoy.

HackettFan wrote: Dellinger wrote: The Dark Elf wrote: I don't think any of theses albums measures up to The Who's Quadrophenia as far as a "double concept album", but then the discussion digresses into circumlocutious arguments about what is and isn't prog. If Quadrophenia isn't prog, then neither is The Wall, and I would question the progressiveness of The Lamb as well.As far as the list, I would say The Wall is the best executed double concept album here. As far as The Lamb, I am sorry, but it has one record of splendid music and intriguing lyrics, and one record of indecipherable mythological mush. They should have stopped half way and called it a day. Mmm... for me, The Lamb doesn't really have one CD worth of music I really like, and just about no intriguing lyrics for me. I just don't like the scenes that come to my mind with Gabriel's lyrics. The Lamb. Not just the best on the list, the best ever. I actually very much like the scenes that come to mind. How can one not like female vampires? I remember as a kid coming home from a hard day at school, collapsing in my bean bag with headphones on and daydreaming through that song. Not just the lyrics, the music in the Lamb is the best. The Lamia really should be heard through earphones. That's when you notice the short synthesizer interludes between verses are built up from several independent melodies that mush together into "one". I've played it back several times over and over again trying to mentally follow a different melody each time and count just how many there were. The answer was that there were several. I never could tell how many. Hackett's solo on the Lamia is beautiful and has one of his signature arpeggios that was a struggle for me to learn many years ago, but taught me a lot. The rhythm guitar intro to Supernatural Anaesthetist sounds conventional at first blush, but aside from having a strange rhythm, the two chords are not of any sort that I've seen before, A-G-B, perhaps an A7th 9th with no 3rd or 5th, or just simply three notes. The Waiting Room too for me is straigt at the core of what I understand as progressive music, with it's departure from conventional structure and its use of unconventional timbres. What I'm trying to say is that I don't find the music lacking at all, quite the opposite. Sides 1, 2 and 4 are very nearly as good as side 3. Side 3 is my favorite if anyone hasn't figured that out. I have the Lamb down as the number 1 on the 100 albums I own on another thread.

Well, yeah, the idea of female vampires might be nice and all. Sexy if you want. But then the way Peter makes paints the image of those vampires totally destroys it for me. He says it's a bunch of snakes with female face... so what, no legs, no arms, no curves, only a face (I would like to think about it as a beautiful face, at least). And then, when the vampires try to eat him, they die because he had eaten too much garlic, that's just lame.

HackettFan wrote: Dellinger wrote: The Dark Elf wrote: I don't think any of theses albums measures up to The Who's Quadrophenia as far as a "double concept album", but then the discussion digresses into circumlocutious arguments about what is and isn't prog. If Quadrophenia isn't prog, then neither is The Wall, and I would question the progressiveness of The Lamb as well.As far as the list, I would say The Wall is the best executed double concept album here. As far as The Lamb, I am sorry, but it has one record of splendid music and intriguing lyrics, and one record of indecipherable mythological mush. They should have stopped half way and called it a day. Mmm... for me, The Lamb doesn't really have one CD worth of music I really like, and just about no intriguing lyrics for me. I just don't like the scenes that come to my mind with Gabriel's lyrics. The Lamb. Not just the best on the list, the best ever. I actually very much like the scenes that come to mind. How can one not like female vampires? I remember as a kid coming home from a hard day at school, collapsing in my bean bag with headphones on and daydreaming through that song. Not just the lyrics, the music in the Lamb is the best. The Lamia really should be heard through earphones. That's when you notice the short synthesizer interludes between verses are built up from several independent melodies that mush together into "one". I've played it back several times over and over again trying to mentally follow a different melody each time and count just how many there were. The answer was that there were several. I never could tell how many. Hackett's solo on the Lamia is beautiful and has one of his signature arpeggios that was a struggle for me to learn many years ago, but taught me a lot. The rhythm guitar intro to Supernatural Anaesthetist sounds conventional at first blush, but aside from having a strange rhythm, the two chords are not of any sort that I've seen before, A-G-B, perhaps an A7th 9th with no 3rd or 5th, or just simply three notes. The Waiting Room too for me is straigt at the core of what I understand as progressive music, with it's departure from conventional structure and its use of unconventional timbres. What I'm trying to say is that I don't find the music lacking at all, quite the opposite. Sides 1, 2 and 4 are very nearly as good as side 3. Side 3 is my favorite if anyone hasn't figured that out. I have the Lamb down as the number 1 on the 100 albums I own on another thread.

HackettFan hit it on nail about The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, it's an endlessly fascinating recording of Genesis music, At first I didn't really like the Waiting Room but I would soon understand it's eeriness, how about  Silent Sorrow In Empty Boats it's so peaceful and relaxing and a mind opener too 


Edited by ProgMetaller2112 - January 21 2013 at 01:45

Dellinger wrote: The Dark Elf wrote: I don't think any of theses albums measures up to The Who's Quadrophenia as far as a "double concept album", but then the discussion digresses into circumlocutious arguments about what is and isn't prog. If Quadrophenia isn't prog, then neither is The Wall, and I would question the progressiveness of The Lamb as well.As far as the list, I would say The Wall is the best executed double concept album here. As far as The Lamb, I am sorry, but it has one record of splendid music and intriguing lyrics, and one record of indecipherable mythological mush. They should have stopped half way and called it a day. Mmm... for me, The Lamb doesn't really have one CD worth of music I really like, and just about no intriguing lyrics for me. I just don't like the scenes that come to my mind with Gabriel's lyrics.

The Lamb.
Not just the best on the list, the best ever. I actually very much like the scenes that come to mind. How can one not like female vampires? I remember as a kid coming home from a hard day at school, collapsing in my bean bag with headphones on and daydreaming through that song. Not just the lyrics, the music in the Lamb is the best. The Lamia really should be heard through earphones. That's when you notice the short synthesizer interludes between verses are built up from several independent melodies that mush together into "one". I've played it back several times over and over again trying to mentally follow a different melody each time and count just how many there were. The answer was that there were several. I never could tell how many. Hackett's solo on the Lamia is beautiful and has one of his signature arpeggios that was a struggle for me to learn many years ago, but taught me a lot. The rhythm guitar intro to Supernatural Anaesthetist sounds conventional at first blush, but aside from having a strange rhythm, the two chords are not of any sort that I've seen before, A-G-B, perhaps an A7th 9th with no 3rd or 5th, or just simply three notes. The Waiting Room too for me is straigt at the core of what I understand as progressive music, with it's departure from conventional structure and its use of unconventional timbres.

What I'm trying to say is that I don't find the music lacking at all, quite the opposite. Sides 1, 2 and 4 are very nearly as good as side 3. Side 3 is my favorite if anyone hasn't figured that out. I have the Lamb down as the number 1 on the 100 albums I own on another thread.

Edited by HackettFan - January 20 2013 at 11:28

Snow Dog wrote: silverpot wrote: Please help me out here, what's the difference between a concept album and a rock opera? Both tell a story, what is needed to make the difference?   An opera has a libretto. The story is told through characters singing the story. Concept albums don't do this. The story is most often through narrative. The concept can also be much looser that an opera which shgould have a clearer storyline.

Dellinger wrote: octopus-4 wrote: BRAVE was a single CD of about 70 minutes. It has been released as many of the original Marillion albums in a special edition including a bonus CD filled with unplugged versions, demos and trivia. I haven't ever seen a vinyl edition, but if it has been released on vinyll it has to be a double LP for sure. Given this reasoning, I would have included "The Whirlwind", and it would have been my favourite, easily.

I would say that there is some concept to it. Every song talks about struggles in life, including alcoholism, faith, death, and mental illness, the last of these the second CD which itself is another concept being part of the whole album's ideology.

octopus-4 wrote: BRAVE was a single CD of about 70 minutes. It has been released as many of the original Marillion albums in a special edition including a bonus CD filled with unplugged versions, demos and trivia. I haven't ever seen a vinyl edition, but if it has been released on vinyll it has to be a double LP for sure.

Given this reasoning, I would have included "The Whirlwind", and it would have been my favourite, easily.

Metalmarsh89 wrote: As far as this list goes, I only know the Wall, though I'm familiar with Tales and the Lamb. I think I would pick Tales from Topographic Oceans, as I'm not a huge fan of the Wall. If we're including albums not listed, I'd vote Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence by Dream Theater, as it is most definitely a double concept album.

Six Degrees isn't a concept album.  Only the second disc has any kind of unifying theme.

I'll vote for Subterranea even if it is spelt wrong

Progosopher wrote: Snow Dog wrote: silverpot wrote: Please help me out here, what's the difference between a concept album and a rock opera? Both tell a story, what is needed to make the difference?   An opera has a libretto. The story is told through characters singing the story. Concept albums don't do this. The story is most often through narrative. The concept can also be much looser that an opera which shgould have a clearer storyline. Good definition - something we don't always get around here.  The Lamb seems to blur the distinction, though, since there is a narrative but it is only told through one character's voice - Rael.

Edited by Snow Dog - January 19 2013 at 04:15