Some of you may remember that before christmas I created a thread asking if people liked concept albums and the result was a pritty unanamus yes, what I want to know is what concepts strike the biggest chord with people, for instance do you find the concept from TLLDOB to be the best ever or do you prefer Misplaced Childhood. Also I must point out that I'm not out to find out what it is MUSICALLY that people like about these albums, I'm only interested in the lyrics and concepts.

I'll start off. The best concept that I've heard is Pain Of Salvations Be, I love the way it suggests that creation is cyclical, that God creates people to understand itself, and that people create a probe to understand God but destroy God in the process, and as Human kind destroyes itself in its quest for knoledge, wealth and power, the probe grows and becomes God and creates people to understand itself ect (thats how I understand it at least). I like the way it also raises the questions of Gods mentalaty as well.

Thanks

I don't think the concept matters as much as how the band went about applying it to the album. 

My favorite concept behind an album is probably Quadrophenia. Though as far as actual plot goes, it doesn't get much more layered than The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.

My LEAST favorite one is probably Operation: Mindcrime... which is just an awful album.

Be is indeed the best concept album I know... too bad it's not that strong musically.

My LEAST favorite one is probably The Wall... which is just an awful album

My least favourite is 'The Lamb'! It dosn't make any sense at all, it's just too abstract! Like a painting where only the artist knows what it's suppose to represent! I recently read a synopsis of 'The Lamb' and that didn't make any sense either!

I like a story that is enjoyable so I'll go for 'Snow' and 'Brave'!

FuzzyDude wrote: My LEAST favorite one is probably Operation: Mindcrime... which is just an awful album.

I politely yet strongly disagree.

Anyway, ITCOTCK and DSOTM are still my favorite concepts (not my favorite concept albums, though).

My favorite concept song is The Odyssey. My

Favorite concept albums are The Snow Goose,

Fish Rising and Thick as a Brick but there are

Numerous others.

FuzzyDude wrote: My favorite concept behind an album is probably Quadrophenia.

I cannot agree more. It is an easily identifiable and an easy to relate to concept.

jojim wrote: The mother of all concept albums: "Joe's Garage Part 1". - Any questions? Frank is the best in making conceptions.

Then what in the world was he thinking with Thing-Fish?

After saying that, I'd like to say that Joe's Garage is one of my favorite albums.

List of my favorite concept albums:

Axis: Bold as Love - The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967) - The tale of one man's journey back to earth and what he encounters on another turn of the earth's axis; primarily love

We're Only in It For the Money - Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention (1968) - razor sharp satire with both hippy culture and the establishment in its sights.

Thick as a Brick - Jethro Tull (1972) - One long musical track written around a poem by a fictitious child prodigy. A parody of concept albums, but with serious questioning of society and conformity

Three Friends - Gentle Giant (1972) - Three old friends reminisce about their days as schoolchildren

Pictures at an Exhibition - Emerson, Lake & Palmer (1972) - Each song describes a picture; adapted from original composition by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky

A Passion Play - Jethro Tull (1973) - A man's journey through afterlife: he discovers that the other world is nothing but a big bureaucratic office.

Selling England by the Pound - Genesis (1973) - The songs deal with the decay of values in English culture during the XXth century

Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd (1973) - The various influences that can drive one mad

Hymn of the 7th Galaxy - Return to Forever (1973) - Spaced themed fusion compositions.

The Six Wives of King Henry VIII - Rick Wakeman (1973) - One instrumental piece about each wife

Tales From Topographic Oceans - Yes (1973) - This concept album is based on the four-part Hindu Shastric scriptures

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway - Genesis (1974) - A New-York punk finds himself in a confusing dream-world

The Power and the Glory - Gentle Giant (1974)

Journey to the Center of the Earth - Rick Wakeman (1974) - Adapted from Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne

Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd (1975) - Former band member Syd Barrett's decline into insanity, and the trials of stardom

Minstrel in the Gallery - Jethro Tull (1975) - the rock singer as the modern equivalent of the medieval minstrel (although the concept grew from the presence of a "gallery" in the rehearsal studio.

Animals - Pink Floyd (1977) - The common people are represented by sheep, the government by dogs, the rich by pigs. Influenced by Animal Farm, by George Orwell

Talking Heads - Fear of Music (1979) - The basic fear of elements in the world. Remove the "Music" from the title and insert the other track names.

Joe's Garage - Frank Zappa (1979) (Originally released as two separate albums; Act I and Acts II/III) - follows "Joe," the prototypical rock-star wannabee, as he wastes his life pursuing a false dream, sinking to degrading new lows in self-esteem...

jojim wrote: The mother of all concept albums: "Joe's Garage Part 1". - Any questions? Frank is the best in making conceptions.

I have a question, WHATS THE CONCEPT?

Good list pero, but I would suggest that Selling England by the Pound isn't a true concept album. Yes, there is a central theme running through it as you say about the decline of English culture, but "More fool me" certainly doesn't fit into this and I'm not sure that "Cinema Show" does either. I feel that a true concept album should have every track relating to the central story/theme.

I'm not convinced by "Minstrel in the gallery" either but I don't know the album so well.

Anyone else have an opinion on this?