Greatest Double Concept Album
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Topic: Greatest Double Concept Album
Posted By: Astral Traveller
Subject: Greatest Double Concept Album
Date Posted: January 17 2013 at 18:16
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I'm sure that I'm missing a billion great and powerful double concept albums, but this poll contains the big and heavy weight names of the prog genre. I know that Ayeron has multiple double concept albums, but I think that having each one listed would be an unfair advantage, so I settled on Into The Electric Castle, which I feel is the most powerful double concept album in Ayeron's catalog. For the record, the majesty of the Lamb cannot be ignored, so that's my pick. Topographic Oceans is a close second though. ------------- 
A mistake is always forgivable, rarely excusable and always unacceptable. -Robert Fripp |
Replies:
Posted By: HolyMoly
Date Posted: January 17 2013 at 18:23
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LAMB LAMB LAMB I've gained a whole new appreciation for it in recent years, once I tried to unravel the story line, and then saw it performed live (by The Musical Box).. It's heavy sheet, mang.
------------- My other avatar is a Porsche It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it is lightly greased. -Kehlog Albran |
Posted By: Sumdeus
Date Posted: January 17 2013 at 18:30
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Aphrodite's Child - 666 would be my ideal pick.
------------- http://sumdeus.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow - Sumdeus - surreal space/psych/prog journeys |
Posted By: Wanorak
Date Posted: January 17 2013 at 18:46
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On this list TLLDOB. BTW, Brave is a single album. ------------- A GREAT YEAR FOR PROG!!! |
Posted By: Horizons
Date Posted: January 17 2013 at 19:01
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Genesis then Yes. The others i either haven't heard or don't like. ------------- Crushed like a rose in the riverflow. |
Posted By: Astral Traveller
Date Posted: January 17 2013 at 19:23
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Brave is definitly a double Album. The 4th side has a interpretive ending. -------------
A mistake is always forgivable, rarely excusable and always unacceptable. -Robert Fripp |
Wanorak wrote:Posted By: Horizons
Date Posted: January 17 2013 at 19:24
It has a double CD version. ------------- Crushed like a rose in the riverflow. |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: January 17 2013 at 19:40
| The Wall for me, I have just not been able to grasp the Greatness of The Lamb. |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: January 17 2013 at 19:43
| As a matter of fact, not even The Wall is among my favourite albums from Pink Floyd, it just seems to me that such long albums always have "filler", or loose momentum or continuity, not sure, but they just usually can't put there all to make it all as great as a shorter (perhaps under 60 min) album. |
Posted By: Astral Traveller
Date Posted: January 17 2013 at 19:43
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It's an acquired taste. Like most Concept Albums/Rock Operas the stories cannot be presented clearly through music. It takes multiple listens and alot of concentration to grasp it, and even then you might have to cheat by going here: http://www.bloovis.com/music/lamb.html" rel="nofollow - http://www.bloovis.com/music/lamb.html" rel="nofollow - http://www.bloovis.com/music/lamb.html -------------
A mistake is always forgivable, rarely excusable and always unacceptable. -Robert Fripp |
Posted By: jude111
Date Posted: January 17 2013 at 20:09
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Posted By: jude111
Date Posted: January 17 2013 at 20:12
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Posted By: Nash
Date Posted: January 17 2013 at 20:12
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the lamb is my choice, an incredible double concept album ------------- http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/191/sydbarrettg.jpg/" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: Astral Traveller
Date Posted: January 17 2013 at 20:15
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The Lamb was musically strong but not lyrically. I cry everytime to think what would have happened if they went with Mike's idea, to do a musical adaptation of the Little Prince.
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A mistake is always forgivable, rarely excusable and always unacceptable. -Robert Fripp |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: January 17 2013 at 20:37
I haven't really tried to get the concept from The Lamb, actually. From the little that I have grasped, I'm not particularly interested either. But whether the concept is good or not (I'm inclined towards not), the music, which is even more important for me, is not a fraction of what my favourite songs from the previous 3 albums is, so the album ends up being a disapointment... except for a few songs, and even the best songs here aren't up to the best songs on their previous albums. The Wall faces just about the same problems compared to the previous Floyd albums, actually, but at least I do like it's songs and it's concept better than the Lamb's ones. |
Posted By: Astral Traveller
Date Posted: January 17 2013 at 20:45
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The Lamb is idiosyncratic and only Gabriel could tell you what its about. I've read through the Annotated Lamb, kept a journal for my thoughts on each song, listened to it for countless hours, and still have not grasped the entire concept. So far I realized that Rael has an internal struggle taking place inside himself and he is searching for who he is really is. This is a metaphor for Gabriel's view of existentialism, which is that we are all looking for ourselves, but we only find ourselves through our passions. That is it.it. It is whatever makes us us. the period at the end of it signifies the end of a sentence or thought, saying that not only is this the end of the story, and the album, but Gabriel's tenure in Genesis. The Lamb was about Gabriel trying to find himself, and in the end, deciding to pursue a solo career.
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A mistake is always forgivable, rarely excusable and always unacceptable. -Robert Fripp |
Posted By: ole-the-first
Date Posted: January 17 2013 at 20:48
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None. Never liked double-LP concepts. They usually are too obsessed with concept, with a lot of useless fillers and very little of actual interesting music.
------------- This night wounds time. |
Posted By: smartpatrol
Date Posted: January 17 2013 at 21:17
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The Lamb. ------------- http://bit.ly/1kqTR8y" rel="nofollow">  The greatest record label of all time! |
Posted By: Man With Hat
Date Posted: January 17 2013 at 21:19
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Lamb ------------- Dig me...But don't...Bury me I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect. |
Posted By: Progosopher
Date Posted: January 17 2013 at 23:18
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1. The Lamb. It took me along time to finally get that it is about a journey through the subconscious. There are a lot of archetypes and symbols and metaphors throughout. Still, it is obscure. At the same time, it is the most successful of the bunch.
2. Tales. Musically the most engaging of the bunch, but I cannot find a consistent theme throughout.
3. The Wall. Very powerful and psychological without getting mired in too much obscurity.
4. Subterranea. Very similar to The Lamb but still a lot of great music.
Aphrodite's Child - good call Sumdeus. Any love for Tommy or Quadrophenia out there? ------------- The world of sound is certainly capable of infinite variety and, were our sense developed, of infinite extensions. -- George Santayana, "The Sense of Beauty" |
Posted By: Eria Tarka
Date Posted: January 17 2013 at 23:45
| The Lamb was an obvious choice for me... and Tales is a not so close second. |
Posted By: octopus-4
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 00:22
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There was already a poll with Lamb and Wall and I go for the second, but in terms of concept I think that The Human Equation (Ayreon) beats both. ------------- I stand with Roger Waters, I stand with Joan Baez, I stand with Victor Jara, I stand with Woody Guthrie. Music is revolution |
Posted By: ProgMetaller2112
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 00:40
I can't choose it's between The Wall, The Lamb, and Tales. I don't know
------------- “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.” ― George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four "Ignorance and Prejudice and Fear walk Hand in Hand"- Neil Peart |
Posted By: cstack3
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 00:41
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Posted By: Dayvenkirq
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 01:07
| Lyrically, The Wall; musically, what the man in the post above said. But none of it matters 'cause the sick lamb chop is gonna win anyway. |
Posted By: Gerinski
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 01:25
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Since the CD era and especially in the last years the definition of "double album" has become blurry. Is Transatlantic's The Whirlwind a double? at 78 min it undoubtedly should be considered as such.
You could have also added Spock's Beard Snow. Anyway my vote goes to The Lamb. |
Posted By: MillsLayne
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 01:30
I vote for Yes' Tales, although you have to be a very, VERY disciplined and patient individual to sit through the whole thing in one sitting! 
------------- http://gamercards.exophase.com/xbox/user/MillsLayne/" rel="nofollow">  ht |
Posted By: Moogtron III
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 02:12
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I voted Tales. Last classic Yes album I tried out, didn't like it at first, but to my surprise it became one of my favorite Yes albums.
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Posted By: Sagichim
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 02:28
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Definitely The Wall. I was never a big fan of The Lamb. Into The Electric Castle is one of Ayreon's best albums I agree. And I would gladly choose 666 if it was here. |
Posted By: ProgMetaller2112
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 02:43
I would argue that Going For The One was the last Classic Yes album  ------------- “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.” ― George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four "Ignorance and Prejudice and Fear walk Hand in Hand"- Neil Peart |
Posted By: Stool Man
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 05:53
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The Wall. Although the film was better than the album, and the live show was better than the film, and Roger Waters' new live show is visually better than the old live show. Gerald Scarfe's book is good too. ------------- rotten hound of the burnie crew |
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 06:17
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The Lamb. Easy choice.. ------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy! |
Posted By: Kirillov
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 08:41
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'The Lamb' from that list. I agree that '666' would have been a good choice too. I find 'The Wall' far too uneven. |
Posted By: octopus-4
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 08:50
I haven't thought of 666...really a masterpiece and one of the first concept albums in the history ------------- I stand with Roger Waters, I stand with Joan Baez, I stand with Victor Jara, I stand with Woody Guthrie. Music is revolution |
Posted By: twosteves
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 08:56
| The Lamb--and Tales a close second--- |
Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 09:06
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Brave is a single album really,thats how it was released originally wasn't it? Any Marillion experts here? Anyway I can't vote for that then, so...........Lamb! Follwed by Tales and then The wall Seems I'm wrong Brave was a double album. I had the tape so I didn't know...ooops.
 ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: Kirillov
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 09:10
Quadrophenia is great, probably the best album the Who ever released. |
Posted By: Lofcaudio
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 09:28
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Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 09:31
Tommy and Quadrophenia are Rock Operas. I suppose you could possibly argue that a Rock Opera is a concept. I would disagree. ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: Kirillov
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 09:36
| We'll have to agree to disagree then Snow Dog |
Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 09:41
Well you can;t disagree that they are Rock Operas. ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: octopus-4
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 09:53
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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. ------------- I stand with Roger Waters, I stand with Joan Baez, I stand with Victor Jara, I stand with Woody Guthrie. Music is revolution |
Posted By: Ambient Hurricanes
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 10:31
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Tales. Not even close. ------------- I love dogs, I've always loved dogs |
Posted By: Kirillov
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 10:39
Townshend himself has admitted that he was not being serious when he called them 'rock operas'. |
Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 10:40
maybe he thought he was being too grand. But that is what they are in essence. ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: silverpot
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 10:53
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? 
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Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 10:56
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. ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: octopus-4
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 10:57
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It's the word "opera". Have you ever seen one? It's a theathrical performance with actors-singers playing their parts. Jesus Christ Superstar is an opera, Tommy is not. The Human Equation may be. ------------- I stand with Roger Waters, I stand with Joan Baez, I stand with Victor Jara, I stand with Woody Guthrie. Music is revolution |
Posted By: octopus-4
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 11:03
Thanks, you have explained the concept better (and pressed enter just a while before me)  ------------- I stand with Roger Waters, I stand with Joan Baez, I stand with Victor Jara, I stand with Woody Guthrie. Music is revolution |
Posted By: akaBona
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 17:16
| this was an easy one - Tales |
Posted By: Dayvenkirq
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 17:21
| There's someone ... to tell you ... a course towards the universal sea-ea-ea-easo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-on. |
Posted By: Progosopher
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 19:14
------------- The world of sound is certainly capable of infinite variety and, were our sense developed, of infinite extensions. -- George Santayana, "The Sense of Beauty" |
Posted By: Hercules
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 19:30
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Subterranea easily, with The Lamb a very respectable 2nd.
Brave is also good; so is The Ayreon album and the Wall is OK.
Tales is a crock of self indulgent crap. ------------- A TVR is not a car. It's a way of life. |
Posted By: Slaughternalia
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 19:32
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The lamb. the others I've either never heard, or mark the point in the band's career where their egos have grown enormous and they've been doing way too many drugs ------------- I'm so mad that you enjoy a certain combination of noises that I don't |
Posted By: The Dark Elf
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 20:30
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I don't think any of these 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. ------------- ...a vigorous circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area, but destined to take the place of the mud shark in your mythology... |
Posted By: Metalmarsh89
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 02:36
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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. |
Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 04:01
Which is why it is a narrative. There is also descriptive lyrics from the obserevers poiint of view. Which is why it is a concept album. In A Rock Opera all the lyrics should be sung by a character so that it could be possible at least to perform the whole thing with a cast. As the do in the film Tommy in fact. Many songs by Genesis and other bands have songs that include "spoken words", but as I say. This does not make it an opera. If you think about it, The wall is even more of a Rock Opera. Has lots of character exposition. Is there descriptive text? I can't remember.
------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 04:03
I'm sure the same could be said of any of these choices or indeed any Prog album. A question of degrees i suppose. What is an individuals limit. Short of it, I don't know why you'd say such an awful thing about an album. Something that was lovingly created. Dismissed in so few negative words. Sad.
------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 04:40
I'll vote for Subterranea even if it is spelt wrong
My favourite double album is Aphrodites Child - 666 ,and then Mike Oldfield - Incantations.
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Posted By: silverpot
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 08:03
Thanks to both of you. I actually was comparing Tommy with Jesus Christ Superstar and didn't find them much alike in execution. Although it's a veeery long time since I heard any of them. The Wall is something in between methinks. Waters has this idea of putting it up on Broadway and then it probably WILL be a fully fledged opera. |
Posted By: Ambient Hurricanes
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 08:24
Six Degrees isn't a concept album. Only the second disc has any kind of unifying theme. ------------- I love dogs, I've always loved dogs |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 14:31
As a matter of fact, as far as I understand, Six Degrees is a double album in which one of the CD's is a concept, and the other CD is a bunch of songs unrelated between them and also unrelated to the concept of the other CD. Edit. I hadn't changed page to see the last post before I replied, but obviously I agree with it. |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 14:35
Given this reasoning, I would have included "The Whirlwind", and it would have been my favourite, easily. |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 14:39
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. |
Posted By: Metalmarsh89
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 15:52
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. |
Posted By: Fox On The Rocks
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 18:10
Haven't we had enough of these already?  Nevertheless, The Lamb is probably my favourite out of these.
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Posted By: ten years after
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 19:49
A concept album is an album whose component tracks are linked by a theme.
The tracks on a rock opera are linked by a theme (the story). This means that all rock operas are concept albums. There are, of course, many concept albums which are not rock operas.
In other words; a rock opera is a special type of concept album. |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 20:08
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I've only heard four of six. Brave needed more work.Tales was OK but isn't the first I'd go to on the shelf. The Wall is tedious at parts. The Lamb reminds me of dreams I've had. Beautifully nonsensical. ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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Posted By: HackettFan
Date Posted: January 20 2013 at 11:25
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. |
Posted By: The-time-is-now
Date Posted: January 21 2013 at 01:33
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Tales from topographic oceans. -------------  One of my best achievements in life was to find this picture :D |
Posted By: ProgMetaller2112
Date Posted: January 21 2013 at 01:44
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  ------------- “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.” ― George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four "Ignorance and Prejudice and Fear walk Hand in Hand"- Neil Peart |
Posted By: digdug
Date Posted: January 21 2013 at 10:54
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The Wall is my fave from this list ------------- Prog On! |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: January 21 2013 at 20:56
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. |
Posted By: twosteves
Date Posted: January 21 2013 at 21:50
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For me--The Lamb is a phantasmagorical freudian dream--nightmare about a boy entering puberty and searching for himself--his innocence being lost (the lamb) and Broadway being all nasty corrupting things it's also a humous look at rock music and teenage angst ---The Lamia is like a wet dream for Rael the virgin guy---it's erotic and creepy and humorous--it goes all over the place the way dreams or nightmares often do---It's very much about Freudian psychology and how much of what we do is motivated by sexual energy--his brother is really him--the fully realized adult---it is chicken it is eggs--it is in between your legs.
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Posted By: King Manuel
Date Posted: January 23 2013 at 01:42
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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. ------------- Don't Bore Us, Get To The Chorus |