Gaming World Forums
General Category => Entertainment and Media => Topic started by: aboutasoandthis on October 16, 2007, 02:15:14 am
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A concept album usually has its songs unified by a single theme. What are your favorite concept albums and why? If you can, give a few bits of info on it too. It's story, theme, damn good ideas, album cover, etc.
My favorite is The Miseducation of Lauren Hill.
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
If you don't already know, Lauryn Hill was part of the Fugees, a famous hip-hop group. This was her solo album concerning their split, and her relationship with another member Wyclef Jean. The basic idea is that she is a student who misses class the day they talk about love. It's got little skits that reference this idea. Almost every song on the album talks about love. It covers everything from breakups, from having children, to family love, to just sitting next to someone. The album has some cohesion in it too. There were a lot of bird singing samples that really mixed well with her voice. There was also some nice Egyptian and Reggae influenced sounds.
Some of my favorite hip-hop albums are concept albums. Unfortunately they're the only ones I've ever really heard of, so I would really like to hear about some rock. I think OK Computer counts as a concept album, and that's about all I've heard.
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"Kid A" by Radiohead
"The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place" by Explosions in the Sky
"One Day I'll Be On Time" by The Album Leaf
"Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band" by The Beatles
"Since I Left You" by The Avalanches
"Scorpio Rising" by Death in Vegas
"Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" by The Flaming Lips
"Low Frequency Speaker Test" by Jet Black Crayon
and I suppose I like "Madvillainy" by Madvillain.
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The Wall. Its just timeless, and pretty damn revolutionary. And the musicianship is fantastic.
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"Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band" by The Beatles
Question: What's the concept? Is it just that all these random songs are being played in a sort of "concert" given by the Hearts Club Band or does each song have a part of the story too?
also....I suppose The Wall by Pink Floyd has to be mentioned.[s/] Even if you didn't like it it still became a part of music and popular culture even.
damn...beaten to it
My favorite concept album.....god why's it so hard to think of. I listen to prog of all things.
Oh....i guess Thick as a Brick by Jethro Tull.
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I'm a bitch for The Perfect Element by Pain of Salvation.
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Question: What's the concept? Is it just that all these random songs are being played in a sort of "concert" given by the Hearts Club Band or does each song have a part of the story too?
"Themes and structure
With Sgt. Pepper, the Beatles wanted to create a record that could, in effect, tour for them — an idea they had already explored with the promotional film-clips made over the previous years, intended to promote them in the United States when they were not touring there.
McCartney decided that they should create fictitious characters for each band member and record an album that would be a performance by that fictitious band. The idea of disguise or change of identity was one in which the Beatles, naturally enough, had an avid interest — they were four of the most recognizable and widely known individuals of the 20th century.
The Beatles' recognition was the motivation for their growing moustaches and beards and even longer hair, and was an inspiration for the disguise of their flamboyant Sgt. Pepper costumes. McCartney was well known for going out in public in disguise and all four had used aliases for travel bookings and hotel reservations.
Thus, the album starts with the title song, which introduces Sgt. Pepper's band itself; this song segues seamlessly into a sung introduction for bandleader "Billy Shears" (Starr), who performs "With a Little Help from My Friends". A reprise version of the title song was also recorded, and appears on side 2 of the original album (just prior to the climactic "A Day in the Life"), creating a "bookending" effect.
The cohesive structure and careful sequencing of and transitioning between songs on the album, as well as the use of the Sgt. Pepper framing device, have led the album to be widely acknowledged as an early and ground-breaking example of the concept album."
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Perdition City by Ulver is the first thing that comes to mind.
"The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place" by Explosions in the Sky
... I wouldn't consider that a concept album; not even a concept EP. What's so conceptual about it?
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There are only three concept albums I really love, all by Pink Floyd.
So:
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd - Animals
The Wall is pretty meh compared to those. And Wish You Were Here might be a bit too loose on the concept side of things.
Oh, almost forgot, I guess Fantomas - Suspended Animation might count as well ;)
And the Beatles made amazing music so probably those, but I've never listened through their albums in one go (in fact, I have mostly listened to select songs... I listen quite a lot to their collection "1" which is pretty damned great imo!! Although it's just a best-of, the songs are so incredibly good...)(so can't really say about album as a whole).
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Epica & The Black Halo by Kamelot
Nightfall in Middle Earth by Blind Guardian
For the Love of Art and the Making by Beyond Twilight (Mr Epic Hero HOW DID I MISS THE GREATNESS OF THIS FIRST TIME ROUND argh try harder to convince me next time!)
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Lack of stories about the album makes Aboutaso a sad boy. :(
I think I listened to Dark Side of the Moon and Sgt. Pepper and enjoyed them.
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"Since I Left You" by The Avalanches
Does that have a concept? I know it all flows together (way cool), but I don't see any narrative really.
Anyway:
Ween - The Mollusk: NAUTICAL PROG!
Pink Floyd - DSotM: madness
Mars Volta - De-Loused & Frances: heh
Fantomas - Suspended Animation: the month of April
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Iron Maiden's "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" and Jeff Wayne's "War of the Worlds".
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... I wouldn't consider that a concept album; not even a concept EP. What's so conceptual about it?
...its not an ep. its an lp. All of Explosion's stuff is concept. "The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place" more or less concept is love based.
"Since I Left You" by The Avalanches
Does that have a concept? I know it all flows together (way cool), but I don't see any narrative really.
From my aspect, seems to be related to a time of year- with all the excitements of transportation and the progression of man in this way. The only song that doesn't quite fit is frontier psychiatrist.
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Velvet Underground - White light/White heat
I love their Fuck You concept
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I used to be so into these.. not as much anymore but I still do enjoy Pain of Salvation's albums and Operation Mindcrime.
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Smojphace EP
Well actually Selected Ambient Works II is pretty badass whether it's true or not, it's supposed to be a whole collection of songs based on LUCID DREAMS
Also I hate Venetian Snares but some of his albums sound really weird the way they were made (lol drugs) - no I mean supposedly one was made with some other dude entirely over IRC, and another was supposedly made in 12:6 surround. But I guess these are more WAYS OF MAKING MUSIC than concepts
but Nymphomatriarch is definitely a concept album :x
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Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie & Traveler by Slough Feg. Admittedly I only know a few concept albums, but these are pretty great, especially Ziggy Stardust.
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My favorite is probably The Wall. It's my favorite Pink Floyd album of all time. (admittedly, I didn't really like it the first few times that I listened to it, but it really grew on me and I really just awed by it every time I hear it).
Ziggy Starudst is another great concept album as well. I haven't listened to that one in a while either.
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Like half of my favourite albums are concept albums but a few outstanding ones are...
Marillion's Misplaced Childhood
Pain of Salvation's The Perfect Element
Neal Morse's ?
CMX's Talvikuningas
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The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars from Bowie is a good choice. It's definitely a classic. The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd and Queen's A Night at the Opera are also stellar concept albums.
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Queen's A Night at the Opera
what?
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Wow, you didn't know that was a concept album? The individual songs represent different acts of a stage opera.
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Wow, you didn't know that was a concept album? The individual songs represent different acts of a stage opera.
That's actually one of my favorites. I had no idea.
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Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
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...its not an ep. its an lp. All of Explosion's stuff is concept. "The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place" more or less concept is love based.
From my aspect, seems to be related to a time of year- with all the excitements of transportation and the progression of man in this way. The only song that doesn't quite fit is frontier psychiatrist.
.. Frontier Psychiatrist isn't on the album.
Anyhow, I don't have the actual CD, so I suppose I can't argue with you. What I can compare to, would be every single Godspeed You! Black Emperor album. And Mono's "Are you there?"
blabla
I say you forgot Deathspell Omegas "Si Monumentum Requiems, Circumspice", which is probably the best thing that ever happened to black metal.
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.. Frontier Psychiatrist isn't on the album.
it most definitely is. track 13; after Pablo's Cruise and before Etoh.
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I love how two years ago everyone was masturbating to Scenes from a Memory and now no-ones mentioned it. I actually really like this album and it was the first concept album I ever got into, it's cheesy as fuck and actually Dream Theater are pretty gay so actually it's pretty shitty, but I love it. GW's a much different place now apparently.
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I'm more surprised that DOKTORMARTINI is the only one to mention Lamb Lies Down, unless we are avoiding the obvious mentions of quality concept albums and being more contentious.
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like what? Tommy?
(I cant really think of any concept albums I like that are univerally accepted as being good so yeah :-\ I got nothin)
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Tommy is great, especially with movie.
I like Ziggy too, and Animals is my favourite from Pink Floyd.
A few more:
The Who Sell Out
The Kinks Are The Village Preservation Society (or whatever that was called, I can't remember, I just remember that was the first 'concept' album I bought, and it was great).
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it most definitely is. track 13; after Pablo's Cruise and before Etoh.
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are we talking same album/artist/whatever?
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are we talking same album/artist/whatever?
The Avalanches - Since I Left You
"Since I Left You" by The Avalanches
Does that have a concept? I know it all flows together (way cool), but I don't see any narrative really.
From my aspect, seems to be related to a time of year- with all the excitements of transportation and the progression of man in this way. The only song that doesn't quite fit is frontier psychiatrist.
I don't really get how you could even confuse the artist. D:
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Zen Arcade by Husker Du. They said it had a concept...I don't believe them, but it's a great record anyhow
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To the Stars by Chick Corea is the only one I can think besides Colors (Although I don't think Colors is a concept album, but all the songs flow into one another.)
Oh, and Deloused & Francis.
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I don't really get how you could even confuse the artist. D:
I see. Nor do I.
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Oh, MrNemo: it looks like when you were quoting post's comment, you read the thing about Explosions and the thing about the Avalanches together.
LERN YOU FORUMS BETTER.
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Oh man, how could I forget this one!
Batmobile is Dynamite by Batmobile, all the songs are about dynamite.
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dam1