Now, there are plenty of albums that thematically are like the Wall (even apart from being theme albums in general)
What I am looking for are albums that sound like it, because not only does it have one of the better (if not the best) texts of an album, it has far and away the best sound of any piece of music ever written, period.
Specifically, what I want is an album where nearly every song has a great melodic solo, hopefully slightly-but-not-overwhelmingly-blues/classic rock-oriented (i.e. not metal.) ETA: even the throwaway soloes in the “lesser” songs on the Wall are better than the entire musical content of 99% of other albums.
The closest entries I can think of are two other Floyd albums, Obscured by Clouds, and, to a lesser extent, the Final Cut. Other bands that supposedly sound like Floyd such as some Radiohead (including much of Gilmours solo work,) is just too slow for me to get into the same way I got into The Wall (which is not to say that I don’t like Gilmour’s solo stuff, I do.)
Operation Mindcrime, Queensryche. Although it may be a bit more “metal” than you asked for, you should definitely give it a try. Melodic songs, great guitar solos, and a concept to boot.
I assume you are already familiar with Roger’s first solo album after splitting with Floyd, The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking? If not, you may want to give it a listen. Clapton plays guitar on it and he does some nice work. (Though, like The Final Cut, it is a bit “slower” than The Wall).
I had a friend in high school, that played A side of the second LP of the Wall album, non-stop for about 7 months.
His dad got a job in Saudia Arabia for 5 years, and instead of selling their house they leased it out, and their son, my friend stayed behind and lived in the guest house by the pool. He would collect the rent on the house for his living expenses, etc. He turned the guest house into a continual party house. Candles burning all the time with the melted wax continually puddling up into strange formations. All the while with “Hey You”, cranking up about every 20 minutes as the turntable replayed the LP. He claims that he left it running all the time, even when sleeping and when he left for school, etc. I wasn’t there all the time to verify it, but whenever I showed up, it was playing.
Actually, no, I’m not, I bought Amused to Death and that prevented me from sampling any other Waters solo stuff. I was going to say that the solo on What God Wants was Clapton but upon research apparently it’s Jeff Beck. Anyway, What God Wants, part 1, would qualify (and is the only good song on that album) and at the same time isn’t unClaptonesque so I might check out Tp+coH.
It might not be considered all that similar by some, but I think some of Marillion’s early output might appeal to people who like Floyd’s The Wall. Maybe Misplaced Childhood or Script for a Jester’s Tear.
It places more emphasis on synth, but it’s melodic and has lyrics that you have to think about.
I think you’ll probably like Pros and Cons better than Amused to Death based on the criteria of your OP. IIRC my Pink Floyd history correctly, Roger presented the ideas to both *The Wall *and Pros and Cons to the rest of the band at the same time after Animals, and the band chose to go with The Wall. So musically it’s closer.
If WGW Pt. 1 is your favorite off of AtD, then you will almost certainly like Sexual Revolution off of Pros and Cons, which is IMO the best song on the album. Gone Fishing and Every Stranger’s Eyes are ones you might like as well. The album as a whole is a little too obscure to be wholly effective IMO, but it’s got some hidden gems and is definitely worth a listen.
I’d suggest a couple of Roy Harper albums. He sang vocals on “Have a Cigar” and has that feel to much of his stuff.
Whatever Happened to Jugula: Jimmy Page sharing guitar work, and a themey epic feel to the album as a whole HQ: Long epic songs again, plus David Gilmour on guitar.
You don’t state why the previous 3 Floyd albums don’t cut it for you?
My suggestion, although like bytheway’s it may be a little metal for you, is Fate’s Warning’s A Pleasant Shade of Gray. Definitely worth a listen.
Others to consider - I’ve gone with albums that have something of a theme, a continuity, even if they’re not concept albums per se:
SupertrampCrime of the Century
*Van der Graaf Generator ** The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome YesFragile YesClose to the Edge Jethro Tull * Passion Play Jethro TullThick as a Brick Jethro TullWarchild Jethro TullAqualung Jethro TullSongs from the Wood Emerson, Lake and PalmerPictures at an Exhibition Frank ZappaApostrophe
I’d say the Flaming Lips most closely remind me of Pink Floyd, although perhaps a peppier version of Floyd. Radiohead’s OK Computer kinda had a Floyd-ish quality to it, but you’ve already mentioned them.
Agreed on both of these assessments, especially the Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi era of Flaming Lips.
I’d also strongly second the recommendations above re: The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking. I was pretty heavily struck by The Wall when it came out, but never got into the rest of the Floyd catalog. When I first heard Pros and Cons it struck me as an adult’s sequel to the child’s story of The Wall. But then I never found much of interest in the rest of Waters’ works either. Those albums were always the two standouts for me.
The one album that most closely approximates the sound and mood of mid-70s Pink Floyd is Miles Davis: A Tribute to Jack Johnson. Pink Floyd were almost certainly exposed to this album at some point and influenced by its sound.