Your favorite "concept" cd?

By that I mean cd’s that follow a story or idea throughout the entire cd. For example Pink Floyed’s “The Wall” or Quennsryche’s “Operation Mindcrime”

My personal favorite is a little know jew called “Amused to Death” by Roger Waters. Best cd I ever heard in my life!

Anyone else?

I’d guess it would be Godspeed You Black Emperor!'s F# A# Infinity. However, all their stuff is somewhat thematic, so if that counts, so does all of their stuff.

Others would be Nine Inch Nail’s The Downward Spiral and (I would argue)the Beastie Boy’s Ill Communication*

[Edited by Ukulele Ike on 10-09-2001 at 05:56 PM]

The best concept album I ever heard was Alice Cooper Goes To Hell.

Eminem’s albums continually tell the story of his alter-ego Slim Shady’s exploits. Love it. I would have to say “The Slim Shady LP” is my favorite. I never knew how many times a guy could murder his wife . . .

DaLovin’ Dj

The lamb lies down on Broadway - Genesis (two CD’s)
Merlin - Kayak (half a CD, actually)

My favorite is Queensryches Operation:Mindcrime.

Husker Du - Zen Arcade

Gentle Giant Three Friends

KISS Destroyer
The Beach Boys Pet Sounds

Ummm… A typo I hope?

As for the OP, I like Tommy, The Wall, Queen II, and Tom Wait’s Frank’s Wild Years.

“Lola vs. Powerman and the Moneygoround” by the Kinks. Extra points because, for purposes of the album (its about the record business), the artist involved had a hit single – and “Lola” is that song.

I have to agree with you, blur. Great album. Ever get to see it live?

For me, Operation:Mindcrime and The Wall are the definitive concept albums (I’ll never ‘CDs’!).

More that deserve to be mentioned:

  • Styx’s The Grand Illusion and Paradise Theater. Their Mr. Roboto was an inferior effort to the two mentioned, IMHO.

  • Pink Floyd again with Animals.

  • Rush’s 2112.

Pink Floyd yet again with The Final Cut. I used to hate it, or at the very least find it pretty mediocre. Now I love. I don’t mind later day Floyd, but they were definetly Roger Water’s band.

I think this qualifies:

The Alan Parson’s Project - Edgar Allen Poe: Tales of Mystery and Imagination

One song for each of Poe’s greatest stories/poems, with “The Raven” being my favorite.

I have several, clustered around a few artists:

From the Alan Parsons Project: Tales of Mystery and Imagination, Freudiana, Turn of a Friendly Card

From Savatage: The Wake of Magellan, Dead Winter Dead, Poets and Madmen

From Styx: Kilroy Was Here, Paradise Theater

From Rush: 2112

Other choices:

Rick Wakeman – “Six Wives of Henry VIII”

The Beatles – “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”

The Who – “Tommy,” of course, but also “Quadrophrenia.” Someone once argued that “The Who by Numbers” was also a concept album, but I don’t buy that. “The Who Sell Out” is an very early concept album, too.

Van Dyke Parks – “Song Cycle”

Amazon.com has an interesting page listing concept albums. They’re right about “Pet Sounds” and I’m delighted they thought of “12 Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus.”

Favorite concept album:

Mechanical Animals by Marilyn Manson.

Tells the story of the band Omega and The Mechanical Animals, in their self-destructive rock opera drug orgy glory. Omega has an obsession with a girl/drug named Coma White.

LC

I’ve always loved Days of Future Passed by The Who. It just takes me nice places from the beginning to the end of a whole day.

Might you mean by The Moody Blues? Unless The Who also have an album by tht name that I am unaware of.

Just wanted to come in here and second The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway by Genesis.

I’ll add Olias of Sunhillow by Jon Anderson.