Name a concept album that holds up relatively well

[Mike Daniels]

You know, an album whose central unifying concept was developed while the musicians were stoned off their asses (I'm looking at you Moody Blues) and then performed under the idea that is was the "ultimate musical statement" of their time.

After pondering the matter I can only come up with 2.5 concept albums that hold up relatively well from beginning to end.

1. The Wall - Pink Floyd

2. Thick as a Brick - Jethro Tull

2.5 The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway - Genesis (pretty good through the 3/4 mark and then kind of limps along finally re-kicking itself in the ass at the end.

[radwriter0555]

1. Bat Out of Hell -- Meatloaf.

Musicality Geniusaurus.

[LSparkle]

2. I still like "Captain Fantastic" by Elton John

Ok, I'm a dork.

[bobbobbins]

3. yeah! that album rocks...but i like tumbleweed connection better

a loose concept album, but definately one of the best

[Magrittes Pipe]

4. Jeff Wayne - "The War of the Worlds"

[Wat_Tyler]

24. NO, NATHANIEL NO!

[Richardo]

5. I just got "Smile" for Christmas and listened to it for the first time

...last week.

I'd say it holds up well as a concept album.

[Burma Jones]

6. Sgt. Pepper's, Pet Sounds and Smile.................n/t

[Mike Daniels]

18. Forgot about all of those...damn it.

But yes, they hold up quite well although I think Pet Sounds is the only one that follows the concept clear through the end.

Of course you have to throw Sloop John B. out of the mix since it was never part of the album as Brian conceived it and was pretty much shoehorned by the record company that wanted something close to a "traditional" Beach Boys's song to sell to radio.

[bobbobbins]

7. Frank Zappa - Joe's Garage

[southpaw]

8. Agreed...

"Gee, Cy... thisisarealgroovyapartment you've got here..."

"All government sponsored recreational facilities are clean and efficient"

[Zensea]

10. except Zappa didn't do drugs

that's what he always said anyway, the rest of the band maybe did though

[Zensea]

9. let's look on the shelf

Lizard -- King Crimson

Lamb Lies Down on Broadway - Genesis

Bitches Brew - Miles Davis

Electric Ladyland - Jimi Hendrix

Basement Tapes - Bob Dylan

Are We Not Men? - Devo

Super Ape - Lee Perry and the Upsetters

ok, admittedly a loose interpretation of concept album ... I could keep going

[Jokinomx]

11. Styx ... Grand Illusion...

Still one of my favorite albums of all time....

[noonwitch]

12. "Operation: Mindcrime" by Queensryche

Screwed-up, drug-addicted, marxist, catholic-hating youth will always be with us.

[bowens43]

13. Tales of Mystery and Imagination: Edgar Allan Poe

by the allen parsons project

[Richardo]

14. Hm. No one's nominated "Tommy"

Not even me.

[bowens43]

15. Journey to the Center of the Earth - Rick Wakeman

[New Earth]

16. Transistor by 311

and Empires by VNV Nation (well, at least i think they are concept albums)

[WildClarySage]

17. ELO Time

A great LP

[warrens]

19. Arthur, by the Kinks

S. F. Sorrow by Pretty Things

Setting Sons by The Jam, which was pretty much a remake of Arthur

[AllegroRondo]

20. "Amused to Death", Roger Waters.

1993 I think.

Some great stuff in there about war and how the media loves it because its good for ratings.

[Spider Jerusalem]

21. Strange definition of "concept album" you have there.

The "concept album" was pretty much invented by Frank Sinatra, you know. He was probably the first to record an LP of songs that all related to a single unifying theme.

That said, my favourite concept album is probably Bowie's "1. Outside" (and this was in his sober period, so, again, your criteria don't apply).

[Mike Daniels]

22. True, My definition is rooted more in late 60's and beyond

where rock bands (usually of the art rock/progressive genre) decided to create album-length compositions of deep meaning but more often than not only succeeded in creating 40 minutes of unlistenable crap....or in the case of Yes' "Tales of Topographic Oceans", 80+ minutes of staggeringly unlistenable crap.

[pres2032]

23. "Streets" by Savatage

powerful story about a singer who becomes addicted to drugs and tries to fight his way out of the hell he put himself in.

[Bok_Tukalo]

25. 2112 - Rush

<eom>

[Wat_Tyler]

26. If it counts, Skylarking.

[-..__...]

27. "The Sun Never Sweats"

Spinal Tap.

[frylock]

29. excellent choice!

Sun Never Sweats, The (Megaphone, 1975): A ponderous concept album that left Entertainment Weekly stunned. "Tap stumbles big," its reviewer wrote, giving the album a C rating. Included the debut of session drummer Peter "James" Bond and keyboardist Ross MacLochness. "A late-blooming concept album that only a Taphead could love, padded as it is with creaky period pieces (‘Daze of Knights of Old’), too-precious Donovan knock-offs (‘The Princess and the Unicorn,’ ‘The Obelisk’)," and twisted histories such as "Stonehenge." (IST) Derek: "The album was basically just saying that the empire was a good idea, that subjugating foreign peoples—there was nothing wrong with that." The title is a bastardization of old saying that "the sun never sets on the British empire." Derek, who wrote the title track, says he misheard it.

[FredScuttle]

28. Quadrophenia

holds up much better than Tommy