Independent of the film Curtis Mayfield’s Superfly is a concept album.

Also, thank you for not including “Sgt. Pepper’s.” I’m sick of hearing that called a concept album- the concept is… they’re a band… wow…

I know that Phish has no home amongst any top 10 that doesn’t include the Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers Band, Widespread Panic, etc. But Rift is a great concept album!

Although they claim it is not…

Frances the Mute, The Mars Volta

These depend on def. of concept…

Purple Rain, Prince
Stop Making Sense, Talking Heads
A Night at the Opera, Queen

Reach –

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Smashing Pumpkins

Battle of Los Angeles, Rage Against the Machine

Let’s hear it for Skylarking by XTC

Radiohead’s OK Computer is at least as much of a concept album as Green Day’s American Idiot, and 10 times better. However, both pale in comparison to Flaming Lips’ Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.

69 Love Songs by the Magnetic Fields

exile in guyville…by liz phair

How about the Hold Steady’s Seperation Sunday or the Drive-By Truckers’ Southern Rock Opera. Neither have proven they can stand the test of time (then again, neither has American Idiot) but both are very original takes on the traditional concept album

Smile – Beach Boys
The Who Sell Out – The Who
We’re Only in it for the Money – Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention

Fear of Music – Talking Heads
Master of Puppets – Metallica
Broken – NIN
OK Computer – Radiohead
Sea Change – Beck
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots – Flaming Lips

Michigan and Illinois – Sufjan Stevens

Funeral – Arcade Fire
Get Behind Me Satan – The White Stripes
Hypnotize / Memerize – System of a Down

I also agree on Rift, Jam bands are too often overlooked beacuse of the stigma they entail

ZAIREEKA – The Flaming Lips

and the Drive By post can pretty much go for any of their albums

Quadrophenia-The Who

The Downward Spiral-Nine Inch Nails

That Willie Nelson’s “Red Headed Stranger” is not included on this list is a crime. It’s the greatest country album ever, and easily one of the greatest concept albums of any genre.

Randy Newman’s “Good Old Boys” should also get honorable mention

Don said:

“Also, thank you for not including “Sgt. Pepper’s.” I’m sick of hearing that called a concept album- the concept is… they’re a band… wow..”

Please don’t dismiss “Sgt. Pepper’s” like that. It took me a long time to figure that album out and I still probably have more to learn, but it most certainly is a concept album–some would say the first legitimate one. Yes, most of the concept is like you say, “They’re a band.” But, at the time nothing had really been done like that. The album had a little bit of a story to it, and also provided some interesting social commentary. It was kind of innovative. And at the same time they did it for creative reasons–giving them a certain freedom as artists they didn’t feel they had as matching-suit mop-tops. Of course it was crude, it was one of the first of its kind. But once again, the Beatles paved the way for everyone else. And there are numerous concept albums that followed “Sgt. Pepper” that were 10 times better, but they all FOLLOWED “Sgt. Pepper.”

How about:

Derek and the Dominoes – Layla
Brian Wilson – Smile
Van Morrison – Astral weeks
Bob Dylan – Blood on the Tracks
Alice in Chains – Dirt
Tool – Lateralus

Marvin Gaye, What’s Going On

the Beatles – Abbey Road
Rush – Hemispheres
the Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles Pink Robots
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Southern Accents
the Smashing Pumpkins – Machina
Kanye West – the College Dropout
Radiohead – Kid A
Beck – Midnite Vultures
the Arcade Fire – Funeral
Enuff Z’Nuff – Welcome to Blue Island

Deltron 3030 is the Dark Side Of The Moon of hip-hop, a lost classic that never got the respect it deserves.

don’t forget the brilliant “de-loused in the comatorium” by the mars volta and “clandestino” by manu chao

Deltron 3030 for sure! also check out aesop rock, labor days if you like del. tool lateralus… my favorite, 10,000 days is more of a concept album though. Radiohead Kid A isn’t mentioned, that’s their closest creation that resembled a concept album i think. frances the mute was definetly a concept album, yet very odd in places. And last but not least, Dark Side of the Moon is the quintessential, perfect, number one concept album of all time… period.

Don: I think you hurt Jimmy’s feelings.It took him a long time to figure that album out and he still probably has more to learn. He has issues, so cut him some slack… and what the heck, let him list Sgt. Pepper.

“Southern Rock Opera,” Drive-By Truckers
“Come on Feel the Illinoise,” Sufjan Stevens
“Chavez Ravine,” Ry Cooder
‘The Ballad of Sally Rose,” Emmylou Harris
“The Hill,” Richard Buckner
“The Forgotten Arm,” Aimee Mann
“1000 Years of Popular Music,” Richard Thompson

This is a joke right?

Dark Side of the Moon is one of the best albums ever, let alone the best concept album. This question shouldn’t even be posed.

American Idiot is a concept album, but certainly doesn’t deserve to be on a 10 best list.
Instead, its place should be filled by NOFX’s The Decline. A punk masterpiece that has never been given its due.
Idiot shamelessly ripped off the concept of The Decline.
Idiot is overproduced and undercomposed. The Decline is superior in every way.

AFI-Sing The Sorrow

Jethro Tull – Thick As A Brick
Jethro Tull – Too Old to Rock ‘n Roll
Sufjan Stevens – Illinois
Muse – Absolution
Jimmy Hendrix – Bold As Love
Malcolm Middleton – 5:14 fluoxytine seagull alcohol john nicotine
Stone Temple Pilots – Tiny Music… Songs from the vatican gift shop
Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (but only in the sense that post 9/11, it’s become creepily a concept album.

In good faith, no list of best concept albums can exist without at least one Jethro Tull record on it… because nearly everything they did was one. Thick as a brick is, to me, the ultimate.

I’ll also toss in a vote for the flaming lips, any of their albums, but at war with the mystics because I’m digging it.

come on! what about garth brooks’s ‘chris gaines’ alter-ego deal…genius lol… really though, ‘i am kurious oranj’ by the fall is pretty cool…;

A Grand Don’t Come For Free – The Streets

Kris Kross’s – Totally Krossed Out

Hey Jimmy, calm down about Sqt. Pepper’s…

What about The Moody Blues “Days of Future Passed”?

nine inch nails – the downward spiral
pearl jam – yield
the mars volta – frances the mute

NINE INCH NAILS – THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL

I’d give a shout for U2’s Zooropa. An extension (and more excessive) of Achtung Baby, this album is has plenty of interesting sounds, clever lyrics (the title track is filled with commercial slogans) and of course Johnny Cash makes an appearance at the end.

If American Idiot can make the list because of a storyline threaded through it, than Zooropa makes it for it’s ambition and it’s message.

Hate to break it to the Beatle’s haters out there, but basically Sgt Peppers, The white album, and Abbey Road are all concept albums. They’re the kings of the concept album because they gave birth to it.

quadrophenia hands down

In Utero

People forget about Husker Du and their 1984 concept album Zen Arcade. It at least deserves recognition as the nexus where hardcore punk met indie rock/pop. These guys pretty much created the sound that guys like the Pixies and copycats like Nirvana and every grunge and post-grunge band took to the bank years later. Also if you are to sing the praises of American Idiot you should remember that Billy Joe Armstrong has said that he modeled it after Zen Arcade.

The Gay Parade by Of Montreal

The Lonesome Crowded West by Modest Mouse

In The Aeroplane Over The Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel

69 Love Songs by The Magnetic Fields

Any Radiohead album, ‘cept Pablo Honey

American Idiot!! really? i mean, are you serious? i agree with all the other ones but that one just doesn’t belong there. i think ok computer by radiohead deserved it better. and i also agree with landogarner: there should be no doubt about dark side of the moon being the best ALBUM EVER.

the wall isnt good at all

wtf? half of these that people are suggesting arent even concept albums…mellon collie? how? and i dont see why everyone is dissing american idiot…that album is one of the best of the past ten years. The wall is easily the worst album on that list.

Deface The Music–Utopia

Tool Aenima

Definitely the Lips’ Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots belongs on here, as well as Ben Folds Five’s Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner… The Who Sell Out is probably the best-realized vision of a concept album, but Quadrophenia is generally easier to listen to. Fun Trick Noisemaker by The Apples In Stereo is pretty wild as well. I agree that American Idiot is probably a bit overhyped, but it still gets its point across quite well, although Steve Earle’s The Revolution Starts…Now! is a better anti-Iraq war album.

I noticed one blaring omission…
Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen. By far his greatest and one of the best concept albums ever

To me the best one is Dark Side of the Moon, didn’t like The Wall myself, it plays better as a soundtrack than as an album, but that’s me. I also think it’s pretty important that American Idiot is here, I’m 23 years old, I know it’s not the greatest of them all, but we can’t deny the importance it has on kids 13-18 years and the one it’ll have on future generations as it might be the only concept album this kids know.

TOOL AENIMA

Tool Aenima

One glaring omission: RUSH’s 2112!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don’t know, something by R Kelly?

Vitalogy.

Cost pearl jam a boat load to make the eaxtra sweet books. There were a couple werid tracks, but isn’t that what really makes a concept album.

“Joe’s Garage” Frank Zappa

the downward spiral, kid a, lateralus, low, dark side of the moon, the love below, medulla, remain in the light

…And you will know us by the trail of dead – Worlds apart great post 9/11 concept albumn

I am a Pink Floyd fan, so would back up all those who say Dark Side Of The Moon and The Wall. Also a big fan of Radiohead’s OK Computer.
But for me, one of my fave concept albums is “The Songs Of Distant Earth” by Mike Oldfield. It reallys captures the mood and the arc of Arthur C. Clarke’s original album.
For something more Recent, I’d have to recommend Rufus Wainwright’s “Poses.” I love the overture of “Cigarettes&Chocolate Milk.”
P.S. For any Wall fans out there, check out “Luther Wright and The Wrongs:Rebuild the Wall” for a very fun reinterpretation of the entire album.

oops, I meant Arthur C. Clarke’s book, not album. Got music on the brain. Sorry.

What about Dr. Octagonecologyst by Dr. Octagon? An alien gynocologyst from the future comes back in time to perform unneccsary surgery. Kool Keith, The Automator and DJ Q-Bert lay down the best horror/sci-fi hip hop concept album ever. Deltron 3030 is almost as good, a little more epic, but lacks the awesome scratching and bizzaro lyrics.

Husker Du’s Zen Arcade is another goodie.

Don’t forget Roger Waters’s post floyd stuff – The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking and Amused to Death.
s

“The Wall” and “Animals” are certainly belong there in the top ten, along with ELO’s “Time” and “Eldorado”.

In An Aeroplane Over the Sea – Neutral Milk Hotel

Of course, Zappa’s “Joe’s Garage” and of course, Genesis’ “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway”.

But, how about Marillion’s “Clutching at Straws”? Prog-rock-opera at it’s best, and devoid of any optimism whatsoever.

Yeah, and that’s a good pick with ELO’s “Time”. They could get pretty cheesy, but that’s a great concept album. Makes me “wish I was back in 1981..”

Hands Down, The Beatles “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”
Also, The Who “Tommy”
Those are my top 2!

Where’s Marvin Gaye- What’s Going On?

thats the way concept albums should be- no story line just a constant theme.

I’d also say Husker Du- Zen Arcade

first of all, i gotta disagree with “american idiot”, very overrated and unintelligent concept album (i don’t like conservatives, but i don’t like bad music, either).
“kid a” and “ok computer” seem like obvious choices to me, as does “sgt. pepper’s…”
was “the soft bulletin” by flaming lips a concept album? either way, it was awesome.

King Crimson: “Court of the Crimson King”
Emerson, Lake and Palmer: “Tarkus” “Pictures at an Exhibition”
What’s that? They have to be good? Okay, scratch the ELP.

WHERE IS THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL BY NINE INCH NAILS?

-And American Idiot was overall a terrible album…its only saving grace was Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Mindcrime…

Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On?” Are you kidding me? That is a seminal piece of work. Consistent all the way through. Both “The Wall” and “Darkside of the Moon” deserve mention as does the Moody Blues “Days of Future Past”. For the heck of it, “Ghost of Tom Joad” by Springsteen (underated) and “Combat RocK” by The Clash. Ginsburg et. al.

Thank you Rolling Stone! Not only is “Village Green Preservation Society” the greatest concept record of all time, it is the greatest album of all time – short of “Revolver” and “OK Computer”. It is time that the Kinks receive recognition beyond “You Really Got Me” and “Waterloo Sunset”.

Where are “Sgt. Peppers” and “OK Computer”? Obvious, but not without reason. “OK Computer” is the greatest piece of music ever recorded.

Alex | 7/18/2006, 9:41 pm EST

WHERE IS THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL BY NINE INCH NAILS?

-And American Idiot was overall a terrible album…its only saving grace was Boulevard of Broken Dreams

wow you’re an idiot

Arctic Monkeys’ What ever you say i am thats what I’m not.
I know its new but listen to it, it’s every saturday night for every young person across the world.
Flaming Lips, Yoshimi.
So yeah, is there any album that sounds cooler?
Radiohead. OK Computer. Um, I’m gonna say no. I suppose emaciated geeks with their head implanted firmly up their rectum is a concept but eh, just doesn’t do anything for me.

most of these aren’t even concept albums… just because you like the album, doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a “concept album.”

in that spirit, I’d like to nominate Guns N’ Roses’ “Appetite for Destruction.” the concept? Axel’s a jackass.

Great albums, they all make me want to break out the turntable. Pete Townshend’s White City is also excellent in concept.

Seriously, though, where is 2112?

how about “The Mother, The Mechanic, and the Path” by the Early November

Kinks’ Muswell Hillbillies
Miles Davis’ Sketches of Spain

Surprised no one has said “Wish You Were Here”. Purple Rain is a soundtrack, not a concept album. Agree with every album at the top, except “American Idiot”. My suggestion is “The Genius Hits the Road” by Ray Charles. He didn’t write the entire album, but all the songs together make it a strong concept.

what is the definition of a concept album anyway?

i wouldn’t consider DSM a concept album. yes the songs connect, but it takes more than that to be a concept album. i would go with Bowie’s as the best.

uhh hello, Sgt. Pepper anyone?

And Southern Rock Opera kicks ass too

So you’re basically asking which concept albums aren’t pretentious? I think they’ve all been mentioned.

I’m not going to disagree right off the back, but, Sean, how is Born to Run a concept album?

The recent Neil stuff like Greendale and Living War.

Well we all know how much RS LOVESSS Sgt. Peppers, so if they at all considered it a concept album it would be on here. Besides, there are a few definitive concept albums on here, but what exactly is the definition for a concept album anyways? IF a general idea is a concept album, then this list is embarassing, specifically more than one Radiohead album missing.

Top ones:

Radiohead: Kid A. OK Computer is better, but Kid A felt more like a concept album i.e- has to be listened from start to finish to fully appreciate

Pink Floyd-Dark Side of the Moon. Superior to the Wall.

Nine Inch Nails-The Downward Spiral

David Bowie-Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust. I consider Low to be a concept album as well.

The Who-Tommy. Not a big fan of this album, but it did expand the definition of a concept album

Green Day-American Idiot. I’ll go out and say it, this is a superb album. AI features a common theme, recurring characters, wonderful songs, and it captures the times we live in. In twenty years, people will remember AI as an album that defined this generation.

HOw in the world is The Moody Blues’ “Days of Future Passed” not on the top ten. This is Disney on Acid, and a true concept at its best. I dare you to listen to the album all the way through and not get sucked in to a completely different world by the Evening.

Half of the albums you people are pointing out aren’t really concept albums at all. The Drive-By Truckers album listed above might be a concept album, but since their band makes music that makes my ears bleed, the idea of them making a concept album is sickening and laughable, and cannot be considered for the Top Ten

Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” definitely deserves to be on there. The only reason someone would neglect this from their list is because they dont appreciate music, and, therefore, their opinion should not count.

As for Sgt. Pepper’s, there’s only one thing that needs to be said: They’re The Beatles. If they’re not on any Top Ten List for anything related to music, then clearly you have been watching too much American Idol and need to listen to actual music.

Bam.

my favorite “concept” albums…if u consider them concept…

“illinoise” and “michigan” by sufjan stevens…

“american idiot” by greenday…jesus of suburbia is pretty damn good…u gotta admit that…

“kid a”, “ok computer”, “hail to the thief” by radiohead…

“funeral” by the arcade fire…

“modern life is rubish” by blur…

“three feet high and rising” by de la soul…

“speakerboxxx/the love below” by outkast…the concept is two solo albums that kick ass together…

“original pirate material” by the streets…

“36 chambers” by the wu-tang clan…

The Who – Quadrophenia.
Better than Tommy.

I don’t really think that Radiohead has ever made a true concept album…for that matter, I don’t think “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” is a concept album either, or else that should definitely be included.

One real concept album that the staff forgot to mention is Hüsker Dü’s “Zen Arcade”.

A couple more for the list.
I love Kinks’ “Village Green,” but almost prefer “Arthur,” which not only tells a great story, but includes Victoria, my fave Kinks’ song. And addresses pretty much the same issues Roger Waters tried to 20 years later on the Final Cut.
And “Seventh Son of A Seventh Son” by Iron Maiden. Possibly the most pretentious concept album ever, but oh so much fun.

CHINESE DEMOCRACY- GUNS N’ROSES

Concept albums/high art isn’t always “pretentious” as someone said. Sometimes it’s ambitious more than pretentious…

Semantics aside, here’s my list of notable concept albums:
*Green Day – American Idiot
*Failure – Fantastic Planet
*Pink Floyd – The Wall
*Silverchair – Diorama
*Radiohead – OK Computer
*QOSTA – Songs for the Deaf

This is so easy, man!! OK COMPUTER!!

I think many of you are listing favorite albums, and not really concept albums. To me, a concept album is one that uses the individual songs to tell a single story. This is intentional on the artist part and pronounced in its presentation.
Some albums seem to be a collection of songs all related via a singular theme, but this is not what I consider to be a true “concept” album.
Using this definition, my choice is for “The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway” by Genesis. A very cohesive group of songs telling a single story. It uses a central character to drive the story, and the lyrics and music to enhance the impact of the story. Even the incredible graphics on the album cover enhance the story. Albums of this quality and impact are far and few between.

You’ve got the Who correct, but their best album by far is Quadrophenia.

No Doubt About It..

Queens Of the Stone Age’s “Songs For The Deaf”

The Mars Volta “Frances The Mute”

pete townshend’s Lifehouse if you’ve heard of it.

Sgt. Pepper, Pet Sounds, Quadrophenia, Tommy, etc..

and Smile by brian wilson

Actually, wait, I can’t believe no one has said Pet Sounds, that’s sad.

What about Love’s “Forever Changes?”

And what about Elton John’s “Tumbleweed Connection” or “Captain Fantastic?”

Also the Eagles’ “Hotel California” or “Desperado.”

I believe some serious thought should be given to “Radio Kaos” by Roger Waters. It told a story in a sonically interesting way.

I am massive Pink Floyd fan, so the majority of their catalog ranks at the top for me. Having said that, I have always had a soft spot in my soul for “Animals”. It is basic and all encompassing. All of us are either a pig, a sheep, or a dog.

Primal Scream – Screamadelica
The Streets – A Grand Don’t Come For Free
The Boo Radleys – Wake up Boo!

Show the ladies some love! A couple for your consideration…

Tori Amos, “Scarlet’s Walk” – Several of her last few albums have been conceptual, but I liked this one the best. Really beautiful.

Lauryn Hill, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill”

I agree with the Village Green every song is good and it is a happy cd that the band the shins have copied. I also like Ziggy Stardust and what’s going on is good as well.

I dont think ok computer is a concept cd i had to listen to it tons of time just to hear what thom says.

Berlin-Lou Reed

Sgt. Pepper’s is a concept album… it’s the deconstruction of suburban life through psychedelia, as seen through the eyes of the suburbanites themselves. The concept of the new ‘Band’ was simply a mechanism to allow for such experimentation. I would also include the Peppers’ Californication, although I’m unable to derive a central character, the themes are the same and the sotry progresses solidly through the album (Road Trippin seems to be the bands way of saying California is best dealt with by seeing it from the outside). Also, and this is contentious at best, as I’ve never been able to define the story in it, I’m unable to shake the feeling that Oasis’ Be Here Now has some sort of a central story in it…any ideas?

There’s a difference between a concept album and an album with a theme. Tommy and Quad.
are concept albums, Sgt. Pepper and Hotel California are themes. Best Concept: The Wall
Best Theme: Pet Sounds

Also, how about What’s going on by Marvin Gaye-about racism, and Vietnam from 1968

For me it seems at thow only men, wote…I mean..where are all the women?? These albums are just male musicians.:S this is just lame!

Willie Nelson’s Red Headed Stranger! (1975)

Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots by Flaming Lips. A Modern conceptual classic.

the streets: A grand don’t come for free

is by far the best concept album of all time

SONGS IN THE KEY OF LIFE: STEVIE WONDER

END
OF
STORY!!

Shame on you all for not bringing up Mastodon’s Leviathan

Between the lines of its archaic lyrics one might nearly miss that Mars Volta’s Deloused in the Comatorium is an excellent concept album.

zen arcade, dudes. husker du.

What is a concept album? It is a body of work with a central theme.Sgt. pepper has no central theme.While it is an amazing album,it is not a concept album.Several examples of concept albums (excluding dark side of the moon, wich is nowhere near a concept album) are 2112 (Rush), look into it, it’s impeccable, my favorite,Operation mindcrime (Queensryche), preferably the live version,Floyd the Wall (obviously), quite possibly one of the best written concept albums out, and the Who, quadrophenia, 5:15…. nuff said..honorable mentions to the kinks,yes,styx,yeah, i had to throw mr.roboto in the ring, but take a listen to dennis on that one, and you might be surprised….

The most underated concept album of all time is THE ELDER – by Kiss. This is basically also a soundtrack to a movie that was never made however it’s them is earily similar to Lord of the Rings!

vitalogy is a master piece by pearl jam.american idiot please dont play with music.pearl jam 4ever

The elder blew.

And i like kiss….

Come on Feel the Illinoise- Sufjan Stevens

is by far one of the best concept albums ever. If you dig folky alternative stuff that is.

Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots- Flaming Lips
(also on my list)

Dredg- El Cielo: all about dreams.

Coheed and Cambria- Every album they’ve ever done is a continuation of a single storyline.

In the Wee small hours – Frank Sinatra

Every Good Boy Deserves Favor – The Moody Blues

The Pros and Cons of Hitchiking – Roger Waters

Tubular Bells – Mike Oldfield

From the Inside – Alice Cooper
Tonight’s the Night – Neil Young
Good Old Boys – Randy Newman
White City – Pete Townsend

Metal Machine Music – Lou Reed

Best concept Albums of all time

Elton John, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy

The Who, Quadrophenia

Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon

Now I am a HUGE Zappa fan. But no one has ever been able to tell me why Freak Out! is a concept album.
A great album, nevertheless.

How’s about Joe’s Garage or Lumpy Gravy or Civilization Phaze III?

Everything else has been mentioned.

RUSH 2112….Still its longer than most punk albums

Street Hassle – Lou Reed
New Clear Days – The Vapors

New York – Lou Reed
Sex, Age, and Death – Bob Geldof

I’m pleased that some readers have the sense to mention “What’s Going On”… how could you overlook this RS eds?

Also, it seems some have confused “concept album” with a unified body of work. Many suggestions here are not true concept albums.

A great concept album that does not belong on a top ten best concept albums of all time list per se is “mmm… Food” by MF Doom.

Outside – David Bowie
Dada – Alice Cooper
The Final Cut – Pink Floyd
Nail – Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel (Foetus)

Again, not top ten of all time, but De La Soul is Dead is a great album.

Is “Transformer” (Lou Reed) a concept album? Feels like one, but not sure.

I’m still just shocked and amazed that a “Rolling Stone” list (a “best” list) finally didn’t overlook Genesis! By the same token, I realized that Styx’s “Kilroy Was Here” had no chance whatsoever; still, I’d like to acknowledge it here.

What about Nick Caves – Murder ballads?

it seems as if most people are using a pretty loose definition of what constitutes a concept album, so with that in mind….

weezer- pinkerton (a very loose concept album)
pearl jam- vitalogy
radiohead- o.k. computer
the streets- a grand don’t come for free
matt good- white light rock and roll review

and while I’m at it….dark side of the moon was VASTLY superior to The Wall (highly overrated) and American Idiot was a ridiculous piece of pretentious crap that might have appealed to 14 year old emo kids but was a very medioce album. green day was alot more fun when they were singing about smoking pot and jerking off

let’s not forget the Alice Cooper (group) stage performance albums:
1. Love It To Death
2. Killer
3. School’s Out
4. Billion Dollar Babies
All are superior….running on a central theme!

Can’t believe no one’s mentioned:

MR. BUNGLE “Self-titled”
SLOWEARTH “Beautiful Machines”
LOVAGE “Songs to make Love to Your Old Lady By”
NIN “The Fragile”
MARILYN MANSON “Antichrist Superstar”
AIR “The Virgin Suicides”

how has nobody mentioned Pet Sounds?

best concept albums are:

Pink Floyd -Dark Side of the Moon and the Wall and Wish You Were Here
Pearl Jam -Vitalogy
Metallica- And Justice For All
Bowie- Ziggy Stardust
Porcupine Tree- In Absentia
Beatles- Sgt. Peppers and 2nd half of Abbey Road is brilliant in its continuity
Flaming Lips- Yoshimi
The Streets- A Grand Don’t Come for Free. (Original Pirate Material is not a concept album!)
And neither is Funeral
American Idiot is a cool cd but not one of the all time best concept albums.

Unfortunately haven’t heard Kinks- Village Green Preservation Society or any Frank Zappa

Best definitive concept albums:
Pink Floyd – The Wall
The Flaming Lips – The Soft Bulletin
Green Day – American Idiot
Queensryche – Operation:Mindcrime
Aimee Mann – The Forgotten Arm
NIN – The Fragile
The Streets – A Grand Don’t Come for Free
Rush – 2112

Best ‘loosely based concept albums’

Radiohead – OK Computer
Radiohead – Kid A
Tool – Aenima
Tool – Lateralus
Gorillaz – Demon Days

Jesus somehow i forgot OK Computer and the Downward Spiral and in retrospect i guess you could call Funearl a concept album with all the Neighborhood songs.

Sorry – I’m half asleep, forgot to include Husker Du – Zen Arcade in the ‘concept album’ category.

Great thread!

Certainly Floyd is the master of the concept album. The Lips “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” would be a deserved addition as well as the brilliant “Soft Bulletin”. Throw in Radiohead’s “Ok Computer” and your on your way. What about Parliament’s “Mothership Connection”?

the thirteenth step- apc

OK computer is not a concept album. Period.

GREEN DAY BEFORE PINK FLOYD?!?!?!
wow you guys are messed up

“Dark Side” in the strictest sense is thematically linked but not necessarily a “Concept” album. That said, here’s my list:

1. Roger Waters – Pros & Cons of Hitchhiking
2. Bowie – Ziggy Stardust
3. Marilyn Manson – Antichrist Superstar
4. The Mars Volta – Frances the Mute
5. King Diamond – Them, et al.

Yes, King Diamond deserves his props even if you hate that kind of music – at least he tried his ass off. Also, Honorable Mentions to: Pumpkins – Mellon Collie; U2-Achtung/Zooropa;Radiohead – OK Computer (again, thematic and not conceptual). Also, Lou Reed’s Magic and Loss is a great but depressing attempt.

Marillion – “Misplaced Childhood” (1985)
They also made some other great concept-albums, like Brave (1994).

My favorite conceptalbum from the Seventies is Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd.

“Born To Run” is a concept album in that it follows a series of characters throughout one evening from dusk ’til dawn with all of the characters looking for a better life outside of their current situation.

That said, I agree with most of the posts here and will add:

“Wish You Were Here” – Pink Floyd

But my all time favorite concept album has to be “The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking” by Roger Waters. Severely underrated, it’s all one big long crazy 40+ minute dream, the song titles are the time of the night that the dream’s taking place, you hear him waking up at times and his wife telling him to go back to sleep … grab a pair of headphones and the mind-altering substance of choice and enjoy.

Jimmy D, you said it brother. “Pros and Cons” is a piece of genius that has never seen its equal. EVERYONE I have turned on to this record has loved it.
Also I wonder why Yes hasn’t made this list. Isn’t that “Topographical …” something or other a concept? Isn’t ALL of their crap linked? And also, what about “The Chronic?” Ain’t that record about just another day in the LBC?

Just because an album flows well and sounds good doesn’t mean it is a concept album. It seems to me that many of you are just listing albums that you think are good. I personally don’t think that concept albums are as common as everyone else seems to. Although most of Alice Cooper’s albums are consistent throughout (and good), I wouldn’t consider any of them concept albums. They are tied together theatrically on stage, but not as an album. I think some of the kings of concept albums are the Who, ELO, and the Kinks. Most of the Kinks albums of the late 60’s and early ’70s, like Arthur, Muswell Hillbillies, Lola vs. the Powerman and the Money-Go-Round, were all tied by a separate theme. ELO’s “Eldorado” is one of the most well put-together concept albums out there. Many concept albums, like “The Who Sell Out,” seem to fall apart after the first few songs. Don’t forget that some of the greatest and most consistent concept albums of all time were country albums, like “Johnny Cash Sings the Ballads of the True West,” which featured songs about life out west in the 19th century, or Willie Nelson’s “Red Headed Stranger.” Concept albums don’t have to just be tied together lyrically. Sgt. Pepper might not have been a concept album lyrically, but it is the music (for instance, each song went straight to the next, without break in between), the mixing (the Beatles were masters at trying things on tape that had never been done before), and the instrumentation that make the Sgt. Peppers a concept album.

Well, you can’t forget:
– The Fragile – NIN
– Aenima – Tool
– Darkest Days – Stabbing Westward

Unfortunatly you have include American Idiot, wich is, in my opinion, a very bad album, it’s the same old s**t of Green Day…

I agree with the list but i don’t think people should over look the Beatles “Magical Mystery Tour” as a concept album, it’s one of the great albums of all time, and i think a definite concept album! i love these list though, keeps you thinking about great bands and albums that you might have forgotten or have been over looking.

I don’t think people are just listing albums they enjoy so much as most are – and I hate to say it over and over again – confusing Theme with Concept. There is no character in “Dark Side.” It’s simply a series of songs about madness and the things that cause it. Same with “Downward Spiral.” The “character” may be Reznor, but it’s a song cycle about decadence and depravity and suicide. On the other hand, “Pros & Cons” has an actual story. “Them” has an actual story with characters and plot lines and the whole schmeal. And as much as they say nay, the Mars Volta’s “Frances the Mute” IS conceptual, although it;s hard to interpret the story strictly through the music. The Grateful Dead’s “Workingman’s Dead” is also a theme-oriented album abot turn of the century working class types. We’re dealing with loose parameters here, but it’s all good.

What’s the “concept” or “Theme” to “The Fragile?” I mean, I love Trent but trying to put a story together out of that is as futile as making one out of “Mellon COllie,” which I have always believed is one of the greatest faiiled attempts at making a concept album. It has obvious character sketches but no true underlying theme or plotline.

It’s clear not many people on here know what a concept album is by definition.

Queensryche Operation: Mindcrime

Tesla- 5 Man Acustical Jam… they did the acustic unplug jam before Nirvana was even popular
Guns N Roses- Chinese Democracy… the leaked tracks speak for themselves, masterpieces
Nine Inch Nails- Pretty Hate Machine… when it was released, it was the day music was re-invented

Phish- Gamehenge
Jellyfish- Spilt Milk
Flaming lips- Yoshimi
The who- Tommy

Don’t forget Roger Waters Radio KAOS
Others:
Todd Rungren – The Road to Utopia
Phish – Rift
The Who – Quadrophenia
Lou Reed – New York
Neil Young – Prarie Wind

Radiohead is so weak they are not even worth mentioning.

“Pet Sounds” – The Beach Boys

NIN – Downward Spiral
U2 – War
The Cure – Faith

Just a few of my faves…

This shouldn’t just be a list for everyone’s favorite albums. A ‘concept album’ is something unto itself, a masterpiece work of literature not unlike Homer’s Odyssey. The albums can either be a lyrical epic or a musical journey, both of which leave the listener more enlightened than before listening. Excellent examples include Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon and Radiohead’s OK Computer. In addition, others overlooked include Mr. Lif’s I Phantom, Smashing Pumpkins’ Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, The Mars Volta’s Frances the Mute, and Secret Machines’ Now Here Is Nowhere.

Reality..what a concept. Ok Boys and Boys and Boys…grampa here..there is DarkSide..which is Sgt Pepper on ACID..ok.? Pepper is pot..not acid. and there are albums, ok? and any band worth their weight is going to make each “album” a connectable series of “dots”…for the sake of flow, live presentation, and general cohesiveness.
Think of them as books. Songs as chapters. Now some are more anthology than others and thing like the most amazing, THE LAMB LIES DOWN, are so unbelievably incredible that they compare to EINSTEIN in as far as they are so well executed and groundbreaking that they literally set the bar.But for all of you neophytes lost in your local FYE trying to seperate the wheat from the chaff, find a copy of “TWELVE DREAMS OF DR. SARDONICUS” by Spirit.
and keep digging, these are the good old days. and find yourself some AMY RIGBY just for kicks.

VU White Light/White Heat

Ruben Blade’s “Maestra Vida” Part I & II.

Lest we forget some Honorable Mentions:

Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here
Mr Bungle – Mr Bungle
Primus – Antipop
Infectious Grooves – Sarsippius’ Ark
Queensryche – Operation: Mindcrime
Slowearth – EDGE
Kraftwerk – The Man Machine

“Radiohead is so weak they are not even worth mentioning”???

This coming from someone who likes Phish, and “Follow Me to Gamehenge,” one of the crappiest albums from the crappiest bunch of craps who ever crapped. Thank god they broke up or on hiatus or whatever. The only thing they were good for was whenever they came around, the stinking neophyte hippies who came with them usually had good acid.

“Hounds of Love”- Kate Bush
“The Fragile”- NIN
“Exile In Guyville”- Liz Phair
“Boys For Pele”- Tori Amos
“AntiChrist Superstar”- Marilyn Manson
“Savage”- Eurythmics

Just a few of my favourites!

There is no “concept” to NIN’s “The Fragile.”

In no particular order…

1.Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon
2.Flaming Lips-Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
3.The Who-Tommy
4.The Beatles-Sgt.Peppers..
5.Frank Sinatra-In The Wee Small Hours
6.Radiohead-Ok Computer
7.Sufjan Stevens-Come on and feel the Illinoise!
8.Brian Wilson-SMILE
9.U2-Zooropa
10.W ilco-Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Voivod’s ‘Dimension Hatross’

Can the RS please stop putting Green Day up w/ the likes of the Kinks (Billie Joe will never be the songwriter that Davies was), Floyd (theyll never be the musicians or pioneers this band was) or Bowie (theyll never be as versatile or interesting). American Idiot is mediocre at best, even their far superior old stuff, while fun and a nice soundtrack to the Beavis and Butthead generation, isnt the stuff of legends. Can everyone please stop pretending that AI is some classic- its just trendy trash pretending to be deep w/ its entirely vague, uninformed anti-Bush rhetoric (I hate Bush too but Billie Joe and co. havent shown they know a thing beyond seeing a Michael Moore film).

The Who’s TOMMY is the perfect example of what a concept album is. The story has a beginning which introduces characters, then builds conflict and most importantly offers what none of the other albums offer. An ending. It answers the problems created within the storyline.

People are defintely confusing the idea between concept album and theme album…In it’s plainest terms>Concept Album must be thought of like a movie, character(s)begininning to end, story development and climax. A Theme Album> simply revolves around a similar story arc or events, though not particularily following a sequence of order continuing development. That being said, the best Concept Albums (in no particular order)

The Wall – Pink Floyd

Frances The Mute – The Mars Volta

2112 – Rush

Deloused In The Comatorium – The Mars Volta

Dark Side Of The Moon – Pink Floyd

David Bowie – The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust

Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd

Tommy – Who

I agree with the following list except I would put The Mars Volta – Deloused in the Comatorium in place of U2 and the Wall in Place of Dark Side:
In no particular order…

1.Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon
2.Flaming Lips-Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
3.The Who-Tommy
4.The Beatles-Sgt.Peppers..
5.Frank Sinatra-In The Wee Small Hours
6.Radiohead-Ok Computer
7.Sufjan Stevens-Come on and feel the Illinoise!
8.Brian Wilson-SMILE
9.U2-Zooropa(MV – DITC)
10.Wilco-Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

I second the emotion that ‘American Idiot’ should never make the list.

Oh Jesus Christ! Evan get over yourself! It’s so typical. Just because something is newer than 20 years of cause it can’t be considered classic or great. First of all American Idiot is much better than anything Green Day has ever done before. True it’s not inventive, as a concept albums go it’s one of the best and it doesn’t just concern Bush (who by the way is never mentioned on the album!) but also the state of mind of post-9/11 America. There’s not one bad song on the album (except maybe parts of “Homecoming”) and as a concept album it works as peace, but the individual songs can also hold their own. I’m not saying that Green Day is as good as Bowie or Pink Floyd, but that American Idiot as a concept album is among the very best!

“The Wall” is the greatest concept album of all time. It’s timeless, diferent generations embrace it and it still sells like hell.

The Hold Steady-Seperation Sunday

Dr. Octagon – Dr. Octagonecologyst

Im gonna say “American Idiot” shouldn’t be on the list just to piss that guy, but “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club” should be.

Queensryche – Operation Mindcrime
The Who – Tommy
Genesis – The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
Pink Floyd – the Wall
Bowie – Ziggy

Not necessarily in that order – I can’t believe the concept of a concept album escapes so many people – makes me rethink my subscription to RS if I am associating myself with a bunch of friggin’ boneheads that cannot grasp the simple idea of a concept album.

Wait… “In it’s plainest terms> Concept Album must be thought of like a movie, character(s)begininning to end, story development and climax. A Theme Album> simply revolves around a similar story arc or events, though not particularily following a sequence of order continuing development”… besides the “lunatic in the grass”… what character does DSotM follow?

you have to include “Scarlet’s Walk” by Tori Amos – complex, imaginative, melodic, well-crafted, and all with a thread running through, concerning American history and mythology set to melodic pop-inspired tunes

It must be Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of The Moon that is the best concept album EVER made. It’s still selling over 32 ears after it vas made, and the sound vas ahead of it’s time.

. . .what character does DSotM follow? I would argue that it is the begininning of the story of Pink Floyd (the character, before he breaks intothe industry-machine) i guess it could be argued as more of a themed album as well though.

Concept albums oficially suck, yet can be subjectively relevant, hence my two cents worth: Pete Townshend’s revealing “Psychoderelict”, and Blackie Lawless’ “The Crimson Idol”. Two suffering artistes, whose predicament I’ve shared within the salt mine of the record biz. Can you tell I’m a boomin’ boomer? ‘Quadrophenia’ is my own personal Bible…

Sam good call on I Phantom by Mr. Lif. I forgot to include that and the concept is absolutely brilliant as well as Dr. Octogon. Good rap concept albums right there.

Ive rethought my list and it goes like this:
1.Pink Floyd – The Wall
2.Flaming Lips-Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
3.The Who-Tommy
4.The Beatles-Sgt.Peppers..
5.Willi e Nelson – Red Headed Stranger
6.Radiohead-Ok Computer
7.Sufjan Stevens-Illinoise
8.David Bowie – Ziggy Stardust
9.Mars Volts – Deloused in the Comatorium
10. Prince – Purple Rain
11.Drive-By Truckers – southern Rock Opera

Really??

How can rollingstone forget Quadrophenia or Sgt. Pepper’s? Also, how about Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness? Doesnt that count?

My CPU is a neuralnet processor, a learning computer.

The Floyd may have done it best with DSOTM but it was Pete Townshend of The Who who probably did more to develop the concept album er, um… concept. The Who Sell Out concept satirized British radio, Live at Leeds concept was live bootleg. Tommy’s concept was rock opera. Given the criteria, any long play recording that uses cinematic or literary pacing to create a gestalt. How about Jackson Browne’s Running on Empty? A live album that attempted to capture the highs and lows of a band on tour. Good concept.

I still see a lot of albums that are not “concept” albums.
I saw someone listed “Tubular Bells” by Mike Oldfield. That album doesn’t even have any vocals – it’s instrumental. Then I saw someone listed “Metal Machine Music” by Lou Reed. That album doesn’t even have any music! It’s industrial noise Lou released as a way to fulfill a contractual obligation he wanted out of – his way of sticking it to the record company.

Today’s Lessons, boys and girls…

The Birth Of The Concept ALbum:

1. Frank Sinatra – In The Wee Small Hours / Songs For Swinging Lovers / Come Fly With Me

’60s Psychedelic Concept Albums

1. Small Faces – Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake

2. Zappa – Freak Out

3. Kinks – Village Green / Arthur

Prog & The Concept Album As Genre

1. Yes – Close To The Edge

2. Genesis – The Lamb Lies Down

3. Pink Floyd – Dark Side

The Concept Album As Camp

1. Meat Loaf – Bat Out Of Hell

2. Anything by Parliament / Funkadelic, particularly Mothership Connection / Electric Spanking Of War Babies

Country Concepts

1. Merle Haggard – Branded Man

2. Willie Nelson – Red Headed Stranger

3. Johnny Cash – Man In Black

Soul Concepts

1. Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On

2. Ray Charles – Modern SOunds In COuntry & Western…

These are the roots from which sprang all modern concept albums – some good (Yoshimi, Illinois) and many bad (Operation Mindcrime, Back Into Hell Part II or whatever)

People…..nobody has mentioned The Downward Spiral?! The BEST Concept album of all-time. I dedicated months of my life to dissecting this thing. I even wrote my dissertation on it.

The Worst Concept Album of all-time….Machina by the Pumpkins!

BTW….THE FRAGILE IS NOT A CONCEPT ALBUM. THERE IS NO STORY, THERE ARE THEMES.

…neither is Pretty Hate Machine.

The Streets – “A Grand Don’t Come For Free”

A fairly recent choice, but a funny, powerful, thoroughly entertaining album, nonetheless.

I know they have been mentioned before but

Drive By-Truckers – Southern Rock Opera

The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

how can greed day be mentioned in the same breath as the rest that you mentioned?

“small faces – odgens nut gone flake” should be added instead

Glad to see the Kinks get some love. I also really liked the Kinks “Preservation Act II” – another excellent concept album from them.

For me, there really are not a lot of true “concept” albums out there. My definition of “concept” album is that all of the songs on the album must tell a single story. This album was concieved as a means to tell the story, and all the songs were written with the intention of fitting the “concept”, and forwarding the story. The ultimate “concept” album for me is “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway”. A couple of other good examples not previously mentioned would be “McVicar” by Roger Daltry (inspired by a true story), and “Journey To The Center of the Earth” by Rick Wakeman (inspired by the Jules Verne fiction).

Did I miss it or did everyone forget – Jethro Tull’s Thick As A brick should be on everyone’s top concept album list.

i’m from the Bay Area so i definetly support Green Day and “American Idiot” was a great album and i love what Green Day has done but please, i’m asking, PLEASE do not put them in the same list as the other artists mentioned. “American Idiot” was a concept album in so far as the majority of the songs being clearly anti-Bush and that’s good but noweher as close to “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars” or any of the Pink Floyd/Who/Kinks albums mentioned. Come on RS Editors, we’re talking about ground breaking, classic albums here not run-of-the-mill punk records. If you’re gonna throw a punk album out there why not start with the best one there is/ever was: The Clash “London Calling”, for without The Clash there wouldnt be punk as we know it today and “London Calling” is about as concept as “American Idiot”.

Frances the Mute by the Mars Volta…

Volume Two by Soft Machine???

Dr. Octagonocolegyst by Kool Keith

If Radiohead make “concept” albums then the concept must be:
1. Make recordings of yourself taking a crap
2. Convince your record label it’s high artistic concept music
3. Make money off of hype

Dark Side of the Moon is the best concept album, but in a close second is American Idiot. I really can’t believe the lack of credit given to this album. It is damn near flawless, and in my opinion, one of the greatest of all time.

Dark side is easily the best. The whole Wizard of Oz thing is unreal. No one else has done anything like it.

The Moody Blues album Days of Future Passed needs to be on the list. It’s one of the original concept albums.

Lest we forget Cursive’s “Domestica”?

Aphrodite’s Child: “666″… one of the first concept albums of all time!

I think this topic has raised less debate over who released the best ‘concept album’ and more on what the actual defintion of ‘concept album’ is! Many of you seem to think a concept album must contain a central character having some experiance played out in a musical storyline. By defintion, a concept album is “an album whose recording is unified by some theme (instrumental or lyrical or narrative or compositional)”. So the person (josh) who said a ‘theme album’ is not a ‘concept album’ should re-think their views. When the Flaming Lips released their 4-disc album ‘Zaireeka’, with the intention of having all discs played simultaneously, they created what I would certainly call a ‘concept album’ unified by its unique compositional structure… and it didn’t require a main character named ‘X’ who starts an adventure at point ‘A’ and resolves his problems at point ‘B’. Let’s be open minded to the abstract possibilities of what makes a ‘concept album’.

Beach Boys, The – PET SOUNDS

Four words: Husker Du. “Zen Arcade.”

Marillion: Clutching at Straws
RUSH : Hemispheres
Genesis : Duke
The Who :Quadrophenia
Pete Townshend : The Iron Man
King Crimson : In the court of the Crimson King
Fish : Raingods with Zippo’s

Kyle, I agree with you on the Flaming Lips’ album, but listen to what you are trying to explain/”define” as a concept album. Going by your definition, I could say that any album/music is concept if linked by a single idea or notion. If that were the case, I could go ahead and say that a Britney Spears album is a concept album because all the songs make you want to dance. Or you most certaintly wouldn’t say the Goo Goo Dolls album is a concept album because all the songs are continued/linked by having drums. You are thinking about concept album in to broad of a sense. A concept album by GENRE is what is being explored here. Thanks again.

Several that were missed in the RS list:

(1) Major ommission is Talking Heads’ Fear of Music. The theme is all things people are afraid of (besides I Zimbra of course–which is an awesome song, but not part of the concept). Plus it’s easily their best recorded album(although takes a couple of sittings–you can argue it’s even better live from bootlegs/The Name of the Band…). But I’d say it’s one of the greatest albums ever.

(2) Animals by Pink Floyd is unfairly omitted, and not well respected because the songs are long, but they’re all great and that album really holds up with repeated listens. Unlike Dark Side (Which has high peaks and some valleys in between or the Wall (Which has about 4-5 boring or irritating songs) Animals is concise enough at 6 songs to truly work.

(3) Radiohead-OK Computer–arguably the best album released in the past 9 years (although they haven’t been the same since). It’s also a concept album and oddly is not on this list.

(4)Syd Barrett–The Madcap Laughs–not really a concept album per se, but still it has its own theme, in that Syd was losing his mind as he was recording the album, accentuated by a few false starts, etc. Lead by Roger Waters’ production likely unbeknownest to him at the time conceptualized Barrett’s first LP (something Gilmour/Wright couldn’t quite do on the follow-up)

I’m sure there are a bunch more too….but these are what I could think of off the top of my head.

Twenty years from now : “American Idiot ? Never heard of it…”
See the point?

Substitute “American Idiot” for “2112″ by Rush. Green Day holds zero credibility to me.

my list

1) The Wall- Pink Floyd
2) Tommy- The Who
3) Red Headed Stranger- Willie Nelson
4) Yoshimi- Flaming Lips
5) Fight For Your Mind- Ben Harper
6) Cold Roses- Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
7) Songs For The Deaf- Queens of the Stone Age
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot- Wilco
9) 2112- Rush
10) The Rising- Bruce Springsteen

Head, The Monkeys

When I said in my earlier statement that the defintion of a ‘concept album’ should be explored in a more abstract sense, that didn’t open up the possibility of Britney Spears joining the list because her music makes some people want to dance (or in my case vomit). If the human race had never danced before and the notion of making noise that induced strange ryhthmic convulsions within us was suddenly introduced by Britney Spears then I would say she delivered to the people an impressive ‘concept album’. So aside from the obvious narritive ‘concept albums’, I think any album that delivers a new and original audio experience also deserves to be on the list. So in conclusion, I do not think the Goo Goo Dolls should be on the list because their song are unified by the use of drums.

Flaming Lips-Soft Bulletin
Billy Bragg & Wilco-Woody Guthrie LP’s
Mike Watt-Contemplating the Engine Room
Miles Davis-Bitches Brew
The Who-Quadrophenia
Violent Femmes-Hallowed Ground
Public Enemy-Fear of a Black Planet
Sonic Youth-Daydream Nation
Jim White-Wrong-Eyed Jesus

Less conventional concept albumns:
Joni Mitchell–Blue, and Songs to a Seagull
PJ Harvey–Songs from the City, Songs from the Sea
Neil Young–Mirrorball, and Sleeps with Angels
The White Stripes–Get Behind Me Satan

They all rock, haunt, and roll!

here is the official definition of concept albums, so we can put this to rest….
In popular music, a concept album is an album which is “unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical” (Shuker 2002, p.5). They are most often pre-planned (conceived) and with all songs contributing to a single overall theme or unified story, this plan or story being the concept. This is in contrast to the standard practice of an artist or group releasing an album consisting of a number of unconnected songs that the members of the group or the artist have written, or have been chosen to perform or cover. Given that the suggestion of something as vague as an overall mood often tags a work as being a concept album, a precise definition of the term proves highly problematic.

what about

.Wilco – A Ghost is Born
.Radiohead – Kid A and OK Computer
.Arcade Fire – Funeral
.Neutral Milk Hotel – In an .Airplane over the Sea

To be completely fair, there are two different types of concept albums, one that tells a story, such as Pink Floyd’s The Wall. The other type of concept album is on that has a general theme running through it such as The Beatles Sgt. Pepper. Both are considered concept albums, but as you see, both are entirely different genres.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Axis: Bold Is Love

Parliament – Mothership Connection

Kraftwerk – Trans-Europe Express

Prince and the Revolution – Purple Rain

Nine Inch Nails – Downward Spiral

Raekwon – Only Built for Cuban Linx

Dr. Octagon – Dr. Octagonegolegist

Deltron 3030 – Deltron 3030

Madvillian – Madvilliany

kyuss- Sky Valley
gravediggaz- six feet deep

I think we should just agree to disagree…

Paris Hilton – PARIS

The concept is awesome; skank, voice filters, and more skank

oh, and Josh, I think if you scroll down you might find me quoting that same definition. Somehow it seems we are interpreting the same definition differently. I’m starting to get dizzy.

Okkervil River – Black Sheep Boy

It’s one of the few concept albums that I can think of that were released in the past two years.

Any list about the “Best Concept Albums” that has freakin Green Day “American Idiot” and omits The Beatles “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band” has absolutely no credibility whatsoever in my book. I have American Idiot and it is a fine album, but I wouldn’t even consider it a concept album— let alone one of the best ever! Way to go RS for reminding me why I don’t subscribe to your magazine anymore!

P.S. Radiohead “OK Computer” should be on the list as well.

Most of the great ones have been mentioned already. But I wanted to list my favorites and here they are:

Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention – We’re Only In It For The Money
Pink Floyd – The Wall
Pink Floyd – Animals
Moody Blues – Days Of Future Passed
The Who -Tommy
Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Kinks – Village Green
Radiohead – OK Computer
Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band – Trout Mask Replica (It might be a concept album. It might be played by guys who never played an instruement before. I’m not sure if it is music. But it deserves to be on some list.)

Where is Radiohead’s Kid A. I mean come in it was genius!!! Seriously, you guys are slipping!

Aimee Mann – The Forgotten Arm

Incredible!

Sheila E “The Glamorous Life”

“THE WALL” hands down! This is a fact and not a matter of opinion. THE WALL is the greatest (not just concept) album of all time! A masterpiece. Close second is DARK SIDE OF THE MOON. Then SMASHING PUMPKINS’ “MELLON COLLIE AND THE INFINITE SADNESS.” Then SMASHING PUMPKINS’ “ADORE.”

David Bowie – Diamond Dogs

How about the little known
Conquered Youth – Conforming to Non-Conformity???

one loney omission. Queen’s A Night At the Opera.

i haven’t seen any tom waits album listed here – what a shame! the black rider (written w/ william burroughs) is not kids stuff-
pink floyd’s the final cut is great too (i also love animals but “cut” hadn’t been mentionned before)
the lamb lie down on broadway by genesis
alice in chains – dirt
fantomas – the director’s cut (it’s not a story but a clear concept leads the album)

Murder By Death are virtually unknown, but the audience they enjoy are absolutely delirious. Their first record, “Who WIll Survive And What Will Be Left Of Them?” is not only one of the greatest concept albums but also one of the greatest albums in general. Brilliant from start to finish. Also, Boys Night Out’s “Trainwreck” from last year deserves a nod. Also top to bottom.

ultimately, the music is what should be discussed . . .but I agree, I feel like this is going in circles. My top 5 favorite concept albums are. . .
1. The Wall – Pink Floyd
2. Frances The Mute – The Mars Volta
3. Dark Side Of The Moon – Pink Floyd
4. David Bowie – Ziggy Stardust
5. Deloused In The Comatorium-The Mars Volta

NIN-the downward spiral
NIN-the fragile
roger waters-pros and cons of hitchiking
roger waters-amused to death

DUH!!!!

Beach Boys – Pet Sounds

Some great ones mentioned that most wouldn’t think of, someone mentioned Pet Sounds, GREAT choice, All of the Pink Floyd albums mentioned, seemingly that only did concepts starting with DSOTM. No one mentioned The Final Cut, I think an underrated album, but also Wish You Were Here, the concept being the downside of megafame, and what it did to Syd, and trying to avoid it happening to the rest of them.

This one’s too easy…..

Kiss – The Elder

Enough with Green Days’ “American Idiot!” I keep hearing this album mentioned and laugh that some would hold it higher than Dark side, Pumpkins Mellon Collie or even Marvin Gayes’ Whats going on. All American Idiot is is that its well produced and put together. And i didnt even hear a mention of N.W.A.s’ Straight Outta Compton (one of the best albums of all time-period). Your readers are without a doubt the MTV generation…..they suck!

The Wall is the clear cut winner in my book. It is absolutely the most clever and well thought out album of all time.

hey

You already Got It-GreenDay – “American Idiot”……

NOTE: To the idiot named “Tom” who posted at 12:40pm 7/19/06….Smashing Pumpkins “Machina” as the worst concept of all time! How about Tom being the worst concept of a human being! You picked Downward Spiral? That comment pretty sums up your lack of taste in music you zero. Dont ever dis the Pumpkins you punk!

No one has mentioned Srctic Monkeys-Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I Am Not.

Correction–
Arctic Monkeys

Is Dark Side of the Moon a concept album because it follows a character (like Pink) experiencing all this deep timeless sh1t (Time, Money, etc) or because it’s a bunch of deep timeless sh1t connected through spacey music, without a linear progression or storyline? I don’t know if I buy the argument that concept albums can be instrumentally or compositionally linked because then some crappy band like Yellowcard would be counted for having a violin in all their songs.

My vote goes to either Dr. Octagonecologyst by Kool Keith or Dirt by Alice in Chains. Cuz heroin is just that cool.

The Moody Blues “Days of Future Passed, should be on the list. Jesus. Great album!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And very underated!!

The Mountain Goats: Tallahassee

Alice in Chains-Dirt should make the list.

Music is all in the ears of the beholder. Having said that, how in the hell is Queensryche’s Operation: Mindcrime not at the top of that list? Not only is it the greatest metal concept album but in my opinion, the greatest concept album ever. The new Mindcrime: ll is very good as well. Closely followed by the Wall.

Couldn’t “Let it Be” by The Beatles be considered a concept album? The whole concept was to get back to the early rock and roll they had played when they started up.

the eagles – hotel california

Queensryche Operation Mindcrime is better then most of these choices

1. The Good Life- Album of the Year
2. Cursive- Domestica

Since we’re taking a broad view of “concept album,” how about Fleetwood Mac and Rumours? Here’s the concept: Former lovers/spouses write and record together songs to rip their own and each others’ guts out, including Christine McVie, playing on the same album as her ex-husband, doing a song about how she needs a sugar daddy because the lover who replaced her husband is a great lover but doesn’t have enough money? Pretty good concept, I’d say.

Also, The Dirty South by Drive-by Truckers.
Also, the second and third Band albums (The Band and Stage Fright).

1. The Arcade Fire- Funeral
2. The Good Life- Album of the Year
3. The Mars Volta Deloused in a Cometorium
4. Cursive- Domestica
5. Birght Eyes- I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning

It’s GOTTA be Dark Side of the Moon. The Wall is completely overrated. DSOTM is concept album about, among other things, everyday life. The Wall seems to be a concept album about the descent into isolated insanity.. perhaps a more developed concept, but the music of DSOTM is among the best ever recorded.

Other concept albums by Pink Floyd that are better than the Wall:
Animals
Wish You Were Here

what!
american idiot?

thats what u should call the person who put that album in the same list as the wall!

#1. The Beach Boys- Pet Sounds
- all about growing up and how hard it is to find your place in the world.
Hon. Mention.
Pink Floyd- Dark Side
Alice in Chains- Dirt
Stevie Wonder- S.I.T.K.O.Life
MF Doom- mmm…food

…unless American Idiot is a concept album about how a formerly great bad can make lousy music my mom likes, then it fails as a concept album. it sucks.

evan | 7/19/2006, 11:42 am EST

Can the RS please stop putting Green Day up w/ the likes of the Kinks (Billie Joe will never be the songwriter that Davies was), Floyd (theyll never be the musicians or pioneers this band was) or Bowie (theyll never be as versatile or interesting). American Idiot is mediocre at best, even their far superior old stuff, while fun and a nice soundtrack to the Beavis and Butthead generation, isnt the stuff of legends. Can everyone please stop pretending that AI is some classic- its just trendy trash pretending to be deep w/ its entirely vague, uninformed anti-Bush rhetoric (I hate Bush too but Billie Joe and co. havent shown they know a thing beyond seeing a Michael Moore film).

well you can go play in traffic dumbass

Trans…

The Early November’s “The Mother, The Mechanic, and The Path”.

If you are looking for a modern concept album it doesn’t get better than this. Three cds that bounce between acoustic and metal, all sound great, and carry a semi-autobiographical storyline. What more do you want?

The best concept album ever was made by an Indiana band called Murder by Death. The album is Who Will Survive, and What Will Be Left of Them.

Green Day’s American Idiot is a great concept album and anyone who thinks otherwise obvisiously lacks any taste to comment on the ‘best concept albums.’

clutchin at straws , by marillion.

sorry , it is called “clutching at straws”, by marillion , with the great 20th century poet , fish , alcohol its just great.

Okay, what did Green Day ever do to any of you people? Most people, myself included, are not even lucky enough to be in the same state! I think that American Idiot deserves to be on the list!!! If you don’t understand it, just give it a try and listen to it. Keep in mind that that statement is coming from one of the biggest Green Day fans ever. I also think that The Wall is a wonderful concept album/soundtrack/movie. I have Dark Side of the Moon and have not completely listened to it the whole way through, but it looks like it is really good. I think that Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness-Smashing Pumpkins should be on the list somewhere. Make it longer than 10 so most people can be happy. Or at least happier.

Hey all you music snobs, how about Brian Eno “Another Green World?” Or Trans Am “Future World”
And yes, please stop saying Green Day, that’s just plain retarded.

Let’s not forget Neil Young’s “Tonight the Night”

Seriously, doesn’t anyone think that OK Computer should be included??? And how about Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by Smashing Pumpkins?

queensryche “operation mindcrime”
NIN “downward spiral”
LSU “grapeprophet”

I have something else to add. I already stood up for Green Day and American Idiot, so it’s Pink Floyd and The Wall’s turn. Can’t most people relate to it? Just the other night, I thought about building a wall in my own mind, but I had my reasons. It might just be easy for me because I’m an angst-ridden, teenage basketcase named Emilee.

thanks to everyone who’s stood up for American Idiot. Green Day are the best band, and American Idiot prooves this. Even if you’re not a fan, you have to give them the recognition they deserve.

Thank you, W!

you idiots…

any marillion with fish album should be on any list, -script for a jester tear”,final insanity,”fugazi”-plain madness,”misplaced childhood”-disturbed memories and demons,”clutching at straws”-alcoholism, great stuff…

First off, a lot of things mentioned are not concept albums. O.K. Computer is one of my favorite albums of all time but I dont think you can call it a concept album. Same thing with Abbey Road and the White Album. While the songs are somewhat similar, I dont think there is a solid concept behind it. Born to Run, Get Behind Me Satan and a couple others mentioned are not even close to being concept albums. I dont think a concept album has to tell a story like Tommy, Quadrophenia, or American Idiot. A concept album does not have to be structured like a novel. Rather a concept album can be looked as like a collection of short stories with similar themes and subjects, with that in mind here are my suggestions.

Pet Sounds-The Beach Boys
Dark Side of the Moon-Pink Floyd
Tommy-The Who
Ziggy Stardust-Bowie
Red Headed Stranger-Willie Nelson
Sgt. Peppers- The Beatles
Come On Feel the Illinoise and Michigan-Sufjan Stevens

For those who think Green Day should be on this list are truly American Idiots. You obviously no nothing about anything.

one more thing,

as much as it makes me sound like a jam band fanboy, Trey Anastasio’s senior thesis The Man that Stepped Into Yesterday, which is better known as Gamehenge is a great concept that never really was released as an album
also i have to agree that American Idiot deserves its place on the list for now, lets see how it holds up in five years, but im still convinced that its one of the better albums of the past six years

For all the people out there lets get one thing straight. Sgt. Pepper was the first concept album of its time and the first mainstream thoroughly psychedelic album which makes it a cultural double whammy. Everything else after it with the obvious exclusion of dark side of the moon was trying and for the most part failing to mimic the sheer creative innovation and cultural upheaval which is embodied in Sgt. Pepper. This is not to dismiss all the other concept albums this is just to state that artists only started doing concept albums after they saw the massive commericial success of Sgt. Pepper. However this does not mean that other concept albums can’t be classics which are embodied in The Wall and Ziggy Stardust. I wish more mainstream artists were as creative as the ones mentioned on this board.

1.0 Sargeant Pepper
2.0 Tommy
3.0 Dark side of the moon
4.0 Question of balance
5.0 Abbey road

Yes – Tales From Topographic Oceans
Thin Lizzy – Johnny the Fox
Pink Floyd – Animals
Camel – Snow Goose

Sorry about the Sgt. pepper rant just smething to say here are some of my favorite concept albums for you guys to tear apart:
Sgt. Pepper-The Beatles
Abbey Road-The Beatles
Dark Side of the Moon-Pink Floyd
Wish You Were Here-Pink Floyd
Animals-Pink Floyd
The Wall-Pink Floyd
Ziggy Stardust-David Bowie
Plastic Ono Band-John Lennon (this one is arguable but is probably his most musically focused album)
Band on the Run-Paul Mccartney

you know what,almost all these albums mentioned are really good,but i have to agree with an earlier anyone thinking Green Day should be on this list is really an American Idiot!

plus dont compare dark side of the moon with american idiot,espescially “if you havent finished hearing it”!

ANYONE WHO READS THIS….. should stop what they’re doing and go out and buy the best concept album of all time: “Dream Theater – Metropolis Pt. 2 Scenes From a Memory”

when you listen to this, make sure you have a clean pair of pants ready, youll need them

1. The Who – Quadrophenia
2. Zappa – Joe’s Garage
3. Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here
4. Pete Townshend – White City
5. The Who – Tommy
6. Flaming Lips – Yoshimi
7. Bowie – Ziggy Stardust

The fact that people boast Green Day’s “America Idiot” as A concept album or even a good album consider this: you are receiving your contemporary American political thought from a group of people with no political or economical credibility, a group that made a living off masturbation and smoking pot, and, lastly, a group that has more money than you or I will ever have with no sense of middle calss anymore makes the title of the album “American Idiot” quite IRONIC.

How about we all just shut up about American Idiot? That sounds like a good plan to me!!! And booboo, get the hell off of my case for stating my opinion.

Listen fools, I’m turning in my grave.
Green Day is a hollow impression of what we done some 30 odd years ago.

OK Computer isnt a concept album.

Typical Emilee

Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness – Smashing Pumpkins

And pretty much all Cypress Hill is about drugs and killing people, so I’ll go with Cypress Hill (one)

booboo…

What do you mean “Typical Emilee”?

Emilee, we all love you.

Um…thanks I guess! If only I didn’t have a feeling that you’re not a teenager like me. If only you and I had established better terms on here first.

I think there’s a flaw in this poll. Many people here are mixing the idea of a Rock Opera and a Concept Album. American Idiot is a rock opera, not a concept album. Other rock operas include Tommy, Quadrophenia, The Wall, etc.

A concept album doesn’t necessarily tell a story; it’s premise revolves around a theme. Dark Side (life), Animals (certain types of people in life), The Who Sell Out (a Whoish radio show), Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness…these are concept albums.

Also, Sgt. Pepper’s isn’t really a concept album. Anyone who has done any studying of The Beatles (and I have, I’m a huge fan) know that it started out as that idea and quickly was forgotten. Just because there is a tacking on of a reprise near the end doesn’t make it a concept album. If there’s any argument for a concept persay it’s ‘psychedelia’ and I’m not sure that stands up as a real concept. Everything from that period was psychedelic. Just my thoughts.

Yeah, I think you’re right, SpideyMizzou. Thinking about it now, I remeber that American Idiot is a rock opera.

Oh and I forgot one of the most important ones…

Days of Future Passed by The Moody Blues

But Emille I was a teenager at one time, I know how you feel, and trust me, Green Day is not the answer. I promise.

Well, thanks for admitting that you aren’t a teenager, first of all. I know they aren’t the answer, they’re just my escape until something better comes along. So far, nothing has come to me.

It means I’m an uppity @sshole holier-than-thou who wouldn’t give Green Day a break if they wrote “Dark Side Of The Moon”.

Emilee, allow me to introduce you to: Bob Dylan

Listen, children. Obviously mentioning American Idiot had the desired effect. Now you people can’t stop talking about it. But here’s the deal: A decade before Frank Zappa introduced rock to the concept album, another Frank (Sinatra) was recording concept albums. “In the Wee Small Hours” is probably his finest.

that sounds like liberal tolernce.

Yeah, I guess you’re right. I just get deffensive when it comes to my favorite band. Plus, I can just be an all-around bitch when I state my opinions.

Hell yeah, Bob Dylan… Prince Albert Hall is (kind of) like a real-life, real-time, live concept album… sorta.

Everybody paying attention to this is probably going to yell at me, but I don’t think I’ve heard a Bob Dylan song. Maybe I have and just don’t know it’s him. That’s usually the case with me.

I didn’t listen to Dylan when I was a teen either. Ever heard that song Knock Knock Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door?

Downward Spiral- 9 Inch

De-Loused in the Comatorium- Mars Volta

I’ve heard of it, but I’m not sure if I’ve heard it.

Yes – Tales From Topographic Oceans is the only concept album there is.

Tool – Lateralus

What concept does Lateralus follow?

You think the concept album originated with Sgt. Pepper? Try a year earlier and the Beach Boys’ ‘Pet Sounds’.

What is Pet Sounds about, anyways? I thought it was just a CD. *insert yelling and shock here*

Great call on ‘Rift’….YOU’LL never get out of this Maze, all you debaters…that having been said:
En Vogue – Funky Divas
Bill Ray Cyrus – Some Gave All
Def Leppard – Hysteria
Kix – Midnight Dynamite
Heavy D. and the Boyz – Big Tyme
Dolly Parton – The Grass is Blue
Eddie Murphy – Love’s Alright

Check these out if you havent already!

Queensryche: Operation Mindcrime.

Where In The Hell Is The Who’s Vastly Underrated Quadrophenia?? Shame On You Rolling Stone!!

Outkast – Speakerboxx/Love Below
Flaming Lips – Yoshimi
Mars Volta – Deloused
Curtis Mayfield – Superfly

Pet Sounds, Emilee, is a Beach Boys record written by Brian Wilson. “Wilson created elaborate layers of beautiful harmonies by The Beach Boys, sound effects and unusual instruments like bicycle bells, buzzing organs, harpsichords, flutes, the theremin, and even dog whistles, on top of conventional keyboards and guitars….Pet Sounds is indubitably a concept album, since its songs, while not united in the traditional sense, tell the story of a tumultuous relationship that reflected Wilson’s personal concerns with the difficult transition from youth to adulthood in Sixties America, the exciting but often fleeting nature of love, and the yearning for a better future.”

a great concept album not yet mentioned:

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers – The Last DJ

And to clear up a lot of things:

-American Idiot is a brilliant album. Sometimes the mall-denizens get it right.

-Trent Reznor is not a good enough lyricist to write a concept album. He hasn’t yet. Sorry. (TDS and Fragile are solid albums though)

-Frances the Mute shouldn’t be on this list for the same reason Everclear’s Songs from an American Movie shouldn’t be: namely, that it’s awful.

-Sgt Pepper is an amazing concept album… cover.

and my list:
DSOTM
Wall
Tommy
The Last DJ
Smile
Kid A
Plastic Ono Band
American Idiot
Reinhold Messner
The Rising
Medulla
Strange Little Girls (a cover album, but a concept cover album)

I dunno about Bjork over Mars Volta, man.

I agree with Will’s comment about Green Day and their political credibility. It seems every band is jumping on the politics bandwagon, and how many of them even graduated high school let alone studied politics? There are only a few who I take seriously, i.e. Harvard grad Tom Morello, but mostly it’s just annoying.

Anyways as far as my picks, I’d have to say Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness is my favorite. I’d also dare say OK Computer and Kid A are concept albums, however loosely. A good concept album should be a double disc, it’s just more fun!

i like petty but the last dj sucks… “or bring me a girl
they’re always the best
you put ‘em on stage
and you have ‘em undress”… riiiight

Where Is Nick Cave’s Murder Ballads. This is not acceptable. Murder Ballads in a great concept album!!!

I’m not saying Green Day isn’t riding the antiBush bandwagon, but c’mon. You don’t have to be a Harvard grad to understand politics. I have more respect for someone who can present a good argument that they came up with, than someone who has a piece of paper suggesting they know what they’re talking about. Tom Morello just happens to fit both those criteria.

meh… I like “Joe”. But I stuck that album on my list because of “Money Becomes King”, “Dreamville”, “Like a Diamond” (a very beautiful and well-placed Lennon tribute, in a way), “Lost Children”, “Have Love Will Travel” and “Can’t Stop the Sun”.

touché… i forgot about have love will travel, that’s a good song despite the title

Wish You Were Here is the most perfect album ever.

Pink Floyd and the Flaming Lips are the greatest “concept” album makers.

I’m glad to see Neutral Milk was mentioned, but if Green Day makes this list then we might as well include Ashlee Simpson.

Elvis Costello–Get Happy
Amazing collection of songs. Elvis has been completely ignored by the American media for far too long. Best artist of our generation.
P.S.–Pink Floyd has been overplayed on the radio for so long, their music makes me physically ill now. I hate Pink Floyd. Please make them go away. Please.

NOT SO MUCH AS GREEN DAY BLOWS,
BUT MOST OF THESE ALBUMS HAVE EARNED THERE RIGHT TO BE ON HERE!

AMERICAN IDIOT CAME OUT IN 04 FOR GOD SAKES!!
I HAVE SHOES OLDER THAN THAT!!!

Like I said earlier, we just need to get the sticks out of our asses and just drop the subject of American Idiot and anything about it and/or Green Day. And thank you for the Pet Sounds explanation, Kyle.

booboo | 7/19/2006, 7:10 pm EST

NOT SO MUCH AS GREEN DAY BLOWS,
BUT MOST OF THESE ALBUMS HAVE EARNED THERE RIGHT TO BE ON HERE!

AMERICAN IDIOT CAME OUT IN 04 FOR GOD SAKES!!
I HAVE SHOES OLDER THAN THAT!!!

dude who cares how old it is? That doesnt mean it isnt an awesome album.

I agree with Craig.

Will | 7/19/2006, 5:15 pm EST

For those who think Green Day should be on this list are truly American Idiots. You obviously no nothing about anything.

and you obviously know nothing about music…

Once again, I agree with Craig.

R. Kelly’s — “In the Closet”
It’s perhaps the pinnacle of human accomplishment.

Concept, oh come on dont forget Meatloaf. Bat out of hell.Being a teenager was never so much fun….

Vitalogy – Pearl Jam

Mellon Collie – Smashing Pumpkins

r kelly is a funny guy

can somebody please explain to me how mellon collie is a concept album? love most of the album but im still not seeing the concept…

Almost any Savatage album

in no particular order…

dylan: john wesley harding; lennon: plastic ono band; mayfield:superfly; willie: red headed stranger; neil: tonights the night; marvin: what’s goin’ on; sufjan stevens: …illinoise; sleator/kinney: the woods; husker du: zen arcade; springsteen: nebraska; rufus wainwright: poses; magnetic fields: 69 love songs; nitty gritty dirt band: will the circle be unbroken; the byrds: sweethearts of the rodeo

i remember that when “the wall” came out it was hated by many people as much as american idiot is hated now by many… to me they’re both good, both kinda overrated

American idiot is a terrible album about high school dropouts complaning about politics they dont understand and the media that has help ed them become the overratted clash copycats they are it should not be on this list at all. Illinoise by sufjan stevens should be on the list instead

Handsome Boys Modeling School – So How’s Your Girl?

and all the other Dan the Automator productions/collaborations: Gorillas/Dr Octagon/Lovage/Deltron 3030

Contemporary and sounds fresh instead of all those stale 20-30+ year old dinosaurs you are all talking about.

oh, one more…how about “legalize it” by peter tosh

Eels – Electro Shock Blues

Band on the Run should be considered.

Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys (Brian Wilson)
Quadrophenia by the WHO
and Kid A by Radiohead

Rage Against the Machine – Rage Against the Machine

Neil Young – Living With War

Pearl Jam – Pearl Jam

Dark Side of the Moon, the best album of all time, as an artistic statement, cant touch it but heres some other favorites…

Beach Boys/Brian Wilson- SMiLE and Pet Sounds, never really was a considered a “concept album” but there is a theme present for sure, but SMiLE, is my personal favorite concept album of all time. The themes, moods,ect Brian is a genius, brillant! Rolling Stone how could you FORGET?!?

King Crimson – RED
The Police – Syncronicity
FRANK ZAPPA – Joes Garage! greatest rock opera in my opinion

and thats all folks

Husker Du’s Zen Arcade should be here. Shame on you all.

I do agree that Pink Floyd do it best. I love Animals, the Wall and the Final Cut.
However, to those saying that Sgt. Peppers is the first concept album…..WRONG!
Pet Sounds inspired it…
and I think The Who Sell Out even preceded it…amongst others probably…

How did I forget SMiLE
That is the best…forget it…hands down…I agree.

For all of their good intentions, posturing and style, Green Day really does not write that great of music.
C’mon, Green Day is to Punk Rock only in it’s pose. They have more in common with Avril & Blink than Black Flag or Fear or The Pistols or The Clash or Circle Jerks.
So what, they woke up for an album to write about what Punk was founded on and abandon sometime in the late 80’s. Namely the social and political.

Lou Reed “Berlin”

“Put Your Money Down” by The Losing End.

Failure – Fantastic Planet
Pink Floyd – Animals, Dark Side of the Moon

One sintra album that no one mention is only the lonley i like it better then in the wee small hours.
This is off topic but why are alot of Radiohead fans so anal I like them and all but i can admit when they do crap.

Tool – Lateralus

“The Downward Spiral” by Nine Inch Nails…

Flaming Lips-Soft Bulletin and Yoshmi Battles the Pink Robots

I would have to say Frances the Mute or Deloused by mars volta and either wish you were here/dark side/the wall by pink floyd.

I haven’t read all the posts, they’re a lot. But here’s my list:

Tori Amos: “Strange little girls”
Aimee Mann: “The forgotten arm”
Tori Amos: “Scarlet’s walk”
Björk: “Medúlla”

No one, and I mean NO ONE under the age of 45 would know what a concept album was, even if it came up and slapped either him or her in the face. Why? Because there has NOT been a true concept album since 1973.

One point to whomever can name the group that did it and what the name of that concept album was.

Pete

P.S. Don, sit down and shut up. You’re a blithering fool.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C oncept_album

a few of you need to read, then come back with your nominations.

Uh.. any Coheed and Cambria Album, Deloused…The Mars Volta,Sgt Peppers, and I know I am going to get backlash for this one 2112 by Rush

I wonder if people hae noticed the fact that all of the albums on this list are rock albums? Let’s think outside the box a little bit guys. From a true music fan of all types of music (including rock), I’d have to also throw in Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” Album as the best concept album of all time. Marvin transforms from a handsome, clean-cut, soulful balladeer into a politically conscious activist whose message rang loud and clear from here to Vietnam and back. “What’s Going On?” is a question that Marvin asked once and only once in his magnificent career and serves as the pinnacle. I implore all to go out and buy this album and I am confident you will add this album to your future list of best concept albums of all-time.

What is the obsession with Green Day??? Why is this band included when discussing great concept albums? Okay, they are talented, but let’s get past the flavor of the day and be a little selective. There is a LOT more to choose from than your top 40 list of the day.
That guy, LAJack was right, Elvis Costello is a songwriter and musician with no peer. His catalog of material is so damn impressive, it’s embarassing that nobody in the USA knows about him except for “Allison”, a staple in elevators.
Best concept album: King Crimson–Court of the Crimson King
Frapp is God

Green Day? Really? We are worse off than I thought. I figured we were picking the one that had nothing in common with the rest of the list. I cried a little when I saw Green Day on a list with Pink Floyd and The Who. Maybe on a list with Tom Petty but never with two of the greatest bands of all time, any genre, any era, period.

I’m with you on Green Day…as far as sticking to a concept, sure, American Idiot was well done. But it’s far from Green Day’s best album, and should be equally far from the list.

Give me Radiohead’s “Hail to the Thief,” Pearl Jam’s “Riot Act,” and London Calling is so well tied together by The Guns of Brixton and Revolution Rock that you can’t leave it out.

For something a little more recent, how about “Whatever people say about me, that’s what I’m not” by the Arctic Monkeys. If you remember PSH’s rant in Almost Famous about how The Guess Who weren’t afraid to be drunken buffoons, you have to love how these lads sing about the bar.

everyone has foregot The Streets – A Grand Don’t come for free

Wish you Were Here is easy the best concept album.
And Tommy is the best Rock opera and number 2 when it comes to concept albums.
Concerning American Idiot I think it is an ok album with ok songs but it follows a concept very loosely and has alot of loose ends although are a few good songs just cuz there are two songs with saint jimmy doesnt mean it is completely connected. And it is definitely not green days best work

when it comes to the ultimate concept albums, you need not look further then the band that has had multiple concept albums: Pink Floyd

Dark Side of the Moon
Wish you were here
The Wall

(put in the order you want)

Jesus Christ, not only are they possibly the best band ever, but for this countdown they possibly take the top three spots. Long live the floyd…

shame on me, I forgot animals by pink floyd

The Pros and cons of hitchhiking!
Waters’ best.
The Wall and the others too, but this one is superb.

I’ve got to go with Marvin Gaye: “What’s Going On.” In 1971, in the wake of the crashing dreams of the ’60s, Tammy Terrell’s sudden and shocking death, the overwhelming of progressive music by the big recording companies, the death of the “pirate radio stations” and psychedelic punk, and Gaye’s own struggles with alcohol, drugs, and depression, Gaye, a singer and songwriter nonpareil, sent an impassioned missive from the heart of the ghetto. The conga ticking like an oracle of doom through the final song, “Inner City Blues,” one beautiful and painful moment after another. I’d also include the Floyd (I prefer Dark Side and Animals to The Wall), Wilson’s 2004 Smile, the KInks’ Village Preservation. As far as I’m concerned Tull jumped the shark with Thick As A Brick (melodically beautiful if repetitive; lyrically crap), and, as for Greed Day (sorry, Freudian slip), you’re kidding, right? Albums that don’t exactly qualify as concept but come close: Beatles’ Revolver, Stones’ Aftermath, Beggars, Bleed, Sticky Fingers, the indispensable Exile, and Some Girls. Also, Pretty Things’ SF Sorrow. I might also include the Dead’s Aoxomoxoa (”oxymoxy,”) which is basically a stoned medley performed in the studio, and of course late lamented Syd’s brainchild for the early Floyd, Piper. Also: White Album (concept: hey folks, we used to be a band but now we’re too big, individually and as a group, and we’re four guys with our own musical ideas who occasionally use one another like studio musicians and sometimes record all by ourselves (e.g., Paul’s Why Don’t We Do It In the Road, with all instruments played by Paul, vocals by Paul) and Abbey Road (concept: hey folks, pay attention, this is a goodbye letter and we’re on the verge of splitting up, and if you don’t get the hint, we’re closing out the album with a nostalgia-saturated medley that starts “once there was a way to get back homeward” and ends with “and in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make”, not counting George’s 23-second only-half-joking paean to the queen…) Sincerely, Mackb

Most likely the most tight knit concept album, and the most consistent musically is John Legend “Get Lifted”, and then prolly Jimmy Cliff “The Harder They Come”…

Elvis Costello rules…..and that is Fripp, dumbass.

What about a little something called OK computer ?

Frank Zappa – Joe’s Garage Acts I, II & III.

“This is…The Central Scrutinizer.”

And What’s with these people saying Green Day doesn’t belong on the list?? I guess you’re entitled to your opinion, but if that’s your opinion – then your opinion doesn’t matter. Personally out of all the bands talked about on here so far I’d say Pink Floyd are the ones who are overrated. I dunno, maybe it’s just the fact that most of their fans are pot heads is the reason why I don’t like them.

Giving the women some love….

Auto American – Blondie
Hounds of Love – Kate Bush
Confessions On A Dancefloor – Madonna

Moby’s Play is more of a concept album then American Idiot (which I enjoy by the way)

“Songs for the Deaf” by Queens of the Stone Age…the concept may not be the most inventive one, but the album is damn good.

U2’s Passengers

GUNS N ROSES “USE YOUR ILLUSION 1 and 2″ The concept here was to show the rest of the world who the greatest rock n roll band was…and as you all know it worked…

Tom waits. Franks wild year

Hey you’ll love it – Joe’s Garage is the best – It’s a way of life!!!

The really best concept of all times is Mutantes

1) The Wall
2) Tommy
3) Greendale

Neil Young’s effort has been overlooked. Simple compared to the other two, it still tells a story, and it rocks just as hard as anything Floyd or The Who put out.

1) The Wall
2) Tommy
3) Greendale

Neil Young’s effort has been overlooked but it shouldn’t be. Much simpler than the other two, it still tells an interesting story while rocking just as hard as anything The Who or Floyd recorded!

Who’s next – The Who
2112 – Rush
Ok Computer – Radiohead
Sgt. Peppers – Beatles
Whats going on – Marvin Gaye
Illinois – Sufjan Stevens

How could these get left off the list. I guess its a matter of personal taste, so there really can be no number 1

Crooked Rain Crooked Rain by pavement. An album that explores and pokes fun at celebrity

Count me in for Rush 2112

can you believe someone mentioned R. Kelly in this discussion? Is Hilary Duff next?

W

How can all you people hate this much on American Idiot. I KNOW if it was 20 years older it would be considered one of the best of all time. I know the reason most people hate on it is because it was very popular and Boulevard of Broken Dreams got massive radio play. I guess it’s not “underground” enough for you. It is not cool to like things that are popular today, but it’s o.k. if their 20 years old. The album is amazing, not one bad track, except for maybe parts 3 & 4 to Homecoming. It is a very powerful listen. How can some of you say this is NOT a concept album? I bet if it didn’t sell over 1 million copies and didn’t get play on popular radio ever person would name it. And yes, American Idiot is better than The Wall. Just because it is not as abstract as The Wall, doesn’t take away from its greatness.

Some more concept albums still not mentioned yet:

Moody Blues- In search of the lost chord; On the threshold of a dream

Supertramp- Crime of the Century

Small Faces- Ogden’s Nutgone Flake

“Hey you’ll love it – Joe’s Garage is the best – It’s a way of life!!!”

Nice! It’s good to see another fan of Joe’s Garage on here!

First off I’d like to say that Green Day’s American Idiot has no business being anywhere near the top ten of any list.

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness – Smashing Pumpkins
The Downward Spiral – Nine Inch Nails
Anti-Christ Superstar – Marilyn Manson
Diamond Dogs – David Bowie
Abbey Road – The Beatles
Rza as Bobby Digital in Stereo – Rza
Don Killuminati – Tupac
Hypnotize/Mezmerize – System of a Down
The Horrible Day of Melvin O’Shea – Mc White Chocolate Woody Woods
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx – Raekwon
Pentastar – Earth
Psalm 69 – Ministry
The Fragile – Nine Inch Nails

Sincerely,
M. Woods

Elton John Captain Fantastic and the Brown dirt Cowboy
Stevie Wonder Songs In The key Of Life
Neil Young Greendale
Th Clash-Sandinista
Bruce Springsteen-Nebraska
Curtis Mayfield-SuperflyElton John Captain Fantastic and the Brown dirt Cowboy
Stevie Wonder Songs In The key Of Life
Neil Young Greendale
Th Clash-Sandinista
Bruce Springsteen-Nebraska
Curtis Mayfield-Superfly

The Who’s Quad bar none and what i have heard of the new Wire and Glass sounds like a possible new Who classic concept album..

Why isn’t Blue Oyster Cult’s Imaginos here?
Imaginos is the BEST rock concept album of ALL TIME…PERIOD!

Pink Floyd of course deserves to be listed. How about Misplaced Childhood by Marillion?

I think that as a concept album the scope and subject matter of Our Lady Peace’s Age of Spiritual Machines should at least earn an honorable mention on such a list.

hi umm… radiohead ok computer

I consider Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band to be a concept album, so I’d have to go with that.

I’d have to vote that ‘Operation Mindcrime’, by Queensryche, gets included upon the list, what with that album along with others practically birthing the progressive metal revolution.

I think a few people need to realise there is a difference between a concept album and an album that broke new ground or is vaguely different. It isn’t really a concept album unless it has some sort of theme behind it.

i really dig the Beatles….
thtey are hard to beat & thier are many other groups out there of the pass. i dont get into of much of the new songs or groups.
the rolling ston es,eric Clapton,the who,the anmiles(house of the riseing sun),cant spell to well, lol
wwell. GOD’s speed.PeAcE OUT !!

The Clash’s ‘Sandanista’ concept album is much underestimated.

What the hell is with the people that think an album has to be at least 20 frikin’ years old in order to be considered “best of all time”?! Some modern concept albums like Come on Feel the Illinoise by Sufjan Stevens kick old timer overrated albums like David bowie’s ziggy star dust or the frikin’ Kinks, Arthur!

And another thing:
When will people stop making such a big frikin deal about Pink Floyd? Those seed sipping , pill popping dumb crap hippies have been getting on my nerves! and hell, theyre not even frikin’ around anymore. Bloody hell.
–American Idiot does not deserve to be up there, but Green day’s old stuff are strong as ever. Listen to ‘Nimrod’ or ‘Dookie’ to get a real feel of one of the only modern, great, punk rock bands.–

Hi! David Bowie albuns ” Ziggy stardust….” is the best concept albums.
Have a nice day!
Marlon, from Brazil

I guess there are too many really great concept albums to be made an objective list.
Still for me the best all time remains
Pink Floyd – Wish you were here

RIP Syd

I admit, I have not heard the Green Day album in question. I remember after hearing Dookie, I felt they were Ramones clones and I paid no more attention to them. My 10 year old and my 8 year olds like them, but Green Day takes a back seat to Public Enemy, U2, New Order, the Replacements, and the Ramones in their eyes (I still can’t sell them on Tom Waits). Not that Give me “Road to Ruin,” “Rocket to Russia,” “Subterranean Jungle,” or “Mondo Bizarro” any day.
Also, although it is not one of the best concept albums, the Kinks “Schoolboys in Disgrace” is a cohesive and decent concept album.

Scratch the “Not that” in previous comment.

-Flaming Lips: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.

-The Who: Tommy

-Pink Floyd: The Wall (and I must say Roger did an excellent job on this year’s Roskilde, with Dark side of the moon!)

-David Bowie: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.

- The Beatles: Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band.

- The Clash: Sandinista! (Even tough London Calling, as an album is better.)

- Cream: Disreali Gears

And what about The Beatles “Magical mystery tour”? I know it’s definitly not their best, but it is a concept album! And it’s so fun.. But then again, I don’t know if i’d put it on a top 10 list..

And American Idiot? give me a f****** break! Yes, it’s a concept album. Is it good? No! Should it be on a top 10 list? Hell No!!! It should be after “Magical mystery tour”

Radiohead – Kid A (2000)
Deltron 3030 – Deltron 3030 (2000)
Dr. Octagon – Dr. Octagonecologyst (1996)
De La Soul – 3 Feet High And Rising (1989)

Sigur Ros – ()

This is the best concept album of the last 10 years. It’s a shame no one has mentioned it yet.

I think some of you are confused as to what constitutes a concept album. It’s not a recording that has a theme, it’s one that tells one entire story. Works like Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life and Madonna’s Confessions on a Dance Floor are not concept albums!

Having said that, my choice as well as my favorite album of all time is Genesis’ Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.

What about Operation Mindcrime from Queensryche??? This is one of the best rocl concept albums ever!!!!!

Jack – actually a rock opera has a storyline, whereas a concept album has a theme.

I can’t believe some of the crap that’s on here! R. Kelly, Madonna! HA!! Here’s some truly great, concept albums:

Rush – 2112
Tool – Lateralus
(even though I don’t like them, you have to recognize)Genesis – The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
Queensryche – Operation:Mindcrime
Dream Theater – Scenes from a Memory
Ayreon – The Human Equation
Saviour Machine – Legend
Pain of Salvation – Be, and Remedy Lane
…and there is so much more out there that’s better than top ten crap.
And, no, Green day is NOT on my list. What is wrong with you people?!
Go out and listen to real music. explore the endless possibilities, besides what’s coming out of your radio.

Pedro the Lion — Winners Never Quit

Drive-By-Truckers- Southern Rock Opera

Don, is clearly disturbed. Sgt. Pepper was a ground breaking concept album.

Just to add to the awesome list:

Neutral Milk Hotel- “On Avery Island” (Better than Aeroplane?)

The Velvet Underground and Nico- “Peel Slowly and See” (Andy is the only reason to like Lou Reed)

The Mountain Goats- “Tallahassee”

From Wikipedia:

Concept albums come in two forms:

themed – when all songs on the album have a similar concept;
narrative – when a coherent story is told throughout the album.

That being said, I repeat my faves:

U2 – War
The Cure – Faith
NIN – Downward Spiral
and yeah Rush – 2112…

What an utterly empty controversy – albums are what they are, regardless of what label or category anyone tries to shoe-horn them into. Concept ablums have always been weighed down by the all-too-heavy pretensions of both their creators, listeners, and (especially) critics – half the posts here confirm that. Enjoy and evaluate them individually for what they are (and there are some great ones here), don’t try to force a comparison!

Woody | 7/20/2006, 1:22 am EST

First off I’d like to say that Green Day’s American Idiot has no business being anywhere near the top ten of any list.

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness – Smashing Pumpkins
The Downward Spiral – Nine Inch Nails
Anti-Christ Superstar – Marilyn Manson
Diamond Dogs – David Bowie
Abbey Road – The Beatles
Rza as Bobby Digital in Stereo – Rza
Don Killuminati – Tupac
Hypnotize/Mezmerize – System of a Down
The Horrible Day of Melvin O’Shea – Mc White Chocolate Woody Woods
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx – Raekwon
Pentastar – Earth
Psalm 69 – Ministry
The Fragile – Nine Inch Nails

Sincerely,
M. Woods

and system of a down does? wow. you are an idiot.

Afro Joe | 7/20/2006, 1:15 am EST

How can all you people hate this much on American Idiot. I KNOW if it was 20 years older it would be considered one of the best of all time. I know the reason most people hate on it is because it was very popular and Boulevard of Broken Dreams got massive radio play. I guess it’s not “underground” enough for you. It is not cool to like things that are popular today, but it’s o.k. if their 20 years old. The album is amazing, not one bad track, except for maybe parts 3 & 4 to Homecoming. It is a very powerful listen. How can some of you say this is NOT a concept album? I bet if it didn’t sell over 1 million copies and didn’t get play on popular radio ever person would name it. And yes, American Idiot is better than The Wall. Just because it is not as abstract as The Wall, doesn’t take away from its greatness.

i completely agree with this guy

Andrew | 7/20/2006, 1:13 am EST

can you believe someone mentioned R. Kelly in this discussion? Is Hilary Duff next?

realize the r. kelly thing was sarcasm

Paul McCartney and Wings:
Band on the Run

How about Kate Bush’s Hounds of love,Aerial,and The Dreaming.
Also this is weird but it has it’s moments 666 by Aphrodites Child.

would weezer’s blue album be considered a concept album?

I also think radiohead’s okcomputer.

There seems to be a sudden influx of concept albums of late and I have to take my hat off to the following bands that have progressed the genious of a concept album forward.

The Early November – “The Mother, The Mechanic, The Path”

Mae – “The Everglow”

Armor For Sleep – “What To Do When You Are Dead”

In a chronological order:

Sgt Peppers – The Beatles
Strange Days – The Doors
Dark side of the moon – Pink Floyd
Songs in the Key of Life -Stevie Wonder
War – U2
Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness – Smashing Pumpkins
OK computer – Radiohead
Vespertine – Bjork

I vote for Operation Mindcrime also. Styx also had a bunch of concept albums, but Grand Illusion is probably the strongest one. 2112 by Rush should also get a nod…..but then I don’t think Rush has ever been on the cover of Rolling Stone within their stellar 30 year career, so I doubt their editors will give them any credit for anything. Maybe you can put Kurt Cobain on the cover again. I think he has been on the cover 30 times in his 2-yr career….go figure.

built to spill’s “perfect from now on”… anyone?

Smoke Rise – The Survival of St. Joan

OK Computer-Radiohead

Sex Packets – Digital Underground

Best album of all time!! Bought the tape back in the 9-1 from the mom and pop drug store in my home town–it was the coolest thing on sale there since star wars toys!

How can anyone say anything good about Green Day at all? Let alone a vote for best concept album of all time. I wonder how old the moron is that proclaims “American Idiot” to be better than The Wall. Since 95% of Green Day fans are 10-16 yr old girls, I guess that answers my question.

QUADROPHENIA hands down.

All you “American Idiot” haters need to get that stick out of your butt and actually listen to the album a couple of times. I’m a 35-year-old rock fan who listens to a wide variety of subgenres across the history of rock and roll, and I’m here to tell you that it’s as strong a record from beginning to end as any of those other concept albums, and probably the best rock record since Nirvana’s “Nevermind”. Rabid hatred for all things popular does not make you cooler.

The Wall is by far the greatest concept album of all time. Pink Floyd is an amazing band that made many brilliant concept albums, The Wall being best. I would say that their best era was the roger Waters era (’70s and early ’80s.) They aren’t the same or nearly as good without Roger Waters, but still make good albums today.

Pink Floyd albums, Top 10:
1. The Wall
2. Dark Side of the Moon
3. Wish You Were Here
4. The Final Cut
5. Animals
6. Piper at the Gates of Dawn
7. Obscured by Clouds
8. Division Bell
9. Atom Heart Mother
10. Meddle

The problem with Green Day & why its’s not Punk at all.
Punk can be catchy, fun, angry, but most importantly must be of a greater purpose than one’s self. Sure there are plenty of Punk bands that write from a self-centered point of view, but what makes the angst Punk is that there is a defiance against something greater than one’s self. Some may argue that and get all Buddist on my ass, stating that a change in the self changes the world. While valid, this doesn’t really offer a connective device for change, revolution, etc.
Therin lies the problem with Green Day.
As a pop group they are contenders for whatever title you want to garner them with. But as a Punk group they need to get their egotistical, self-centered, cute little heads put on straight. American Idiot only hinted at the promise of Punk.

THe bottom line is Green Day’s career was over a few years ago..and if they didnt make a record bashing on Bush none of these liberal hippies at Rolling Stone would have even payed attention to it…

The 90’s were not without greats… I would put each of the following in a top 25 all time list:

-NIN, The Downward Spiral
-Smashing Pumpkins, Melloncollie and the Infinite Sadness.
-Roger Waters, Amused to Death (as a concept albumn ranks up there with the best of the floyd stuff certainly the most intricate political concept albumn I’ve ever heard)

Sonic Youth – Goo
Tom Waits – Rain Dogs
Ween – The Mollusk

thank god a couple of you were smart enough to list the beach boys/brian wilson’s smile. the beatles wouldn’t even have come up with sgt pepp. w/out having heard what the bch boys were doing with smile. also, pet sounds should be included as it is a song cycle.

and, as far as I can tell, green day’s american idiot was an ill-fated concept album…. it loses it’s momentum (and the songs just aren’t as good) half-way through the album.

Mike & The Mechanics, “Par Avion”

The Last Temptation by Alice Cooper. Great songs, great story, it even came with a comic book to follow the story.

Even though Sgt. Peppers is a great album even the beatles acknowledge it is not a concept album
On the otherside though Rubber Soul is a concept album becuase it is the beatles talking about a girl who breaks a guys heart, guy is getting angry by the end guy decides he will kill little girl

Also Pet Sounds is a great concept album

I had mentioned my fav’s earlier, but I completely forgot about Sigur Ros ()! One of the most unique concepts of all time.

About the Green Day thing, I like them and I think American Idiot is a good ablum, but I also can’t help thinkin how they jumped on the political bandwagon to re-fuel their career a bit. I’m not sure I enjoy it enough to put it on this list.
Point is, decent band but not the best by any means.

Actually (pardon me if I missed another of the myriad posts that might have addressed this: Concept albums can tell a story OR have a theme. The Alan Parsons Project focused on very specific themes, see: Tales of Mystery and Imagination or I, Robot. Great albums like Operation: Mindcrime and Dream Theater’s Scenes From a Memory tell stories. All four are great. Kudos to the guy that brought up Imaginos. Great convoluted storyline, but not for everyone. U2’s War is NOT a concept album. Trust me. Dream Theater’s “Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence” is a great thematic concept album. Also, if you can find it: Planet P Project’s “Pink World” from 1984. Cult classic!

What’s wrong with everybody? How can anyone who knows anything about music call Green Day’s American Idiot even mediocre? it is an album that exemplifies everything i love about rock and roll, music in general. the characters are vivid, the music is mesmerizing, and the lyrics are brutally honest. if you can’t see that, then you are the epitome of an american idiot.

de-loused in the comatorium…anyone?

What are people thinking? | 7/20/2006, 12:22 pm EST

How can anyone say anything good about Green Day at all? Let alone a vote for best concept album of all time. I wonder how old the moron is that proclaims “American Idiot” to be better than The Wall. Since 95% of Green Day fans are 10-16 yr old girls, I guess that answers my question.

^So basically what you’re saying is that in 20 years all their fans will be in their thirties and then their opinion will matter. Once again: JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE AROUND NOW AND POPULAR DOESN’T TAKE AWAY FROM HOW GREAT THEY AND AMERICAN IDIOT ARE. And to anybody who thinks all American Idiot does is bash Bush, they have NOT listened to it. Only a couple of comments or references are made about Bush, other than that is sticks to the story. And Green Day admitted a long time ago that when they signed to a major label, they stopped being punk.

I think that best concept albums are Sgt. Peppers, Ziggy Stardust, The Wall, and Dark Side of the moon. I don’t really know much about the American Idiot but what i have heard of it i didn’t like. And to the people that say that there fans, who are 10-16 years old, think about the beatles, who do you you think were their fans? This doesn’t meaning i’m supporting green day, im just making a point.

Jethro Tull, anyone? If you think American Idiot is a better “concept” album than Thick as a Brick… I just am astonished.

Im sure I will receive some crap for this suggestion, but The Streets – A Grand Don’t Come For Free is a fabulously (and borderline genius) put together album. I fully respect classic rock masterpieces like The Wall and Sgt. Peppers. However, this Birmingham rapper’s storytelling skills are top notch and not to be overlooked.

The Wall is, in my opinion, by far the best concept album of all time. However, I wonder if Queensryche’s “Operation Mindcrime” shouldn’t be on the list, or at least in the Top 15? I’d love to hear what other people think….

I think The Pros & Cons of Hitchhiking by Roger Waters is another great concept album. It has Eric Clapton on guitar and is about a man’s dream. It was presented to Pink Floyd at the same time as The Wall, but the band chose The Wall because Pros & Cons was seen as too personal.
Also I think Greendale by Neil Young should be considered.

Mutantes
Sgt Peppers
The Wall
tommy
Velvet Underground
Ziggy Stardust
Pet Sounds.

ENOUGH!!! OK, First Off AMERICAN IDIOT Deserves A Place On The List,Maybe Not At The TOP 10. SECOND,If Anyone Is Going To Inclued METAL Into This Debate,The ONE and ONLY Metal Band That Should Be Taken Seriously Is IRON MAIDEN,(GOT IT,No SAVATAGE and No DREAM THEATER) THIRD,To All The 40 plus Music Fans Out There,NO EMERSON,LAKE & PALMER,NO KANSAS,NO MOODY BLUES, NO GODDAMNED STYX and ABSOLUTLY NO JETHRO MOTHERF***ING TULL,Seriously,If It Going To Get This Bad Why Not Inclued URIHA HEEP (I Don’t Care If I Got The Spelling Right) Or GENTLE GIANT! Alright,No More Firebreathing,Here’s My List (In No Order Of Any Kind) MARVIN GAYE-What’s Goin’ On SONIC YOUTH-Daydream Nation PINK FLOYD-Wish You Were Here DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE-Transatlanticism ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ATTRACTIONS-Armed Forces THE MARS VOLTA-Francise The Mute THE BEACH BOYS-Pet Sounds AGAINST ME!-Searching For A Former Clearity THE CLASH-London Calling THE NORTORIOUS B.I.G.-Ready To Die

Kudos for recognizing the genius of Ray Davies and the most under-rated & overlooked band in the history of rock .. THE KINKS

daydream nation
pros and cons of hitchhiking
operation mindcrime I and II
wish you were here
any fish and marillion

LOLA VS POWERMAN BY THE KINKS PROVIDES A PICTURE OF WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE A MEGA HIT BAND AND THEN DEVOURED BY THE MUSIC BUSINESS. APEMAN,LOLA,TOP OF THE POPS AND GET BACK IN THE LINE.NO FINER CONCEPT ALBUM EXISTS OR EVER WILL! GSTK!!!

Green Day fans…angry at the skepticism and doubt about the greatness of American Idiot?
Please consider that one of the qualities of a great album is that it stands the test of time. If in 10-15 years, the public holds American Idiot in the same elevated sense as they do now, perhaps it could be considered a great album.
However, they also essentially made a pop record, which usually doesn’t stand the test of time. A great album, especially a concept album, displays great songwriting, production and musicianship. And to the person that said American Idiot is better than The Wall, can you honestly tell me Green Day are better songwriters and musicians than Pink Floyd? Can you?

The fact that Queensryche’s Operation:Mindcrime isn’t on the list just shows how much of an indie/hipster buttkiss this magazine is.

How about Jackson Browne’s “I’m Alive”? Brian Wilson’s “Smile”?

In respnose to zem who posted at | 7/20/2006, 4:44 pm EST. I can’t say that Green Day are better or worse songwriters than Pink Floyd. But Just because Pink Floyd has very abstract lyrics and all of the members are insane doesn’t mean they are automatically better. And musically, American Idiot is better than The Wall. You just put The Wall on a pedestal because of its out there concept of a mentally insane and tortured rock musician. It ain’t that great.

American Idiot > The Wall

C’mon! Where’s “Quadrophenia”??
How dare you make a list of best concept albums and leave out the Who’s second masterpiece!?

how dare you include Green Day with such great bands and artists. absolute garbage

“The Wall” really isn’t that great unless you see the film because it’s more of a visual experience.

First of all, if you are aiming to get into an intelligent discussion about this, I encourage that you do your research. All of the members of Pink Floyd are insane? One member went insane and left the band over a decade before they made The Wall, none of the others have any history of mental illness. Your credibility is waning.
Let’s see…what else..oh yes…how are the members of Green Day better musicians than Pink Floyd? Is the appeal of punk rock(granted American Idiot wasn’t punk) not the fact that it’s simple, three chord music that anyone can pick up a guitar and play? Isn’t the majority of Pink Floyd’s music complicated endeavors that take quite a bit of skill to play? Is this not true?
I don’t hold The Wall on the pedestal, it’s one of my least favorite Pink Floyd albums, but I think it is still very good and far better than American Idiot. I don’t worship it because of its “abstract subject manner”. The idea has been used before with The Who’s Tommy, the plot isn’t what makes it special.
I think your being awfully presumptuous about peoples reasons for liking The Wall.

i absolutely hate people who think that albums have to be a decade or two old to be “great”. If its really great music it doesnt matter how old it is. The test of time doesnt matter at all to me. What matters to me is whether or not the music sounds great when its fresh out of the studio. Test of time? Blah…

Good music gets old, great music does not. A good song you listen to a lot, then after a while just get sick of it, you never get sick of great songs. The same is true for albums. I don’t think that’s faulty logic, do you?

“Days of Future Passed” Moody Blues (and several of their other albums)

“The Vigil” Kemper Crabb (which no one here has probably ever heard of).

it depends on wat u consider a concept album. the obvious ones include:
The Who- Quadrophenia, Tommy
Pink Floyd- Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall
The Beatles- Sgt. Pepper

Then there are albums that may not be considered one giant story but have an ongoing theme. This would include
Bruce Springsteen- Born To Run, The Rising
U2- Achtung Baby, Boy, The Unforgettable Fire

No, of course not, but there are plenty of songs that have come out this decade that i have been listening too almost non-stop and some of “American Idiot” is definately up there. You may not like the music- i dont really like a lot of songs on “The Wall”- but I still recognize it as pure genius as concept albums go and I don’t think its foolish to think “American Idiot” deserves the same. Once again, you may not like the music, but to pass it off as not being a great concept album just because of its age is just pure ignorance. If you really, and i mean really listen to the album, you can figure out that the story goes far beyond that of just bashing Bush. Its an excellent picture of american life today. I’ve heard it so many times that I could tell you what specific lines mean in the context of the story. Anyone who says this album is just some guys whining about the president clearly has never actually listened to the album.

I understand your points, but I never criticized American Idiot for Bush bashing, I think it’s a creative an insightful album to a degree. I also think it gets caught in the repetitive “woe is me” teen drudgery we’ve seen so much of.
A lot of people think a lot of different albums as great, it really is quite objective, but for a “list of the day” like this, I think the “stands the test of time” argument should come into play.
It’s like a football player having a great rookie year, would you rather have him on your team, or a player that has been a star for seven years?
The Wall gets embraced with each subsequent generation, we don’t know if American Idiot will have the same effect. It certainly could, but it could also fade away and only connect with people from this time period and this time period alone. Who knows?

Pink Floyd > Green Day

American Idiot > The Wall

I understand what you’re saying with the test of time thing for this list, but the truth is that rolling stone is definately willing to ignore the test of time. Look at some of the music that made the rolling stone 500. Outkast? Coldplay? If those artists can make that list, then I definately think “American Idiot” deserves to make this much less official list. After all, “American Idiot” is way better than anything Coldplay or Outkast ever put out.

Haha, good point. I hope we can all hold ourselves to a higher standard when it comes to list making than rolling stone does. That top 500 list was an atrocity.

Well the majority of the songs/albums were overrated.

2112 or Hemispheres by Rush

Rush has never gotten any love from rolling stone.
Rolling stone has no clue about what good music sounds like.

The Beatles- Sgt. Pepper
The Who- Tommy

tool-lateralus
nin-the fragile
smashing pumpkins-mellon collie and the infinite sadness

Lou Reed, Berlin.

My batty hole is loving 2112

1:2112
2:The Wall
3:Tommy

Rolling Stone Has No Clue!!

The Mars Volta: De-Loused in the Comatorium, and Frances the Mute. Two of the most creative and best written albums/great albums by the best and most original and creative band playing music today. The Mars Volta and their music transcend genres and will definitly stand the test of time.

American Idiot has the artistic value of a piece of sh#t smeared against a broken lamp. It is as subtle as loud, wretching fart. The Wall and American Idiot do not even belong in the same sentence. The Wall is a work of art – meaning that it actually portrays a pallette of emotion, musical aptitude, and a deeper meaning. American Idiot is reminiscent of an opinion article written by an eight grader that goes on and on and on. Billy Joe is not a songwriter, but a product of a counter culture designed and operated by the very thing he rebels. To me, it doesn’t matter whether or not he has gotten radio play or mtv attention; in order to sell out one must first be a viable artist.

And to those who believe System of a Down are not worthy of being in the top ten – listen to Hypnotize/Mezmerize and realize how it utilizes different musical styles as well as brilliant metaphor to bring apart the point, a subtle but dangerously effective attack on brainwash as perpetuated by the mainstream media. Green Day instead perpetuates the belief that one need merely listen to their simple music, grumble about politics, and sit complacent.

Sincerely,
M. Woods

Glad to see that the Rush fan base is standing up to Rolling Stone for ignoring them all these years.
2112 is by far one of the best concept albums of all time. Although I would have to put it a close second to the Wall.

Anyone who doesn’t say “Skylarking” by XTC is an idiot.

The Wall, Tommy, American Idiot (I think, I dont like Green Day), and kinda Ziggy Stardust arnt concept albums. They are rock operas. I dunno about the rest except that DSOTM and The Who Sell Out are fantastic concept albums.

American Idiot is the best one there by far, however, it’s not a concept album, at least not a real one like, let’s say, Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge By My Chemical Romance.

Woody | 7/20/2006, 7:52 pm EST

American Idiot has the artistic value of a piece of sh#t smeared against a broken lamp. It is as subtle as loud, wretching fart. The Wall and American Idiot do not even belong in the same sentence. The Wall is a work of art – meaning that it actually portrays a pallette of emotion, musical aptitude, and a deeper meaning. American Idiot is reminiscent of an opinion article written by an eight grader that goes on and on and on. Billy Joe is not a songwriter, but a product of a counter culture designed and operated by the very thing he rebels. To me, it doesn’t matter whether or not he has gotten radio play or mtv attention; in order to sell out one must first be a viable artist.

And to those who believe System of a Down are not worthy of being in the top ten – listen to Hypnotize/Mezmerize and realize how it utilizes different musical styles as well as brilliant metaphor to bring apart the point, a subtle but dangerously effective attack on brainwash as perpetuated by the mainstream media. Green Day instead perpetuates the belief that one need merely listen to their simple music, grumble about politics, and sit complacent.

Sincerely,
M. Woods

and this was written by an ignorant moron whos clearly never listened to “American Idiot” but rather chooses to listen to some “band” scream and make meaningless noise. Oh wait, they’re called system of a down…

and does Jack even know what a concept album is?

Miles Davis – “Sketches of Spain”. Brilliant.

David | 7/20/2006, 8:04 pm EST

The Wall, Tommy, American Idiot (I think, I dont like Green Day), and kinda Ziggy Stardust arnt concept albums. They are rock operas. I dunno about the rest except that DSOTM and The Who Sell Out are fantastic concept albums.

a rock opera IS a type of concept album

Flaming Lips-Soft Bulletin
Billy Bragg & Wilco-Woody Guthrie LP’s
Mike Watt-Contemplating the Engine Room
Miles Davis-Bitches Brew
The Who-Quadrophenia
Violent Femmes-Hallowed Ground
Public Enemy-Fear of a Black Planet
Sonic Youth-Daydream Nation
Jim White-Wrong-Eyed Jesus

Deltron 3030

THE RISE AND FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST… is not only one of the best concept albums of all time, it’s also one of the best ALBUMS of all time. I dare anyone to listen to FIVE YEARS, LADY STARDUST and ZIGGY STARDUST and not feel the urge to pick up a guitar and start their own band.
LONESOME CROWDED WEST by Modest Mouse hasn’t been mentioned and it should. It’s amazing. Great driving music.

F-ing bullseye with A GRAND DON’T COME FOR FREE. And, while we’re at it, 3 FEET HIGH AND RISING from De La Soul.

Until you have listened to Sufjan Steven’s Album: Illinois you are not worthy to even think you know what a concept album is.

Sufjan is a modern paul simon with obvious folk influences but he throws in more pizzaz…regardless Sufjan is curently working on a fifty albums for fifty states project with illinois being the second installment of the series so rolling stone listen to that CD and Re-Write your list

are you all fkn having a laugh, are your ears even slightly switched on, you guys at rolling stone yea rolling stone picking green day… for gods sake.

Jackson Browne, Running on Empty just a wonderful album on how performers spend their time on the road, uniquely done

American Idiot is a rock opera more than a concept album. There are only two songs on the entire album that are political (Title track and “Holiday). The rest of the album is composed of five or so stand-alone tracks, two five-part vignets that tell a story, and several individual tracks that support the story.

Did Green Day ride a wave? IMO, they created at least part of the wave. When AI was released in September of 2004, the things they were saying were things that others were afraid to say at the time. Just because it was played so much that it became cliche doesn’t mean that it is any less true or that it didn’t really strike a chord.

The Who – Quadrophenia, but Tommy is Better.

American Idiot? LoL!

There is a masterpiece of concept album: Antichrist superstar.

It’s amazing, great songs, great story…oh, i know, it’s Marilyn Manson: he’s creepy, goth, he can’t do great albums.

Green Day American Idiot? Is that a joke?
Recent albums “De-Loused in the Comatorium” by the Mars Volta gets my vote. Classic would be “Dark Side of the Moon”.

clearly you have no musical understanding. there’s no accounting for taste. AMERICAN IDIOT ROCKS!!!

I can’t believe Green Day is even on there!!!

You want a fantastic concept album?
Try:
“The Everglow” by Mae
or
“The Mother, The Mechanic, and The Path” by the Early November
or
“We Don’t Need to Whisper” by Angels & Airwaves

These are the up-and-coming concepts, check them out.

About Green Day’s “American Idiot”: ‘I’m here to tell you that it’s as strong a record from beginning to end as any of those other concept albums, and probably the best rock record since Nirvana’s “Nevermind”.’

I think this person is forgetting the important fact that “Nevermind” sucked arse too.

pet sounds by the beach boys is the best
someone said “boulevard of broken dreams” was that albums saving grace. fine
but to me i think that is 1 of the most boring radio singles of lately along with nin “everyday is exactly the same” those 2 songs should marry eachother cause they suck
but i do like green day + nin

HOTEL CALIFORNIA??!!!??

While I applaud the support that Rush has been recieving here, and even though I am a huge Rush fan myself, I must argue that 2112 is NOT a concept album. Yes, the first side consists of an elaborate song cycle with the same theme and it tells a story. However, the second side is made up of seperate songs written by the different members of the band that have little to no connection with the story told in the song cycle “2112″ itself. Therefore it can not be really considered a concept album, it’s merely an amazing album that contains one of their best epics, if not the best. This is the same with their other albums of the 70s that some people here have contended to be great concept albums, such as Hemispheres, and while that is also a remarkable album, the four songs have nothing to do with eachother. The sidelong first song titled “Hemispheres” is actually part 2 of “Cygnus X-1″, from the end of A Farewell To Kings, their previous album, which both deal with a black hole, in a nutshell. “The Trees” is about racism, “Circumstances” is about, well, circumstances, and it closes with a 10 minute long instrumental, “La Villa Strangiato”. So there really is no underlying theme and no real continuity in those two albums for them to really be called “concept albums”, unlike previous examples like The Wall and Dark Side, which even fade in and out with the same sounds to show that they’re really connected from beginning to end (come to think of it, every album Pink Floyd made from Dark Side to Roger Waters’ departure did that). So there ya go. However, I do have some of my own suggestions:

-Blood On The Tracks by Bob Dylan
-There’s A Riot Goin’ On by Sly
and the Family Stone
-Imperial Bedroom by Elvis
Costello and the Attractions
-Queen II

Also, major props to the people who suggested What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye, although another one by him that’s worth pointing out is Here My Dear, a double album entirely of break-up songs. It’s amazingly good, sort of like Motown’s Blood On The Tracks.

Also, for the guy who mentioned Angels and Airwaves:

Get Tom Delonge’s nasely ass voice out of there and replace it with an actual singer…..then we can talk.

Hey zem! Guess what!? It doesn’t matter how complicated the music is. It matters more if it sounds good than if it is complicated. And guess what?! not anybody could have made American Idiot, only Green Day could. The music presented in American Idiot is better than that of The Wall. You were right about the plot not being everything, it is the music that IS everything, and America Idiot is musicaly superior to Pink Floyd. So why don’t you get off Pink Floyd’s nuts, and start thinking for yourself.

I’d vote for Mechanical Animals.In the album, Manson takes on two roles, being a substance addicted Glam Rocker and a gender-bending Alien. The lyrical themes in the album revolve around the evils of conformism. In a 1998 interview, Manson himself related the album to the band’s previous work, saying, “On Antichrist Superstar I compared myself to Lucifer’s fall from heaven. . . [T]he new album is more about what happens when I land on Earth and try to fit in as a human being.”

Now thats a concept !

Kraftwerk – Trans-Europe Express

I don’t know… Is OK Computer a consept album?

They might not have made a huge impact in the US,but I’d say Blur’s concept albums ‘Parklife’ and ‘The Great Escape’ should be considered (although I’d put the former ahead of the latter because its more cohesive)

Also,I’d consider…

Pulp: This is Hardcore
The Streets: A Grand Don’t Come For Free
The Streets:Original Pirate Material
Sham 69: Thats Life

Blur-’Parklife’
Blur-’The Great Escape’
Blur-’Modern Life is Rubbish’
Pulp-’Different Class’
Pulp-’This is Hardcore’
Radiohead-’OK Computer’
Radiohead-’Kid A’
Radiohead-’Hail to the Thief’
The Streets-’Original Pirate Material’
The Streets-’A Grand Don’t Come For Free’
Rolling Stones-’Between the Buttons’
David Bowie-’Ziggy Stardust’
David Bowie-the Berlin trilogy
David Bowie-’Never Let Me Down’
David Bowie-’Outside’
David Bowie-’Earthling’

“The music presented in American Idiot is better than that of The Wall. You were right about the plot not being everything, it is the music that IS everything, and America Idiot is musicaly superior to Pink Floyd. So why don’t you get off Pink Floyd’s nuts, and start thinking for yourself.”

Okay, I don’t normally call people out on their idiocy, but this is perhaps the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Ever. If this guy could think for himself, he’d be able to see that American Idiot is pop trash. Even “boulevard of broken dreams”, one of green Day’s best songs ever, is filled to the brim with generic everything. “I walk a lonely road”…ooh, no one’s ever said that before! Maybe that’s the point: Green Day is admitting that we’re all American idiots, because they can be critically acclaimed for such garbage, and we let them tell us that this is a good album.

Regarding Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon is a better overall album, but as far as dedication to a concepts concepts go, The Wall is THE concept album. Every song is painting a picture, and the music is used as an emotional backdrop of the lyrical tone. Pink Floyd were not American Idiots; they were British geniuses.

King Crimson’s “In the Court of the Crimson King” is another fantastic concept album.

Oh, yeah:

Put every TOOL Album on here.

Tool is the most disrespected band in music.

Green Day’s ‘American Idiot’ is better than Floyd’s the wall only b/c it’s more relevant to TODAY’S society.

But I could care less about Green Day. 3 chords and a whiny lead singer. whoopdeedo.

Best Concept Album Ever: Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust. And he’ll judge your walk off.

The Penetrators – Kings of Basement Rock (Venus/RaveUp). It’s tough trying to live life on nothin’ and crappy service jobs, or is that concept as totally irrelevant now as it was back in the 70’s and 80’s. Keep rockin’.

Dan | 7/21/2006, 1:52 am EST

I can’t believe Green Day is even on there!!!

You want a fantastic concept album?
Try:
“The Everglow” by Mae
or
“The Mother, The Mechanic, and The Path” by the Early November
or
“We Don’t Need to Whisper” by Angels & Airwaves

These are the up-and-coming concepts, check them out.

you don’t think green day deserves to make it but you think blink 182 the sequel deserves it? That guy is one of the worst singers in music!

I’m glad to see NIN made the list…The Downward Spiral may not be the best concept album, but it’s definitely the least stereotypical (along with the Fragile)…I’m glad to see all anyone cares about is hating something because everyone loves it (which is the same thing as loving something because everyone loves it), and on that note, The Wall is the truest concept album ever created, regardless of critics’ or shoppers’ decisions….best concept album recently? I’d say Modest Mouse’s Good News For People Who Love Bad News (one central meaning, repeated imagery, strange and beautiful music)

SOAD are brilliant and underrated, outshined by the likes of Green Day who are equally as great and only more accesible and marketable. And if I EVER see My Chemical Romance mentioned on this or any other “best of” list, I’m going to give emo kids something to really whine about…don’t you see? Emo and rap, self-obsessed music that doesn’t inspire, is almost the sole reason we are the least active generation at a time the world needs a revolution! Because we let ourselves be marketed (”Hypnotized” SOAD liked to call it) into buying either music that lets us wallow in the warmth of self-pity or drown in our own arrogance, we’ve become the butt-buddies of the Boomer Money Monster! GenX already fell to the Boomer way of thought, we can’t let ourselves do the same

I’ve seen a few Kinks recordings listed but if you take a good look at their entire catalog I think just about everything they have done from VGPS on could be considered a concept album since all but a few were collections of songs revolving around a central theme…and no doubt Ray Davies IS THE GREATEST songwriter of the rock era and the KINKS the GREATEST rock band of all time…

Craig | 7/20/2006, 8:41 pm EST

a rock opera IS a type of concept album

No, a concept album is supposed to have one main point or something. A rock opera has a story. DSOTM didn’t have a plot, but it was about humans life, while the Wall had a plot so it is a Rock opera.

David | 7/21/2006, 2:18 pm EST

Craig | 7/20/2006, 8:41 pm EST

a rock opera IS a type of concept album

No, a concept album is supposed to have one main point or something. A rock opera has a story. DSOTM didn’t have a plot, but it was about humans life, while the Wall had a plot so it is a Rock opera.

Dude stop talking. There are two types of concept albums. The first is thematical, which is what you are speaking of. The second is narrative, which is a rock opera. You can go look it up if you’d like.

“Green Day’s ‘American Idiot’ is better than Floyd’s the wall only b/c it’s more relevant to TODAY’S society.”

Okay, so full collapses, depression, fame and life in general don’t happen anymore; is that what you’re saying?

Hey, Floyd’s “The Final Cut” isn’t too shabby, either….nor is Joy Division’s “Closer”

As a matter of fact, I want to send a big Middle finger to The creator of this article in general for even considering adding ‘American Idiot’ to this list.

Andre 3000’s “The Love Below” should be on here instead….didn’t it do something like win a grammy? isn’t that what RS cares about?

Rick Wakeman-The Six Wives of Henry the VIII
Genesis- The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
Pink Floyd- The Wall
Did anyone ever notice that Rael from the Lamb and Pink from The Wall both tried getting laid on side two and both failed.
Yes- Tales from Topographic Oceans
Neil Young- Tonights the Night
may not be a concept album but a tribute to Danny Whitten and Bruce Berry and the effects of drug abuse.

Pink World,Planet P

Actually, “69 Love Songs” by the Magnetic Fields is a concept album. And it’s a damn good one too! 3 discs full of wonderful music.

Frank Sinatra’s WATERTOWN- the best concept album of the 70s

Paint America Love by the genuis that is Mr. Lou Christie

I’m too old and don’t have kids so maybe American Idiot is sending a message to today’s kids that I’m not getting, but musically, it’s BORING. A lot of great music is fairly simple musically, but you’ve got to have something to make it great — vocals, playing, lyrics, production, whatever. I don’t detect any of that in American Idiot. Sorry. Dark Side of the Moon is overrated, but musically it’s light years beyond American Idiot.

American idiot was a good rock album overall…but I just don’t see it above Pink Floyd.

Austin hit it dead on about Sufjan Stevens. This is a remarkable man making some of the best music today, although he has only released two concept albums to date (Greetings From Michigan, The Great Lake State – 2003, Come on fell the Illinoise – 2005) his music deserves a listen and a place ont his chart.

I didn’t see any Van Morrison on here…Astral Weeks, anyone? And what’s so great about The Wall anyway? Even David Bowie agrees that Pink Floyd wasn’t so special after Syd Barrett left. The Piper At The Gates of Dawn has a stronger concept holding it together than ANY other Pink Floyd album, that of childhood fantasies and nightmares. Dark Side of the Moon? A concept album about life…how original. And by the way, Green Day was never punk, they are jumping on the political band wagon (pardon the pun). American Idiot has as incoherent of a plotline as the so-called ‘classic’ ‘time-tested’ concept albums (any of the Who’s, the Kinks, and especially Floyd). And while we’re at it, why don’t we break out of the ‘rock’ box. Coltrane’s A Love Supreme and Meditations are just as great, if not better, than your other so-called concept albums. Sometimes I wonder why we take pop music so seriously…

All these posts and not a single mention for Queensryche’s Operation: Mindcrime? Come on now. It is the second best concept album out there behind The Wall.

What about Leviathon by Mastodon.

I’ll admit that my upbringing was somewhat privileged, but I’ve got a strong hunch that the themes and plot from “American Idiot” may have struck a chord with those who may not have had such a lucky start. I did do some “slumming” back in the day, and from that I can see what they were talking about in “Jesus of Suburbia”, and the entire album from there. It is social and political commentary in addition to some fact-based-fiction from those who did not come from privileged backgrounds. Most of us posting on this thread cannot directly see from that point of view.

Love, “Forever Changes”

Only a dolt would leave that off the list.

The Who’s “Quadrophenia” and The Kinks’ “Arthur” are both better than anything Green Day has made, and still relevant.

Okay, I don’t normally call people out on their idiocy, but this is perhaps the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Ever. If this guy could think for himself, he’d be able to see that American Idiot is pop trash. Even “boulevard of broken dreams”, one of green Day’s best songs ever, is filled to the brim with generic everything. “I walk a lonely road”…ooh, no one’s ever said that before!

^ Whoever said that is really f*cking stupid because ahhh…”we don’t need no education”…ooh, like no one’s ever said that before! You’re just some ass that thinks ur too cool to listen to Green Day b/c u’ve got some 30-yr-old band in ur CD player and u think they’re still relevent.

Stop ripping on Green Day!! Just because American Idiot isn’t 20 yrs old yet doesn’t mean it isn’t good. Everyone who hates them thinks they’re too cool to listen to a mainstream band. How do you think they got popular?!? Cause they’re good, that’s why! And for the record, the wall is a good album but give AI time and it’ll be the new “the wall”

Thank you RS for giving The Kinks their due. It’s about time I’ve heard praise for the kinks besides lola, u really got me, and all day and all of the night. Anyways…the kinks were the masters of the concept albums. Ray Davies was so far ahead of any other songwriter at that time and the reason why most of the albums weren’t as popular as say the wall or tommy is becuase they were ahead of their time.
My Top 10 Kinks Albums:
1. VGPS
2.Arthur
3.Lola
4.Schoolb oys
5.Muswell Hillbillies
6.Soap Opera
7.Sleepwalker
8.Somethin g Else
9.Kink Kontroversy
10.Face To Face

By teh way i am shocked that jethro tull is not on this list

I think you guys forgot pet sounds if you count it as a concept album

I’m not going to rag on GDay because they do some catchy stuff, but I am going to echo what the guy said WAY at the bottom of these comments: If you like Green Day or think they’re godhead, then listen to anything by NOFX and hear the stuff that GD sings about and MORE from a band that LIVES that life. I don’t know which one to start with, but NOFX rules! and once you have heard them, you will wonder why you ever listened to the more popular imitators in the first place, except for the fact that these guys are lucky to ever get any kind of airplay because they never tone their message down for commercial success purposes. NOW that’s walking the talk! NOFX if you like Green Day. you’ll thank me for that one.

and they have done “concept” CD’s.

spikepen78664, I do like NOFX, punk in drublic is a kick ass album. i like how they refused to sign to a major label, but i like Green Day too. They are both good bands, but i think American Idiot outshines anything Green Day or NOFX has ever done before.

Whether you agree or not, I am glad to see such a diverse list of albums. However, I was surprised no one mentioned the album

ABIGAIL by KING DIAMOND

Maybe it was mentioned, I didn’t read every comment. Call it a concept album or a rock opera. I really don’t care. I just know it is one hell of a great horror story. Could be made into a movie IMHO. Plus, the music is fantastic. And I’m not even a big King Diamong or Mercyful Fate fan.

also spikepen78664, Not to quote that guy down there, but ur so bias towards Green Day that u wouldn’t give them a break even if they wrote “the wall.” GD finally releases their 1st truly great album since Dookie and u don’t like it b/c u decided 10 years ago that u don’t like Green Day. Therefore, anything they release is crap by your standards(ur standards being:i’m too cool for Green Day, they “sold out” who needs a good band when I’ve got NOFX). How can American Idiot be a bad album if u never gave it a chance? My advice: put ur NOFX cd down for a sec. and put in American Idiot. Look past the politics and eyeliner and find the REAL storyline. Maybe You’ll discover that NOFX isn’t the only good band.

Now everybody who thinks its favorite band is great, believes that every album has a concept….. and American idiot is concept album… ¿about what?…¿”Growing pains: the musical”?…hey, Baby, one more time is a concept album about puberty and lose virginity.
And Sgt Pepper’s… is not a concept album, not even OK computer, not even Funeral, though it’s a gem, but its sadness is not a concept. The problem is, when people recognize a theme around an album, start to create the concept when there isn’n it.
Really great concept albums:
These two were crucial, and changed everything, including the way to make music
-Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon
-David Bowie: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
Some cool real concept albums:
-Neutral Milk Hotel: At the Aeroplane Over the Sea
-Flaming Lips: Yoshimi Battles the pink Robots

Dream Theater’s Scenes from a memory, for sure. not the best but deserves for the list.

Is soundtract can be put on the list? i love ost.million dollar hotel by the way

uhm, Armed Forces.

Nektar – Remember The Future
Tori Amos – Under The Pink
Mother’s Of Invention – We’re Only In It For The Money
Frank Zappa – Lumpy Gravy
Flaming Lips – The Soft Bulletin

f

Perhaps the best concept album of all time is by a band called ‘Murder by Death’. The album is called ‘Who Will Survive and What Will be Left of Them?’. Go buy it now.

I’d like to take this opportunity to point out that the published list is not titled the 12 ‘Best’ concept albums of all time. It is titled ‘12 Delightfully Odd Concept Albums’. Not ‘Best’. Not ‘Of All Time’. It’s simply 12 Delightfully Odd Concept Albums’. Please keep that in mind before you continue to impose your opinions upon one another.

Thanks.

Of course and for justifiable reasons, the RS editors had to consider Rush for this category. Their second thought was: Oh wait. Rolling Stone doesn’t do Rush. (Who?)

Well, fvck Rolling Stone. A few obvious Rush selections for this list:

2112
Hemispheres
Mo ving Pictures
Signals
Power Windows
Counterparts

SPIRIT-12 DREAMS OF DR. SARDONICUS

It seems like you people don’t understand what a “concept album” is. Just search for the lyrics of A SOAP OPERA by The Kinks and you’ll find what it is.

I consider Quadrophenia (The Who) the best album of all times, so, obviously I consider it the best concept album of all times

Simple as fact, the best CONCEPT albums I ever heard are:

1. The Wall (Pink Floyd)
2. The Final Cut (Pink Floyd)
3. The Dark Side Of The Moon (Pink Floyd)
4. Them (King Diamond)
5. The Crimson Idol (WASP)
6. Bat Out Of Hell (Meatloaf)
7. Jesus Christ Superstar (A.L.Webber)
8. House Of God (King Diamond)
9. Animals (Pink Floyd)
10. The Neon God (WASP)
11. Greendale (Neil Young)
12. Pat Garret And Billy the Kid (Bob Dylan)
13. Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son (Iron Maiden)
14. The Pros And Cos Of Hitchhiking (Roger Waters)
15. Amused To Death (Roger Waters)
16. The Eye (King Diamond)
17. ……maybe you tell me of any worthy?

And there are not too many bands making the real concept records.

uh…almost forgot….ELO’s Eldorado should be No 17.

Just to juxtapose some of my personal favorite concept albums; these are in no particular order.

‘Leviathan’ Mastodon
‘Tommy’ The Who
‘Holy Wood Trilogy’ Marilyn Manson
‘Aenima’ Tool
‘The Wall,’ ‘Darkside of the Moon’ Pink Floyd
‘Days of Future Passed’ Moody Blues
‘In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth:3′ Coheed and Cambria
‘New Adventures in Hi-Fi’ R.E.M.
‘Frances the Mute,’ ‘Deloused in the Comatorium’ The Mars Volta
‘Is this Room Getting Smaller’ OneSideZero
‘The Subliminal Verses’ Slipknot

Please keep in mind, these are both narrative and linear concept albums. I preface this before some misled misanthrope makes a comment about certain albums not being ‘concept’ albums.

Sex pistols-Never mind the bollocks

The concept was to destroy everything past and it did.

“All these posts and not a single mention for Queensryche’s Operation: Mindcrime? Come on now. It is the second best concept album out there behind The Wall.”

I’ll second that.

I dont understand how people can make a list of the greated concept albums and leave out:

Operation: Mindcrime
by queensryche

you have to be stupid to do so

Im sorry all you Pink Floyd fans, I did give The Wall a go in my CD player, as well as a few other Pink Floyd albums, but I just find them to be…well boring really American Idiot just strikes a chord better with me because it stood up to a big issue in todays world and everybody else was scared of doing so. Who cares how much radioplay it got anyway? Fact of the matter is that its a great album from start to finish with only two blatently political songs which are ‘Holiday’ and the title track. The rest just follow the story that runs through the album. The only reason people see it as an album that jumped on the political bandwagon is because ‘Wake Me Up When September Ends’ had the most political video out of all 5 tracks released from the album and this was given horrendous overplay

To sum it up, too many people are confusing concept albums with rock operas. go back to music school, kids!

The best conecpt albums are

axis bold as love – jimi hendrix
sgt. peppers lonley hearts club band – beatles
tommy – the who
dark side of the moon – pink floyd
quadrophenia – the who
the lamb lies down on broadway – genesis
thick as a brick – jethro tull
wish you were here – pink floyd
animals – pink floyd
the wall – pink floyd
the pros and cons of hitch hiking – roger waters
ovo – peter gabriel

im tired of hearing american idiot being great. it’s the same plot as quadrophenia except its not as good as quadrophenia because billy joe is not pete townsend

MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HA,BEN,I JUST MENTIONED IT, BIATCH. seriously, maybe you’r too old or something to understand their songs, but all of their albums have been concept albums, and they;re all pretty good, they’re all relevant to todays society,they deal with serious issues most ignorant people such as youself choose to ignore because you choose to lable the “emo”.They aren’t emo,i’m not even a fan, but i know good music when i see it.
Anyways, here are my picks
American idiot-green day
a night at the opera-queen
abbey road – the beatles
zooropa-u2
i brought you my love,you brought me your bullets -my chemical romance

My Favorite concept album is Animals but thats just me.

ELO “Eldorado” (this used to be in RS’s Top Album lists, then disappeared)

Almost anything by ELP (but RS doesn’t like them and RS doesn’t mention bands they don’t like)

The Who “Quadrophenia” (WAY better than Tommy)

Duran Duran “Medazzaland” and “Pop Trash”

Men Without Hats “Pop Goes The World” (incredibly underrated…and even features Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull!)

I’m sorry but green day is one of the 5 worst popular bands ever. they are completely unoriginal and have no talent. The Wall is unquestionably the best concept album ever, because it has some of the best songs ever and a great storyling. Next comes Floyd’s most underrated album, The Final Cut. Then Operation: Mindcrime although it is almost ruined by Suite Sister Mary, however the other nongs make up for its supreme crappiness.

Yeah, Green Day is a great band. And I’m God.
+1 to Bails

The best Modern day Concepts are
Coheed and Cambria, all of their albums link together, Take an afternoon and listen to them starting with Second Stage Turbine Blade, All the way to the new one Good Apollo Im Buring Star IV volume 2: No World for Tomorrow.
Also listen to the Mars Volta “Frances the Mute” is amazing.
And if you define a concept album as a general theme Then Listen to Brand New’s album “The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me” the album deals with some dramatic themes.
Also Listen to Dredg, the album “EL Cielo” is based on a a painting that was in the studio while they were recording.

There are so many albums listed here that are not really concept albums. There are very few “true” concept albums. Sgt. Pepper started off as a concept album, but ended up not really being one – lyrically at least – and I think that’s the only anything ever gets to become a concept album (see Wikipedia). Just because the same musical theme runs throughout an album, does that make it a concept album. Regardless, the best concept album – that, by the way, has been largely ignored here – is “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway by Genesis. Lyrically, none of the others hold a candle to it and it is MUCH MUCH more synbolic and profound. Gabriel is a genius.

Just a few off the top of my head…

Promenade – The Divine Comedy
The Final Cut – Pink Floyd
Eldorado – The Electric Light Orchestra
Amused To Death – Roger Waters
This Is Hardcore – Pulp (I feel it qualifies if properly regarded)

Just a few off the top of my head…

Promenade – The Divine Comedy
The Final Cut – Pink Floyd
Eldorado – The Electric Light Orchestra
Amused To Death – Roger Waters
This Is Hardcore – Pulp (I feel it qualifies if properly regarded)

definately a grand don’t come for free.

No Mindcrime eh? Must of been a list based on sales, not music….which is probably why the list is what it is. They got a few right I guess.

greenday? yuck
how about morningrise by Opeth? that is true art.
and alot of the albums commented on,i cant really see how they are concepts…master of puppetts is a great album,but i find no concept to it.

Come on green day?? they are one of the worst bands Ever.
-Mars Volta – Frances the Mute (by far the best concept album ever)
Blonde Redhead – Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons
Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
Jimi Hendrix – Axis: Bold as Love
ANYTHING BY KING CRIMSON!
Beck – Sea Change
Rush- 2112
Sufjan Stevens – Illinoise
-Ludo – Broken Bride
-Neutral Milk Hotel: At the Aeroplane Over the

i think green day titled the album american idiot because they were calling everyone that liked the album an IDIOT!

1. Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon
2. Dream Theater – Scenes From A Memory
3. The Who – Tommy
4. Pink Floyd – The Wall
5. Rush – 2112
6. Kamelot – The Black Halo
7. Genesis – The Lambs Lies Down On Broadway
8. The Who – Quadrophenia
9. Queensryche – Operation Mindcrime
10. The Beatles – Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

Isn’t anybody forgetting Alice Cooper’s “Welcome To My Nightmare”? I mean, I am aware that RS isn’t exactly a magazine devoted to hard/heavy rock, but it is my opinion that some of the best concept albums are included in that genre. Actually, bar prog rock, I think it’s the most prolific genre in concept albums. I could mention a few, such as “Abigail” by King Diamond, “The Crimson Idol”, by W.A.S.P. and Iron Maiden’s “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son”. I don’t know if Thin Lizzy’s “Black Rose: A Rock Legend” qualifies as a concept album, but if it does it should definitely be in the list. That said, Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” and it’s follow-up “The Final Cut” are landmark concept albums, as is “The Lanb Lies Down on Broadway” by the Peter Gabriel-era Genesis. The following will be known to a more reduced public, because of their extremely heavy nature. Dio’s “Magica” and Blue Öyster Cult’s “Imaginos” come as prime examples of an old band coming back with some latter-day brilliance. And an honourable mention goes to Queensrÿche’s “Operation: Mindcrime”. That’s all.

I unadmissibly forgot to mention King Crimson’s “In The Court of the Crimson King”. It is also a great concept album among all others.
I also didn’t make obvious enough that by mentioning “Welcome To My Nightmare”, I also meante “Wind-Up Toy”, from Alice Cooper’s “Hey Stoopid” album, and “The Last Temptation”, which follow the plot of the first one.
P.S.-To that being that dared to claim that Green Day are musically superior to Pink Floyd, I only have to say that I am unaware of what has happened to the area of his brain (for I am assuming he has one, something that isn’t exactly clear after his comment on music) dedicated to music and hearing in general,, but it must have been serious.

I think the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper is one of the greatest albums of all time. But I dont really consider it a true concept album. Also, no one gives Green Day’s American Idiot enough credit. Its hard to put it up against Pink Floyd or The Who, but it is an incredible album in its own right. Also, we’re forgetting one of the best concept albums: David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.

No one mentioned Antichrist Superstar by Marilyn Manson. By far a top ten concept and rock albums of this generation. BTW – have any of you listened to American Idiot? If you did, you would not unfairly dismiss it.

Not that they’re groundbreaking like the previously mentioned albums but chick rick needs to be represented:

Aimee Mann-The Forgotten Arm
Liz Phair-Exile in Guyville

Also wholeheatedly agree with A Grand Dont Come For Free. Great listening when going through a bad breakup.

Not that they’re groundbreaking like the previously mentioned albums but chick rock needs to be represented:

Aimee Mann-The Forgotten Arm
Liz Phair-Exile in Guyville

Also wholeheatedly agree with A Grand Dont Come For Free. Great listening when going through a bad breakup.

Two underrated albums by an underrated band, but without a doubt both are “concept” albums.
“Brave” and “Misplaced Childhood” by Marillion

I have to agree with craig, way down there, Green Day hasn’t done a thing to deserve an image of musical prestige.

On the other hand, somewhat good list, although it seems like some of the bands mentioned on the list simply have their most commercial ‘concept album’ (not all, but a few)

I definately understand both Pink Flyod albums being there, and If it were me, I would have put dark side of the moon a little higher on the list.

Genesis’ best concept album, to me was Selling England by the Pound.

And why is The Who Sell Out on there? If anything, Quadrophenia should be on there.

-Josh

Seriously, you guys need to shut the fuck up and stop bashing American Idiot. Whoever doesn’t agree that’s it’s a masterfully written album has obviously not listened to it carefully enough, and like others before mentioned, it may not be 30 years old, but it’s fucking relevant to any time. Also, if you losers out there don’t like it because you think it’s too mainstream for you, maybe you should think about why it’s so popular. Green Day is one of the best bands out there today, and they have released some phenomenal PUNK (not pop) albums. American Idiot is not a collection of pop trash, it’s a vivid portrait of despair and hopelessness in suburbia, and it’s a CLASSIC. Finally, I want to point out that you need to stop advocating your favourite albums from your favourite bands as a concept album, and realize what a concept album really is, which is what American Idiot is.

P.S. Those of you who think that only teenagers listen to Green Day can suck my left one.

Okay, whoever has an objection to Pink Floyd better keep their mouths shut because they are one of the most, if not the most influencial bands of all time. Ask any band if they don’t like at least one Pink Floyd song.
Anyway, for those of you who said Operation: Mindcrime should’ve been on there. I totally and completely agree. Operation: Mindcrime combines the awesomeness of the concept album with great (and I mean great) metal and great melodies. Whoever put American Idiot on the list and forgot to put Operation: Mindcrime on is delusional. (And by the way all that “test of time” stuff is true. And I quote “We don’t need no education…ooh like no one’s said that before” oh, my, how about you research your information. Pink Floyd were the first people to say that. And Roger Waters wrote The Wall from a personal experience. His father died in WWII- as heard in Another Brick in The Wall Pt. 2-, was abused by teachers, had an overprotective mother- obviously heard in Mother- plus had his wife leave him in times of need- as heard in Don’t Leave Me Now- Waters is saying that each of these situations is another Brick in The Wall that separates him from a regular life. Later on, the Wall is completed. If that’s not deep I don’t know what is. Which is more than anyone can say for American Idiot- that album, although I don’t hate but I don’t like it either, is basically just repeating itself over and over. Pink Floyd is so much deeper it’s not even funny. So much emotion from real life. And even if it is at least 25 years old, those kinds of things do happen nowadays, it doesn’t mean that The Wall isn’t as magical as it was the week they released it. Time means nothing. Anyway, time is just a thing that humans created as a way to measure how long we’re gonna live. There’s always time to kill.)
Firebird

Those bashing Pink Floyd can kindly fuck off for being the losers that they are

To LAJack, Afro Joe, Nathan, matt, Azzum, A Televised Reality, Creig, and all of the other fucking retards: You wouldn’t know jack s hit about good music if it smacked you in the face. So shut the f_ck up morons

Stupid list

To the retards mentioned in my earlier post and with no musical taste: F(ck off morons, before you get your head cracked.

what’s the concept of american idiot? america bad twelve yr old fans good?

what about the masters of concept album? huh? the pro?

radiohead?
the mars volta?
beck?

in hip hopp

atmosphere
kanye
del tron 3030

even mc chris deserves more repsect then green day

matt and mike are on the right track…

arcade fire also great concept albums

I mean
the who
pink floyd
the beatles

great great bands great albums…
but this is rolling stone
lets get some bands still rolling yeah?

not counting green day…

Umm, yeah, if you losers actually listened to all of American Idiot, and not just the title song or Holiday, you would see the concept behind it, and it’s a story about a teenager named St. Jimmy

Dream Theater…Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory. You want the greatest concept album ever? Check that one out.

Im not going to dismiss Green Day. It is a concept album….I hate it….but it is a concept album. Its just not my cup of tea.

I would have to say:
Coheed and Cambria:
Second Stage Turbine Blade
In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
Good Apollo 1 and 2

The Prizefighter Inferno – My Brother’s Blood Machine

Protest the Hero – Kezia
(and to a lesser extent, Fortress)

Fear Factory – Obsolete (Any of you out there that are fans of the Matrix should really check this album out. Its amazing.)

And I have a question….Where the hell is Rush at on this list…Comeon….2112 is phenomenal.

You cannot have a concept albums list without the two greatest ever listed with it: Savatage’s The Dungeons Are Calling and Triumph’s mind-blowing classic, Thunder Seven

METROPOLIS PART 2 Scenes from a memory will dominate every other album in this category.

The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands

Oh, and definitely…

Ween – 12 Golden Country Greats
Ween – The Mollusk
Ween – White Pepper

Also, in response to some of the comments left on this page, I’ll say that I believe the understanding of what a concept album is has been slightly blurred. If you put together an album from the songs you’ve been writing lately and you just throw them all together and call it an album, that’s a regular album. However, if you have a particular idea in mind, no matter how loosely defined, then write songs around that idea (concept) you have a concept album. Arguably, some concepts are better than others, and some concepts are so loosely attacked by the songs in the album that it should not be considered a true concept album. But I don’t see how you could not consider an album like Sgt. Pepper’s a concept album (DON!) when it’s so clear that there was a solid idea behind the whole production.

The most cohesive concept albums ever made are The Hold Steady’s Separation Sunday and The Streets A Grand Don’t Come For Free.

CalPOP’s Concept album Best Record In the World is very interesting and deserves to be on this list of best concept albums– it’s almost 90 minutes long on two CDs (or two downloads) and it is a little bit different from the others in that it has sort of a humor to it all..

Are you like tone-deaf or maybe stupid ? If none of those, then you’re ignorant prick by not putting Queensryche OMC on the list, this album is DEFINITON of concept album …

The Mars Volta
De-loused in the Comatorium

/end

What about at least one album from Murder By Death? Especially 2008’s “Red of Tooth and Claw”. They’ve put out a better concept album than anyone has this century.

couldn’t be bothered to read every post
so idk if anyone has mentioned these already

Deltron 3030 by Deltron 3030 (any list like this without that one is pure heresy)

I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead by El-P

The Downward Spiral by NIN
Year Zero by NIN (possibly one of the the most involved and broad scoped concept albums ever)

and of course
The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust by Saul Williams

The Centauri, seriously? Green day? are you shitting me? Your telling me out of all the bands out there through out the ages, all the talent that has been recorded, your going to tell me that green day deserves a spot on any top ten best of anything? Are you fuckin serious? First of all the musical talent of the group can’t even compare to a Pete Townsend’s shit( and I mean that term in is literal sense, not Pete’s work but his actual feces that drop out of his ass)or Roger Waters and David Gilmore’s! Your telling me that a few douche bags wailing on power chords and wearing make up can compare to anyone else on that list? I’ll admit I own dookie, I think that’s pretty much a standard issue album for my generation, everyone my age grew up on it at some point, but I can’t really put them at the top of the punk scene. They’re not fit to lick the clashes’ balls!!! Ya, most of the bands on the list are from 30 years ago, that is because 30 years ago music was actually good! Music still meant somthing! You need talent to rise to the top back then! Now all you need is phony lyrics written by someone else put to the same fucking simple repeitive beat and a pair of tits to rise to the top of the charts! I’m not saying that there are no good musicians today, there are some great one! But any time I turn on the radio to the popular stations, I want to shoot myself in the face!!!! Dose anyone else Feel my frustration with the cooperate world raping our hears with there big money cocks?!?!?! Alright I’m done, sry. probably won’t check this site again but if anyone wants comment back to me my e mail is Callahan@mail2world.com. If you actually read all this shit I’m real surprised and thank you. now go do something.

Queensryche’s “Operation Mindcrime” is the best collection of great songs, seemlessly put together into one perfect story. It’s even better when they do it live. Call it concept, theme, rock opera, don’t really care if you’re a rock album professor or not. Save it for someone who does.

BEST ALBUM EVER!!!!!

Dream Theater – Scenes From a Memory.

It doesn’t get much better than that. Great story, great instrumental sections, meaningful and melodic songwriting.

Alright, I know this has been said already, but I have to add my two sense to this: stop bashing Green Day! And another thing: Stop bashing Pink Floyd! Actually, just stop bashing in general! Are all of you children and can’t respect someone else’s taste for music? Plus, this isn’t about the music. It’s about the story. Once you’ve actually listen to the story line and stop judging it on whether it sounds good or not, THEN you can say if it’s good or bad (and maybe you could try to be polite about it! jeez!)

Dream Theater- Scenes From a Memory

The Who- Quadrophenia

Here’s a few I enjoy that I didn’t see anybody’s list.

Opeth: Still Life

Tom Waits: Rain Dogs

Tom Waits: Frank’s Wild Years

Tom Waits: The Black Rider, Blood Money, Alice (the 3 go together)

King’s X: Gretchen Goes to Nebraska

Smashing Pumpkins: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

Thick as a Brick
Jethro tull

2112
Rush

nobody say Aqualung! haha
but seriously everyone forgot Jethro Tull. Ian Anderson is like one of the best songwriters ever. and he plays the flute goddamit!!

Who cares if only teenagers listen to Green Day? I’m thirteen and I listen to them, and I like to think I have good taste in music.

On another note, how could Quadrophenia get left off here? It’s much better than Tommy both in story and music.

In Absentia – Porcupine Tree

Anyone else think that “Crimson Idol” by W.A.S.P should have been included? No matter what you think about Blackie this one is his masterpiece.
I would also include “Operation Mindcrime ” if it was up to me to decide .

My favorite concept album is by a fairly small band called Boys Night Out. The album is called Trainwreck, if you like concept albums and a comprehensive story across an entire CD, check it out

Travels by Defeater

I mean who seriously pulls of a whole concept cd as a hardcore band. It tells a story and its completely told in the third person…it’s amazing

Operation Mindcrime – Queensryche
Metropolis pt 2 Scenes from a memory – Dream theater