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Top 10 Concept Albums of All Time
Amazon.com ^ | 2009 | B. Carlson

Posted on 04/20/2009 3:57:19 PM PDT by pissant

1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by Beatles, The The list author says:

"The greatest ever. Period. Sorry revisionists."

2. Forever Changes by Love

"I would vote this right behind Pepper's as the 2nd greatest psychedelic album of the 60s. Listen to what Arthur Lee has to say. Mind blowing and genius."

3. Abbey Road by Beatles, The

"1/2 a concept album. But who cares, it's the Beatles."

4. A Salty Dog by Procol Harum

"Unreal. The apex of Procol Harum, one of the most under appreciated bands of all time. Perfect from beginning to end. Arg me maties."

5. The Notorious Byrd Brothers by Byrds, The

"Not your grandmas' Byrds. A masterpiece."

6. Arthur - Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire by Kinks, The

"Again, have you heard this? Think you know the Kinks? Think again. This poor album came out right after Tommy so was dismissed at the time. This album puts Tommy to shame."

7. The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society by Kinks, The

"Out of place and out of time. This Kinks concept album from 1968 could only belong in the head of Ray Davies. Defiant and serene at the same time. Beautiful."

8. Odessey and Oracle by The Zombies

"Another lesser known masterpiece. Definitely in the top 10. Magical and gets better every listen. Self-produced with full creative control and no studio musicians. Dig that mellotron."

9. Parachute by Pretty Things, The

"Never heard it? Voted Rolling Stone best album of 1970. Takes Abbey Road to the next level, Pretty Things style."

10. Ogden's Nut Gone Flake by Small Faces, The

"Steve Mariott and Ronnie Lane kicking it up. When this album came out it was in what looked like a tobacco tin for storing other types of...items. Great psychedelic brit-pop mod rock. Rollin Over baby!"

11. The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust by Bowie, David

"Ok, this is number 11. I cheated. But how could I leave out Ziggy? Mick Ronson rips it up.


TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: badtrip
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To: Cymbaline

SFAM is one of the most important and beautiful records ever made...not to mention underrated.


61 posted on 04/20/2009 4:31:35 PM PDT by My Favorite Headache (An oath to a liar is no oath at all)
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To: pissant

How about the ‘Rumble’ album Paragons Meet The Jesters. If you didn’t have this album in the Bronx in 1957 you were no where. Showing my age huh?


62 posted on 04/20/2009 4:31:49 PM PDT by duckman (Jesus I trust in You. Mary take over)
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To: Dixiekraut

1967 Albums that I would put ahead of Sgt. P include: Are You Experienced?; the Velvet Underground and Nico; the Doors (which has aged at least as good as Sgt. P). Prior to ‘67 there was also “Aftermath” and “Hwy 61 Revisited” just to name a couple of albums.


63 posted on 04/20/2009 4:32:56 PM PDT by Lou Budvis (0bama Lied and the Market Died)
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To: steelyourfaith

It’s too bad the rest of Enigma’s catalouge is utter garbage.


64 posted on 04/20/2009 4:32:58 PM PDT by My Favorite Headache (An oath to a liar is no oath at all)
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To: pissant

Gypsy — Gypsy (double album) all-time fave; amazing
Doobie Brothers — Toulouse Street — most underrated ever
Crosby, Stills, Nash, Young — Deja Vu
Chicago — Chicago Transit Authority


65 posted on 04/20/2009 4:35:05 PM PDT by Migraine (Diversity is great... ...until it happens to YOU.)
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To: pissant

8. Odessey and Oracle by The Zombies

“Another lesser known masterpiece. Definitely in the top 10. Magical and gets better every listen. Self-produced with full creative control and no studio musicians. Dig that mellotron.”

Absolutely!!!!!


66 posted on 04/20/2009 4:35:47 PM PDT by Le Chien Rouge
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To: pissant

No Moody Blues? For shame!


67 posted on 04/20/2009 4:37:20 PM PDT by Publius (Sex is the manifestation of God's wicked sense of humor.)
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To: pissant
I would have in my list...
The Moody Blues - Days of Future Past
Rush - 2112
68 posted on 04/20/2009 4:40:17 PM PDT by philman_36 (Pride breakfasted with plenty, dined with poverty, and supped with infamy. Benjamin Franklin)
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To: rick11

“Without THE BEATLES there would be no Stones. Not only did they pave the way for the Stones but they wrote their early hits and convinced them to start writing their own stuff.
So no Beatles no Stones.”

Sorry gotta disagree big time. The Stones started as a blues band, playing Elmore James, Muddy Waters (obviously), Howlin’ Wolf, etc. and even if they kept playing blues covers they would have still been a great band (see “12x5”).

The Stones were also better live.


69 posted on 04/20/2009 4:40:29 PM PDT by Lou Budvis (0bama Lied and the Market Died)
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To: pissant
"The greatest ever. Period. Sorry revisionists."

Anyone ever hear of Fidelio? Sgt Pepper was nice, but not really in the same league.

ML/NJ

70 posted on 04/20/2009 4:40:39 PM PDT by ml/nj
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To: Political Junkie Too

Eye in the Sky was a good album as well.


71 posted on 04/20/2009 4:42:16 PM PDT by philman_36 (Pride breakfasted with plenty, dined with poverty, and supped with infamy. Benjamin Franklin)
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To: Publius
What about the greatest male concept album of all time:

Fred Blassie, King of Men

A concept album if there ever was one!

Oh, and Tommy and Quadrophenia from the greatest rock band of them all, The Who

72 posted on 04/20/2009 4:46:58 PM PDT by LRoggy (Peter's Son's Business)
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To: pissant
You left out the very best.....

Will the Circle be Unbroken

Nitty Gitty Dirt Band.... 1972


73 posted on 04/20/2009 4:49:41 PM PDT by bert (K.E. N.P. +12 . Crucify ! Crucify ! Crucify him!!)
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To: pissant

Top Concept albums

Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
Rush - 2112 + Farewell to Kings>Hemispheres
Marillion - Misplaced Childhood + Clutching at Straws
Pink Floyd - The Wall + DSOTM + Animals + WYWH
Queensryche - Operation:Mindcrime 1&2 + American Soldier
The Who - Tommy
The KinKs - most any of their 70s catalog
Fates Warning - Pleasant Shade of Gray
Frank Zappa - Joes Garage trilogy
Roger Waters - all Solo albums
Starz - Violation

How about a thread be started for best “epic” songs such as Side 1 of 2112 as opposed to the whole album.

For that I will offer “Grendel” by Marillion

Maybe another thread for “loosely constructed concept albums” which I would include Sgt Pepper, Abbey Road by the Beatles, “Shades of a Blue Orphanage” by Thin Lizzy


74 posted on 04/20/2009 4:50:23 PM PDT by Finatic ("you see kids were so much wiser after the wars")
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To: pissant
One of the first truly great concept albums (includes "One For My Baby and One More For The Road" - Frank's signature song)


75 posted on 04/20/2009 4:50:29 PM PDT by newfreep ("Liberalism is just Communism sold by the drink." - P.J. O'Rourke)
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To: My Favorite Headache

Perhaps that accounts for why I’ve never had the opportunity to listen to anything else they’ve produced.


76 posted on 04/20/2009 4:51:19 PM PDT by steelyourfaith ("The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money." -Lady Thatcher)
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To: RobRoy

Yeah but I am a record collector and that mistake makes that one worth 5 to 10 times more than the original. Why? Because it is rare. Unless of course the did thousands like that.


77 posted on 04/20/2009 4:52:31 PM PDT by rick11
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To: Lou Budvis

None of those are concept albums though and that is what we are comparing.
Concept albums.


78 posted on 04/20/2009 4:52:31 PM PDT by rick11
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To: JennysCool

We are talking concept here not psychedelic.


79 posted on 04/20/2009 4:52:53 PM PDT by rick11
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To: ChildOfThe60s

You know I really wouldn’t mind if you would sit this one out. (flute plays)...


80 posted on 04/20/2009 4:53:45 PM PDT by Clemenza (Remember our Korean War Veterans)
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