It's A Concept
Looking back at the history of Rock and Roll, one of the things that has always stood out to me is the ability of songwriters and bands for that matter, to create a work of music that has a continuity throughout an album.
These “Concept” albums are visions that artists have in their heads about something they want to express. Be it a story or just some feeling they have. In any event, they are usually fairly simple to get the gist of and follow along. Then there are some that the concept remains in the writers brain and its totally up to the listener to figure it out.
This may be a stretch but some of these concept albums I believe are structurally as complex as some of the most impressive classical musical pieces written hundreds of years before. Purists will argue that some pieces written by Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert and Brahms can not be mentioned in the same breath as “Pop Music”. I say forget that, Rock concept albums are every bit as complex and complete as any work done 400 years ago.
Again, I will bring up several Concept albums but this list is by no means complete. You can send me ideas and if you want to take issue with some of my choices, I would love to hear that as well.
The most famous Concept album of all time is probably Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. It still remains one of the all time best selling albums and even though we have heard it a thousand times, I am sure we could listen to it a thousand times more. The complexity and sound is incredible and Pink Floyd tested the limits as far as writing complex songs that you really needed to be straight to understand but you could enjoy in any condition. It was and probably still is, the ultimate stoner album.
While some people would say that The Who’s Tommy is the greatest Rock Opera ( a subset of Concept albums) ever, I disagree. Quodrophenia to me is a much better, more intelligent work. The story of The Mods and Rockers in England in the ‘60’s is complete. It has several different overtures and isn’t confusing like Tommy. The only way to listen to this two record set is in order. While the individual songs and instrumentals are excellent, the true feeling of this record is only reached by listening to it in it’s entirety. It is a masterpiece that has no rivals as far as I am concerned. It is a shame that the film adaptation of the album, like the Tommy interpretation, was mediocre at best.
The first Concept album I loved but did not get was Pink Floyd’s, The Wall. I listened to this album over and over again and sort of got the story but had to read the review of it in Rolling Stone to understand what Roger Waters and David Gilmour (Mostly Waters) were trying to say. Then I had my ah ha moment and I listened with renewed vigor. The story of a sheltered rock star, cutting himself off from the fans who adore him is a tale I am sure most rock stars can attest to. Not being one, I still felt for the lead in the story. This was as much a story about Waters and ex band mate Syd Barret as it was about anyone in that universe. While few fans could actually relate to that lifestyle, it did give a raw glimpse into what is happening inside that small world rock stars inhabit.
Another concept album I did not get and still don’t is Jethro Tull’s Thick as a Brick. It was only years later did I figure out that it was a parody of concept albums (including their own Aqualung) that were being released by the dozens in the early ‘70’s. Basically, it is a very long piece of music split in two. Each side of the album had a roughly 22 minute narrative that made little to no sense but sounded pretty good. I probably should re-listen to it from beginning to end and see if I can actually get what Ian Anderson is trying to say but like the song says “ I really don’t mind if you sit this one out”.
Next up is Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie. I am not sure it was meant to be a Concept album at first but as Bowie was putting pen to paper it became a clever story that ended up being a continuous example of his talent as storyteller. Ziggy was an alter ego of David Bowie and this album gives glimpses into Bowie’s vision of Ziggy. The space and apocalyptic elements tell a sad tale but the music never comes across as sad. “Starman” for example could be a sad song but it really is about hope and to this day, I still think this was one of Bowies best songs. Another album that can be listened to of right mind or not.
Another example of a Concept album I completely missed was Genesis’s A lamb Lies Down on Broadway. I include this album because I actually like the album very much and only discovered recently that there was a concept at work here. Sometimes artists produce ideas that only they know and I still think this one of them. You can see Peter Gabriels impact on this album (his last with the band) on songs like the title song and “Fly on the Windshield”. Even knowing the story about Rael and his life in New York doesn’t help much. Genesis, to me, always tried to be smarter than the average band and until the split, produced musically interesting stuff but just too deep.
Talk about deep, Frank Zappa’s Joe’s Garage Act I,II, III is a perfect example. Zappa had a history of writing eclectic pieces that you either got or you didn’t. Apostrophe was another example. It was there or it wasn’t. Joe’s Garage wasn’t all that deep but it was complex. It’s your typical California kid who grows up to find a different world than the one he started out in. The title track has stuck in my mind for over forty years and the whole three disk set has some interesting pieces of work. From incredibly jazz to rock to blues. The music is excellent and the story, when you can follow it has typical Zappa non PC lyrics. It’s a musical journey that has Frank Zappa driving and in control of the radio.
I would be remiss if I didn’t include The Beatles’, Sgt. Peppers Lonely hearts Club Band. There isn’t much I can say that hasn’t already been said about Sgt. Peppers. It is a fantastic album and the concept here was both simple and complex. The simple concept was that the Worlds most popular band took on the persona of another more pop-like band. The complex concept was all the questions it raised. Was Paul dead? Where were all these random influences coming from? Was that a reference to drugs? And so on. Plus, the idea of an album as something more than just a list of songs. An album to make you think, to speculate. Forget that every song of this album was terrific, it had some loosely formed continuity throughout and that alone was a concept. It still retains reverence to this day and is considered by everyone who has a set of ears to be one of the greatest recordings ever done.
Now, obviously, I haven’t included certain albums that critics fawned over like Green day’s American Idiot. With good reason, it sucked. Anyone disagrees, I will find you. There will be another column with suggestions and some of the albums I didn’t cover in todays article so please feel free and email me your thoughts and suggestions.