Top rock albums with story line - Progressive Rock Music Forum

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tszirmay

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Posted: July 30 2008 at 17:34

Skipping the obvious ones!

Triumvirat- Spartacus

Sylvan -Posthumous Silence

Magenta- Seven (yeah, the sins)

Robett Calvert- Captain Lockheed & the Starfighters

Ayreon- Electric Castle

IQ- Subterranea

CAP- Il Bianco Regno di Dooah

LeOrme- Felona e Sorona

Nemo- Si Partie 1 & 2

Maldoror- L'Arbre Cimetiere

Minstrel-Faust (a ISP splendor)

Marrilion- Brave (duh!)

Galleon-Land to Ocean (common theme throughout)

and probably a few others my net missed !

I never post anything anywhere without doing more than basic research, often in depth.

SouthSideoftheSky View Drop Down

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Posted: July 30 2008 at 16:58

Carheart wrote:

And speaking of Deep Purple, Roger Glover's "Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast" is excellent as well.

Yeah, its fun! Especially hearing Dio sing some of the songs, it is so far away from Holy Diver

Carheart

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Posted: July 28 2008 at 04:00

Vibrationbaby wrote:

What about Jesus Christ Superstar ? Although Jesus Christ was a composite the movie and the play sort of follow his life. Ian Gillian was great in the original.

And speaking of Deep Purple, Roger Glover's "Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast" is excellent as well.

ziggystardust360 View Drop Down

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Posted: July 25 2008 at 16:13

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust-David Bowie

Tommy-The Who

These have always been personal favorites of mine.

''I always had the repulsive need to be something other than human''-David Bowie

preqT0THEseq7 View Drop Down

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Posted: July 25 2008 at 14:53

Protest the Hero - Kezia

Idk, My BFF Steve.

The Pessimist View Drop Down

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Posted: July 25 2008 at 08:14

Still Life - Opeth
I think every Opeth fan knows the story of the protagonist's love of Melinda and keeping her safety in the wilderness. It's a great storyline with great music, so that deserves a mention.

Pawn Hearts - Van Der Graaf Generator
Now it is arguable that this has no storyline linking the songs, but i would have to say there is. There are three seperate storylines that symbolise the same factor: insignificance. They don't interwind physically, but morally they're almost colliding. As i said though, it is debateable.

De-loused in the Comatorium - The Mars Volta
Another one of favourites, this particular storyline is as trippy as hell and probably one of the hardest concepts to grab due to Cedric Bixler's bizarre lyrics. However they do, strangely enough, portray the storyline if you look at them on paper for long enough. The actual storyline is excellent and original, and the music is said to be TMV's best work.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles
NOT PROG. But a fantastic storyline nonetheless. It takes a while to get the gist of, but the music is enjoyable so there's no need to worry! I think Mcartney and Lennon were at their songwriting peak at this stage, as well as creative peak.

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Arnold Schoenberg

ten years after View Drop Down

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Posted: July 23 2008 at 06:38

To be expected as this thread progresses: More from Magma fans.

Not to be expectred: Any (other) mention of Harry Nilson's The Point.

ten years after View Drop Down

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Posted: July 23 2008 at 06:33

SF Sorrow must surely be up there among the very best story based rock albums.

Mousoleum

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Posted: July 23 2008 at 00:52

Marillion: Clutching at Straws and Brave.
Spock's Beard: Snow
The Kinks: Preservation: Acts I and II, Schoolboys in Disgrace and Soap Opera.
The Who: Quadrophenia

.....and a lot more.

Does Neal Morse's Testimony count? Huh?

Mantra

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Posted: July 22 2008 at 14:37

Dream Theater's Scenes From a Memory.. Bash it all you want >_> It truly is epic.

[/dreamtheaterfanboyness]

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rushfan4

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Posted: July 22 2008 at 14:33

Ayreon's The Human Equation is probably my favorite, although I enjoy all of his/their stories. I also like DT's Scene from a Memory and Queensryche's Operation Mindcrime (and to an extent its follow-up OMII, although nobody else likes that one).

Vibrationbaby View Drop Down

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Posted: July 22 2008 at 14:04

What about Jesus Christ Superstar ? Although Jesus Christ was a composite the movie and the play sort of follow his life. Ian Gillian was great in the original.

sleeper

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Posted: July 22 2008 at 12:31

My favourites, in no order but Pain of Salvations TPE is definitely the best:

Abydos- s/t
Il Balletti di Bronzo- Ys
Dream Theater- Scenes From a Memory
Echolyn- Mei (Its a fifty minute song, so I'm assuming its a concept album, if not, scrath it.)
Epica- The Divine Conspiracy
Jethro Tull- Thick as a Brick
Kamelot- The Black Halo
Le Orme- Felona e Sorona
Marillion- Misplaced Childhood, Brave
Opeth- My Arms, Your Hearse; Still Life
Pain of Salvation- Entropia, One Hour by the Concrete Lake, The Perfect Element, Remedy Lane, BE
Queensryche- Operation: Mindcrime
Symphony X- V:The New Mythology Suite, Paradise Lost
Suspyre- A Great Divide
The Mars Volta- De- Loused in the Comatorium, The Bedlam in Goliath
Van der Graaf Generator- Still Life (again, assuming this is a concept album)
Vanden Plas- Christ 0
Virgin Black- Requiem Mezzo Forte
White Willow- Storm Season

Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005

TGM: Orb

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Posted: July 22 2008 at 08:48

SouthSideoftheSky wrote:

Thanks at lot TGM: Orb for your very interesting thoughts concerning these albums!! I will re-listen to these albums soon and see if I can see it your way, so to speak

I have never owned a copy of Lamb Lies Down so I didn't know there was a written introduction. I am waiting to buy it until it is released in the new SACD/DVD-Audio version, and hope that the introduction will be re-printed in the booklet.

BTW, there is also a written thing in the Quadrophenia booklet that forms no part of the lyrics. When they played it live in the 90's as is shown on the live DVD I have, they brought this text too life, showing pre-recorded bits of video between the songs featuring an actor reading it. Maybe something similar could be made with The Lamb?

Also on Camel's Nude album (nobody has mentioned it yet

) there are additional text passages in the booklet telling the story without being part of the actual lyrics.

If I'm right, Gabriel did read out bits of his story between the songs on the '74 tour. Could be wrong, though.

Vompatti

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Posted: July 22 2008 at 05:40

I'll only mention one:

CMX - Talvikuningas

SouthSideoftheSky View Drop Down

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Posted: July 22 2008 at 03:47

Thanks at lot TGM: Orb for your very interesting thoughts concerning these albums!! I will re-listen to these albums soon and see if I can see it your way, so to speak

Also on Camel's Nude album (nobody has mentioned it yet

) there are additional text passages in the booklet telling the story without being part of the actual lyrics.

crimson87

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Posted: July 21 2008 at 21:52

Sudamerica (O el regreso a la Aurora) by Arco Iris.

jammun

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Posted: July 21 2008 at 20:12

After posting in another thread, now this one is on my mind:

Frank Zappa's Thing-Fish has a pretty good story line, so good in fact it ended up as a spread in Hustler!

heyitsthatguy View Drop Down

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Posted: July 21 2008 at 13:42

Scenes is easily one of my favorite albums
but
not really for the conceptual execution so to speak
the cover art is cool though
the sound effects in Finally Free are a little extraneous but sometimes you need comic relief

also I was under the impression was a sendup of concept albums and prog rock
which is funny because it's the top album on PA right now I believe

anyway favorite album concepts:
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
Frances the Mute (even if I'm not 100% sure if I know what it's about yet)
BE
Ziltoid the Omniscient

Edited by heyitsthatguy - July 21 2008 at 13:55

stonebeard View Drop Down

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Posted: July 21 2008 at 13:42

Orphaned Land - Mabool
Pain of Salvation - The Perfect Element
Pain of Salvation - BE
Marillion - Brave
Ayreon - all albums back to back, white n00bs!

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