Concept? Write your own..

I have two ideas for concept albums.  The first would be thematic rather than story-line based, and would look at apartheid in South Africa, looking at the effect it's had on individuals and also on events that have occurred.  The problem with this idea is that the lyrics would require a lot of work and research.  There's also the possibilty of including covers of songs like Peter Gabriel's Biko, which would fit in with the concept.

The second idea I have is a fantasy story about a race of people who are essentially mental vampires.  In order to survive, they need to take mental energy from other people, leaving their victims zombie-like, with just enough to do everyday things, but no imagination, dreams or ambitions.

The story starts with the last member of this race who has set himself up as a wealthy lord living near a village that he preys on.  News of the plight of the village reaches an adventurer, and he sets out to try and help them.  He encounters the lord and becomes very good friends with him, but eventually discovers that he is one who is terrorising the village, and he must make the decision as whether to kill his friend, or leave the village to suffer.

He ends up killing him, but is tormented by his decision, and retreats to a monastery where he plans to live out the rest of his life.  A few years after he has entered the monastery, the land in which he lives is attacked by a magical enemy who has returned after being defeated centuries ago.  In the monastery, the adventurer finds records of the previous attack, and finds out that the enemy was only defeated by a race of magically-powered people, and the last remaining member was the friend that he had killed.

As the evil forces threaten to overwhelm the land, the adventurer goes on a search for a dark magician who is able to transform him temporarily into a member of the race.  After a lengthy journey, he finds the magician, who makes the transformation, and he returns just in time to save his land from destruction.  He is hailed as a hero, but discovers that in the final battle the change became permanent, and so he is now forced to seek out people and feed on their mental energy.


I actually have written the lyrics for what would be the first three songs, but I haven't got any further (maybe because this is the first time I've put the story down in writing).

The name of the concept would be Thief of Dreams, and the first three songs are:
Fear - A description of the village and the problems they face
The Tyrant - The situation from the "villain's" point of view, explaining why he must prey on the village (it could probably do with a better title)
The Storyteller - News of the village reaches the adventurer

My band, Ligyrophobia, is currently working with the writing and arranging for their forthcoming demo-release. The workingtitle will be "End of our timeline", and will be a consept-album where the story takes place sometime in the future. "End of our timeline" will be a political album, and is a critic against the war in Iraq, and the way the American government have mistreated the people in Iraq.

 

The story takes place in the future, and the world is devided in only two countries; The easter union and The united states of the west. It forbidden for the two countries to have contact with each other. Any way, the story is that west will bomb the east and make the whole world one country. The people in the west belive this is only to protect them from the east, and don't see that the war is for personal winnings for the president.

The persons we follow is:

The president: Slick man, using propaganda to fool the people. A power-head, and quite evil.

General Gears: The presidents right hand, and head of the millitary opperation

Samuel Hjung: And imigrant from the eastern world. Sent to war as a soldier, and is ordered to bomb his old hometown. ends up killing the president.

Annalyn Dean: Lives in the east. In love with Sergj, which lives in the eastern world. Smugles a letter to sergj, where she tells about the forthcomming war.

Sergj Ibrahim: In love with annalyn. Decides to swim across the ocean to be with annalyn when the war breaks out. Ends up drowning, just minnutes before it is anounced that the war is canceled.

Songs:
End of our timeline
This is suposed to be the first track on the "End of our timeline" album. It is a straigt foreward rock song, where the president and the general holds a press conference, telling that they will go to war, and bomb the Eastern world

The feelings we share
The dramatic power ballad on the album. The first half is the letter annalyn sends to sergj, and the second, sung by sergj is when he decides to swim.

Reactions (The End)
The grand finale! This is the track ment to end the album, and is a quite progressive track. This is where samuel refuse to obey his orders, and instead end up killing the president and the general, resulting in canceling of the war, before it is started.

 

This is our consept oiece. Somewhat cheesy, but it works.... Comments and sugestions is welcome.

ive alkready made a concept album seriously its called ahmads adventures pt 2

1.Ahmad Was Born
2.Ahmad Watches Porn 24/7
3.Ahmad Gets Taken Away By The Neo Nazi Cult
4.Ahmad Says Its Never Enough Until He Can Cram All The Stuff Up His Vagina
5.Ahmad Dance(Instrumental)
6.Ahmads Sailing Away
7.Ahmads Journey To The Bronx
8.Ahmad Dance Pt2(Instrumental)
9.Ahmad Undercover
10.Ahmad Trains And Gets Buffed Up
11.Ahmads War
12.Ahmad Is A God
13.Ahmads Aftermath
14.Ahmad Is Dead
15.Ahmads Funeral     34:50

Title: Sacred Cow ( a modern day Canterbury Faerie Tale)

Concept: obviously a Canterbury-ish romp through today's media driven society, where we meet Gibbs, a lower level manager in some sort of firm...clues will be given that it has to do with finance, marketing, etc...and it's ultimate aspiration, always referred to  as, "the firm's master plan." And of course, the firm's plans are nefarious. Gibbs unknowingly is a test subject of "the firm's master plan" as is his sex starved wife, Raeanne, her lover Vance, and Gibbs' children, an 18 year old "princess" named Vanessa and an 11 year old son, Ricky, with serious anger management problems. And of course not everyone lives happily ever after.....


Likely song titles:

Digital Anarchy
(My) Tongue in (Yr) Cheeks
The Wheezing Tree
Flat Earth Society
Kerosene for my I-Pod
Blues for McLuhan
Sacred Cows Make The Hamburger
Daisy Chain
The Great Oracle
Men behind the Curtain
The New Religion

Cygnus X-2 wrote: stonebeard wrote: Title: The Advent of the Mystic 1: The Forest Road (9:34)     I. Entrance     II. Sunlight Through the Trees     III. Multiple Paths 2. A Shadow in the Mist (1:55) 3. The Mystic (7:29) 4. Prelude to Green Stones (1:22) 5. Green Stones (13:05) 6. The Forest Road (Remergance) (4:11) 7. Light and the End of the Road (2: 37) It will have a overtly Celtic/Jethro Tull vibe with the eeriness of Radiohead's recent works. It will also be VERY pertentious. I have a feeling this is something you're working on.

eventually

Disc 1 - Morning

1. Alarm (0:04)
2. The Joy of the Snooze Button (3:20)
3. Alarm (Reprise) (0:06)
4. What a Strange Dream That Was... (6:08)
5. I Really Should Get Up In A Minute (18:32)
6. Fag 1 (1:00)
   
7. Hygene Matters (7:12)
8. Fag 2 (1:00)
   
9. The Breakfast (30:54):

                I - A Cup of Tea
                II - Shreddies or Cornflakes?
                III - Cornflakes It Is
                IV - Time for an Egg?
                V - Egg
                VI - Toast
                VII - Another Cup of Tea

    8.   Fag 3 (1:00)  
    9.   News Is Boring (3:22)
    10. Fag 4 (1:00)
    11. Sh*t! When's My Shift Again? (0:39)
    12. How To Miss A Train (2:32)



Disc 2 - Afternoon

1. Sorry I'm Late! Let Me Explain... (10:41)
2. Work Is Even More Boring Than News Is (3:24)
3. How May I Help You (To Die)? (22:36)
4. Stock Check (6:09)
5. Lunchbreak (Including "Chocolate's Better Than Real Food" and "Fags 5-10") (36:01)
   
6. I Really Really Really Want To Go Home Now (5:18)
7. End Of Shift (2:12)
8. Hallelujah! Let Us Praise Him! [Trad.] (4:04)

Disc 3 - Evening

    1. "Me Time" (64:42):

                I - Fag 11
                II - Telly
                III - Fag 12
                IV - More Telly
                V - Fag 13
                VI - The Pizza's Here
                VII - Beer Makes Telly Better
                VIII - I Really Need a Girlfriend
                IX - Just a Friend Would Do
                XI - Fag 14
                XII - I'm Literally Such a w**ker
                XIII - Fag 15

    2. Sleep (3:00)


Edited by Trouserpress

From a true ordinary story

The Climbers

Ist moviment Approach

1.Hsin Nien the year of the tiger

2. L J Shan Middle of nowhere

3.Presence of the  Mountain

IInd Moviment Rise

4.Cold and hungry

5.The wheel

6.Presence of the Snow

IIIrd Moviment Walk

7. The Middle Temple

8. Dialog with no words

9. Presence of the Sun

IVth Moviment Reach

10. The Sleep

11. The narrow Path

12. Presence of the World

The story is  this: on the Chinese New year day(1.) we travel to the middle of an ancient Chinese Province(2). The evening we reached a place, a chain of mountains not too high but isoleted(3)

We spent the night on cold rooms(4). The morning job was to change one wheel  punched on the previous day(5). We reached the limit of the snow, we begin the trekk(6)

At the middle we meet an old Taoist temple(7), and an unexpected woodchopper meet us. He speaks a different dialect(8) The sun lights, we enter the forest (9). A short sleep and recovery (10) before the hardest part (11) and the final completion at the top of the mountain, and the contemplation (12)

It can be read under to perspectives: biographic and methaforic. The second is more prog.

Other interpretations (according to critics):the ascent the mistic approach to the  Revelation : Approach Rise Walk Reach

The Tao references (the middle Temple, the unexpected visit, the path)

Twelve experiences:

Time Place Aim Weakness Trouble Suffer Wisdom Friendship Hope Peace Strength Revelation

And more...

Bonus track the story of the little pocket bottle of wiskey we carried along with us to resist the cold winter, but this might be another concept, less spiritual, more spirit

 

                

                     

 

                                                      Blimey

"Of Shrouded Sorrow"

DISC 1 - BLOOD

1. Prologue - Through the Eyes of... (2:21)
2. Ancient Palace (7:48)
3. The Great Escape (4:03)
4. Interlude 1: A Bloodred Carpet (1:22)
5. Desperation and Preparation: I. Hope II. Sadness III. The Blood of Mortals IV. The God of War V. Doomsday VI. Occulta (24:17)
6. The Ritual (4:11)
7. Interlude 2: Decadence (2:00)
8. Death and the Rebirth of the Lamb (16:00)

Disc Blood Time - 62:02

DISC 2 - PAST AND PRESENT

1. In Search of What Was: I. Childhood II. Flashback III. Guilt IV. Regret V. Down the Fountain of Decades (18:51)
2. I Find Myself At the Path... (9:14)
3. ...Yet Cannot Execute the Mandatory (2:30)
4. Interlude 3: The Declaration (1:07)
5. In Search of What Is: I. Emotions II. The Kindness of Strangers III. The Only One IV. A Pulse V. The Beauty of Creation (31:45)
6. Epilogue - Back From the... (3:11)

Disc Past and Present Time - 66:38

Here's a review of the album.. you can find it the latest Rolling Stone if you just look closely enough.. keep looking you'll find it eventually.


" Molvanian prog monsters Nietzcko Zcxercaz continue where Genesis' " The Lamb Lies on Broadway " left. They explore farther than Yes did with " Tales from Topographic Oceans " . As the band's vocalist and lyricist Zlad Bartel reveals, the band wanted to explore and expand their compositional skills as well as their musical talents.

"Of Shrouded Sorrow" is the band's fourth album. Their three first albums have all been electro-pop, but this album to me seems like a natural progression, since their electronic albums have always been highly intelligent and filled to the brim with strange song structures and weird psychedelic sonic attacks.

The regular synthesizers are replaced with waves of washing mellotrons and pulsating VCS-3 synthesizers. The band introduces a new guitarist on this album, Roberto Fricz, who is a highly talented young guitarist. The album also features a visiting flautist and Zlad Bartel himself plays some quite unconventional instruments, such as an accordium and a xylophone.

From track one we are treated with full-blown prog rock with free spirited signature changes and higly complex song structures flavoured with extended soloing and interesting vocal arrangements. The songs flow from gentle acoustic interludes to aggressive riffing and angry drumming yet again interrupted with mellotron, VCS-3 and Moog solos.

The whole album culminates in the monstrous multi-part half-hour epic "In Search of What Is" , which combinates all these aforementioned attributes and also revisits some of the album's main themes in a way only these Molvanian proggers are capable of.

The basic story of the album is about a man called Darkster Souldog who one morning wakes up from a palace in ancient Peru. In an epic quest to find his lost happiness and the meaning of life he has to fight his way through angry natives and come to terms with his gloomy past to find his way back home. What a splendid rock opera indeed! "

Trouserpress wrote: A Day In The Life of Peter Limp. An epic 3-disc concept album telling the extraordinary story of... a bloke. Disc 1 - Morning Alarm (0:04) The Joy of the Snooze Button (3:20) Alarm (Reprise) (0:06) What a Strange Dream That Was... (6:08) I Really Should Get Up In A Minute (18:32) Fag 1 (1:00) Hygene Matters (7:12) Fag 2 (1:00) The Breakfast (30:54):                   I - A Cup of Tea                 II - Shreddies or Cornflakes?                 III - Cornflakes It Is                 IV - Time for an Egg?                 V - Egg                 VI - Toast                 VII - Another Cup of Tea     8.   Fag 3 (1:00)       9.   News Is Boring (3:22)     10. Fag 4 (1:00)     11. Sh*t! When's My Shift Again? (0:39)     12. How To Miss A Train (2:32) Disc 2 - Afternoon Sorry I'm Late! Let Me Explain... (10:41) Work Is Even More Boring Than News Is (3:24) How May I Help You (To Die)? (22:36) Stock Check (6:09) Lunchbreak (Including "Chocolate's Better Than Real Food" and "Fags 5-10") (36:01) I Really Really Really Want To Go Home Now (5:18) End Of Shift (2:12) Hallelujah! Let Us Praise Him! [Trad.] (4:04) Disc 3 - Evening     1. "Me Time" (64:42):                 I - Fag 11                 II - Telly                 III - Fag 12                 IV - More Telly                 V - Fag 13                 VI - The Pizza's Here                 VII - Beer Makes Telly Better                 VIII - I Really Need a Girlfriend                 IX - Just a Friend Would Do                 XI - Fag 14                 XII - I'm Literally Such a w**ker                 XIII - Fag 15     2. Sleep (3:00)

  Reading that made me laugh for some time, and that's no mean feat on a college day! Particularly "Me Time" Part VIII, "I Really Should Get Up In A Minute" and "Alarm (Reprise)". I approve the idea of making it for real!