Biggest Concept Albums

Shadow Gallery - Tyranny

A concept album about war, world power, relationship...

If you’re looking for concepts that go beyond just a single album, I recommend The Dear Hunter’s 5 albums (Acts I through V), telling the story of “the birth, life, and abrupt death of a boy, set at the dawn of the 20th century.” Brought down to a single sentence, it sounds a bit dull, but the music’s fantastic.

If we were to start a thread here in the prog lounge of Prog composers who could write successful stage musicals, Casey Crescenzo of TDH would get my vote.

Another one I don't think was mentioned:

I can think of nothing to compare with the complete Kobaïan universe that Magma created and rendered into music, but some of the Colossus Magazine/Musea Records themed commissions are pretty cohesive--especially, of course, the 3-CD Odyssey: The Greatest Tale from 2005: the complete book as written by Homer seems to be captured here, even sequentially, which is pretty amazing to me.

Tutankhamon by the Spanish Iceberg, a delightful mix of symphonic, jazz-rock/fusion and rock (1975).

Undoubtedly, The Yes Album that's been the Big Generator of the most controversy over the years is the vast sprawling concept album, Tales from Topographic Oceans. YES, it's a long double album with four long Yessongs which was treated as something of a rotten Tormato by the jaded music press, but if you Open Your Eyes you'll gain The Keys to Ascension and realise what a fine album this is. The album came Close to the Edge of splitting the band up, when there was a Magnification of tensions within the group with so many  Fragile egos at stake. In the ensuing Drama, Time and a Word has it that Rick Wakeman threatened to walk out during the recording of the album. Topographic Oceans rode the crest of a wave though and climbed The Ladder of success, topping the UK albums chart for two weeks. Rick Wakeman left the band and didn't appear on the folllowing Relayer album. There was Talk of a re-Union, but Heaven & Earth had to be moved to persuade Rick to return for the Going for the One album in 1977. The best-selling YES album of all time though, released in 1983, was famously named after its catalogue number, 90125. It's time for me to Fly from Here now, as there's another poll on the way. 

Edited by Psychedelic Paul - October 10 2023 at 02:03

Jon Anderson's "Olias of Sunhillow" has to be mentioned as well.

GLASS HAMMER  CHRONOMETREE    

Edited by martinprog77 - November 30 2023 at 03:12