• WASP - _The Crimson Idol_ (My favourite album of all time) • Genesis - _The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway_ • Queensryche - _Operation: Mindcrime_ • Ayreon - _The Human Equation_ • Savatage - _Streets: A Rock Opera_ • King Diamond - _Abigail_
There are multiple Ayreon concept albums and all of them should be heard once. A full spectrum of guest vocalists and musicians helped create not just an album but a whole universe as many of the albums tie into each other.
I came here to talk about Ayreon - The Human Equation. Glad someone mentioned it already. It is a bit less known than the rest of the list but with Mikael Ackerfeldt, James LaBrie, Devin Townsend plus the captivating story about the main characters coma dreams, this is among my top albums of all time. Also, I am glad you mentioned Queensryche and Savatage ;)
If you make a part two, consider any of the following: "Operation: Mindcrime" - Queensrÿche "De-Loused in the Comatorium" or "Frances the Mute" - The Mars Volta "Fear of a Blank Planet" - Porcupine Tree "Hand. Cannot. Erase." - Steven Wilson "Anno Domini High Definition" - Riverside "The Downward Spiral" or "Year Zero" - Nine Inch Nails "Leviathan" - Mastodon "Polaris" - Tesseract "Songs for the Deaf" - Queens of the Stone Age "The Alchemy Index Vols. I & II" - Thrice
Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime Fates Warning - A Pleasant Shade of Gray WASP - The Crimson Idol Alice Cooper - From the Inside Edge of Sanity - Crimson King Diamond - Abigail Lizzy Borden - Master of Disguise Judas Priest - Nostradamus (underrated as hell) This one gets an honorable mention because the fact that they were teenagers when they made it is Damn impressive. The Warning - Queen of the Murder Scene
from the inside isn't just a great concept album, it's also one of cooper's best. i just wish last temptation had a clearer plot, because the songs are pretty outstanding. let's not forget brutal planet's excellence either.
@@austindolan7182 if you look at last temptation as the "prologue" to the Steven Trilogy it makes a hell of a lot more sense. He never outright says it, but it gets pretty clear that this is how Steven went bad and the first indication that it might not just Steven being a psycho, but someone with a literal devil in his head
The Wall is an album that asks many important psychological questions, such as, "Mother do you think they'll try to break..." (Pause for effect) "...MY BALLS?"
A few of my personal favorite concept albums of all time (in no particular order): 1. King Diamond ~ Abigail 2. King Diamond ~ "Them" 3. King Diamond ~ Conspiracy 4. Queensryche ~ Operation: Mindcrime 5. Trans-Siberian Orchestra ~ Beethoven's Last Night 6. Iron Maiden ~ Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son 7. I Am Abomination ~ Passion Of The Heist I & II 8. First Fragment ~ Dasein 9. First Fragment ~ Gloirè Eternelle 10. The Faceless ~ Planetary Duality 🤘😏
How csn you mention TSO and ignore the band that invented it and formed the base band for it. Trans Siberian Orchestra is a fleshed out and slightly toned down version of Savatage. Savatage singer Jon Oliva and producer Paul O’Neill came up with the concept for TSO after several metallized orchestra pieces off of 1995’s Dead Winter Dead (Especially Christmas Eve, Sarajevo 12/24) blew up on the airwaves. Savatage ruled the 90’s with three rock operas. Streets(1990) and Dead Winter Dead (1995) are better than any Concept Album/Rock Opera that anyone has ever done. And The Wake of Magellan (1997) is almost as good and just as inspirational as the other two. If you don’t know these recordings, I encourage you to check them out.
Songs For The Deaf by Queens Of The Stone Age is one of my all time favorites. Also, not sure if We Were Dead Dead Before The Ship Even Sank by Modest Mouse is considered a concept album, but I feel like it should be.
My favorites: "The Wall," "Tommy," "Quadrophenia," "The Downward Spiral," "The Hazards of Love" (which doesn't get talked enough about, IMO), "The Point," and "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway." *EDIT: Oh, and how could I forget about "Ziggy Stardust" and "Zen Arcade?"
@@tmamone83 I wish to subscribe to your newsletter. The Point isn't Nilsson's best work, but it's up there. Ooh, Wiki says that there was a stage play in '77 that included Mickey Dolenz and Davy Jones and that there's a cast recording that was released in 2016.
UPDATE: I MESSED UP WITH THE RADIOHEAD ALBUM TITLE. IT'S OK COMPUTER, NOT KARMA POLICE. IT CAN NOT BE FIXED NOW. JUST EXPLAINING HERE. Know of another great concept album? Leave a comment and let everyone know! Click below to hear music from each album discussed: Dream Theater - “Through Her Eyes” (live) = th-cam.com/video/cECmfwdAX7A/w-d-xo.html Green Day - “American Idiot” = th-cam.com/video/Ee_uujKuJMI/w-d-xo.html Iron Maiden - “The Clairvoyant” (live) = th-cam.com/video/s5Q_rbs9ul8/w-d-xo.html My Chemical Romance - “Welcome To The Black Parade” = th-cam.com/video/RRKJiM9Njr8/w-d-xo.html Nightwish - “Storytime” = th-cam.com/video/09MTDBb8qro/w-d-xo.html Opeth - “Godhead’s Lament” = th-cam.com/video/KEyK4BjwMZ0/w-d-xo.html A Perfect Circle - “Weak And Powerless” = th-cam.com/video/s-GsLh6dazI/w-d-xo.html Pink Floyd - “Another Brick In The Wall, Part Two” = th-cam.com/video/HrxX9TBj2zY/w-d-xo.html Radiohead - “Karma Police” = th-cam.com/video/1uYWYWPc9HU/w-d-xo.html Rush - “2112” (live) = th-cam.com/video/NJPAjiSX7Rk/w-d-xo.html Please check out more of our videos below: 10 Bands Metal Elitists Hate = th-cam.com/video/CveEOqc8eZ8/w-d-xo.html Top 10 BEST MTV Unplugged Performances = th-cam.com/video/sTxvDBiiN1Y/w-d-xo.html 10 Great Bands With Only One Album = th-cam.com/video/goTB0yUsO3g/w-d-xo.html 10 Music Videos Banned By MTV = th-cam.com/video/YuKMGwTlRA0/w-d-xo.html
Crack the Skye by Mastodon is my second favorite album of all time (only behind Ride the Lightning). Trippy, psychedelic lead guitarwork, chunky riffing, a surreal storyline that needs to be heard to be believed, the first time drummer Brann Dailor performed lead vocals on a Mastodon album, and the reason for its existence as closure for tragedy in his personal life (a common backstory behind Mastodon albums now that I think about it), Crack the Skye is a masterpiece, plain and simple.
An awesome album to play while watching Fantasia on mute. I started the first cd when the orchestra was tuning up, switched to disk 2 after 1st played out, then after 2nd disk ends, put on Further Down the Spiral. I don't know if this can be replicated the way my friend and I experienced this but it was mind-blowing. We were cheering it on at many points. Some acid helped too. LOL
The Downward Spiral is Trent Reznor's The Wall. It follows much the same structure as a concept album, albeit in a stripped down, bare bones approach chronicling emotional trauma and escalating megalomania.
@@AndaraBledin For me, it's more of an angry listen. Other NIN albums are my go-to when I'm feeling down because they make me feel like someone actually understands how I feel.
No Coheed and Cambria? Their entire existence is based on a concept. Guess its hard to single out cuz their entire discography is telling 1 story a few chapters at a time. Although Year of The Black Rainbow has an accompanying novel released too. And the Graphic Novels for thejr first few albums.
Absolutely this. I could never quite get into the Amory Wars myself (I'm just not a comic books person), but having all the "lore", if you will, adds so much to what is already such a musically interesting body of work.
@@mattbanville6071 yeah. me neither. ive read the novel and had the second stage and Good Apollo graphic novels and theyre fine...but they dont tell the story as well as like...The Afterman albums, which do a great job of storytelling on the album itself....but with Good Apollo I...youd never know Ten Speed was a talking demon bicycle that tells the writer to do fucked up shit...unless youve read the graphic novels.
1. Dream Theater- Scenes from a memory 2. Genesis- The lamb lies down on Broadway 3. Devin Townsend project- Deconstruction 4. Ayreon- The human equation 5. Pink Floyd- The wall 6. Queensryche- Operation: Mindcrime 7. BTBAM- Coma ecliptic 8. Symphony X- V: The new mythology suite 9. Spock's beard- Snow 10. Rush- Clockwork angels
I'm surprised Mastodon didn't make the list too!! Although I personally would have chosen Crack the Skye, Leviathan was the first of their albums I heard and it blew me away. 🤘🤘
Damn, I can't believe that I didn't think of A Perfect Circle. Thirteenth Step was a whole experience. Even hardcore TOOL fans who were unsure about hearing Maynard doing anything else couldn't help being won over.
My favorite concept album has gotta be The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance, though American Idiot by Green Day is close. Here are some other concept albums that are awesome. 1. Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown 2. My Chemical Romance - Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge 3. My Chemical Romance - Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys 4. Linkin Park - A Thousand Suns 5. Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf
@@craighenry2351 Yes. One of my favorite albums of all time is the self-titled album by Boston that came out in 1976 and one of my all time favorite bands is Death, who put out all of their material in the 80s and 90s. I just not the biggest fan of a lot of pre 2000s music I have heard. I may enjoy a fair amount of the music but I'm not going out of my way to listen to it.
If you read any of my many comments on here, you will see where I am coming from. I love Prog Metal but I am selective. Three of my top five (1.Savatage, 2. Queensryche, 3. Fates Warning) Prog Metal bands would take up six of the spots on this top ten. Interestingly, my first true favorite band was Boston as I was in high school when the first album came out (Plus, Tom Scholz is from Ohio, like I am.). After High School I morphed to Rush as my favorite band in college, followed by The Scorpions for 10 years. In 1992, I heard Savatage and they have been my favorite band ever since. My influences include Led Zeppelin, Boston, UFO, Thin Lizzy, Bad Company, Triumph, Iron Maiden and MSG (I think Michael Schenker is the best hard rock/metal guitarist in history.). Anyway, since a large chunk of my favorite bands are Prog Metal bands, if you had to categorize me, that’s where I’d fit. Finally, I have heard good things about Death and Chuck Schuldiner. I heard they are from Florida (Like Savatage) and Chuck died too young like Savatage’s original lead guitarisi Criss Oliva (The most underrated metal guitarist ever and number 4 on my greatest metal guitarist list). I need to check Death out.
Great video! Concept albums are really something special. Here are some other good ones: -The Stage by Avenged Sevenfold (story about robots taking over the world) -Black Holes And Revelations by Muse (dystopian sci-fi) -Songs For The Deaf by Queens of the Stone Age (story about a road trip through the desert) -Leviathan by Mastodon (adaptation of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick) -Twin Fantasy by Car Seat Headrest (autobiographical story about a long-distance relationship) -The Great War by Sabaton (true stories from WW1) -The Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails (story of a man going insane) -Scaled and Icy by Twenty One Pilots (dystopian propoganda mind control music, happy pop songs with sinister messages) -Frances The Mute by The Mars Volta (I honestly have no idea) -…And Justice For All by Metallica (the criminal justice system) -A Thousand Suns by Linkin Park (nuclear war) -The Nothing by Korn (exploration of grief, written shortly after the death of Jonathan Davis’ wife) -Meliora by Ghost (satanism, the absence of God) -Just about anything from Voivod or Coheed & Cambria (both sci-fi metal) I’m also surprised you didn’t mention Queensrÿche at all given how much they were talked about on the community post.
American Idiot has been my favorite album ever since 2004 and Green Day has been my favorite band ever since 2004. I was only 3 years old when I got it cause I have the best parents ever. That album shaped my life.
If you ever make a follow-up to this list, I think you should at least give a nod to Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds for adapting the novel in a fun, nutty prog-rock style
A kind of forgotten favourite of mine was emo band Armor for Sleep's 2005 album, What to Do When You Are Dead. which basically tells the story of the protagonist's death and his subsequent journey in the afterlife as he tries to move on. Its holds a lot of nostalgia for me. The CD even held a tiny booklet (leaflet) or coping with the fact you are dead and what rules you have to follow. the album got alot of mixed reviews when it came out, but it holds a lot of memories for me :P
@@Posirep Its very over dramatic at times, It's hinted he never expected to be a ghost in some songs that when he died he expected that to be it, he never knew he was coming back as a ghost, and watching the world move on when all he can do is watch is like his torment or punishment.
Kinda surprised Frances the Mute wasn't included given your love for The Mars Volta, that said these are all great picks. Some other great concept albums I think worth mentioning are From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness by Coheed & Cambria, Quiet World by Native Construct, Remedy Lane by Pain of Salvation and Visions by Haken.
Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime Tremonti - A Dying Machine Rush - Clockwork Angels (The Garden is a masterpiece) Alter Bridge - ABII, is my personal favourite, a story about a man losing his faith and trying to find his place in the world Angels and Airwaves - Love, it explores the fundamental human need for connection and the limitless power of hope
Antichrist Superstar by Marilyn Manson is one of my favorite concept albums ever! Also, American idiot, the thirteenth step, the wall and welcome to the black parade are all amazing! Some of my faves!
I mean if we're bringing up Manson it should really be said the Antichrist, Mechanical, and Holywood are kinda just one big trilogy of a concept album.
I will always defend that Queen II is one of the best concept Albums. From the lay out to the fact that the vinyl was pressed white and black for each side just... amazing. It always was the first time we saw that now iconic image of Queen
Tremonti’s A Dying Machine is one of my favorite albums for the songs, though I admit the concept album parts of it are pretty weak due to vague lyrics and the story actually being presented out of order with the track list. For a random nobody band, check out Silent Lapse’s Birthright album!
That Silent Lapse album is excellent. A couple of the guys from Silent Lapse are now in the band Entransient, which is more progressive and not very metal.
@@sopwithsnoopy8779 glad to see someone else that knows them! Entransient is less of my thing, but I’ve dabbled in them a bit. I made a Guitar Pro tab on ultimateguitar for The Wake if you’re interested, and I’m working on one for Seed of Hope
The two concept albums I would add would be The Moody Blues' Days of Future Passed, the album that would begin progressive rock! They performed with the London Festival Orchestra. And all of the songs are fantastic, all killer no filler! Must listen to front to back! And it's one of my favorite albums of 1967! The other would be The Who's Quadrophenia! This is a better concept album and a very interesting story about a boy named Jimmy who's a young working class mod had difficulty finding a job, only to quit 2 days after working as a dustman. He's happy about being a mod, but after he lost his girlfriend to his best friend, he went crazy. After he destroyed his scooter and failed suicide attempt, he went on a train to Brighton to look back at the memories he had with some of his mod friends. After he discovered that The Ace Face works at a hotel as a bell boy, Jimmy realized that everything in his life had rejected and steal a boat, sailing it out to the sea. The boat got stuck by the rocks and we don't know if Jimmy came out alive or if he killed himself. The ending is left ambiguous. This album was all written by Pete Townshend! The songs were way better. The singles are fantastic, and Roger Daltrey's performance of Love Reign O'er Me is perfectly done. And that's The Who's best album.
Your two suggestions are absolutely perfect, Takoda. They’re two of my favorite albums, with Quadrophenia quite possibly being at the very top of the list. It’s so incredibly raw and real. Essentially it was The Who’s unofficial tenth anniversary project, being intensely introspective and retrospective for the band. Looking back on the early sixties mod culture they were created from, which by 1973 already felt like a bygone era, an eternity away from where they found themselves. With the character of Jimmy being the perfect personification of that journey and all the complex feelings they had about it. I have never heard of a band so deliberately and potently calling back to their earlier music like The Who did with putting in a soft, muffled, wistful snippet of “The Kids Are Alright”. (The only other example I can think of is the very end of “All You Need is Love”, but that was basically done on a whim for fun.)
I just saw The Who this week, and they played some cuts from Quadrophenia. An absolute masterpiece of an album from the band that gave us “the rock opera.”
Welcome To My Nightmare and The Last Temptation, both by Alice Cooper, are great concept albums. The latter actually got a three-part comic that told a more fleshed out version of the album's tale. He also did a concept album about his stint in a loony bin getting detoxed, called From The Inside. The album is all about that, and telling about the people he met there. He's done a fair number of others (Goes To Hell, Welcome 2 My Nightmare, Along Came A Spider, etc.), but those are the three that always stand out to me.
There is no clear, black and white definition of a concept album. It's more of a matter of interpretation. But most of the songs are connected as 'sad songs about happiness' as one critic once described Pet Sounds.
@@tdunph4250 The "concept album" refers to the compositions of Brian Wilson, as those are different than what came before. They are his 'pet' sounds. I don't agree with that, but I understand the point. Essentially, it differs from any storyline idea as a concept.
Kinda surprised The Downward Spiral didn't show up on this list, but it also did get mentioned not that long ago. For a bit of a curveball that I don't think anyone else is going to mention, I'd like to highlight Celldweller's Wish Upon a Blackstar. Not sure that album will be for everyone here, but it's a massive amount of fun and I give it my highest recommendations (also look for the continuous mix if you plan on listening to it).
Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet is loosely based on a Brett Easton Ellis novel and broadly deals with ADHD and bipolar disorder as well as overmedicating and social isolation. It's a pretty dark album. Also the lead singer of Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson released an album called Hand Cannot Erase which deals with the fictionalized "last year" of Joyce Carol Vincent who was found alone, dead in her apartment having been undiscovered for more than 2 years. She had been isolated from friends and loved ones and no one knew that she had passed until her body was discovered.
“Imaginos” by Blue Öyster Cult and Albert Bouchard is the most underrated concept album ever: a story that combines historical fiction with Lovecraftian horror in one master stroke!! Albert Bouchard later re-recorded the album and is working on releasing the next two installments. (Yes, it’s a trilogy!!)
All great choices! For me, Wish You Were Here is the best album musically by Pink Floyd, but story wise it's probably The Wall. If there is a part 2 of this video, Lamb Lies Down on Broadway by Genesis and Operation: Mindcrime by Queensryche are great choices.
I love Wish You Were Here. That is my favorite Floyd song as well, followed by the song that precedes it on the album, Have a Cigar. The transition between the two songs is great, also. I like the radio beginning on Wish You Were Here with the song coming on starting in mono and then kicking into stereo.
@@craighenry2351 Yeah, it's kind of hard for me to pick a favorite song from that album. Maybe Shine On You Crazy Diamond 6-9, though it's pretty consistent start to finish.
“Days of Future Passed” by The Moody Blues is my favorite album of all time and in my opinion: the first to perfect the Concept Album. I’m a massive fan of these and other concept albums but I hate how this one (and this band) are constantly forgotten. The Moody Blues is a phenomenal band and “Days of Future Passed” is one of the best concept albums ever made.
Aside from just being the most under-appreciated Pink Floyd album (and my personal favorite), I think Animals goes under the radar as a brilliant concept album as well. It's more or less Pink Floyd's unique take on George Orwell's Animal Farm concept, but it's so insightful and so topical in such a timeless way the way it deconstructs hyper capitalistic society and even offer's a heartwarming sentiment in it's opening and closing tracks about the importance of a society being able to look out for their fellow human being. :)
The Police and their final album Synchronicity to me was a concept album, The whole idea of synchronicity is the seemingly unrelated ideas being correlated with each other.
I love all the mentions. Let me add something to this list that may not have been mentioned by many people. "The Emptiness" by Alesana. It took inspiration from E.A. Poe's Annabel Lee poem. The main character "The artist" wakes up one day to find his lover Annabel dead, and from there he starts battling mental issues and the story picks up in an interesting way, ending in quite an unexpected way. Internal battle at its finest. The lyrics are amazing. I would recommend. This album left a a remarkable feeling on me, and it always feel the same every time I listen to it...
Mew - And the Glass Handed Kites is an album that is just one long track sliced in pieces. Every song continues onto the next. It's really great. Mew are really great.
My favorite is either American Idiot, or Quadrophenia. Honorable Mentions: The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, The Who Sell Out, Animals, Tommy, I am a huge Who fan.
Ayreon - "The Human Equation," is by far my favorite concept album of all time. I would also add Evergrey's "The Inner Circle" as another overlooked and under-appreciated concept album. Both albums are super dark but are amazing to experience.
It may not be considered rock, per say, (maybe art rock) but the second half of Kate Bush's album "Hounds of Love", called "The Ninth Wave" is an incredible concept suite of songs that capture the thoughts, anxieties, hallucinations, and terrors of a woman that fell overboard and is drifting alone at sea during the night, trying to stay awake so she doesn't drown. An incredible and unique piece of music.
Sixx A.M - The Heroin Diaries, is one I think gets a bit overlooked. It's a pretty interesting album, in that it acts as a soundtrack to Nikki Sixx's autobiography of the same name. Each song is built around Nikki's diary entries that he kept during his time of drug abuse, and every song uses a different style that really reflects Sixx's experience during his time in heroin hell.
Some of my favorite concept albuns not mentioned in this video are: Jørn Lande & Trond Holter - Dracula: Swing of Death The Who - Tommy Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime Dream Theater - Octavarium The Beatles - Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band And although not marketed or claimed by the band to be a concept album, it is clear that A Matter of Life and Death by Iron Maiden is a concept album about war, and a pretty good one at that.
My favorite concept albums are Tommy, Quadrophenia, Ziggy Stardust, Diamond Dogs, Outside (another Bowie album), The Wall, Wish You Were Here, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Pet Sounds, What's Going on, In The Court Of The Crimson King and Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirty Cowboy.
some i would pick that arnt here . Frank Zappa- joe's garage . Jeffthro tull - aqualung .husker du- zen arcade .the who- tommy . the kinks - village green preservation society but really you said most of the ones i really love so good job
I’ve got a couple of my own... Coma Ecliptic- Between the Buried and Me The Human Equation- Ayreon Ghostlights- Avantasia Streets: A Rock Opera- Savatage Mercy Falls- Seventh Wonder Affinity- Haken ... That’s just off the top of my head.
It’s obvious, but Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. I know there’s the argument that it doesn’t really count considering John’s songs don’t really play into the idea of Sgt Pepper and his band. But the songs play into one another incredibly well and because of that fact, it works despite it following a very loose concept of a single live production put on by the Lonely Hearts Club Band. It certainly deserves all the admiration and respect it gets.
The Who- Both “Quadrophenia” and “Tommy” (leaning more towards Quadrophenia). I agree with “Operation: Mindcrime.” Mastodon with “Leviathan” or “Crack the Skye.” Kamelot…oof…between “Epica,” “The Black Halo,” and “Silverthorn,” probably “The Black Halo.” And I would say either Fear Factory’s “Demanufacture” or “Obsolete” (probably the latter for me).
Many people have stated other albums that I would mention as well so I will say this: I saw Dream Theater's show of Scenes From A Memory that they played the album in it's entirety followed by the encore of A Change of Seasons. An amazing show.
Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime (but stay the hell away from Mindcrime II) Stone Sour - House of Gold and Bones I & II Oh, and Marillion - Misplaced Childhood
There's a few that I can think of: Fucked Up - David Comes To Life: A meta rock opera about a couple, David and Veronica, who fall in love and bomb a lightbulb factory, resulting in the death of Veronica. David feels sorrow and regret, but soon realizes he's actually a character in a story. Plot can be hard to follow, but it's an amazing hardcore punk album, and "Queen Of Hearts" is one of my all-time favorite songs. NIN - Year Zero: Released in 2007, this album takes place in the far out future of 2022, and is about a dystopian America that gets wiped out by an alien presence. Had a really cool ARG with it back when it was released. The Antlers - Hospice: An album about a hospice nurse that falls in love with his terminally ill patient. It's an allegory for an abusive relationship that lead singer Peter Silberman had. It's incredibly, INCREDIBLY sad, though "Wake" is one of the most cathartic and emotional peaks in an album. And of course, pretty much everything that Coheed and Cambria have released, except The Color Before The Sun. Everything but that one is part of The Armory Wars storyline. I've always found it impressive that their entire discography (mostly) is dedicated towards one plot, even if said plot can be hard to follow in audio format.
Some of my favourite concept albums not mentioned: Kamelot - Epica / The Black Halo Seventh Wonder - Mercy Falls Porcupine Tree - Fear Of a Blank Planet Our Lady Peace - Spiritual Machines Protest The Hero - Kezia Spock's Beard - Snow Insomnium - Winter's Gate Steven Wilson - Hand cannot erase Coheed & Cambria - In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3
We should also stand by the fact that Doug Walker’s (Nostalgia Critic’s) Parody album that was intended to go against The Wall is one of the WORST albums of all time. Listen to Pink Floyd’s Wall, NOT Doug’s.
I always liked Fear Factory's "Obsolete" as one of my favorite concept albums. The CD sleeve had a really good story written in it that matched up with all the tracks on the album.
An album that recently became one of my all-time favorites is "The Black Halo" by Kamelot. It's actually part two of the story started on the previous album "Epica" which I still need to listen to at some point.
Metropolis pt 2 was my introduction to Dream Theater and Still Life was my intro to Opeth, 1999 was a huge music year for me (my freshman year of high school)
A couple greats missing from this list include Queensryche’s “Operation: Mindcrime” and King Diamond’s “Abigail.” However, still a great list nonetheless
Mimdcrime as said many times already. Still great. Still relevant. Any album from coheed and cambria as well. Besides 1 that doesn't go with the story, but an ongoing story through over 10 albums! Still going with a new one coming rhis month
I have to second what was just said by some guy. Operation Mindcrime is a tremendous album. A personal favorite of mine both thematically and musically. I realize lists like these are subjective but I think a Top Ten Concept Album list should include this incredible album.
The Dear Hunter is a five part rock opera that is still one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard Don’t let the length intimidate you, each album stands on its own but it gets even better once you realize how connected they are musically and conceptually
Here’s some that I’m shocked didn’t make the cut on here. The Mars Volta - Frances the Mute Yes - Tales from Topographic Oceans Car Seat Headrest - Twin Fantasy Smashing Pumpkins - Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper and the Lonely Hearts Club Band Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet
Blind Guardian - Nightfall in Middle-Earth Anything by Ayreon or Avantasia (they only do metal operas) 2112 isn't a concept album (the title track stands alone on the album), however their final album "Clockwork Angels" is.
• WASP - _The Crimson Idol_ (My favourite album of all time)
• Genesis - _The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway_
• Queensryche - _Operation: Mindcrime_
• Ayreon - _The Human Equation_
• Savatage - _Streets: A Rock Opera_
• King Diamond - _Abigail_
Operation: Mindcrime should be at the top of any list like this one.
There are multiple Ayreon concept albums and all of them should be heard once. A full spectrum of guest vocalists and musicians helped create not just an album but a whole universe as many of the albums tie into each other.
Crimson Idol was my pick too.
Ayreon -"The Human Equation" is an amazing experience!
I came here to talk about Ayreon - The Human Equation. Glad someone mentioned it already. It is a bit less known than the rest of the list but with Mikael Ackerfeldt, James LaBrie, Devin Townsend plus the captivating story about the main characters coma dreams, this is among my top albums of all time.
Also, I am glad you mentioned Queensryche and Savatage ;)
Operation Mindcrime by Queensrÿche is not only my favorite concept album, but one of my favorite albums of all time.
Right on! A true masterpiece.
It is musical perfection
It's amazing. I just throw it on randomly all the time and end up listening to the whole thing.
Yeah, my thoughts exactly.
Luke always says don't say 'how could you miss this'
But how could Luke miss this?
If you make a part two, consider any of the following:
"Operation: Mindcrime" - Queensrÿche
"De-Loused in the Comatorium" or "Frances the Mute" - The Mars Volta
"Fear of a Blank Planet" - Porcupine Tree
"Hand. Cannot. Erase." - Steven Wilson
"Anno Domini High Definition" - Riverside
"The Downward Spiral" or "Year Zero" - Nine Inch Nails
"Leviathan" - Mastodon
"Polaris" - Tesseract
"Songs for the Deaf" - Queens of the Stone Age
"The Alchemy Index Vols. I & II" - Thrice
Polaris is a concept album?
Riverside and Steven Wilson made wonderful concept albums.
Damn fine list
@@amjreptx1 it’s not
Polaris doesn´t look like a concept album, unles its secret. But Altered State by the same band is a concept album and to me its the best album ever.
Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime
Fates Warning - A Pleasant Shade of Gray
WASP - The Crimson Idol
Alice Cooper - From the Inside
Edge of Sanity - Crimson
King Diamond - Abigail
Lizzy Borden - Master of Disguise
Judas Priest - Nostradamus (underrated as hell)
This one gets an honorable mention because the fact that they were teenagers when they made it is Damn impressive. The Warning - Queen of the Murder Scene
from the inside isn't just a great concept album, it's also one of cooper's best.
i just wish last temptation had a clearer plot, because the songs are pretty outstanding.
let's not forget brutal planet's excellence either.
King diamond is god
@@austindolan7182 if you look at last temptation as the "prologue" to the Steven Trilogy it makes a hell of a lot more sense. He never outright says it, but it gets pretty clear that this is how Steven went bad and the first indication that it might not just Steven being a psycho, but someone with a literal devil in his head
@@austindolan7182 also there's a tie in comic cowritten with Neil Gaiman that expands the narrative where the music can't
The Wall is an album that asks many important psychological questions, such as, "Mother do you think they'll try to break..."
(Pause for effect)
"...MY BALLS?"
A few of my personal favorite concept albums of all time (in no particular order):
1. King Diamond ~ Abigail
2. King Diamond ~ "Them"
3. King Diamond ~ Conspiracy
4. Queensryche ~ Operation: Mindcrime
5. Trans-Siberian Orchestra ~ Beethoven's Last Night
6. Iron Maiden ~ Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son
7. I Am Abomination ~ Passion Of The Heist I & II
8. First Fragment ~ Dasein
9. First Fragment ~ Gloirè Eternelle
10. The Faceless ~ Planetary Duality
🤘😏
Now that is an awesome list
How csn you mention TSO and ignore the band that invented it and formed the base band for it. Trans Siberian Orchestra is a fleshed out and slightly toned down version of Savatage. Savatage singer Jon Oliva and producer Paul O’Neill came up with the concept for TSO after several metallized orchestra pieces off of 1995’s Dead Winter Dead (Especially Christmas Eve, Sarajevo 12/24) blew up on the airwaves. Savatage ruled the 90’s with three rock operas. Streets(1990) and Dead Winter Dead (1995) are better than any Concept Album/Rock Opera that anyone has ever done. And The Wake of Magellan (1997) is almost as good and just as inspirational as the other two. If you don’t know these recordings, I encourage you to check them out.
Songs For The Deaf by Queens Of The Stone Age is one of my all time favorites. Also, not sure if We Were Dead Dead Before The Ship Even Sank by Modest Mouse is considered a concept album, but I feel like it should be.
My favorites: "The Wall," "Tommy," "Quadrophenia," "The Downward Spiral," "The Hazards of Love" (which doesn't get talked enough about, IMO), "The Point," and "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway."
*EDIT: Oh, and how could I forget about "Ziggy Stardust" and "Zen Arcade?"
Oh my, I loved "The Point as a young kid. I haven't thought about it in a while. I need to listen to it again.
The Decemberists are awesome, glad you mentioned them!
@@Forrest0726 Since pretty much everything is being made into a Broadway musical, somebody should put "The Point" on Broadway!
@@tmamone83 I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
The Point isn't Nilsson's best work, but it's up there.
Ooh, Wiki says that there was a stage play in '77 that included Mickey Dolenz and Davy Jones and that there's a cast recording that was released in 2016.
@@AndaraBledin I'd give you the link if I had a newsletter.
UPDATE: I MESSED UP WITH THE RADIOHEAD ALBUM TITLE. IT'S OK COMPUTER, NOT KARMA POLICE. IT CAN NOT BE FIXED NOW. JUST EXPLAINING HERE.
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I think antichrist superstar by marilyn manson is an awesome concept album!
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway by Genesis is a classic.
Operation: Mindcrime by Queensrÿche for sure. Why was that not on here? It's my favorite concept album (and the only one I own on CD).
Please review skycycle 1 and zeros
I thought ATTENTION ATTENTION by Shinedown was amazing
Crack the Skye by Mastodon is my second favorite album of all time (only behind Ride the Lightning). Trippy, psychedelic lead guitarwork, chunky riffing, a surreal storyline that needs to be heard to be believed, the first time drummer Brann Dailor performed lead vocals on a Mastodon album, and the reason for its existence as closure for tragedy in his personal life (a common backstory behind Mastodon albums now that I think about it), Crack the Skye is a masterpiece, plain and simple.
I’m a relatively new Mastodon fan but Crack the Skye was an instant favorite once I listened to it from start to finish.
Nine Inch Nails album "The Fragile" was an excellent concept album.
Agreed.
An awesome album to play while watching Fantasia on mute. I started the first cd when the orchestra was tuning up, switched to disk 2 after 1st played out, then after 2nd disk ends, put on Further Down the Spiral. I don't know if this can be replicated the way my friend and I experienced this but it was mind-blowing. We were cheering it on at many points. Some acid helped too. LOL
100% AMAZING
The Downward Spiral is Trent Reznor's The Wall. It follows much the same structure as a concept album, albeit in a stripped down, bare bones approach chronicling emotional trauma and escalating megalomania.
I often describe The Downward Spiral as a mental breakdown in musical format. It's my go-to listen when I'm feeling depressed.
@@AndaraBledin For me, it's more of an angry listen. Other NIN albums are my go-to when I'm feeling down because they make me feel like someone actually understands how I feel.
Iron Maiden's 'Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son' album(1988) is also my personal favorite album of theirs and I also love Rush's music.
Never got into that album. It’s kinda boring, no bangers like their usual albums have.
@@Jazzanaught moonchild? Title track?
No Coheed and Cambria? Their entire existence is based on a concept.
Guess its hard to single out cuz their entire discography is telling 1 story a few chapters at a time.
Although Year of The Black Rainbow has an accompanying novel released too. And the Graphic Novels for thejr first few albums.
Absolutely this. I could never quite get into the Amory Wars myself (I'm just not a comic books person), but having all the "lore", if you will, adds so much to what is already such a musically interesting body of work.
@@mattbanville6071 yeah. me neither.
ive read the novel and had the second stage and Good Apollo graphic novels and theyre fine...but they dont tell the story as well as like...The Afterman albums, which do a great job of storytelling on the album itself....but with Good Apollo I...youd never know Ten Speed was a talking demon bicycle that tells the writer to do fucked up shit...unless youve read the graphic novels.
Opeth, Radiohead, and A Perfect Circle albums are excellent. Perfect for conceptual ideas.
1. Dream Theater- Scenes from a memory
2. Genesis- The lamb lies down on Broadway
3. Devin Townsend project- Deconstruction
4. Ayreon- The human equation
5. Pink Floyd- The wall
6. Queensryche- Operation: Mindcrime
7. BTBAM- Coma ecliptic
8. Symphony X- V: The new mythology suite
9. Spock's beard- Snow
10. Rush- Clockwork angels
Coma Ecliptic is fantastic!
Also Clockwork Angels is a really underrated Rush album imo.
My two favorite concept albums are definitely Bolt Thrower's "Realm of Chaos", and, Mastodon's "Leviathan".
I'm surprised Mastodon didn't make the list too!! Although I personally would have chosen Crack the Skye, Leviathan was the first of their albums I heard and it blew me away. 🤘🤘
Yes! Leviathan!
Bought "Realm of Chaos" on release with the Warhammer lyric book thing. Still got them. Excellent call.
Damn, I can't believe that I didn't think of A Perfect Circle. Thirteenth Step was a whole experience. Even hardcore TOOL fans who were unsure about hearing Maynard doing anything else couldn't help being won over.
yeah that record rules. i like Mer De Noms a little bit more though.
Scenes From A Memory has a certain... Beauty to it. The structure, the lyrical themes, EVERYTHING WORKS.
An absolute masterpiece
My favorite concept album has gotta be The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance, though American Idiot by Green Day is close. Here are some other concept albums that are awesome.
1. Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown
2. My Chemical Romance - Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge
3. My Chemical Romance - Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys
4. Linkin Park - A Thousand Suns
5. Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf
Just curious, do you know any music before 2000?
@@craighenry2351 Yes. One of my favorite albums of all time is the self-titled album by Boston that came out in 1976 and one of my all time favorite bands is Death, who put out all of their material in the 80s and 90s. I just not the biggest fan of a lot of pre 2000s music I have heard. I may enjoy a fair amount of the music but I'm not going out of my way to listen to it.
Well said. Good for you.
If you read any of my many comments on here, you will see where I am coming from. I love Prog Metal but I am selective. Three of my top five (1.Savatage, 2. Queensryche, 3. Fates Warning) Prog Metal bands would take up six of the spots on this top ten.
Interestingly, my first true favorite band was Boston as I was in high school when the first album came out (Plus, Tom Scholz is from Ohio, like I am.). After High School I morphed to Rush as my favorite band in college, followed by The Scorpions for 10 years. In 1992, I heard Savatage and they have been my favorite band ever since. My influences include Led Zeppelin, Boston, UFO, Thin Lizzy, Bad Company, Triumph, Iron Maiden and MSG (I think Michael Schenker is the best hard rock/metal guitarist in history.). Anyway, since a large chunk of my favorite bands are Prog Metal bands, if you had to categorize me, that’s where I’d fit.
Finally, I have heard good things about Death and Chuck Schuldiner. I heard they are from Florida (Like Savatage) and Chuck died too young like Savatage’s original lead guitarisi Criss Oliva (The most underrated metal guitarist ever and number 4 on my greatest metal guitarist list). I need to check Death out.
Great video! Concept albums are really something special. Here are some other good ones:
-The Stage by Avenged Sevenfold (story about robots taking over the world)
-Black Holes And Revelations by Muse (dystopian sci-fi)
-Songs For The Deaf by Queens of the Stone Age (story about a road trip through the desert)
-Leviathan by Mastodon (adaptation of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick)
-Twin Fantasy by Car Seat Headrest (autobiographical story about a long-distance relationship)
-The Great War by Sabaton (true stories from WW1)
-The Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails (story of a man going insane)
-Scaled and Icy by Twenty One Pilots (dystopian propoganda mind control music, happy pop songs with sinister messages)
-Frances The Mute by The Mars Volta (I honestly have no idea)
-…And Justice For All by Metallica (the criminal justice system)
-A Thousand Suns by Linkin Park (nuclear war)
-The Nothing by Korn (exploration of grief, written shortly after the death of Jonathan Davis’ wife)
-Meliora by Ghost (satanism, the absence of God)
-Just about anything from Voivod or Coheed & Cambria (both sci-fi metal)
I’m also surprised you didn’t mention Queensrÿche at all given how much they were talked about on the community post.
American Idiot has been my favorite album ever since 2004 and Green Day has been my favorite band ever since 2004. I was only 3 years old when I got it cause I have the best parents ever. That album shaped my life.
If you ever make a follow-up to this list, I think you should at least give a nod to Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds for adapting the novel in a fun, nutty prog-rock style
A kind of forgotten favourite of mine was emo band Armor for Sleep's 2005 album, What to Do When You Are Dead. which basically tells the story of the protagonist's death and his subsequent journey in the afterlife as he tries to move on. Its holds a lot of nostalgia for me. The CD even held a tiny booklet (leaflet) or coping with the fact you are dead and what rules you have to follow. the album got alot of mixed reviews when it came out, but it holds a lot of memories for me :P
I had that also. That was Armor For Sleep's best.
I like this album but its so cringe when you break it down.
Dude kills himself and spends the rest of the album complaining about being dead
@@Posirep Its very over dramatic at times, It's hinted he never expected to be a ghost in some songs that when he died he expected that to be it, he never knew he was coming back as a ghost, and watching the world move on when all he can do is watch is like his torment or punishment.
Kinda surprised Frances the Mute wasn't included given your love for The Mars Volta, that said these are all great picks. Some other great concept albums I think worth mentioning are From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness by Coheed & Cambria, Quiet World by Native Construct, Remedy Lane by Pain of Salvation and Visions by Haken.
I was going to say the same thing, I know he absolutely loves the Volta, I kept waiting for Frances to show up
Hell yeah, GAIBS4 is a great album.
Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime
Tremonti - A Dying Machine
Rush - Clockwork Angels (The Garden is a masterpiece)
Alter Bridge - ABII, is my personal favourite, a story about a man losing his faith and trying to find his place in the world
Angels and Airwaves - Love, it explores the fundamental human need for connection and the limitless power of hope
Antichrist Superstar by Marilyn Manson is one of my favorite concept albums ever! Also, American idiot, the thirteenth step, the wall and welcome to the black parade are all amazing! Some of my faves!
I mean if we're bringing up Manson it should really be said the Antichrist, Mechanical, and Holywood are kinda just one big trilogy of a concept album.
The Warning - "Queen of the Murder Scene" is an instant classic by a young band with a very bright future.
"Queen of the Murder Scene" by The Warning is an incredible concept album!
U2 Zooropa was always up there for me.
I would have to say that my favorites are both double album concepts:
Kamelot "Epica" & "The Black Halo"
Unleash the Archers "Apex" & "Abyss"
So happy someone mentioned unleash the archers!
I will always defend that Queen II is one of the best concept Albums. From the lay out to the fact that the vinyl was pressed white and black for each side just... amazing. It always was the first time we saw that now iconic image of Queen
The Wikipedia article for it does say it’s “not a concept album”, so, take that for what you will.
Tremonti’s A Dying Machine is one of my favorite albums for the songs, though I admit the concept album parts of it are pretty weak due to vague lyrics and the story actually being presented out of order with the track list.
For a random nobody band, check out Silent Lapse’s Birthright album!
That Silent Lapse album is excellent. A couple of the guys from Silent Lapse are now in the band Entransient, which is more progressive and not very metal.
@@sopwithsnoopy8779 glad to see someone else that knows them! Entransient is less of my thing, but I’ve dabbled in them a bit.
I made a Guitar Pro tab on ultimateguitar for The Wake if you’re interested, and I’m working on one for Seed of Hope
The two concept albums I would add would be The Moody Blues' Days of Future Passed, the album that would begin progressive rock! They performed with the London Festival Orchestra. And all of the songs are fantastic, all killer no filler! Must listen to front to back! And it's one of my favorite albums of 1967!
The other would be The Who's Quadrophenia! This is a better concept album and a very interesting story about a boy named Jimmy who's a young working class mod had difficulty finding a job, only to quit 2 days after working as a dustman. He's happy about being a mod, but after he lost his girlfriend to his best friend, he went crazy. After he destroyed his scooter and failed suicide attempt, he went on a train to Brighton to look back at the memories he had with some of his mod friends. After he discovered that The Ace Face works at a hotel as a bell boy, Jimmy realized that everything in his life had rejected and steal a boat, sailing it out to the sea. The boat got stuck by the rocks and we don't know if Jimmy came out alive or if he killed himself. The ending is left ambiguous. This album was all written by Pete Townshend! The songs were way better. The singles are fantastic, and Roger Daltrey's performance of Love Reign O'er Me is perfectly done. And that's The Who's best album.
Your two suggestions are absolutely perfect, Takoda. They’re two of my favorite albums, with Quadrophenia quite possibly being at the very top of the list.
It’s so incredibly raw and real. Essentially it was The Who’s unofficial tenth anniversary project, being intensely introspective and retrospective for the band. Looking back on the early sixties mod culture they were created from, which by 1973 already felt like a bygone era, an eternity away from where they found themselves. With the character of Jimmy being the perfect personification of that journey and all the complex feelings they had about it.
I have never heard of a band so deliberately and potently calling back to their earlier music like The Who did with putting in a soft, muffled, wistful snippet of “The Kids Are Alright”. (The only other example I can think of is the very end of “All You Need is Love”, but that was basically done on a whim for fun.)
I picked up Days of Future Passed on vinyl a few months back. Love it
I just saw The Who this week, and they played some cuts from Quadrophenia. An absolute masterpiece of an album from the band that gave us “the rock opera.”
@@defchan1970
I saw them on their 50th anniversary tour, absolutely stunning
Welcome To My Nightmare and The Last Temptation, both by Alice Cooper, are great concept albums. The latter actually got a three-part comic that told a more fleshed out version of the album's tale. He also did a concept album about his stint in a loony bin getting detoxed, called From The Inside. The album is all about that, and telling about the people he met there. He's done a fair number of others (Goes To Hell, Welcome 2 My Nightmare, Along Came A Spider, etc.), but those are the three that always stand out to me.
Sweet! Next time bring up Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band!
Pet Sounds (1966) by The Beach Boys is considered a concept album, and was inspired by The Beatles 'Rubber Soul' album from 1965.
How was Pet Sounds a "concept" album??
Pet Sounds isn't a concept album. It was a heavily ambitious album for its time, but there's no narrative, theme, or connection between the songs.
There is no clear, black and white definition of a concept album. It's more of a matter of interpretation. But most of the songs are connected as 'sad songs about happiness' as one critic once described Pet Sounds.
@@tdunph4250 _2112_ is not a concept album either, yet it was included.
@@tdunph4250 The "concept album" refers to the compositions of Brian Wilson, as those are different than what came before. They are his 'pet' sounds. I don't agree with that, but I understand the point. Essentially, it differs from any storyline idea as a concept.
I'm glad you made this video now that I'm trying to write a concept album myself.
Kinda surprised The Downward Spiral didn't show up on this list, but it also did get mentioned not that long ago. For a bit of a curveball that I don't think anyone else is going to mention, I'd like to highlight Celldweller's Wish Upon a Blackstar. Not sure that album will be for everyone here, but it's a massive amount of fun and I give it my highest recommendations (also look for the continuous mix if you plan on listening to it).
Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet is loosely based on a Brett Easton Ellis novel and broadly deals with ADHD and bipolar disorder as well as overmedicating and social isolation. It's a pretty dark album.
Also the lead singer of Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson released an album called Hand Cannot Erase which deals with the fictionalized "last year" of Joyce Carol Vincent who was found alone, dead in her apartment having been undiscovered for more than 2 years. She had been isolated from friends and loved ones and no one knew that she had passed until her body was discovered.
“Imaginos” by Blue Öyster Cult and Albert Bouchard is the most underrated concept album ever: a story that combines historical fiction with Lovecraftian horror in one master stroke!! Albert Bouchard later re-recorded the album and is working on releasing the next two installments. (Yes, it’s a trilogy!!)
The Dear Hunter has, like, a Concept Existence with Acts I-V. And theyre all so freaking good
All great choices! For me, Wish You Were Here is the best album musically by Pink Floyd, but story wise it's probably The Wall. If there is a part 2 of this video, Lamb Lies Down on Broadway by Genesis and Operation: Mindcrime by Queensryche are great choices.
I love Wish You Were Here. That is my favorite Floyd song as well, followed by the song that precedes it on the album, Have a Cigar. The transition between the two songs is great, also. I like the radio beginning on Wish You Were Here with the song coming on starting in mono and then kicking into stereo.
@@craighenry2351 Yeah, it's kind of hard for me to pick a favorite song from that album. Maybe Shine On You Crazy Diamond 6-9, though it's pretty consistent start to finish.
“Days of Future Passed” by The Moody Blues is my favorite album of all time and in my opinion: the first to perfect the Concept Album. I’m a massive fan of these and other concept albums but I hate how this one (and this band) are constantly forgotten. The Moody Blues is a phenomenal band and “Days of Future Passed” is one of the best concept albums ever made.
"The Stage" album by Avenged Sevenfold is very beautiful concept album about universe.
Man no talk of Ayreon, Arjen is the master of making concept albums
I recently heard Queen of the Murderer Scene by The Warning and im just surprised in a good way
Aside from just being the most under-appreciated Pink Floyd album (and my personal favorite), I think Animals goes under the radar as a brilliant concept album as well. It's more or less Pink Floyd's unique take on George Orwell's Animal Farm concept, but it's so insightful and so topical in such a timeless way the way it deconstructs hyper capitalistic society and even offer's a heartwarming sentiment in it's opening and closing tracks about the importance of a society being able to look out for their fellow human being. :)
This was a really great video and so many concepts albums are left to talk about. I want a Part 2 with many other bands
Frances the mute will forever be my favorite concept album. So many ways to look at the story and it’s so easy to listen to over and over again.
The Police and their final album Synchronicity to me was a concept album,
The whole idea of synchronicity is the seemingly unrelated ideas being correlated with each other.
I’m a simple man. I see American Idiot in the thumbnail, and I click.
10 artists on this list is the best, thank you for this information.
I have to shout out literally every Ayreon album, but specifically The Human Equation and The Theory of Everything
I love all the mentions. Let me add something to this list that may not have been mentioned by many people. "The Emptiness" by Alesana. It took inspiration from E.A. Poe's Annabel Lee poem. The main character "The artist" wakes up one day to find his lover Annabel dead, and from there he starts battling mental issues and the story picks up in an interesting way, ending in quite an unexpected way. Internal battle at its finest. The lyrics are amazing. I would recommend. This album left a a remarkable feeling on me, and it always feel the same every time I listen to it...
Ayreon's The Theory of Everything is the best narrative concept albums I've ever heard. 💜
Mew - And the Glass Handed Kites is an album that is just one long track sliced in pieces. Every song continues onto the next. It's really great. Mew are really great.
My favorite is either American Idiot, or Quadrophenia. Honorable Mentions: The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, The Who Sell Out, Animals, Tommy, I am a huge Who fan.
Same, honestly, I was shocked that there wasn’t a an album by The Who on here.
Ayreon - "The Human Equation," is by far my favorite concept album of all time. I would also add Evergrey's "The Inner Circle" as another overlooked and under-appreciated concept album. Both albums are super dark but are amazing to experience.
Most of Silverstein's catalog, but specifically, my favorite is "This Is How the Wind Shifts".
It may not be considered rock, per say, (maybe art rock) but the second half of Kate Bush's album "Hounds of Love", called "The Ninth Wave" is an incredible concept suite of songs that capture the thoughts, anxieties, hallucinations, and terrors of a woman that fell overboard and is drifting alone at sea during the night, trying to stay awake so she doesn't drown. An incredible and unique piece of music.
Bob's Burgers has a FANTASTIC episode where Bob and Gene see a light show for a concept album that was clearly inspired by Rush's 2112.
I remember that episode. They had to re-buy tickets because it freaked Gene out.
Sixx A.M - The Heroin Diaries, is one I think gets a bit overlooked. It's a pretty interesting album, in that it acts as a soundtrack to Nikki Sixx's autobiography of the same name.
Each song is built around Nikki's diary entries that he kept during his time of drug abuse, and every song uses a different style that really reflects Sixx's experience during his time in heroin hell.
Alright metropolis part 2 is here. We’re good.
Marillion's Clutching at Straws is a masterpeice.
Some of my favorite concept albuns not mentioned in this video are:
Jørn Lande & Trond Holter - Dracula: Swing of Death
The Who - Tommy
Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime
Dream Theater - Octavarium
The Beatles - Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band
And although not marketed or claimed by the band to be a concept album, it is clear that A Matter of Life and Death by Iron Maiden is a concept album about war, and a pretty good one at that.
I’ll list a couple extras off the top of my head:
- “The Human Equation” by Ayreon
- “Happy People” by Tom Slatter
Shinedown's Planet Zero is a great one, that of course came out after you recorded this.
King Diamond - Abigail (or most of their other albums)
Ayreon have made a career of concept albums
My favorite concept albums are Tommy, Quadrophenia, Ziggy Stardust, Diamond Dogs, Outside (another Bowie album), The Wall, Wish You Were Here, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Pet Sounds, What's Going on, In The Court Of The Crimson King and Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirty Cowboy.
some i would pick that arnt here
. Frank Zappa- joe's garage
. Jeffthro tull - aqualung
.husker du- zen arcade
.the who- tommy
. the kinks - village green preservation society
but really you said most of the ones i really love so good job
I’ve got a couple of my own...
Coma Ecliptic- Between the Buried and Me
The Human Equation- Ayreon
Ghostlights- Avantasia
Streets: A Rock Opera- Savatage
Mercy Falls- Seventh Wonder
Affinity- Haken
... That’s just off the top of my head.
It’s obvious, but Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. I know there’s the argument that it doesn’t really count considering John’s songs don’t really play into the idea of Sgt Pepper and his band. But the songs play into one another incredibly well and because of that fact, it works despite it following a very loose concept of a single live production put on by the Lonely Hearts Club Band. It certainly deserves all the admiration and respect it gets.
Mate that’s my favourite too. Very surprised to see no one else mention it
Parallax II by Between the Buried and Me is easily my favorite concept album.
When I was painting houses to pay my way through university I listened to 7th Son of 7th Son like every day.
The Who- Both “Quadrophenia” and “Tommy” (leaning more towards Quadrophenia). I agree with “Operation: Mindcrime.” Mastodon with “Leviathan” or “Crack the Skye.” Kamelot…oof…between “Epica,” “The Black Halo,” and “Silverthorn,” probably “The Black Halo.” And I would say either Fear Factory’s “Demanufacture” or “Obsolete” (probably the latter for me).
Many people have stated other albums that I would mention as well so I will say this:
I saw Dream Theater's show of Scenes From A Memory that they played the album in it's entirety followed by the encore of A Change of Seasons. An amazing show.
Not disappointed that they weren't mentioned but felt they deserved a nod. Porcupine Tree have done some amazing Concept albums.
Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime
(but stay the hell away from Mindcrime II)
Stone Sour - House of Gold and Bones I & II
Oh, and Marillion - Misplaced Childhood
There's a few that I can think of:
Fucked Up - David Comes To Life: A meta rock opera about a couple, David and Veronica, who fall in love and bomb a lightbulb factory, resulting in the death of Veronica. David feels sorrow and regret, but soon realizes he's actually a character in a story. Plot can be hard to follow, but it's an amazing hardcore punk album, and "Queen Of Hearts" is one of my all-time favorite songs.
NIN - Year Zero: Released in 2007, this album takes place in the far out future of 2022, and is about a dystopian America that gets wiped out by an alien presence. Had a really cool ARG with it back when it was released.
The Antlers - Hospice: An album about a hospice nurse that falls in love with his terminally ill patient. It's an allegory for an abusive relationship that lead singer Peter Silberman had. It's incredibly, INCREDIBLY sad, though "Wake" is one of the most cathartic and emotional peaks in an album.
And of course, pretty much everything that Coheed and Cambria have released, except The Color Before The Sun. Everything but that one is part of The Armory Wars storyline. I've always found it impressive that their entire discography (mostly) is dedicated towards one plot, even if said plot can be hard to follow in audio format.
TDS, The Fragile great NIN concept albums. Thirteenth Step is good and Ok Computer is a classic.
Agreed. I came here to mention The Downward Spiral as well.
Some of my favourite concept albums not mentioned:
Kamelot - Epica / The Black Halo
Seventh Wonder - Mercy Falls
Porcupine Tree - Fear Of a Blank Planet
Our Lady Peace - Spiritual Machines
Protest The Hero - Kezia
Spock's Beard - Snow
Insomnium - Winter's Gate
Steven Wilson - Hand cannot erase
Coheed & Cambria - In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3
Marillion Misplaced childhood,has to be my favourite, I had the pleasure of seeing Fish do the whole album live back in 2016.
We should also stand by the fact that Doug Walker’s (Nostalgia Critic’s) Parody album that was intended to go against The Wall is one of the WORST albums of all time. Listen to Pink Floyd’s Wall, NOT Doug’s.
I always liked Fear Factory's "Obsolete" as one of my favorite concept albums. The CD sleeve had a really good story written in it that matched up with all the tracks on the album.
An album that recently became one of my all-time favorites is "The Black Halo" by Kamelot. It's actually part two of the story started on the previous album "Epica" which I still need to listen to at some point.
Metropolis pt 2 was my introduction to Dream Theater and Still Life was my intro to Opeth, 1999 was a huge music year for me (my freshman year of high school)
Darkside of the moon and the wall were my first ever rock albums. You gotta do pink Floyd albums tier list.
A couple greats missing from this list include Queensryche’s “Operation: Mindcrime” and King Diamond’s “Abigail.” However, still a great list nonetheless
Mimdcrime as said many times already. Still great. Still relevant.
Any album from coheed and cambria as well. Besides 1 that doesn't go with the story, but an ongoing story through over 10 albums! Still going with a new one coming rhis month
I have to second what was just said by some guy. Operation Mindcrime is a tremendous album. A personal favorite of mine both thematically and musically. I realize lists like these are subjective but I think a Top Ten Concept Album list should include this incredible album.
This isn't a Top Ten list. I said that in the first minute of the video.
The Dear Hunter is a five part rock opera that is still one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard
Don’t let the length intimidate you, each album stands on its own but it gets even better once you realize how connected they are musically and conceptually
Listen to every Ayreon album. Arjen Anthony Lucassen's solo album is also decent as it revisits Mr. L from "Electric Castle".
Between the Buried and Me - “Colors” still blows my mind.
my personal favs are
Rush - Clockwork Angels
Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown
The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
If you haven’t heard it I recommend ludo’s broken bride. A time traveler attempts to go back and prevent his wife’s death in 1989
Here’s some that I’m shocked didn’t make the cut on here.
The Mars Volta - Frances the Mute
Yes - Tales from Topographic Oceans
Car Seat Headrest - Twin Fantasy
Smashing Pumpkins - Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral
The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper and the Lonely Hearts Club Band
Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet
I love a lot of your choices, especially "OK Computer," "The Wall," "American Idiot" and "The Black Parade."
Blind Guardian - Nightfall in Middle-Earth
Anything by Ayreon or Avantasia (they only do metal operas)
2112 isn't a concept album (the title track stands alone on the album), however their final album "Clockwork Angels" is.
Great list! DT Scenes From a Memory is my favorite album!