Concept Albums: An Enduring Symbol of Rock and Roll

Concept Album: “An album whose tracks hold a larger purpose of meaning collectively than they do individually, typically achieved through a central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical.” In this age of singles and streaming, the thought of listening to a 40-minute album straight through does not register to younger people. And the fact that some of the very best concept albums are doubles … well, this would be like watching a three-hour awards program on network TV or viewing your favorite drama once a week at a regularly scheduled time. Unfathomable. But hold on Gen Z … maybe the concept album is still alive today. Midnights, the latest album from Taylor Swift and its ticket-crashing accompanying tour, is clearly a concept album inspired by her sleepless nights.

Ok, now that we’ve determined that they are still a thing, what is a concept album? Despite the above textbook definition, it’s not that simple. Some albums share more commonality than others. People have different criteria for what constitutes a concept album. Some have widespread consensus. Two double albums by The Who come to mind immediately for the quintessential concept albums. Others not so much. Is Sgt. Pepper’s a concept album? Most people seem to think so despite many of the album’s songs having nothing to do with Sgt. Peppers and the Lonely Hearts Club band. Do the night and day themes of the Smashing Pumpkins’ Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness rise to a concept album? Probably not, but … Clearly, concept albums are in the ear of the beholder. Here’s my top dozen:

12. Soap Opera by The Kinks (1975): The Kinks have several concept albums in their discography. Face to Face, and particularly Village Green Preservation Society, were better received than Soap Opera. But I’ve always liked this one since the time it was on regular rotation in my college dorm. A musician named Starmaker changes places with an ordinary man named Norman. Eventually, he settles down to his new life and becomes “just another face in the crowd.” The concept, exemplified by the album’s opening and closing tunes, “Everybody’s a Star” and “You Can’t Stop the Music,” is a perfect fit for The Kinks.

11. 2112 by Rush (1976): “The genius of Ayn Rand” is credited on the album as it’s her 1937 dystopian novella Anthem that inspired 2112. That’s the year in the city of Megadon where individualism and creativity are outlawed making music unknown. The 20-minute title track explores the world of the Temple of Syrinx in a melodic tale where the power trio intricately constructs a prog rock anthem. (2112 is technically half a concept album as Side Two has five standalone good songs.)

10. Setting Sons by The Jam (1979): The Jam’s fourth album was originally conceived as a cohesive tale of three boyhood friends who go off to war and reunite later as adults. The concept was never fully realized, but the songs “Thick as Thieves,” “Little Boy Soldiers,” “Wasteland,” “Burning Sky,” and one of their best songs, “Eton Rifles” are enough concept for me. (I can overlook the head-scratching cover song … again. First, it was the “Batman Theme” on their stellar debut In the City, and here, “Heat Wave.”)

9. Thick as a Brick by Jethro Tull (1972): A concept album making fun of concept albums. Brilliant! I wasn’t aware of the premise when I attended my first concert at the Los Angeles Forum for Jethro Tull’s Thick as a Brick tour. Monty Python is clearly an influence as the continuous 40-minute song combines complex music and humor while poking fun at themselves, the audience, and critics. The classic mock newspaper cover is all part of the elaborate parody.

8. Exile in Guyville by Liz Phair (1993): Does this album title remind you of another one? Liz Phair’s album is straightforward, driving, and in your face. Early 90s indie rock perfection. The theme is one of a young woman encountering the walls and isolation of the male-dominated music scene. She thought the Rolling Stones were the ultimate guy band. Thus, her song-by-song reply to Exile on Main Street. You got to love that.

7. Suburbs by Arcade Fire (2010): Arcade Fire’s third album is Will and Win Butler’s ode to their upbringing in the suburbs of Houston. The suburbs are a metaphor for the American Dream. The songs meander through the neighborhood highlighting both its surface harmony and the deeper realities of modern society. It’s a grand statement from the band without being as self-righteous as they are at times. The melodies engage from the punk of “Month of May” to the folk of “Deep Blue.” Lines, such as “took a drive into the sprawl to find the places we used to play” and “living in the sprawl, the dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains” are indicative of the wistful yet menacing sentiment. I could relate from my own life experience and as a career city and regional planner.

6. Sgt. Pepper’s and the Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles (1967): The Beatles modeled their theme of a fictional band after the English military bands. The concept was loosely conceived after the recording of the title track. It opens the album and is reprised near the end to bookend the concept. The iconic cover provides further unification and will forever be an epoch for the 1960s. While, encompassing a variety of musical styles – psychedelic, circus, Indian, vaudeville – the music is held together with common harmonies and melodies. Their alter egos gave them the freedom to experiment. The result was a defining moment in popular culture history.

5. The Wall by Pink Floyd (1979): Modeled after himself and Syd Barrett, Roger Waters’ The Wall is a majestic rock opera about a jaded rock star (Pink) whose self-imposed isolation from society eventually forms a figurative wall around him. The double album is anchored by the three-part “Another Brick in the Wall,” as Pink dismisses humanity as “just bricks in the wall.” Orchestral arrangements, children’s choir, the aching beauty of “Comfortably Numb,” and raging guitar solos by David Gilmour all punctuate the story line. If you’re ever in Cleveland, you’ll see The Wall exhibit, installed in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for its opening in 1995, still looming over visitors today. And if you were lucky enough to see The Wall performed live (as I was in 2012), you’ll remember the bricks filling in the wall while the show goes on as the saga comes to a close.

4. Tommy by The Who (1969): Pete Townshend had experimented with a concept album previously in The Who Sell Out, but the double album Tommy is the magnum opus of the genre. It tells the story of Tommy Walker and his traumatic journey through dissociation, abuse, self-reflection, self-absorption, and rejection. “Pinball Wizard,” “I’m Free,” “See Me, Feel Me,” and the concluding “We’re Not Gonna Take It” are all everlasting rock songs that stand alone while pushing the imaginative and peculiar narrative forward. It remains a classic rock touchstone 50+ years later.

3. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars by David Bowie (1972): The concept for Ziggy Stardust came after the album. Bowie’s titular alter ego is a rock star sent to save Earth before the coming apocalypse. As the opening song portends, the Earth has five years left. Ziggy has some initial success on his mission as a savior but falls from grace after succumbing to his ego. The songs hold up to Bowie’s vision and expand on the elegantly simpler songs of Hunky Dory. The electric guitar roars on Ziggy (Mick Ronson) as opposed to the piano, keys, and acoustic guitar emphasis of Hunky Dory (Rick Wakeman and Bowie). The songs of the two albums were written concurrently (see previous post for more Hunky Dory at 50: David Bowie Finds His Voice and the Rest is Rock History). I can’t just highlight a few specific songs on Ziggy Stardust, because they’re all good, if not great. It’s a timeless rock masterpiece.

2. The Lamb Dies Down on Broadway by Genesis (1974): Another one of those albums that was a soundtrack of my college dorm. Peter Gabriel’s final album with Genesis was his coup de grace. It’s the story of Rael, a Puerto Rican youth from New York City who is suddenly taken on a voyage of self-discovery and encounters bizarre incidents and characters along the way. The double album has a few lows, but the highs are sensational. The bouncy “Counting Out Time,” the lush “Carpet Crawlers,” the humorous “Cuckoo Cocoon,” and the powerful “Back in NYC” are the band’s high point. One of their finest musical moments is when the drums and guitar explode in unison in “Fly on a Windshield.”

1. Quadrophenia by The Who (1973): Number one was never in doubt. The double album follows young mod Jimmy through his search for self-worth. Jimmy is an amalgam of the Who’s early fans with a four-way split personality (the title is a take on schizophrenia). From the sounds of the sea intro blasting off into “The Real Me” to the “Love Reign O’er Me” finale, it’s a rock and roll classic. Probably my all-time favorite with Side Three being my vote for the greatest side of an album: “5:15,” “Sea and Sand,” “Drowned,” and “Bell Boy.” (I know, only vinyl collectors could think of such a thing.) Seeing the Quadrophenia concert tours of 1996 (with Gary Glitter as The Godfather and Billy Idol as the Bell Boy) and 2013 when they performed the album in its entirety only added to the album’s stature for me.