What makes a good concept album?

[U2phan]

Tommy, Quadrophenia, The Wall, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (if you consider that one)

What made these conceptual albums so great? I need some ideas for my own...

 

[liamcool]

Dark Side Of The Moon was the best concept album ever, by the way.

I think how concept albums work is that over the amount of tracks they have, they tell a good, compelling, combined story, where most non-concept albums tell different stories in each track. For example, Tommy tells the life story of a boy. The Wall tells the story of Pink. Dark Side Of The Moon goes through the troubles of an ordinary life, so on and so forth.

 

[WinnieThePoo]

boo!

good lyrics +
original idea + good music ( floyd , camel , frank zappa and mothers of invention , genesis , king crimson )
no cliche's ( ala shit called spock's beard , porcupine tree and dream theatre )
no illusions of grandeur ( ala yes )

and a good laugh

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

Good songs do it.

And no boring instrumental bits.

 

[Axver]

Re: boo!

no cliche's ( ala shit called spock's beard , porcupine tree and dream theatre )

Porcupine Tree and Dream Theater's concept albums are excellent. Can't speak for Spock's Beard though, as I know very little of their music.

In response to the original post, I'm not sure I can identify one particular element. I would say "an interesting story", but I've heard some concept albums that initially sounded like their story would be dead boring, but they proved to be very well made and quite interesting. I prefer to judge each album individually.

 

[SunBloc]

I think how concept albums work is that over the amount of tracks they have, they tell a good, compelling, combined story, where most non-concept albums tell different stories in each track.

Agreed.... Also, each song has to be able to stand alone musically and lyrically (even though it's working to tell the combined story). The transition from song to song on the album needs to flow in mood and tone.

 

[WinnieThePoo]

Kiwi rocks

Porcupine Tree and Dream Theater's concept albums are excellent.

each to their own , i guess
some people like watching ER , some prefer discovery health chanel

 

[If you shout...]

For a "concept album" (and, yeah...that's kinda tough to define) to work in this day and age, all it apparently needs is to have been written by either The Hold Steady or The Streets.

Otherwise, it's just bloated and pretentious and, ultimately, worthless. Not at all unlike most of the so-called classics of the "genre." In spite of my aversions, though, I have to admit that the economy of Dark Side of the Moon bucks that trend quite well. The most un-Floyd of all Floyd albums, it is. And I think that's why it works so well.