Quote:
Originally Posted by Plainview
A lot of Bowie's Discography is to me, if only because they're written from the perspective of a certain character, in much the same way as Sgt Pepper being a fictional band.
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^ If you're saying that Sgt. Pepper is a concept album, I agree: with the exception of
Within You Without You it hangs together so well with its mixture of psychedelic/nostalgic songs. On the other hand, John Lennon agreed with Pet_Sounds and said it was just a collection of songs; he denied any connection between his
Day In The Life contribution and Paul's fictional-band conceit. Personally, I put that down to JL's ego - he said it at a time when he wanted to distance himself artistically from all things McCartney.
Personally, I usually get tired of concept albums that tell a story - after all, how many times is it possible to enjoy reading/seeing/listening to the same story? I much prefer the albums like Bowie's that give a kind of kaleidoscopic impression that the listener links together in his/her own way, in his/her own head.
The prob with this definition of a concept album is, where do you stop? For instance I read that
Revolver is a concept album - the concept being snapshots of everyday life in modern Britain. Unfortunately, as a concept, that applies to about a zillion other albums too.
So leaving that question hanging, I'd like to mention these albums that are clearly linked by a theme:-
Days of Future Passed
Village Green Preservation Society
Topographic Oceans (Even if Jon Anderson is the only man on planet earth who understands what the concept is)
War War War
...and pardon me for quoting myself:-
Quote:
Dust Bowl Ballads by Woody Guthrie (1940)
Most of this album was recorded in one day in 1940, with just two tracks added on in a later session. Not only was this WG´s stunning debut as a songwriter, but it is also a candidate for the title, First Ever Concept Album.
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