S.F. Sorrow tops my list. Ogden's Nut Gone Flake...not so much (but from one of my favorite bands) I like Quadrophenia much more than Tommy. Any takers? https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15293#msg-15293 Wed, 17 Jun 2026 20:50:05 -0500 Phorum 5.2.23 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15344#msg-15344 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15344#msg-15344
Secondly, I vote for Tubular Bells II, produced by Trevor Horn. It's an awesome mirror of the original Tubular Bells with Buggles production!

]]> dkhazzam Trouser Press Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:44:52 -0500 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15340#msg-15340 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15340#msg-15340 Songs About Fucking

In addition to 69 Love Songs, a lot of Magnetic Fields albums are concept albums in one way or another - The Charm of the Highway Strip, Holiday, etc. I was all about the concept of First Person narrative, in addition to being all acoustic instrumentally, so it had two concepts at work. I think Merritt stumbled with the concept for Distortion - while I'm all in favor of albums whose sound is a tribute to the Jesus & Mary Chain, I don't really think the particular set of songs Merritt had ready for the album benefitted from it. The approach works on some of them, but on most the noise is a distraction and seems more like an arbitrary stylistic decision than the best approach for that particular song.]]> breno Trouser Press Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:22:39 -0500 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15339#msg-15339 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15339#msg-15339
Thanks, Joe - I saw both this and the Preservation shows (and Schoolboys, too, although that wasn't as elaborate) and have long regretted that they weren't filmed, so this was great to see. Hope the files stay up long enough for me to watch the rest!]]> R. Totale Trouser Press Wed, 06 Aug 2008 20:51:37 -0500 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15338#msg-15338 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15338#msg-15338
I'm all for using literary critical skills to analyze records like this. Hell, most of Costello's work demands it. Not of all of it holds up under scrutiny (*cough"The Delivery Man*cough*), but still...]]> Michael Toland Trouser Press Wed, 06 Aug 2008 19:24:27 -0500 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15336#msg-15336 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15336#msg-15336
I promise I am not making this shit up. Yup, I do have a degree in English, and am not afraid to overuse it.

And, yeah, it is overproduced, which kills some of the initimacy of certain songs, but enhances others. Jeez, that piano solo in The Loved Ones...

And XTC's Skylarking is a hell of a concept album.]]> blasmo Trouser Press Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:29:44 -0500 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15333#msg-15333 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15333#msg-15333 rhettlawrence Trouser Press Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:22:50 -0500 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15332#msg-15332 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15332#msg-15332 Michael Toland Trouser Press Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:22:35 -0500 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15331#msg-15331 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15331#msg-15331 Jordan: The Comeback]]> breno Trouser Press Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:28:06 -0500 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15328#msg-15328 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15328#msg-15328 Astral weeks

And I consider Joe Henry's Tiny Voices a series of vignettes set in some alternate timeline of a modern revolutionary America, where L.A. is magically fused with Havana, and hearts are breaking all around.

]]> M. Johnson Trouser Press Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:36:13 -0500 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15327#msg-15327 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15327#msg-15327
Sham 69 - That's Life

Barry Adamson - Moss Side Story

David Holmes - Bow Down To The Exit Sign

Sabres of Paradise - Haunted Dancehall]]> Aitch Trouser Press Wed, 06 Aug 2008 05:55:26 -0500 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15325#msg-15325 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15325#msg-15325

]]> satchmykels Trouser Press Wed, 06 Aug 2008 02:06:34 -0500 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15324#msg-15324 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15324#msg-15324 Sufjan Stevens - Come On Feel The Illinoize
Prince Paul - A Prince Among Thieves
Tom Waits - Alice
David St Hubbins - Saucy Jack
Matmos - A Chance to Cut Is a Chance to Cure
Carcass - Necroticism - Descanting the Insalubrious



Post Edited (08-06-08 08:49)]]> nosepail Trouser Press Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:37:49 -0500 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15323#msg-15323 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15323#msg-15323 hoip chiggs Trouser Press Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:32:58 -0500 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15322#msg-15322 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15322#msg-15322
According to The Worst Rock-n-Roll Records Of All Time: Tarkus is an armadillo / tank creature that "exploded out of a volcano, fought several fellow combination animal / battle vehicles, and eventually skipped town."

I had to go out and buy it after reading that description.



Post Edited (08-05-08 22:26)]]> hoip chiggs Trouser Press Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:23:22 -0500 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15321#msg-15321 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15321#msg-15321
Dirty Mind
Purple Rain
Sign o the times
The Gold Experience]]> jothoma Trouser Press Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:21:29 -0500 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15314#msg-15314 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15314#msg-15314 Michael Toland Trouser Press Tue, 05 Aug 2008 20:23:46 -0500 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15313#msg-15313 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15313#msg-15313
Agree with mjm that Animals is far superior to The Wall.

Drive By Truckers - Southern Rock Opera

King Crimson - Beat]]> breno Trouser Press Tue, 05 Aug 2008 20:19:55 -0500 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15312#msg-15312 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15312#msg-15312 Michael Toland Trouser Press Tue, 05 Aug 2008 20:14:58 -0500 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15311#msg-15311 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15311#msg-15311
Now Madonna on the the other hand... =P]]> mjm716 Trouser Press Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:22:53 -0500 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15310#msg-15310 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15310#msg-15310 erikalbany Trouser Press Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:08:53 -0500 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15309#msg-15309 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15309#msg-15309 mjm716 Trouser Press Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:48:47 -0500 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15308#msg-15308 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15308#msg-15308 Diamond Dogs
Time - ELO
Trials of Vanoccupanther

are my faves.]]> totaji Trouser Press Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:37:37 -0500 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15307#msg-15307 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15307#msg-15307 The Magic Garden by The 5th Dimension.]]> larryepke Trouser Press Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:22:03 -0500 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15306#msg-15306 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15306#msg-15306 erikalbany Trouser Press Tue, 05 Aug 2008 17:49:29 -0500 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15305#msg-15305 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15305#msg-15305 Dance) all were loosely set in the same conceptual world, with Replicas containing most of the narrative details. All very JG Ballard & Phillip K Dick inspired SF stuff.

I think Dance's only actual concession to the overall concept is that Numan is dressed as a "Grey Man", who I guess are kind of the overseers in his world.

Kind of interesting that the look of Numan's album art and tour stage sets for those albums predated Blade Runner but were pretty similar in a lot of ways.]]> breno Trouser Press Tue, 05 Aug 2008 17:20:22 -0500 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15304#msg-15304 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15304#msg-15304
Ziggy Stardust, Station to Station and Lodger top his "concept" work, IMO. After that, listeners are on their own. (Of course, they already are, but never mind.)

> Imperial Bedroom -- Costello

The concept of which is how over-produced it is.]]> Delvin Trouser Press Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:40:14 -0500 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15303#msg-15303 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15303#msg-15303
One of the first concept albums (and one of the best BTW) is Frank Sinatra's "Wee Small Hours of the Morning" LP. Way back in the Mid-50's he was crafting thematic albums when most everyone else was just focusing on singles. In later years Sinatra became a gross parody of himself but it is hard to beat his work for Capital Records in the 50's.]]> jothoma Trouser Press Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:13:26 -0500 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15302#msg-15302 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15302#msg-15302 mjm716 Trouser Press Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:55:47 -0500 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15301#msg-15301 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15301#msg-15301 Husker Du - Zen Arcade
Minutemen - Double Nickels on the Dime
Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation

James Brown - The Payback (it's sort of technically a soundtrack - but he composed the album as a standalone concept)
Pink Floyd - Animals (I always enjoy hearing it more than The Wall)
Rush - 2112 - yep, I have a weak spot from them Canucks and this is one of my favs from them - incredible musicianship - best trio EVER. ;)
I could throw a few Genesis suggestions in there, but I think Rush exposes my 'prog' weakness enough for now.

Zappa - Joe's Garage - goofy fun and one of my favs of FZ - Watermelon in Easter Hay is such a classic tune.
Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts I-IV (as much as he divides tastes, this is untypical for him and a really solid work)
The Kinks - Village Green Preservation Society
Mars Volta - Frances the Mute (Omar is such a fantastic guitarist that I can totally overlook the annoying vocalist)

Clash - London Calling (tho it's debatable whether that's a concept album or just a double-album)

Bowie should be in there too but too hard to decide.



Post Edited (08-05-08 14:02)]]> mjm716 Trouser Press Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:51:17 -0500 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15299#msg-15299 https://trouserpress.com/forum/read.php?1,15293,15299#msg-15299 We're Only In It For The Money -- MOI
Joe's Garage -- Zappa
Imperial Bedroom -- Costello]]> blasmo Trouser Press Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:57:40 -0500