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Concept Albums: A Music Tournament (1 Viewer)

Angelo.M

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concept albums: a music tournament

A tournament for 'concept' albums. I hope we'll have some interesting discussion along the way, since we're likely to differ on our definitions of what a 'true' concept album is.

We'll shoot for 64 albums. Everyone gets 10 nominations, 5 seconds. 5 thirds and 1 automatic for now.

In so far...

1. Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd
2. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles
3. What's Goin' On, Marvin Gaye
4. OK Computer, Radiohead
5. Tommy, The Who
6. 2112, Rush
7. The Ghost of Tom Joad, Bruce Springsteen
8. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, David Bowie
9. Plastic Ono Band, John Lennon
10. Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, The Flaming Lips
11. The Wall, Pink Floyd
12. Magical Mystery Tour, The Beatles
13. Berlin, Lou Reed
14. Scarlet's Walk, Tori Amos
15. The Final Cut, Pink Floyd
16. Quadrophenia, The Who
17. Mermaid Avenue, Billy Bragg and Wilco
18. The Beatles (white album), The Beatles
19. Operation Mindcrime, Queensryche
20. The Who Sell Out
21. Days of Future Passed, Moody Blues
22. Disintegration, The Cure
23. The Downward Spiral, Nine Inch Nails
24. Queen II, Queen
25. Fear of a Black Planet, Public Enemy
26. Joe's Garage, Frank Zappa
27. Donald Fagen, The Nightfly

Seconded...

Animals, Pink Floyd
We're Only in it for the Money, Frank Zappa
The Shaming of the True, Kevin Gilbert
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, Genesis

Nominated...

Blood on the Tracks, Bob Dylan
Blue, Joni Mitchell
Sea Change, Beck
Metropolis, Part 2: Scenes From A Memory, Dream Theater
Escalator Over the Hill, Carla Bley
Arthur, Kinks
S&M, Metallica
The Shaming of the True, Kevin Gilbert
Muswell Hillbillies, The Kinks
Sandinista!, The Clash
Setting Sons, The Jam
Tales from Topographic Oceans, Yes
A Love Supreme, John Coltrane
Red Headed Stranger, Willie Nelson
Paradise Theater, Styx
Computer World, Kraftwerk
Kamakiriad, Donald Fagen
It's Only Right and Natural, The Frogs
Radio KAOS, Roger Waters
Third Reich n' Roll, The Residents
69 Love Songs, The Magnetic Fields
Helter Stupid, Negativland
Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus, Spirit
Hemispheres, Rish
Klaatu, Hope
Stay Human, Michael Franti and Spearhead
Bitches Brew, Miles Davis
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, Iron Maiden
Graceland, Paul Simon
Subterranea, IQ
Kilroy Was Here, Styx
Third Stage, Boston

Go nuts...
 

Andy Olivera

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I'll nominate:

Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime

Dream Theater - Metropolis, Part 2: Scenes From A Memory
 

george kaplan

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I'll nominate

The Wall - Pink Floyd

Escalator Over the Hill - Carla Bley

The Who Sell Out

Arthur - Kinks

We're Only in it for the Money - Frank Zappa
 

Dome Vongvises

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Nominations
Metallica - S&M
The Beatles - The White Album


Seconding
Pink Floyd - The Wall

3 noms, 2 secs, and 3 thirds left

I know I don't have to, but I'll justify my picks.

Metallica - S&M
- It's a pretty basic idea that was executed quite well IMHO. They basically combined metal antics with a live orchestra. Hearing "One" with a orchestral backing is quite something.

The Beatles - The White Album
- Much like Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, the songs make the transition from one to the next with no clean clear "cut" time in between. This creates, in effect, an album that is a pure listening experience that journeys from one end to the next.
 

Jan H

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Third: The Wall - Pink Floyd

Second: Operation Mindcrime - Queensryche

Nominate:

The Shaming of the True - Kevin Gilbert - don't expect many of you to know this album, but he was half of "Toy Matinee", and an amazing talent who died of an accidental suicide in 1996. This is one of the great albums of the '90's.
 

Grant B

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Nominate
The Kinks - Muswell Hillbillies
The Clash - Sandinista!
The Jam - Setting Sons
The Cure - Disintegration

2nd
The Who Sell Out
 

Angelo.M

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Dome:

No, you don't have to justify your picks, but please feel free. I think there is a distinction between "concept" albums and albums that truly feel of a piece, like the "white album," but I certainly can't fault the nomination.

Master list updated. The Wall is in. Keep 'em coming.

Brook:

Kudos on Coltrane. I think there are other good examples in jazz, but A Love Supreme stands out. Great new book on the session just came out, by the same guy who did the book on the Kind of Blue sessions.
 

ChuckDeLa

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Heh, I ran a concept albums tournament on a different forum a couple years ago. I did kind of a bad job with it, though. I forgot what album won in the end, too.

I'll be back in the morning with noms.
 

Angelo.M

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Chuck:

Cool. Welcome aboard.

In the spirit of moving us along, I'm adding 5 more automatics to the tournament:

Magical Mystery Tour, The Beatles
Berlin, Lou Reed
Scarlet's Walk, Tori Amos
The Final Cut, Pink Floyd
Quadrophenia, The Who

Come on you fans of Genesis, the Alan Parson's Project and Emerson, Lake and Palmer... Go nuts...
 

george kaplan

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I'll second:

Magical Mystery Tour
The White Album

I'm out of noms, but here's some 'suggestions':

Red Headed Stranger - Willie Nelson
Paradise Theater - Styx
Days of Future Passed - Moody Blues
 

Angelo.M

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George:

I made Magical Mystery Tour an automatic, so you get your second back.

Everyone who has already voted gets 5 more nominations, 2 more seconds, 2 more thirds, plus one automatic. All new folks get 10 nominations, 5 seconds, 5 thirds and 1 automatic. I will update the original post to reflect this.
 

george kaplan

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Cool.

I'll nominate:

Red Headed Stranger - Willie Nelson
Paradise Theater - Styx
Days of Future Passed - Moody Blues
 

ChuckDeLa

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Seems like there's a lot of nominees missing from the first post....

Nominate:
Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
Frank Zappa - Joe's Garage
Kraftwerk - Computer World
Donald Fagen - Kamakiriad
The Frogs - It's Only Right and Natural
Roger Waters - Radio KAOS
The Residents - Third Reich n' Roll
The Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs
Negativland - Helter Stupid
Pink Floyd - Animals


I think there is a distinction between "concept" albums and albums that truly feel of a piece
Absolutely. I would not call Magical Mystery Tour or The White Album "concept albums". Just because there's overlap between the beginnings and endings of songs doesn't make it a concept. The closest the Beatles ever came to a concept album was Sgt Pepper's, and I don't consider that a valid one either (McCartney has said there was no concept). My two cents.

Sandanista? Remember, folks... a STYLE is not a CONCEPT.
 

ChuckDeLa

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Another two cents: I think it's a mistake to allow automatics in this tournament, as people will invariably auto their most obscure favorites, and thus you'll end up with a lot of 1-0 victories.
 

Zen Butler

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Spirit- Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus
Rush- Hemispheres
Klaatu- Hope
Nine Inch Nails- The Downward Spiral
Michael Franti and Spearhead -Stay Human
Miles Davis- Bitches Brew
Queen- Queen II
 

Brook K

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I didn't realize they were concept albums, but I'll certainly 2nd

Disintegration - The Cure
The Downward Spiral - Nine Inch Nails

I'll nominate
Fear Of A Black Planet - Public Enemy
 

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