Concept Album / Rock Opera recs?

[usernamenumber]

Stranger Ways has been playing around with Epic Concept Album ideas. Not going to say too much about details because I don't want to set any expectations this early in the game, but we had a great "rehearsal" last night where we didn't touch, or even bring, instruments, just brainstormed song ideas, then rolled for who wrote draft lyrics for which songs. Yes, our creative process now officially involves dice.

Anyway, I'm getting pretty jazzed about the idea, but obviously we've never tried anything like this before, and I want to do some "research" to try and get a better handle on what works and doesn't work in an album that tries to tell a coherent story.

So. Anyone have recs for a favorite concept album, preferably with a dark fantasy sort of flavor (you know, "stranger waysie", for those familiar with our stuff)? What we have so far is:

Killroy Was Here - Styx (with the caveat that it's not always a "what to do" example)
Broken Bride - Ludo
Misplaced Childhood - Marillion
Nightfall in Middle Earth - Blind Guardian
Operation Mindcrime - Queensryche

And of course there's straight-up rock operas like Jesus Christ Superstar, Tommy, etc. I wonder whether something like that might be a bit too ambitious for a first pass, but hey, I love the theatrical stuff so why not at least look there for inspiration.

So anyway, your suggestions? Comment! :)

Comments

[hahathor.livejournal.com]

The Who Sell Out - The Who

I would LOVE to hear someone do something similar in the modern age

You asked for it

[maverick-weirdo.livejournal.com]

The Last Hero On Earth by Tom Smith

Inspired by 24-Hour Comics Day, Tom Smith wrote a costumed superhero album which manages to be both funny and touching

[minervaish.livejournal.com]

Poe's Haunted?

[slyviolet.livejournal.com]

Tripod vs. The Dragon comes to mind... and you're making me wish I'd ever finished my Epic Rock Opera before I lost all the Garageband files in a computer crash. *wistful sigh*

[preraphaelite.livejournal.com]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Forgotten_Arm

[preraphaelite.livejournal.com]

It's not fantasy, but it sure is dark.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

The Protomen are unimpressed by your single rock operas and are doing a TRILOGY. Of Mega Man rock operas, yes. Only the first two are out so far, but I like them both:
The Protomen - The Protomen
The Protomen - Act II: The Father of Death

Nightwish's new album, Imaginaerum.

Avantasia - The Metal Opera and their continuing works

Trans-Siberian Orchestra has done one or two theme albums.

Uh, you know, Pink Floyd - The Wall & David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust

londo could tell you about the collected works of Rhapsody (aka Rhapsody of Fire) better than I could.

My mother thought Smashing Pumpkins - Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness was a concept album, and she's somewhat right; you can follow a progression through the songs, at least.

More to come as I brainstorm...

[smacaski.livejournal.com]

David Bowie - Outside (which was the first part of what was supposed to be a concept album trilogy)

[smacaski.livejournal.com]

Also, Ziggy Stardust is a little concept album-y, and Diamond Dogs started off as a 1984 rock opera (until Orwell's widow refused to grant rights, but a few of the original songs remain on the album).

[artful-username.livejournal.com]

Check out To Kill A King by Hungry Lucy. I've been listening to them a lot yesterday and today and they've got this great vibe to them. To Kill A King is, in their words, a tale by Hungry Lucy.

I have words that are adjectives that I could use to describe the album if I could catch said words in a net. Alas, I'm not braining too good. Just check that album out. You won't regret it.

[marphod.livejournal.com]

Fantastic/SF, High Concept?

Uh, Rush.
They don't really have full albums, but plenty of suites. Side one of 2112 and Hemispheres. Lots of stuff from Fly By Night and Caress of Steel. Prog Rock.

William Shatner, Seeking Major Tom. No, really. Stop laughing. STOPPIT.
It uses previously published songs and Shatner's signature ... uh ... "style" to put together a concept album. "Spoken" word.

Leaves Eyes, Vinland Saga. Fictional retelling of Lief Erikson. Symphonic Rock.

Dune - Expedicion. Getting lost in space. I'd call it Techno. Wikipedia calls it Rave/Happy Hardcore/Techno/Prog Trance. Whatever that means.

Pink Floyd - The Wall, Dark Side of the Moon, Dark Side of Oz, etc. etc. etc.

Pet Shop Boys - Nightlife. A concept album of much of the potential music for Closer to Heaven (a 2001 West End musical that ran for about 5 months).

Off the top of my head.

[lightgamer.livejournal.com]

"The Hazards of Love" by The Decemberists was written with the intent to be performed as a rock opera, though I believe they only actually performed the whole thing once. The music is very good, though, and it's very much a dark fairy tale. Explicitly.

[jadasc.livejournal.com]

Side One of "Transverse City" by Warren Zevon. (Not like I've done the research or anything. :))

I can't believe I'm the first person to say this

[faerieboots.livejournal.com]

Pinkerton. :)

Also, for the record, I think it's awesome that you guys are talking about doing a concept album. :D Let me know if we (Sassafrass) can help at all!

[thismightbejess.livejournal.com]

I love "Searching for a Former Clarity" by Against Me!, although it is very much realism-based rather than fantasy. Still it is an excellent study of music that is intellectually topical but visceral at the same time. Also, it is very stylistically dynamic: they are folk-punk, but this album is also pop-y, dance-y, country-y... and I think it has a great arc to it.

[sprrwhwk.livejournal.com]

All good albums are concept albums, in a sense -- they have some unifying theme or motif. More specifically towards your question, though...

All of Janelle Monáe's stuff is a sort of expanding and revolving concept album around Metropolis, yes the Fritz Lang classic of the silent age. Pretty brilliant.

Isn't the Indelicates' latest a bit of a concept album? Though that's not fantasy or sci-fi really.

Neutral Milk Hotel - In an Aeroplane Over the Sea (Anne Frank; though here again not fantasy)

A lot of S.J. Tucker's stuff around Catherynne Valente's books might be of interest to you, I'm thinking in particular Quartered:
http://music.sjtucker.com/album/quartered-songs-of-palimpsest
http://music.sjtucker.com/album/solace-sorrow
http://music.sjtucker.com/album/for-the-girl-in-the-garden

You might find them particularly interesting for combining songs with spoken words. I don't find that they make good background music, which is much of the utility of music for me, as distinct from its aesthetics, but they do make interesting things to sit down and listen to, which I think I don't do enough of. (s00j and Cat are going to be doing a joint concert/reading at Boskone next weekend, incidentally, which is guaranteed to be fabulous.)