Tophat665

Harry Cox - 2112 doesn't all hang together, and neither does Hemispheres. On Vinyl, each of these have one side that is one long song - 2112 and Cygnus XI respectively, and the other side is assorted (though still rockin').

This was a big thing for Progressive Rock.

Jethro Tull was mentioned for "Thick as a Brick", which is basically three or four songs interwoven and presented in two tracks with a sort of musical meltdown in the middle to make for a smoother side change on vinyl. (Can't neglect the effect the LP had on this kind of thing.) Also they put out "A Passion Play", which is the same sort of thing, except instead of several interesting themes, interwoven for 45 minutes, it's 35 minutes of noodling followed by two really nifty bits. Basically follows Milton's "Paradise Lost", and Satan is definitely the interesting part. Also, more in the vein of wwhat is being discussed, "Aqualung". While not telling a story per se, each song either goes directly into the next, or there are transitional, interlude type tracks, "Wond'ring Aloud" is the perfect example.

Yes has some albums like this too. "Relayer" and "Tales from Topographic Oceans" really don't make any sense except as whole albums. "Fragile" has some of that feel to it too.

I wouldn't say that Most Floyd albums fit the bill so much as the more dominant Roger Waters became in the band, the more concept driven ther Albums became. "Animals", "Wish you Were Here", "Dark Side", of course "The Wall", and "The Final Cut" all hang together perfectly. There're also the two soundtracks, "More" and "Obscured by Clouds", but I don't know if soundtracks really count, and these don't really hang together without the movies they go with, though they are great listening. "Obscured by Clouds" is almost certainly my favorite Floyd album.

Roger Waters continues this in his solo career. "KAOS" has been mentioned. (Caught the second show of that tour in Hartford. Blew my mind, and I was a total straight-edge geek at the time.) "Amused to Death" is even more the concept album. Closer to "Thick as a Brick" than "Dark Side".

"The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" was mentioned, but all early Genesis has some of this tendency, particularly "Selling England by the Pound". Once they lost Peter Gabriel, they began their long slide into pop endign with "We Can't Dance", but, surprisingly, some of that epic scope showed up in "their penultimate effort, "Invisible Touch", not enough to make it a concept album, but enough to show that they hadn't lost everything.

"Joe's Garage" is the story album of Zappa's that is best known, but "The Grand Wazoo", "Thing Fish", and "Frank Zappa vs the Mothers of Prevention" are all album length stories. Less obvious, but hannging together every bit as well are "You are What you Is" and "Apostrophe" and the latter seems to flow almost perfectly into "Overnite Sensation." I remember one chemically saturated evening when a half dozen of my buddies and I put "Apostrophe/Overnite" on and sang the whole frickin thing, beginning to end, with backing vocals, harmonies, the whole 9 yards.

Maybe I am going to get smacked down on this next one, but, upon repeated listens, Cake's "Comfort Eagle" hangs together and flows song to song every bit as well as "Dark Side" or "Aqualung".

I hate to bring this up, but Styx, "Kilroy was Here" is nothing but a kitsch laden and badly executed concept album.

Now what I can't believe is that I am going to be the first one (unless someone chimed in while I was scibing this apparently endless missive) to mention "Tommy" and "Quadrophrenia". Say what you will about The Who - I don't much care for them myself - but they surely made the rock opera happen with those two.

There are more, I know there are, but the night is growing crows feet, and the maids are coming tomorrow so, according to flawlessly incomprehensible female logic, we must clean this evening.

__________________
Light a man a fire, and he will be warm while it burns.
Set a man on fire, and he will be warm for the rest of his life.