(Keep in mind that this a column only for my own enjoyment. Bon Appetite)

Concept Albums are strange beasts, and I thought I'd have a look at the concept of concept albums (heh), and review some of my favorite examples.

The purpose of a concept album is often to tell a story, or something to that effect. Some genres (as you might have figured, we are talking about sub-genres of the the incredibly large and appendaged genre of rock here) are more likely to conceive these albums, and no genre creates as many concept albums as progressive rock. The telling of tales seems to be incorporated in the foundations of many prog rock bands. Songs often follow a coherent storyline, or re-tell legends or myths, or , so it only seems natural that the next step for a prog rock band would be to devote an entire album to telling a story.

However, concept albums aren't exclusive to progressive rock. The Who released "Tommy" in 1969, and that album is still one of the best examples of an entirely devoted concept album (although it's usually referenced to as a "rock opera"). Starting from the first song, the listener is submerged into Pete Townsend's story of a post-war child messiah. For this album, The Who continued to drift away from their British invasion sound, and adapted a majestic, orchestral sound. The songs were multi tracked more than ever before, with piano and brass instruments (contributed by bassist John Entwistle) joining the guitar, bass and drum sound of previous Who records. Just like in an opera, Townsend has several motifs which he spreads across the span of the album( "See me, feel me, touch me"). The storyline is consistent, and it's evident that Townsend carefully planned the story. The result is the feeling that you are watching a movie, through your headphones (as some might recall, there was a movie made sometime in the 70's, but I wouldn't recommend it, since it's horrible.)

Another classic example of a well made concept album is "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway", Genesis 1974 masterpiece. Containing a complex storyline referencing the bible,centuries of British literature and and folklore, the album is story of Rael, a NYC street kid who finds himself in a Dante-esque journey into his own absurd consciousness. At this point, Genesis had become a cult band, and for this album they seem to have deliberately popped their sound up. Most of the songs are more traditionally structured and the choruses are catchier. This is not a bad thing, and the music matches Peter Gabriel's multi-layered story perfectly. Strange guitars, jazzy drums and fiddly organ riffs creates a wonderful wall of sound, and the listener finds something new every time.

Now, it might seem that I'm some old prog nut stuck in the 70's, but fret not, I love contemporary music as much as I love the music of the 70's (this makes sense, since I recently celebrated my 18th birthday). Anyway, i'm happy to report that the spirit of the concept album lives on! I'm a big fan of Coheed and Cambria, a modern prog rock act. This band has released 4 albums so far, and their output goes from smooth, RnB-ish acoustic ballads to balls to the wall metal and back. Their albums make up the basis for a story about cyborgs, inter-planetary wars and a messiah. This tale, called the Amory Wars, is continued in comic books released by the bands frontman, one Claudio Sanchez. The music of Coheed and Cambria is some of the best released this millenia (don't you love that such a lustrously naive comment is still possible to make?). Blending the sound of modern rock with the progressive influences of Rush and Yes, the result is very exciting, and I have yet to meet someone who doesn't like it after a few listens (except hiphop and chart pop lovers of course, but lets take them out of the equation, since their perception of good music is obviously severely flawed.) Taking ingredients from 30+ years of good music, Coheed and Cambria steers their spaceship succesfully through prog rock, metal, emo (but in a good way!), and pop punk, to arrive at four fantastic concept albums that no prog rock lover, regardless of age, should be without. I recently played this to my father, (a prog rocker who recently turned 50), and he's currently blasting it in his car, singing along to Sanchez insanely high-pithched vocals. On a side note, try to pick up Claudio Sanchez solo project, "The Prize Fighter Inferno", yet another concept album, where prog, folk and electronica live togehter in a happy, although weird, relationship.

There you have it, three (or seven) good examples of concept albums. I hope I have given you, the reader, some new recommendations, or that I have rekindled the concept album flame inside you.

But of course, where there is good there must always be bad, and there are several stinkers in the concept album family. However, we'll save that for next time, where I'll write some more incoherent reviews of concept albums. Tata!