3/4/2021 0 Comments Classic Rock Albums 1975
Mothership Connection was less a concept album than the key moment in a concept career.But prog rockers didnt completely own the concept of concepts.As this list shows, funkateers, country artists and even punks got into the act, often with grand results.
Here are just a few of best concept albums from over the decades. They finally went there on their very last album, arguably the most musically adventurous thing they ever did. Meanwhile, the sentimental and only partly tongue-in-cheek Alma Mater was closer to the true Alice than anyone realised at the time. And as of this moment, its the most recent great record that Brian Wilson has appeared on. They even took American Idiot to Broadway, adapting their concept album into a stage show. Its a concept about the different paths to enlightenment, giving meditation, acid and love equal attention. Setting Sons also features The Jams most powerful single, Eton Rifles. ![]() The soundscapes are grand, but the real heart of this album is the songs (mainly by Parsons late collaborator, Eric Woolfson), which are less about the rise of robots than they are about one mans struggle to make sense of it all. Breakdown features one of the best vocals ever cut by a great singer, Allan Clarke of The Hollies. The narrative flow and stripped-down sound were radical at the time, and defined outlaw country for decades to come. Its over in a scant 33 minutes and the plot feels a little unresolved, but maybe thats the point. In the middle of all this madness come two perfect pop singles: You Showed Me and Elenore. You can practically see the dusty living room and taste the chocolate biscuits. John Lydon of Sex Pistols famously loved it, but Lydon never emoted the way Hammill does on the albums two soul ballads. It also marked the last time their warmth and invention outshone the cynicism that crept in afterward. But once you go deeper, theres a lot of serious thought about how the music relates to the duality of the Southern thing. The deep thoughts would remain a Truckers trademark; the punkish humour often evinced here would not. Even the 2012 sequel, Thick As A Brick 2, was the best thing Anderson had done in decades. Less remarked on is the fact that Rundgren was the first XTC producer to realise what great singers Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding could be. Sad romantics take note: its the darkest of all Sinatra albums.
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