My problem with concept albums.

I like concept albums, but I do have one key thing that always seems to be a bit of a problem for me (and it's a personal thing!)

On a normal album you generally get great tracks and average tracks and a couple of tracks you don't like. When that happens I don't mind, I just think they've written a couple of songs I'm not keen on.

When bands make a concept album that tells a story through each song, if one song doesn't work I kind of get the feeling that the reason it didn't work is because they HAD to write a song about *whatever* part of the story, so they couldn't get away with doing anything else. So they had NO option other than include it, because if they didn't it would leave a big hole in the story.

I know that probably isn't correct, but that's how I tend to see concept albums.

If it works (like Seventh Avenues Terium) then it's great. If not (like Sacred Warriors Wicked Generation) then it's not good at all.

Fundy

(disclaimer - no disrespect to Sacred Warrior, as I LOVE their other albums!)

My problem is that I usually cant see how some of the songs even fit within the concept of the album (maybe that's what you are saying too). Sometimes I just don't get the story (or more than often I'm just not patient enough to figure it out).

Occasionaly I feel as if I'm left with an album that just isn't quite as good as the rest of the bands catalog because the band needed to sacrifice something to get the songs to fit into the concept (ie melody, hook, etc.)

The only way I "get" concept albums is if there is a narrative in the liner notes. Transiberian Orchrestra is a great example (I know not Christian, but just for illustration purposes, please not pummeling I have a headache). The songs are tied together by the story in the notes. I haven't read the liner notes on a couple of the albums, and I just don't see the connection, but on the ones I have read, it makes perfect sense.

As for Fundy's question, if a song is weak and it is explained in the notes, it doesn't bother me too much, but if I don't get the story then it really loses something.

Fundy, IMO, you're way off here. Sacred Warrior's Wicked Generation DOES work. Maybe not for you, but it does for a lot of us.

Naz, there are Christian elements within TSO. Some members of the band are RCC, and implement a Christian worldview in their lyrics.

Hey, you should try The Who's "Tommy," Fundy. lol, you'd hate it. There are songs on there that are only 20 seconds long, obviously made for telling the story.

One of the best concept albums I've seen is by a band called Oh, Sleeper. The name of the album is Son of the Morning. This band is probably way too hard and heavy for most listeners in this forum, but bear with me. Basically the entire album is a dialogue between Satan and God. In the first song Satan declares war on God in such lines as

"I am the rival. I am the one who speaks in whisper.
Hear me now, dear, weak forgiver.Don't send an angel to face the devil.
You're wasting power on grace.
A maggot will always seek to feed from the grave, where I'll lead them and teach them to feast on the skin that defeats them, the skin they crave."

And in the final song, aptly titled The Finisher, God finally has enough of Satan's smack talk and well...you can probably get an idea from the lyrics:

"You've watered among my bride and started seeds to feed your throning flight.But mark my words, because if that tree keeps them from seeing me
I will burn off your limbs and you will never shade again.
You will bow at my feet or I'll rip out your knees and make of your face all the carnage you crave.
I am the Finisher and I am Forever!"

I agree that when bands try and fail at the "Concept album" concept, it can turn out pretty boring and confusing. But when a band actually pulls it off, it's pretty awesome!

I realise lots of people love Wicked Generation, and that I'm in the minority, but I just can't get into that album at all. And I think one of the reasons is the fact that it's a concept album. It's kinda strange as I rate Obsessions as one of the top 20 christian albums of all time, there's no filler on there at all.

Each to his own though.



Fundy