Concept album

Usually, in popular music, an album of an artist or group simply consists of a number of songs that the members of the group or the artist have written or have chosen to cover. In a concept album, on the other hand, all songs contribute to a single effect or unified story.

The album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles is often considered to have been the first concept album, primarily because the title song, occurring in two versions, wraps around the rest of the album like bookends; however, most of the songs on that album are actually unrelated to one another.

The Beatles had grown tired of touring, and had the idea of making an album that would do the touring for them. McCartney's original idea was to create fictitious characters for each band member (The "Lonely Hearts Club Band") and make an album that would have been a performance by that fictional band. The cover of the album was designed to look like the band was performing in a park. The album starts with the Sgt. Pepper's theme, then introduces "Billy Shears" who sings the second song. The Beatles essentially abandoned the concept after the first two songs though. As such, then, Sgt. Pepper was not a true concept album, although its reputation as such helped in spreading the idea of concept albums.

A more generally accepted candidate is S.F. Sorrow by the Pretty Things, which was released in the same year (1967), and which tells the life-story of the eponymous character.

The concept album, as a concept, overlaps with rock opera and to some extent with rock musical.

Some other concept albums include:

Freak Out - Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention (1966) - questioning the conventions of rock music and offering alternatives
After Bathing At Baxter's - Jefferson Airplane (1967) - An attempt to catch the psychedelic experience in music
The Story of Simon Simopath - Nirvana (1967) - A boy's wish to fly
The Who Sell Out - The Who (1967) - A pirate radio station that plays only Who music
In Search of the Lost Chord - The Moody Blues (1968) - A search for spiritual fulfillment
The Village Green Preservation Society - The Kinks (1968) - A call to return to the old ways of living
We're Only in It For the Money - Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention (1968)
S.F. Sorrow - The Pretty Things (1968) - A man goes insane
Tommy - The Who (1969) - A deaf, dumb and blind pinball wizard brings salvation
Arthur or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire - The Kinks (1969) - A middle-aged man gradually loses touch with society
To Our Children's Children's Children - The Moody Blues (1969)
Lola Vs. Powerman - The Kinks (1970) - Ray Davies' psychosis and his distrust of the music industry
Blows Against the Empire - Paul Kantner & Jefferson Starship (1970) - The story of a group of people who steal a starship from the elite and found a utopia elsewhere
Plastic Ono Band - John Lennon (1970)
Escalator over the Hill - Carla Bley (1971)
What's Going On - Marvin Gaye (1971) - Urban turmoil and changing times, the first album from a Motown artist that wasn't just a collection of singles
Aqualung - Jethro Tull (1971) - Criticism of organized religion for breaking people's personal relationship with God
Thick as a Brick - Jethro Tull (1972) - One long musical track written around a poem by a fictitious child prodigy.
Three Friends - Gentle Giant (1972) - Three old friends reminisce about their days as schoolchildren
Pictures at an Exhibition - Emerson, Lake & Palmer (1972) - Each song describes a picture; adapted from original composition by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky
\The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars - David Bowie (1972) - story of a Martian Messiah, Savior and rock star named Ziggy Stardust
A Passion Play - Jethro Tull (1973) - A man dies and comes back to Earth to help the people he loves
Berlin - Lou Reed (1973)
Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd (1973) - The various influences that can drive one mad
The Six Wives of King Henry VIII - Rick Wakeman (1973) - One instrumental piece about each wife
Quadrophenia - The Who (1973) - Four personalities in one alienated mod
Tales from Topographic Oceans - Yes (1973) - This concept album is based on the four part Hindu Shastric scriptures
Desperado - The Eagles (1973) - Old western outlaws
Preservation Act 1, Preservation Act 2 - The Kinks (1973, 1974) - The rise of a greedy developer and his fall at the hands of a moralizing dictator, set in and around a quaint English village.
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway - Genesis (1974) - A young man gets the opportunity to fix his past mistakes
The Power and the Glory - Gentle Giant (1974)
Diamond Dogs - David Bowie (1974) - Adapted from 1984 by George Orwell
Journey to the Center of the Earth - Rick Wakeman (1974) - Adapted from Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne
Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table - Rick Wakeman (1975) - Adapted from the legends of King Arthur
Radioactivity - Kraftwerk (1975) - Broadcast communications
Schoolboys in Disgrace - The Kinks (1975) - childhood in the 1950s
Soap Opera - The Kinks (1975) - ordinary people's dreams of stardom
Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd (1975) - Former band member Syd Barrett's decline into insanity, and the trials of stardom
Tales of Mystery and Imagination - Alan Parsons Project (1975) - Adapted from various writings by Edgar Allen Poe
Red Headed Stranger - Willie Nelson (1975) - A preacher who has fallen from grace
Captain Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy - Elton John (1975) - Elton John and Bernie Taupin describe their rise to stardom
Too Old to Rock And Roll, Too Young to Die - Jethro Tull (1975) - Nostalgia of a rocker who has reached his late fifties
The Snow Goose - Camel (1975) - Concerns a goose in World War 2, based on a novella by Paul Gallico
The Prince of Heaven's Eyes - Fruupp (1975) - The whimsical adventures of a young man who decides to leave his home in a small Irish village.
Welcome to My Nightmare - Alice Cooper (1975)
Hotel California - The Eagles (1976) - Temptation and the loss of innocence in the pursuit of celebrity
Mothership Connection - Parliament (1976) - A messianic figure named Starchild comes to earth on a Mothership to bring the Funk to humanity
Alice Cooper Goes to Hell - Alice Cooper (1976) - Alice Cooper goes to hell
I, Robot - Alan Parsons Project (1977) - Based on the robot stories of Isaac Asimov
Hope - Klaatu (1977)
Animals - Pink Floyd (1977) - The common people are represented by sheep, the government by dogs, the rich by pigs
One Nation Under a Groove - Funkadelic (1978) - imaginary nation ruled by Funkiness
From the Inside - Alice Cooper (1978) - Based on Cooper's experience in an asylum
Here, My Dear - Marvin Gaye (1978) - A description of the circumstances that led to Marvin's divorce. By the divorce settlement, the royalties went to the ex-wife. '(This isn't entirely accurate- any more information?)'
Uncle Jam Wants You - Funkadelic (1979) - a militant call to action to create the nation in One Nation Under a Groove
Einstein on the Beach - Philip Glass (1979)
The Wall - Pink Floyd (1979) - A rock star becomes alienated from his friends, family and fans, and seals himself behind a metaphorical wall
Slow Train Coming - Bob Dylan (1979) Dylan's ducumented period of exploring his Christianity
Joe's Garage - Frank Zappa (1979) - A rock musician who is reviled for his music by a society that hates rock
Eve - Alan Parsons Project (1979) - Woman's overpowering effect on man
The Turn of a Friendly Card - Alan Parsons Project (1980) - Gambling is used as a metaphor for life
The Electric Spanking of War Babies - Funkadelic (1981) - the title refers to the Vietnam War and the media's role in it; album concerns unFunkiness (see P-Funk mythology)
(Music from) The Elder - KISS (1981) - A hero searches for and kills an elf
1984 - Rick Wakeman (1981) - Adapted from 1984 by George Orwell
Paradise Theater - Styx (1981) - Chicago's Old Paradise theater's destruction is a metaphor for the destruction of America
Nude - Camel (1981) - A World War 2 veteran who was stranded on an island alone is rescued; he can not cope with life in society and returns to the island
Eye in the Sky - Alan Parsons Project (1982) - Concerns the loss of individuality in modern society
Yes Sir I Will - Crass (1983) - album consists of a single 40 minute track critique of UK government policy regarding the Falklands War
The Final Cut - Pink Floyd (1983) - "A Requiem for the Post-War Dream" - the disappointment of a soldier who returns from World War 2
Kilroy Was Here - Styx (1983) - The story of the last rock star after rock music is banned
Zen Arcade - Hüsker Dü (1984)
The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking - Roger Waters (1984) - A man dreams of adultery
The Chronicle of the Black Sword - Hawkwind (1985) - Based on the "Elric" novels of Michael Moorcock
Misplaced Childhood - Marillion (1985) - A man recovers the innocence of his childhood
White City: A Novel - Pete Townshend (1985) - The story of a poor outcast
Le Parc - Tangerine Dream (1985) - Each composition is about a specific park
The Queen is Dead - The Smiths (1986) - Imperialism's end lamented with empathetic mockery
Pictures of Starving Children Sell Records - Chumbawamba (1986) - An album length critique of the then current Live Aid/Band Aid phenomena.
Abigail - King Diamond (1987) - A pregnant woman is possessed
Radio KAOS - Roger Waters (1987) - A man rescues his brother and saves the world
Never Mind the Ballots - Chumbawamba (1987) - The anarchist arguments against voting released just before the 1987 UK general election.
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son - Iron Maiden (1988) - The story of a man with psychic powers
Operation: Mindcrime - Queensrÿche (1988) - The gritty story of underworld criminals
Them - King Diamond (1988) - The story of a crazy grandmother (sequel to Abigail)
Imaginos - Blue Öyster Cult (1988) - A supernatural entity wanders through history and impacts various world events
Conspiracy - King Diamond (1989) - Another story about the insane grandmother (sequel to Them)
Iron Man - Pete Townshend (1989) - Adapted from a story by Ted Hughes
The Eye - King Diamond (1990) - About the French Inquisition and witchcraft
Songs for Drella - Lou Reed & John Cale (1990) - A tribute to Andy Warhol
Slap - Chumbawamba (1990) - A celebration of working class heroes and ordinary peoples' resistance.
Dust and Dreams - Camel (1991) - Adapted from The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Amused to Death - Roger Waters (1992) - A sequel to The Final Cut by Pink Floyd (Waters' old group)
Magic and Loss - Lou Reed (1992) - Growing old and dying, written in honor of two departed friends
Night of the Stormrider - Iced Earth (1992) - A man falls from grace and doubts organized religion
Psychoderelict - Pete Townshend (1993)
The Crimson Idol - W.A.S.P (1993) - The story of a kid that goes insane
The Downward Spiral - Nine Inch Nails (1994) Trent Reznor's journey from fucked to even more fucked
Brave - Marillion (1994) - A runaway girl's battle to keep hope alive
Outside - David Bowie (1995) - A detective, Nathan Adler, investigates the murder of a young girl
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - The Smashing Pumpkins (1995) - The journey from angst-ridden youth to unconcerned maturity.
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx - Raekwon (1995) - The story of a Cuban gangster
Dead Winter Dead - Savatage (1995) - A Serb boy and Muslim girl fall in love in war-torn Sarajevo
Obsolete - Fear Factory (1995) - The future is a Wellesish 1984 in which machines rule and the government controls
Dark Saga - Iced Earth (1996) - Adapted from the comic book Spawn
Antichrist Superstar - Marilyn Manson (1996) The return of Beelzebub "I am the hydra/ Now youll see your star."
Christmas Eve and Other Stories - Trans-Siberian Orchestra (1996) - An angel is sent to earth to find the good of Christmas day
Pinkerton - Weezer (1996) - Album with several songs based on an adaptation of Madame Butterfly
The Graveyard - King Diamond (1996) - A man seeks revenge against the town mayor
Harbour of Tears - Camel (1996) - The story of a group of Irish immigrants to the United States, the forefathers of guitarist Andrew Latimer
Somewhere Out in Space - Gamma Ray (1997) - A science-fiction adventure based on 2001: A Space Odyssey
Kid A - Radiohead (1997) - Tranquil, computerized desolation
When The Red King Comes - Elf Power (1997) - A Tolkien-like fantasy world.
Voodoo - King Diamond (1998) - People move to Louisiana and become involved in voodoo
My Arms, Your Hearse - Opeth (1998) - A dead man contemplates his lover mourning him
RZA as Bobby Digital in Stereo - RZA (1998)
Nightfall in Middle-Earth - Blind Guardian (1998) - Adapted from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion (Specifically, the Quenta Silmarillion)
Into the Electric Castle - Ayreon (1998) - Several people from different times and place are placed in a strange place, the "Electric Castle"
Flower Power - The Flower Kings (1999)
Return to the Center of the Earth - Rick Wakeman (1999) - Sequel to Journey to the Center of the Earth
Dark Hallucinations - Steel Prophet (1999) - Partly based on the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Scenes From A Memory - Dream Theater (1999) - Past life regression and murder discovery
House of God - King Diamond (2000)
The Lifehouse Chronicles - Pete Townshend (2000) - The Who
Machina - The Smashing Pumpkins (2000) - A rock star believes he hears the voice of God)
Beethoven's Last Night - Trans-Siberian Orchestra (2000) - Mephistopheles comes for Beethoven's soul one night
Magica - Dio (2000) - A fantasy-adventure
Light of Day, Day of Darkness - Green Carnation (2001) - A single hour-long song of somewhat obscure meaning, involving enlightenment and the journey of life
Strange Little Girls - Tori Amos (2001) - Traditionally masculine songs redone from a feminine point of view
Setting Sons - The Jam (2001) - Three childhood friends meet again and discuss their lifes
Leitmotif - Dredg (2001) - A man travels to different cultures to cure his spiritual affliction.
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence - Dream Theater (2002) - The various stages, actions, and moods of depression and insanity.
Scarlet's Walk - Tori Amos (2002) - Two female friends go on a cross-country trip
El Cielo - Dredg (2002) - Booklet contains letters written by sufferers of sleep disorders; most of the songs on the album revolve around the subject of sleep.
Creatures - Elf Power (2002)
Remedy Lane - Pain of Salvation (2002) live with a group of people in a communal environment
Snow - Spock's Beard (2002) - An outcast teenager transforms into a messianic figure
Demon Hunter - Demon Hunter (2002)
Truthless Heroes - Project 86 (2002)
Hail to the Thief - Radiohead (2003)
De-Loused in the Comatorium - The Mars Volta (2003) - A man tries to commit suicide via morphine overdose, but ends up in a week long coma laden with visions of humanity and himself. Upon waking, he decides to die.