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The Songfactors' Choice: Concept Albums


Lucky

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capa_tommy_g.jpg

[big]Tommy -- The Who[/big]

1. Overture

2. It's a Boy

3. 1921

4. Amazing Journey

5. Sparks

6. Eyesight to the Blind (The Hawker) (Williamson)

7. Christmas

8. Cousin Kevin

9. The Acid Queen

10. Underture

11. Do You Think It's Alright?

12. Fiddle About (Entwistle)

13. Pinball Wizard

14. There's a Doctor

15. Go to the Mirror!

16. Tommy, Can You Hear Me?

17. Smash the Mirror

18. Sensation

19. Miracle Cure

20. Sally Simpson

21. I'm Free

22. Welcome

23. Tommy's Holiday Camp (Moon)

24. We're Not Gonna Take It/See Me, Feel Me

All songs written by Pete Townshend except where noted.

Released exactly one year after Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake, Tommy is everything the Small Faces' album isn't, and vice versa. It had mass appeal, it did not veer off into a multitude of different genres, it had a message, and the music is a lot more mature. Tommy introduced the rock opera to the masses, catapulted The Who to superstardom and even though the story might not be very easy to understand just by listening to the album, it is undeniably there. It made the Top Ten of Q’s “Albums that changed musicâ€, and even though The Pretty Things and Small Faces may have been a little faster with releasing their respective rock operas, the honour of being able to claim the invention of the concept of the rock opera still falls to The Who and their 1966 ‘mini opera’ A Quick One, While He’s Away. And Tommy, released in 1969, was far more successful and influential than its predecessors.

[smaller]If you think some of this review sounds familiar, you're probably right :angel:

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[big]Zen Arcade[/big]

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Now since this album is better known, wiki has tons of stuff on it and that's good because I didn't know as much. A mere copy-paste job is in order:

Zen Arcade is a concept album about an adolescent who runs away because his home life is unfulfilling, only to find the world outside is even worse. The album incorporates elements of jazz, psychedelia, acoustic folk, pop, and piano interludes, concepts previously unheard of in the world of hardcore punk.

The lyrics of Zen Arcade are usually interpreted as telling the story, in the first person, of an adolescent who runs away to escape an unfulfilling home life, as typified in the lyrics of "Broken Home, Broken Heart," "Indecision Time," and "Somewhere." The unnamed character tries drugs ("Pink Turns to Blue"), and religion ("Hare Krsna"), but concludes that he is unable to change his circumstances ("Newest Industry").[6] He shortly discovers that the world outside is even worse. At the very end of the album, after he "turns on the news," it is revealed that this was all a symptom of his insanity, with disorienting 14-minute instrumental "Recurring Dreams." Indicative of the band's desire for the album to be taken as a whole, no singles were released from it.

Tracklist

(4 side LP listing, how cool is that?)

Side one

"Something I Learned Today" (Mould) - 1:58

"Broken Home, Broken Heart" (Mould) - 2:01

"Never Talking to You Again" (Hart) - 1:39

"Chartered Trips" (Mould) - 3:33

"Dreams Reoccurring" (Hüsker Dü) - 1:40

"Indecision Time" (Mould) - 2:07

"Hare Krsna" (Hart) - 3:33

Side two

"Beyond the Threshold" (Mould) - 1:35

"Pride" (Mould) - 1:45

"I'll Never Forget You" (Mould) - 2:06

"The Biggest Lie" (Mould) - 1:58

"What's Going On" (Hart) - 4:23

"Masochism World" (Hart/Mould) - 2:43

"Standing by the Sea" (Hart) - 3:12

Side three

"Somewhere" (Hart/Mould) - 2:30

"One Step at a Time" (Hart/Mould) - 0:45

"Pink Turns to Blue" (Hart) - 2:39

"Newest Industry" (Mould) - 3:02

"Monday Will Never Be the Same" (Mould) - 1:10

"Whatever" (Mould) - 3:50

"The Tooth Fairy and the Princess" (Mould) - 2:43

Side four

"Turn on the News" (Hart) - 4:21

"Reoccurring Dreams" (Hüsker Dü) - 13:47

Zen Arcade and subsequent Hüsker Dü albums were instrumental in the creation of the alternative rock genre; the band would later abandon the hardcore aesthetic entirely in favor of a post-hardcore style of melodic, guitar-driven alternative rock. While not commercially successful, the influence of Zen Arcade has stretched beyond the underground music sphere, and it is frequently included on lists of the all-time best rock and roll albums and more recently it has gained a cult following.

No Husker Du, no 'alternative rock' - it's pretty epic. That's reason enough to vote for it, I think :beatnik:

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A Grand Don't Come For Free ~ The Streets (2004)

1. "It Was Supposed to Be So Easy" - 3:56

2. "Could Well Be In" - 4:24

3. "Not Addicted" - 3:40

4. "Blinded by the Lights" - 4:45

5. "Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way" - 4:36

6. "Get Out of My House" (feat. MC C-Mone) - 3:52

7. "Fit But You Know It" - 4:14

8. "Such a Twat" - 3:48

9. "What Is He Thinking?" - 4:41

10. "Dry Your Eyes" - 4:31

11. "Empty Cans" - 8:15

who said good concept albums were only made until the 70s? :shades:

(I know that noone said that - it's a rhetorical question meant to make you interested in this one ;) )

(from wikipedia:)

A Grand Don't Come for Free is a concept album. In the story, the protagonist loses £1000, or a grand in slang terms and strives to recoup the money.

In the first track on the album, "It Was Supposed to Be So Easy", he attempts seemingly simple events for the day but they don't go according to plan. When he comes home he cannot find the thousand pounds he has saved and his television is broken. In the process of trying to recover the money he:

* Starts seeing a girl called Simone who works in JD Sports with his friend Dan. ("Could Well Be In")

* Tries to recover the thousand pounds by gambling. After a series of wins he frustratingly cannot get to the bookmaker's in time to make a big gamble. Fortuitously, the prediction is wrong — it's his lucky day. ("Not Addicted")

* Is stood up at a nightclub by Simone, but passes the time drinking alcohol and taking cocaine and ecstasy; he thinks he sees Simone kissing Dan but the drug induced high distracts him before he can think about it properly. ("Blinded By the Lights")

* Moves into Simone's house and finds himself comfortable smoking marijuana there, rather than drinking with his friends at the pub. ("Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way")

* Argues with Simone and she kicks him out of her house. ("Get Out of My House")

* Poses to impress a girl ("Fit But You Know It") in a take away restaurant during a heavy night drinking on holiday.

* Flies back from the holiday and remorsefully reviews the events of the previous night during a phone call to a friend, realising he still wants to be with Simone.("Such a Twat")

* Suspects his mate Scott of stealing his coat, money and girlfriend but discovers that Simone is actually having an affair with Dan. ("What is He Thinking?")

* Tries to cope with his girlfriend breaking up with him. ("Dry Your Eyes").

* Deals with the events of his life in one of two ways; the final track, "Empty Cans", features two endings to the plot, a bitter ending and a happy ending (the former where he and a TV repairman get into a fight over the repairman's fee, and the latter in which he reconciles with his mates and finds the thousand pounds hidden in his TV).

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Hate to do it but , I would like to trade Modest Mouse in for:

[big] Blues From Laurel Canyon – John Mayall - 1968[/bigger]

In late '68 after disbanding his famous Bluesbreakers, Mayall took himself off to LA for a three week vacation. He did the album in three days.

Blues From Lauren Canyon recounts his trip from departure (the opening lines are "ten hours in plane, England left behind") through Walking on Sunset and encounters with Zappa and Canned Heat (2401 and The Bear) and his return to England (the closer starts "got to fly tomorrow, got to pack my gear, re-adjust my mind").

BluesFromLaurelCanyonJohnMayall.jpg

Wiki Link

Track listing:

1.Vacation

2. Walking on Sunset

3.Laurel Canyon Home

4.2401

5.Ready To Ride

6.Medicine Man

7.Somebody's Acting Like A Child

8. The Bear

9.Miss James

10.First Time Alone

11.Long Gone Midnight

12.Fly Tomorrow

Source Very informative site that talks about how this album came about and what inspired some of the songs. If you are a fan it's a definite must read :thumbsup:

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I'm only doing the 1 nomination this time, so I'd be happy to take the Modest Mouse one as my second. Since Lea has done all the work and all for me .... ;)

That is if it's ok with Lea? :shades:

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okay, it's that time again:

NOMINATIONS

A Grand Don't Come For Free - The Streets

A Passion Play - Jethro Tull

Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) - The Kinks

Attack of the Grey Lantern - Mansun

Berlin - Lou Reed

Blues from Laurel Canyon - John Mayall

I Robot - The Alan Parsons Project

In The Court Of The Crimson King - King Crimson

Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music - Ray Charles

Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake - Small Faces

Operation: Mindcrime - Queensrÿche

Pet Sounds - Beach Boys

S.F. Sorrow - The Pretty Things

Sex Packets - Digital Underground

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles

Songs for the Deaf - Queens of the Stone Age

The Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway - Genesis

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - David Bowie

The Wall - Pink Floyd

The Who Sell Out - The Who

Thick as a Brick - Jethro Tull

Tommy - The Who

We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank - Modest Mouse

Zen Arcade - Hüsker Dü

VOTE AWAY NOW!!

:headphones:

Edited by Guest
thanks chris :)
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1. Wall - Pink Floyd

2. Operation: Mindcrime - Queensrÿche

3. Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd

4. Pet Sounds - Beach Boys

5. Tommy - The Who

6. Thick as a Brick - Jethro Tull

7. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles

8. Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - David Bowie

9. We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank - Modest Mouse

10. Zen Arcade - Hüsker Dü

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1.The Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd

2.Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles

3.Blues From Laurel Canyon – John Mayall

4.We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank - Modest Mouse

5.Tommy - The Who

6.I Robot – The Alan Parsons Project

7.Thick as a Brick - Jethro Tull

8.The Wall - Pink Floyd

9.In The Court Of The Crimson King - King Crimson

10.A Passion Play - Jethro Tull

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We've always said that everyone can vote here in SF Choice regardless. In the Tens, we originally said that you had to have nominated, no exceptions. That's been relaxed, for example, when a long term member pops in and out, or someone that is a semi-regular hasn't nominated or has forgotten to. If Laurie (for example) had forgotten or was unable to nominate in the Ten this week, we'd still let her vote. If a totally new member wants to vote we used to always ask them to wait until the next week, but more recently we've releaxed that as well. It sort of depends on the situation.

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I'm surprised we are voting for ten from a fairly small list, but I guess I don't mind voting for a few albums that I've only heard a few tracks from. :grin:

I focused as much on how well the albums fit the definition of a concept album as how good the albums are in my voting. I left a couple of my favourites off the list simply because I don't consider them to be concept albums.

1. Thick as a Brick - Jethro Tull

2. The Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd

3. Tommy - The Who

4. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway - Genesis (not Peter Gabriel solo - excellent nomination though) :P

5. S.F. Sorrow - The Pretty Things

6. Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake - Small Faces

7. Songs for the Deaf - Queens of the Stone Age

8. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - David Bowie

9. A Passion Play - Jethro Tull

10. The Wall - Pink Floyd

Edited by Guest
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1. Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) - The Kinks

2. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles

3. Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake - Small Faces

4. Pet Sounds - Beach Boys

5. The Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd

6. S.F. Sorrow - The Pretty Things

7. Tommy - The Who

8. Thick as a Brick - Jethro Tull

9. The Who Sell Out - The Who

10. In The Court Of The Crimson King - King Crimson

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1- Berlin - Lou Reed

2- The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - David Bowie

3- In The Court Of The Crimson King - King Crimson

4- Tommy - The Who

5- The Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd

6- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles

7- Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) - The Kinks

8- Blues from Laurel Canyon - John Mayall

9- I Robot- Alan Parsons Project

10- Thick as a Brick - Jethro Tull

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1. Tommy - The Who

2. Pet Sounds - Beach Boys

3. The Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd

4. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles

5. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - David Bowie

6. Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake - Small Faces

7. Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) - The Kinks

8. In The Court Of The Crimson King - King Crimson

9. I Robot - The Alan Parsons Project

10 Blues from Laurel Canyon - John Mayall

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Yes please do BobbyJenkins! You are more than welcome to vote on the albums that were nominated for this particular topic. Also, we begin a new topic roughly every month, so there is always another opportunity to nominate Ms Bush's work. We like new blood! :)

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