What is your favorite obscure concept album?
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Rarebear (
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November 1st, 2013
At the moment I’m listening to Camel Harbour of Tears. It’s a wonderful album about an Irish family torn apart by famine and how the young people had to immigrate to the United States. It’s an album that should be listened to in its entirety from start to finish, with a smoky scotch while you’re contemplating a candle or a fire in your fireplace.
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33 Answers
King Diamond
Them
And
Conspiracy
It’s the story of a boy who moves into an old house, and whose grandma comes to join them from a mental institution. All is well until King finds grandma having tea with ‘Them’ – the spirits of the house. He finds grandma stealing his mother’s blood and putting it in the teapot. Now mother won’t wake up! King’s sister encourages him to save mama. King lures grandma outside the house, where the spirits aren’t strong, and kills her. Mother wakes up, and sends King to the mental institution.
In the second album. King is released, and returns home to claim Amon House as heir, finding his sister dead under suspicious circumstances, his mother has moved King’s evil therapist in with her, and grandma and the spirits still very much around. King makes a deal with Them to return control of the house to Them in exchange for being able to speak to his sister. Unfortunately, try as she might, she cannot tell him anything that helps. King is killed by mom and therapist, but resolves to haunt them from beyond the grave.
cool. I’ve never heard of King Diamond. Thanks.
Not sure if this fits the classic definition of “Concept Album” but Roseanne Cash’s album “The List” does it for me. When Roseanne was 18 her father, Johnny Cash, gave her a list of his top 100 songs of all time. Roseanne chose 12 of those songs and recorded them. The songs, to me, all reflect a feeling of loss and missing someone/something. (Please save your snarky All Country songs are about loss and missing something. If you know anything about Country music you would know that it is also about drunkenness, infidelity, sunsets, dead dogs, truck drivers and toothless women.)
Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Yanqui U.X.O.
All but two of King Diamond’s albums are concepts. He has another project, Mercyful Fate, as well.
The man’s in his 60s, and can still hit all the notes. Puts Ozzy to shame.
@Seek_Kolinahr I’m more of a Dio guy myself.
@Jeruba A concept album is an album that sort of tells a story or has a theme. The Wall was a concept album.
How do you feel about Alice Cooper?
@Seek_Kolinahr I love Alice. His latest album, The Last Temptation was also made into a comic written by Neil Gaiman. You’re supposed to read the comic and listen to the music at the same time. He also gave a wonderful interview with Terry Gross a few years back which skyrocketed my opinion of him.
Oh yeah. You’ll friggin’ love King Diamond.
I might have the album, but not the comic. Must put on keep eyes peeled list.
Trout Mask Replica – Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band
2112 – Rush (obscure for them)
@Rarebear . . . I can see that. You seem like a perfect fit for the underlying theme.
@Blondesjon Well, I’m hardly an Ayn Rand Objectivist, but it is kind of a cool science fictiony story.
a very peartinent observation
@Blondesjon Dude…Trout Mask is many things, but centralized around a single concept it is not. What on earth could you even attempt to pick out as an underlying theme? Insanity?
@wildpotato not nice. No great answer from me. Concept album is in the eye of the beholder.
Stream of consciousness is a theme.
nobody ever gave john coltrane shit for it
@Blondesjon I wouldn’t call it (all) stream of consciousness, either. “Orange Claw Hammer” has a story, for instance. Also, there’s a difference between simply exhibiting a thing or characteristic (like the influence of the stream of consciousness) and talking about/theorizing about/conceptualizing it (as a set of songs with the theme of “stream of consciousness” would).
@Rarebear I could have sworn I was just discussing a favorite album with a buddy – but if you think my comment was rude, a personal attack, or inappropriate in some way, feel free to flag.
It was the what on earth…insanity statement.
But if you guys are buddies then I apologize.
@wildpotato . . . But Trout Mask Replica does both. That’s what makes it bulbous conceptual.
And by those standards would you consider Funkadelic’s Maggot Brain conceptual?
Zappa- You are what you is.
Badass, @TheRealOldHippie
Thanks for that. Another album to add to the “eyes out” list.
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