Random Wildest Concept Albums (13 items)

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  (#1) The Dark Side of the Moon

  • Pink Floyd

  It's one of the most instantly recognizable and beloved albums of all time, but The Dark Side of the Moon is often overlooked for its contribution to the world of concept albums. Released in 1973, Pink Floyd's eighth album is an ambitious and philosophical record dealing with the idea of people being driven crazy by modern life.

  Whether or not the band conceived a storyline to tie the album together lyrically, fans believe there is an underlying theme and message. Dark Side... is known for the mystery and mythology that surrounds it, and the conceptual aspects are no different. 

  According to a former Redditor:

  Its a concept album just like your life is a concept: The tracks follow you as you move through your own life. First, you "Breathe" (you're born, and you maneuver [through] the early stages of life). Then, you mature and run into crazy, larger than life problems like "Time," "Money," religion ("GGIS"), and war ("Us and Them") and... struggle to find answers.
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  (#8) Thing‐Fish

  • Frank Zappa

  Frank Zappa's ambitious and seemingly insane Thing-Fish was supposed to be the cast recording that accompanied a musical of the same name. The stage production was ultimately shelved, but the album - for better or worse - lives on. 

   Thematically, the album deals with an evil prince who creates a dangerous virus similar to AIDS to wipe out certain segments of the population. Those who survive become severely deformed.

  It was an envelope-pushing idea in 1984, especially considering world issues at the time. Even more bizarrely, it was meant to be more of a comedy than a dramatic work. The album wasn't well-received, with one reviewer calling it "a mess that tries to do way too much."

  Nearly two decades after the album's initial release, the musical was finally staged in London in 2003. 
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  (#11) In... the Life of Chris Gaines

  • Garth Brooks, Chris Gaines

  At the peak of his country music fame, Garth Brooks took on the alter ego, Chris Gaines. The character first surfaced in 1999 for a film project called The Lamb. The movie was never released, and the album failed critically and commercially. The Gaines character - essentially Brooks in a dark wig playing more rock-centric music - was aided by a VH1 Behind The Music "mockumentary" and a musical guest appearance on SNL.

  It wasn't meant to be, however, and the concept fell apart. On Late Night with Conan O'Brien in 1999, Brooks joked about his failed rock and roll venture.

  "There’s some that probably don’t know about the alter ego who just think you went crazy or something," O'Brien said.

  "That would be everyone in the industry and every press there is out there," Brooks replied.
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  (#3) Welcome to My Nightmare

  • Alice Cooper

  Touted as Alice Cooper's first solo album, Welcome to My Nightmare was a commercially successful venture into the world of concept albums. The songs center around a boy named Steven and the nightmares he suffers, and were born out of Cooper's love of the horror genre. He later said:

  I loved horror movies. Still do. And I also love theatre and musicals. And I always had the grand idea that we could take the basic album and create a stage show from it, which is what we ultimately did. I saw it as like a cross between a nasty fairy tale and something like West Side Story.

  The album was a proud moment for Cooper, who said he thought he "got it right."

  He related, "It had all the elements that I wanted on the record. And for a first solo album, it’s not a bad start!" 
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  (#9) Year Zero

  • Nine Inch Nails

  Like quite a few plots and concepts to come before and after it, Nine Inch Nails' Year Zero deals with the terrifying idea of a dystopian future. Released in 2007, the album also came with a unique bonus feature that was unheard of at the time. 

  "Set in the year 2022, the album’s concept depicts a dystopian, post-apocalyptic version of the United States. Not only was this change of pace emphasized within the lyrics, but it was also achieved through an alternate reality game that paired with the album’s release," one review described. 

  Frontman Trent Reznor later called the album "one of the most fun things I’ve ever done."
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  (#4) The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

  • Genesis

  Genesis' final album with Peter Gabriel was also their most ambitious. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway tells the story of Rael, a half-Puerto Rican former gang member who travels throughout New York City in search of a lost sibling. 

  It's a strange concept, but it proved successful and became a prog rock classic. 

  Following the album, Gabriel decided to leave the band, having decided he'd done all he wanted to do with them. He went on to a successful solo career.

  "There was no enormous schism; there was no affair with another band member’s wife; he was not out of it on drink or drugs," author Daryl Easlea later said of Gabriel's departure. "He’d just had enough and knew that if he wanted to get on, it had to be outside of the group."

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