17 concept albums that need to find their way into your collection

Do concept albums, rock, pop, soul, or otherwise, belong within concept art? Well, they certainly do, but there was always a long-winded debate about concept art and its merits, music albums included.

Many authors and critics tie the history of concept albums in popular music to the mid-sixties, and even books have been written about it. Yet, concept albums seem to have begun their story as soon as the albums took their shape and form with jazz and ‘old pop’ (Frank Sinatra’s there).

So what would a concept album be? Some authors like M. Elicker are of the opinion, which many share, that concept albums are those whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. While that connection is quite often contained in the lyrics, it could also be instrumental or contained within the songwriting style, but quite often, it includes all of these.

Concept albums that need to be in your collection right now

While it is possible to go back to the roots of concept albums, maybe here it is better to concentrate on the period from the mid-sixties when modern pop, rock, and other genres took their current shapes and forms.

So here are 17 concept albums that should find their way in your record collection, with some of these probably being there already.

The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds (1966)

What was at the time thought to be a big "experimental" step for the Beach Boys turned out to be one of the big steps for modern pop/rock music as such, and one of the best modern albums of all time.

Forgetting that "experimental" tag (which stands), this ode to adulthood thought and conceived in the mind of Brian Wilson with the help of lyricist Tony Asher still rings strong whenever played as single songs or as a whole.

The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

This wasn’t the first concept album in modern music, but it was certainly the one that brought about a deluge of such albums, even though John Lennon himself (jokingly or not) said: "Sgt. Pepper is called the first concept album, but it doesn't go anywhere ... it works because we said it worked." Actually, it goes everywhere in its concept of memories and remains one of the best of all time.

The Kinks - The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society' (1968)

Ray Davies and the Kinks also reverse to memories here, with their view on old England, resorting to more mellowed-down rock and rocked-up English folk, without forgetting the blues either. It was quite big with the critics and not so big with a wider audience weaned on the Kinks garage rock days.

The Who - Tommy (1969)

Lauded as the first rock opera (there were others before it, though), it turned out to be a big one, with Pete Townshend covering some quite dark, often painful themes, as well as touching upon the often occurring theme of fame. It saw the Who expanding both its musical and lyrical range, and along with another concept album that followed it (Quadrophenia), it ranked among the best the band came up with.

Marvin Gaye - What’s Going On (1971)

The album where a soul-pop master turns into a musical genius with an album that many dubbed as “a state-of-the-nation address.” It remains one of the musically and lyrically richest, not only concept albums but modern music albums as such, with Gaye showing the fullness of his talent.

Sly And the Family Stone - There’s A Riot Goin’ On (1971)

With Marvin Gay asking the question ‘what’s goin’ on?” Sly Stone quickly responded that there was a riot going on. Along with what James Brown did, Stone presented some of the key inventions in funk and presented a continuation of what Marvin Gay started - nailing down the fact that the sixties were over.

 David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)

Glam rock was all about stardom, and David Bowie and his alien that landed on earth to become a rock star set the standards for glam then, and glam now. Yet, at the same time, he set some serious standards for rock music that stand firm to this day with this album.

ELO - Eldorado (1974)

Baroque and sunshine pop always had strong ties, often toying with situations that were more imagined than real. Jeff Lynne and his Electric Light Orchestra fully unite the two here, in Lynne’s dream world that was to serve as the escape from the dark side of reality. Eldorado was always a thing of dreams anyway,

Husker Du - Zen Arcade (1984)

Both punk and post-punk are mainly pointed for short, sharp attacks, but this is where Hüsker Dü turns the tables with another Tommy-like dark tale of an adolescent trying to cope with the dark realities of daily life. The album turned out to be one of the best hardcore albums around, and as time passed, even more than that.

XTC - Skylarking (1986)

Andy Partridge and the band tackle not only the season but all the cycles in life with some exquisite psych-tinged music that goes everywhere, including jazz, and includes some of the most profound lyrics they set music. Forget their squabble with Todd Rundgren, the original producer, it remains one of the most lush albums around.

Liz Phair -  Exile In Guyville (1993)

It makes no difference whether Liz Phair ever reached the heights of this album, as it remains one of the best deconstructions of the then male-dominated music scene, combined with some serious reflections on intimate personal relations. The album rings true to this day.

The Magnetic Fields - 69 Songs (1999)

Dissecting, picking up the pieces, and then reconnecting them again from a personal standpoint so as to find out what a love song is all about. And it is not any or twelve views, but 69 of them, where Stephin Merritt, with his light musical touch and a degree in literature, takes the concept album idea to its limits.

Radiohead - Kid A (2000)

Many consider Pink Floyd the kings of concept albums (quite possibly), but here Thom Yorke and Radiohead seem to have digested all of those and present their musings on modern technology and all the good and bad things it brings along, some even saying the album predicted 9/11. It might be a very dark vision, but it is quite a compelling one.

Drive-By Truckers - Southern Rock Opera (2001)

As with any other rock genre, southern rock is not devoid of concept albums, and this one is certainly among the best. It covers quite a few aspects of life in the American South, from its politics to music created there.

Brian Wilson - Smile (2004)

What he wasn’t able to achieve with The Beach Boys back in 1967, Brian Wilson did over thirty years on with the help of a stellar cast. Wilson’s dream-like vision of all of American pop through the psychedelic lyrics of Van Dyke Parks didn’t lose an iota in this re-interpretation of the original and often lost tracks.

Sufjan Stevens - Illinois (2005)

When he started out, Sufjan Stevens promised an album about each of the 50 U.S. states, beginning with Michigan, but then only did this one about Illinois and then seemingly stopped there. Maybe it doesn’t matter because this one was so good in both its musical and lyrical richness as if Stevens covered all other states at the same time.

Beyoncé - Cowboy Carter (2024)

Dubbed Beyoncé’s "country album," it goes beyond this somewhat simplified description, as it examines the position of African-American (and female) artists in country music, as well as the state of country music today and its influences (inward and outward).

More music news and analysis: