Concept albums are seen by most to be the property of the 60's / 70's rock bands and supergroups. I suppose a lot of the classical composers that Steve Jones famously said 'But they're dead' of, can also be seen as conceptual artists. Does anyone in here know any punk albums or groups that could be seen as a dreaded 'concept'? I've thrown one in to get started.

Setting Sons by the Jam (punk?) started as a concept as did Siouxsie & the Banshees Join Hands...

The English Subhumans did a couple of concept type records. "From the Cradle to the Grave" tells the story of being born & trapped in the system & it's basically one long song. 

THANK YOU ,MELISSA. I GET A GOOD ONE IN NOW AND AGAIN......I'm already seeing "Stitch'n'Bitch" books , so , I say , strike while the iron's hot.

Black Metal/Avant Jazz / Fucking Noise Drummer , Weasel Walter played at a Roctober  tribute show for Samy Davis , Jr. Of course , he made it clear that he never liked Sammy. People booed. I shouted "You should have a hotel with 18 rooms , and a stomach ache in each room!!!"(A Jewish curse I learned from "All in The Family , which Sammy owns one of teh best eisodes of , ever.)............But , when Walter got down to it , he did a Drums and Vocal Rant MEDLEY FROM "wEST sIDE sTORY".......iT WAS LIKE SAMMY 's and Buddy Rich's WSS medleys run thru a sausage grater. Pretty intense. ANGRY , Punk as Fuck.

Where Have You Gone Russ Tamblyn? I'd also say The Alice Cooper Group's James Bond Tribute "Halo of Flies"is High Concept as Hell , and a fantastic arrangement. Their "Man With The Golden Gun" , recorded between McCARTNEY'S "LIVE AND LET DIE" and the chosen track for thE next BOND epic , by Lulu (Love me some Lulu , but , no......), should have been the theme song. Who's more like Christopher Lee? Alice , OF COURSE.

'' Gutter Cat Vs. The Jets" is another mini - opera , starting out as a sex and violence Krazy Kat J.D film/cartoon , with The Jets' SONG FROM wEST sIDE sTORY ACCELERATING the violence , especially in their live show , with Alice and Drummer Neal Smith fighting around a garbage can , looking like they're really beating the shit out each other , and employing a very real looking knife.......Lot of stabbings in Shakespeare , too.

Very clever John Battles hahaha, knit one, Purl Jam? hahaha Sorry Johnny Lurg... GJB was just making a very obscure joke -- but I like it... Purl Jam... Hmmmm Might have to be the title of my book. Thanks John!

No doubt there will be 10,000 copies of the ridiculous CD trifecta the former punks of GD produced recently. Stinkeroos. I guess they are entitled to a few like everyone else who hangs on as long as they have...

Wondering if it impossible to have a punk opera? I mean... the songs are pretty short... speed opera :D Concept? Fuck you, we don't need a stinking concept. Concepts are for those Stadium Rawk twats! Just kidding really as I love it when people play around on the margins of genres... Awaiting more candidates to fit the Concept category ....

OH , YOU KNOW , "KNIT ONE , PURL TWO "( KNITTING.) ... I was just doing my own parody of an out -of - it old man , which is'nt much of a stretch....I finally had to ask Melissa , who is "American Idiot " by , anyway?  My first guess was Green Day , but , I saw about 2O GREEN DAY CDs AT A STORE I WAS AT , THE OTHER DAY , BUT , THERE WAS NO SUCH TITLE. It IS a Green Day album , she confirmed.
 
Johnny Lurg said:

I don't even know what "Knit One" is supposed to be a parody of.

John Battles said:

I'm just not up with these kids and their IPUDs and their VINYLS and doohickies and whatchamacallits. What band are we talking about , again ? Knit One , PURL JAM? 

I don't even know what "Knit One" is supposed to be a parody of.

John Battles said:

I'm just not up with these kids and their IPUDs and their VINYLS and doohickies and whatchamacallits. What band are we talking about , again ? Knit One , PURL JAM? 

"dOWN IN tHE sEWER" QUALIFIES AS A MINI CONCEPT ALBUM. I'm missing The Stranglers next month , and they'll probably be much better than they were, 20 years ago , too. A very SMALL CLUB SOLD $3 TICKETS , which sold out in minutes , so MAYBE about 300 people , total will see them in two nights.

I'm just not up with these kids and their IPUDs and their VINYLS and doohickies and whatchamacallits. What band are we talking about , again ? Knit One , PURL JAM? 

Aw, fanx. I still play the Who section of American Idiot and think, fucking hell, that is so fucking brilliant. For those who haven't heard that... well, go play it because it's worth it.

People hate that band because they make scary amounts of money now - a corporation to be sure. I do not begrudge them that success -- that is just sour grapes in my opinion.

Sadness for me? Why did they have to make a fucking Broadway play out of this thing? Totally changed my feeling for that recording. I can't shake that cloying showtuniness of where that work went.

Sometimes I like to pretend -- what would that record have sounded like without the over-production? Some alternate universe where they wrote songs like that still in the Garage. We'll never know. *shrug*

Johnny Lurg said:

I appreciate your bravery. 21st Century Breakdown and American Idiot are not only punk concept albums, but also "punk operas."

melissa scott said:

Nice blast from the past -- Hazel O'Connor! WOW!!!! OK, at the risk of being booted off this thread, I'd have to add American Idiot as a punk concept album. Fine, I know I know, commercial twaddle and power poppy whatevers, but to many, it defined 'punk' concept albums for the 'noughties. I won't post a piccie as pretty much everyone knows what this one looked like.

Feel free to send private hate mail to me. *grin*

I appreciate your bravery. 21st Century Breakdown and American Idiot are not only punk concept albums, but also "punk operas."

melissa scott said:

Nice blast from the past -- Hazel O'Connor! WOW!!!! OK, at the risk of being booted off this thread, I'd have to add American Idiot as a punk concept album. Fine, I know I know, commercial twaddle and power poppy whatevers, but to many, it defined 'punk' concept albums for the 'noughties. I won't post a piccie as pretty much everyone knows what this one looked like.

Feel free to send private hate mail to me. *grin*

It's not a whole album, just a group of songs; but's it's sub-divided into named and numbered sections so, to my mind, it counts.... Down in the Sewer by the Stranglers (off of Rattus).

It's rather good, too.

D.

Nice blast from the past -- Hazel O'Connor! WOW!!!! OK, at the risk of being booted off this thread, I'd have to add American Idiot as a punk concept album. Fine, I know I know, commercial twaddle and power poppy whatevers, but to many, it defined 'punk' concept albums for the 'noughties. I won't post a piccie as pretty much everyone knows what this one looked like.

Feel free to send private hate mail to me. *grin*

The Polkaholics' "Wally" album tells the real - life story of Chicago (And world.) Polka King , Lil' Wally, divided into several parts , depicting events in his life and career , with the careful scrutiny of "Tommy" and the careless abandon of the muddiest mix of "L.A.M.F." you've ever heard on a Radio Shack cassette. One speculatory tome , "If Wally met Johnny Thunders ", brings that point home.

Two punk albums come to mind immediately, although they are only loose concept albums:

• The Makers - Rock Star God (2000)
• Sham 69 - That's Life (1978)

Both are hit-n-miss affairs, in my opinion, and a little dull in comparison to their earlier work. 

'David Comes To Life' certainly is one of the most recent.
 
Alex said:

"David Comes to Life" and it's companion album "David's Town" both by Fucked Up.

Yea, I was second guessing myself on the album title too for some reason, but that is the only 70's/80's punk concept album that comes to mind, but there must be another one out there I'm not thinking of.

Mike , I'm not kidding , I was thinking about that , too , but , my copy is on a shelf buried under so much debris , I did'nt havea chance to dig it out. I'd forgotten the title of the LP.

No Punk LPs come to mind, but for 60s punk there is the Zombies Odyssey and Oracle and the Pretty Things SF Sorrow. I think one of the unofficial tenets of Punk was 3 minute songs and not too much to think about (not a put-down). Too much in the way of concept might get in the way of enjoying yourself (this is for Yank-style Punk fun, pre-hardcore [don'cha start me talkin]).

Don't forget their follow-up album, Release of an Oath (Kol Nidre)!

On a more serious note, I'd like to nominate Crass' Penis Envy.

Andy Climax said:

Does 'Mass in F Minor' the Electric Prunes count?

 

Yeah , I'd say , as a concept album , it compares with "Ziggy Stardust"....Very similar storyline (In the movie.)....It seems like someone said , "What if we wrote a movie and album around a Female , Punk , version of Ziggy ?".....You know , a street urchin puts together a Punk band , says nothing will contaminate their purity .......Nothing but egos , drugs , politics , money , big labels and fans getting it all wrong by impersonating the singer , Siouxsie - style.  OK , I have'nt seen "Breaking Glass" in over 25 years , but , I remember  seeing it as a double feature with "Rude Boy" (Built on a similar concept , The Clash having to grapple with being called "Sellouts" before they'd even had a US hit or turned the guitars down drastically.) in '80 OR '81....I saw it again , later , on late night TV , but , have'nt seen a commercial copy , since. I remember liking the movie , though it only took me a few years to find the music a bit plastic - sounding . But, I have'nt heard the LP since I was in High School.   Hazel O'Connor was dating Hugh Cornwall around this time.....
 
Andy Climax said:

On the same bent then. Hazel O'connors fabulous 'Breaking Glass' would fit the mould. Sold as a movie soundtrack, its much more than that. It broke the mould for a lot of New wave bands over here. Taking the best parts from Devo and Talking Heads but giving it a very British feel. Phil Daniels who played Jimmy in the movie of Quadrophenia plays a great role (again). 

"David Comes to Life" and it's companion album "David's Town" both by Fucked Up.

On the same bent then. Hazel O'connors fabulous 'Breaking Glass' would fit the mould. Sold as a movie soundtrack, its much more than that. It broke the mould for a lot of New wave bands over here. Taking the best parts from Devo and Talking Heads but giving it a very British feel. Phil Daniels who played Jimmy in the movie of Quadrophenia plays a great role (again). 

Boy.....That's hard to say. I guess it's a "Rock Opera" as it's a Rock - oriented rendering of a Catholic mass. But , that was a new CONCEPT , before "God Rock'' and "Xian Punk" , etc. IN THE 70's , of course "Jesus Christ , Superstar" (W/Ian Gillan and Gary Glitter on the soundtrack LP.) AND "Godspell"'s success bridged the gap between the sacred and the secular, whether you liked 'em or not , making the world safe again for Jesus songs on the hit parade. The Electric Prunes (Tho' reportedly , their involvement was minimal.) deserve the credit , or , should I say , Dave Axelrod with James Lowe and one or two Electric Prunes, deserve credit for being there , first. IT'S BUILT ON A CONCEPT , I'D AGREE IT'S A CONCEPT ALBUM , IF (DEFINITELY) NOT A PUNK ALBUM......
 
Andy Climax said:

Does 'Mass in F Minor' the Electric Prunes count?

 

"SF Sorrow" , today , is considered the first Rock Opera , predating "Tommy" , but , it's (very) late release and poor promotion meant it was buried under the weight of Tommy , though it would have undoubtedly been overshadowed , much more , by another LP being recorded at Abbey Road at the same time , had it not been released so late... "Sgt. Pepper".

But , "SF Sorrow" , for it's lush vocal and instrumental arrangements , is still a Rock'n'Roll record , just one that pushed the envelope and succeeded (Artistically.) , like "Forever Changes " (Which you might say was a concept album. I'm not decided on that .) , or that OTHER album recorded , at the same time , at Abbey Road , "The Piper at The Gates of Dawn". You're probably right on the money re. "Odyssey" , though , I admit , I don't even own a copy. I only started listening to The Zombies again fairly recently.

I've always agreed an album that tells a story , like "SF Sorrow" or "Tommy" could be labelled a Concept album , but , sometimes an album is just about a concept. THEN  it gets to be meandering.....But that's a crime Punk Rock has been guilty of , too.

dave said:

No Punk LPs come to mind, but for 60s punk there is the Zombies Odyssey and Oracle and the Pretty Things SF Sorrow. I think one of the unofficial tenets of Punk was 3 minute songs and not too much to think about (not a put-down). Too much in the way of concept might get in the way of enjoying yourself (this is for Yank-style Punk fun, pre-hardcore [don'cha start me talkin]).