Deltron 3030

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Nas >>> your favorite rapper's favorite rapper

You can make a very good concept album without a particularly compelling concept, this is a good example of that.

the love below is sort of a concept album

to start:

Deltron 3030 was already mentioned

'ziggy stardust'

Bjork's Medulla was a musical concept: "all" of it is vocals (not really, but something like at least 90%)... maybe this should have gone in your novelty song topic with a question mark, ha ha

Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero (dystopian future)

Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral (http://www.4degreez.com/nailz/ninterpretations/downspiral.html)

J Dilla - Donuts (the concept is subtle--you have to pay attention to the song titles and sample sources and contrast it all with his life--but present; happy birthday and rest in peace)

>to start:
>
>Deltron 3030 was already mentioned

I dunno, man... a rebellion against giant corporations in the future?

Then again, I read comic books, so *shrug*

>'ziggy stardust'

maybe, but the concept is presented rather vaguely throughout, correct? Also, I tend to think of it as a perhaps better version of the same cautionary fable as Tommy - the rise and fall, dangers of excess, etc.

>Bjork's Medulla was a musical concept: "all" of it is vocals
>(not really, but something like at least 90%)... maybe this
>should have gone in your novelty song topic with a question
>mark, ha ha

huh, musical concepts is a better idea than a lame story, which most concept albums seem to entail. But it's a slightly different beast.

>Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero (dystopian future)
>
>Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral
>(http://www.4degreez.com/nailz/ninterpretations/downspiral.html)

I don't have time to read that second one, but is that a case of superimposing an interpretation onto a completed work? I know that part of the fun of art is varied interpretations by listener, but to me a concept album is in large part defined by the artist's intent.

>J Dilla - Donuts (the concept is subtle--you have to pay
>attention to the song titles and sample sources and contrast
>it all with his life--but present; happy birthday and rest in
>peace)

never considered the idea, probably couldn't ID the samples well enough to connect the dots.

>>to start:
>>
>>Deltron 3030 was already mentioned
>
>I dunno, man... a rebellion against giant corporations in the
>future?

and intergalactic rap battles, what's not to love?



>maybe, but the concept is presented rather vaguely throughout,
>correct?

it's a pretty simple concept


>Also, I tend to think of it as a perhaps better
>version of the same cautionary fable as Tommy - the rise and
>fall, dangers of excess, etc.

i don't disagree, rather was just listing some immediate examples


>huh, musical concepts is a better idea than a lame story,
>which most concept albums seem to entail. But it's a slightly
>different beast.

it does open up another can of worms, but i thought they (bjork and everyone involved) did such a great job that the album deserved a mention


>>Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero (dystopian future)
>>
>>Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral
>>(http://www.4degreez.com/nailz/ninterpretations/downspiral.html)
>
>I don't have time to read that second one

me neither, but i read it when i was a teenager and was wowed


>but is that a case
>of superimposing an interpretation onto a completed work?

the album (TDS) feels thematic, and the idea that there's some kind of concept doesn't feel like a stretch just listening to it, but i remembered that dissertation being pretty compelling in regard to the overall story arc, culminating in suicide (title track) and *then* some kind of after death rumination ("hurt")?! weird but actually makes sense. it could well be the intent, but i don't think it was ever confirmed with the artist.

on the other hand, 'year zero' was a concept album outright and 100% consistent with it IMO


>>J Dilla - Donuts (the concept is subtle--you have to pay
>>attention to the song titles and sample sources and contrast
>>it all with his life--but present; happy birthday and rest
>in
>>peace)
>
>never considered the idea, probably couldn't ID the samples
>well enough to connect the dots.

one of the samples toward the end is "when i die" by motherlode, for example

>Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero (dystopian future)

a 2-word description sold it short... the whole album has an elaborate lyrical concept anyone interested can look up on their own, but it's tied musically to a "cyberpunk" sound, i.e., trent's idea of what the musical resistance would sound like in the near future, mostly aggressive, noisy music made on a laptop, and the complete multitracks released for the album for anyone to remix drove home the point.

nm

the backstory and the album itself is awesome

not a good concept album

a prime example of a concept album with a lame concept is Tommy. I love the album, I love the movie, but as an adult I've realized repeatedly (especially after seeing the Broadway version) that the story is utter crap.

I think a lot of times people confuse the quality of a concept album's music with the quality of the story the album purports to tell. Most are sheer corn.

what kind of life you have. Marvin Gaye was perhaps one of the most tortured and conflicted people to ever make music so to hear his concepts just of his own life were great to me, especially with Here, My Dear and In Our Lifetime/Love Man. But I see your point about actual "concepts".

Super Chron Flight Brothers- Cape Verde

The latter is a little all over the place, but it works.

i like all of their concepts.

Mothership Connection, Clones of Dr. Funkenstein, then the two best concepts, Funkentelechy vs. Placebo Syndrome and Motor Booty Affair.

I not so humbly submit my entire catalog (so far) to you concept seekers and beat tweekers:

2MERICA :: RECORD PROFITS LP (2005) I swear I was all excited to type this up and the big concept just eluded me. Te title is big oil and most of the tracks are about 9/11 and the subsequent madness in the US. The track listing got all jumbled around because of sample issues so the narrative doesn't flow perfectly but, yeah, fug Disk Cheney and G-War, remember 2004? We called the Record Profits for them, and we achieved some indie irony for ourselves, haha.

2MERICA :: SENSORS&SWITCHES&BUTTONS LP (2006) We take you through the three stages of our exposed sugar triangle: creation, consumption, and control. A fully realized digital vagina for you to jam on, and this one is for the troops.

2MERICA :: SCHERZO ELSKORPION (2009-current) The New elpee-progresso is the soundtrack to the rare 70's flick Trick of the Scorpion. The story revolves around a rock band about to get signed to a major deal when everything goes off the rails. It's the biggest 24 hours of their life - can they make it through alive?

IF YOU PURCHASE A FINE 2MERICA MP3 WITHIN 5 MINUTES YOU RECEIVE FREE JURY!
FREE JURY!


--
by ezraz of 2MERICA
http://2MERICA.com :: new citizen welcome kit
http://WFNK.com :: me blog
http://FLUXADEL.com :: the recording division

Sure, the concept (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abigail_%28album%29) is pure horror-movie cheese but I like that type of stuff so no complaints. Also, he avodied the pitfalls of "Tommy" with short link-tracks and shit like that to make sense of the story-it's just an intro and eight sons that work even outside of the album.

Musically, it's total uncompromising 80's metal cheese with falsetto-vocals, wanky solos and a shitload of riffs so I doubt many OKP's will like it but it has great sentimental value to me and I can still dig it unironically...

That project by Print (Chris Faust) was really dope, good songwriting and the comic references didn't become corny.

I can't speak for Nicolay ( maybe he'll come in and enlighten us),

But I always thought that "Time:Line" was telling the story of a person's life from birth to death. AND it had all the good stuff in between, love, pain, loss, happiness, choices, etc.



( and I might be reaching, but I thought "My Story" at the end of Nicolay's (T)Here album was a set-up for "Time:Line"...)

>I can't speak for Nicolay ( maybe he'll come in and enlighten
>us),
>
>But I always thought that "Time:Line" was telling the story of
>a person's life from birth to death. AND it had all the good
>stuff in between, love, pain, loss, happiness, choices, etc.
>
>
>
>( and I might be reaching, but I thought "My Story" at the end
>of Nicolay's (T)Here album was a set-up for "Time:Line"...)
>


Totally on point.

Nicolay

http://www.nicolaymusic.com
http://www.myspace.com/nicolay
http://www.last.fm/music/Nicolay

Outta line like titties in the open. The system of industry is kitty-litter ocean. - CH

twitter dot com slash onejdunn

nm

People around here tend to hate Esoteric, but I've always been a fan, and I thought this was a very well-executed concept album.

.

promotes healthy eating.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De-Loused_in_the_Comatorium

that story is so fucking convoluted.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_saint_and_the_sinner_lady

because the concept lies entirely in the artist's intent, and a listener without the context of knowing the artist's intent ahead of time is entirely unaware of the album's theme or the story the music tells. I think it's true of jazz - which can certainly convey a mood without context - as well as more subtle works like George Winston's seasonally-inspired solo piano albums.

>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_saint_and_the_sinner_lady

interestingly, nothing in that entry describes it as a concept album, just one composition written partially as a ballet. (I have the record and have listened to it a dozen or more times but never contemplated the 'story' the music tells.)

www.whatisapos.com

really hard to explain but i think its an interesting concept and executed great.

aphrodite's child - 666

Friday Night
Saturday Night
Conversations with Kenny/Legacy of Lee
Tha Grimm Teachaz
Dennehy (Lights! Cameras! Action!)

but how well they can keep that concept going for a whole album....

or maybe theyre all just too silly/thin/vague to sustain in the first place, who knows. i dont think ive heard enough. my prob with them is that the concept, um, concept rarely works well with music/albums as it proves too rigid. or if they do stick to it, the music suffers.

prince pauls prince of thieves was a good one.

Miami rapper Quest (www.yesiamquest.com) did this love story joint called Distant Travels Into Soul Theory that i thought really nailed it from start to finish. He was still in high school when he dropped it.

and I have to admit I am stumped.

I was gonna say Tommy, but you're right... It's completely retarded, and I've always known that right from the beginning. In fact, I had to teach myself to see the story as anything other than inane.

>and I have to admit I am stumped.

I will say I am surprised that most of the serious contenders (most of which I have not heard, at least not in entirety) come from hip hop. It's probably no mystery, as hip hop lends itself to the narrative particularly well.

Of course the other genre that does the same is the folk ballad, and you could easily add Dust Bowl Ballads to the list. On the other hand, Fairport Convention's 'Babbacombe Lee' is less stellar. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babbacombe_Lee_%28album%29

>I was gonna say Tommy, but you're right... It's completely
>retarded, and I've always known that right from the beginning.
>In fact, I had to teach myself to see the story as anything
>other than inane.

I know it's a cornerstone of your artistic and aesthetic development, as it is with me, so it hurts to admit it. If yo have any doubts, plug the movie in again - while I know you have utmost respect for the ways it uses images and sound to tell the story, I mean... the story itself is lame enough, but a few things the movie added push it to the simply ridiculous. The fight between the bike gangs, with Tommy on a hang glider? FOH. And that's before we even get to the baked beans.

As is the case with Tommy.

I believe the reason that hiphop lends itself to concept albums is that there are just far more lyrics in hiphop than any genre other than folk. So the canvas is a lot bigger. The downside is that the more words you use, the more dilution you risk. Which is why GZA is so dope.

;)

http://images1.wax.fm/pete_seeger_we_shall_overcome-S62209-1288370911.jpeg
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Big PEMFin H & z's
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"NOT THE (RAP) SINGERS BUT THE RECORD CO. THEY OWE ME FORTUNE AND YOU ARE NOT COLLECTING MY MONEY." © James Brown

though if memory serves that particular record is not thematically protest music by any stretch.

On the other hand, it is conceptually if not explicitly a journey through folk music ancient and (at that point) brand new, an examination of how a piece of music becomes a folk song.

**********
a licky boom boom down

The story has to be somewhat simple to allow ten or more songs to play it out. If the music gets too specific or sequential, it's not a concept album anymore. It's an opera.

I'm no expert, but I'd say that's why they are "concept" albums, and not necessarily plots, because music works better when it can fit different needs. Operatic stuff is much too specific to be enjoyed piecemeal.

And smacks you across your lips with Here My Dear

--
by ezraz of RAUSDAUER

http://2MERICA.com :: new citizen welcome kit
http://WFNK.com :: my personal blog
http://FLUXADEL.com :: the recording division

What about Rush'a 2112?

Kinda cheesy I suppose. Kinda reminds me of Kurt Vonnegut's 'Harrison Bergeron'. A completely equal society that discourages individual achievement or expression. Perhaps a critique of communism/socialism. That whole Ayn Rand kinda thing.

Noone's mentioned 'The Wall'. I don't really like that album musically but it might be a case of a half-decent concept. Better than 'Tommy' anyways.

Album critical of the record industry, way back in 1970. Best known for "Lola" (obviously), a song that doesn't fit the concept except as being one of their best known hits. One of my favorite albums just from a song standpoint, but the concept is on point and realistic.

The beginning of the album starts with the protagonist trying to make.
"Denmark Street" is named after a part of London where a lot of industry movers and shakers were around.

On "Get Back In Line", Ray sings humbly as a humble would-be songwriter:
"Now I think of what my mamma told me
She always said that it would never ever work out
But all I want to do is make some money
And bring you home some wine"

"Lola" is followed by "Top Of The Pops", a story-song about the guy who just wrote a hit song and his life changing as the song climbs up the charts. "Lola" by itself is no part of the concept, but I think the Kinks knew it would be a strong enough single that it merited where it ends up in the track listing.

"The Moneygoround" - where did all the money go after the big success?

The next few songs are about the trials and tribulations of touring and parasitic hangers-on. On "Apeman", Ray sings about getting away from the city, being an ape-man is preferable to the rat race. "Powerman" is a showdown between the artist and the industry.
"And he's got my money, 'cause I got my fame"
"I'm not rich and I'm not free but I got my girl and she's got me.
He's got my money and my publishing rights but I got my girl and I'm alright."

"Got To Be Free" ends the album with a similar riff to the first track on the album and pines for "runnin' wild across the big country".

Overall, a pretty good concept, definitely true to life for Davies and many many artists before and after. Decades later, Q-Tip distilled this entire concept to Industry Rule #4080 but the songwriting on "Lola" is great enough to merit listening.

But I agree with Lola as well.

it's a war protest album including songs written/sung from the perspective of a soldier who's seen battle. they rerecorded a couple songs, but they work with the concept because it's basically about numbing yourself and psyching yourself into committing acts of violence. it's more about the human element of being in combat than it is a political statement about occupying or withdrawing from foreign lands.

i always thought this would be an especially heavy and gloomy album even by low standards, but it has a good variety of tempos (again, by their standards, and they're kinda the posterchildren for the "slowcore" movement) and instrumentation.

will need to check it out. thanks.

.

Charm by Danny Swain was about life as a rapper trying to get signed, and what happenens to him along the way after he does.

I definitely recommend checking it out if you haven't already.


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Ever wonder why you can see the whole width of this sentence but you still have to move your eyes to read it?

I also concur with the earlier referred to joints: Prince Among Theives & Hear My Dear

Digital Underground's 1990 album "Sex Packets"

The primary concept being a drug/invention called sex packets which created a realistic sexual fantasy/experience at the height of the AIDS/drug epidemic in America.

Related concepts: old school vs. new school, r&b vs hip-hop, sampling vs. live instrumentation.. the emcees all rapped about ideas and characters (mostly comical) as opposed to reppin where they were from or their actual beliefs.




White Bronco.

n/m


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"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

super slept on underground joint w/ ridiculous Capital D (of All Natural) storytelling.

just a really good "hood" narrative.

nm