First Concept Album?

[Tray73]

Wanting to pick the brains of the music history buffs here - anybody know what is considered to be the first concept album (any genre)?
I'd also be interested to hear what you personally consider as the first rock concept album?
And whilst discussing concept albums, which is your all time favourite?

 

[Nololob]

According to Wiki the very first concept album is Woody Guthrie's Dust Bowl Ballads and first rock CA is The Ventures' Colorful Ventures.

Personally I prefer Nektar's 'A Tab In The Ocean' and Jethro Tull's 'Thick As A Brick'.

 

[Sox]

Nice one Nolo, I would have put money on it being some obscure Jazz album from the 40's. Sgt. Peppers has got to be an important album I would think even if it's not the first in Rock.

My faves would be Thick As A Brick and Dark Side Of The Moon and a host of others the more I think about it.

 

[METALPRIEST]

Many albums had themes all the way back to the 50's.

Look at any Ventures album

But I'm gonna have to go with Sgt. Peppers here. It was really the first time in rock music where a band's music seemed like a play or a story even if it didn't turn out as it was intened to be.

Pretty awesome also that the name of the band itself changed.

The real name of the band is in the grave. They were in a way re identified with.

 

[Cosmic Harmony]

I'm think a good number of people consider Frank Zappa and The Mothers' "Freak Out!" to be the first concept, myself included. It was a huge influence on The Beatles when they were recording "Sgt. Pepper...".

As far as my favorites go....well my favorite strictly rock one would be Alice Cooper's "Welcome To My Nightmare" and my ALL TIME fave would be Dream Theaters' "Scenes From A Memory".

 

[METALPRIEST]

I almost mentioned Freak Out Harmony...

I didn't actually list a favorite, though I suppose I could with Sgt. Peppers. If I had to go with an album with a story type concept it would probably be The Wall

 

[Big Ears]

Progressive rock is often associated with concept albums, but it is surprisingly difficult to list them. For example:
- Sgt Pepper by The Beatles has segued tracks but there is no concept
- Tommy by The Who is a rock opera
- SF Sorrow by The Pretty Things is a rock opera
- Tales from Topographic Oceans by Yes is supposed to be a concept album, but what is the concept?

Those that are relatively clear include:
- Tarkus by ELP (tells the story of a mythical creature)
- Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd is concerned with madness
- Recycled by Nektar is about pollution
- Pentateuch of the Cosmogony by Dave Greenslade is an adaption of the first books of the Old Testament
- The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway by Genesis is the tale of Rael, the aerosol kid
- Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters by Bob Calvert is about the accident prone aircraft, the Lockheed Starfighter, nick-named the widowmaker

 

[Mr. Bob Dobolina]

When I think of concept albums I think of "The Who Sell Out" (side one anyway), "Ogden's Nut Gone Flake" by The Small Faces (side two), "Here, My Dear" and "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye, "Soap Opera" by The Kinks and "The Wall" by Pink Floyd.

 

[METALPRIEST]

Sell Out is another good one! Nice call!

 

[DaKillerWolf]

My favorite concept album is either Pink Floyd- Animals or Iced Earth - The Dark Saga.