Ten Prog Concept Albums | Are these Really the Ten Best?

[@ayrtomterchenko3965]

Great review! Camel "Long godbyes"...just amazing!

[@rogersongster3967]

"Eclipsed by Dark Side of the Moon and overshadowed by The Wall"... brilliant

[@classicalbum]

Thank you.

[@dustyjoe71]

"This excellent collection of readio unfriendly tracks..."

[@qdaveq6597]

"Vanish up their own aspic"!

[@donlofting4268]

Not prog though

[@tonyoliver2750]

Isaac Asimov was asked once 'When was the Golden Age of Science Fiction?' His answer, 'When you were sixteen.' Perhaps the best Prog. Rock albums are those you listened to when you were similarly young, which is why The Moody Blues 'Days of Future Passed' and 'To Our Children's Children's Children' will always make my top ten.

[@richardsinger01]

I fully endorse this view. I have been saying much the same to my friends who believe the 1980s was the best period in pop music. The 80s passed me by musically. It had its moments, but it’s the 1970s for me.

[@Goddot]

I had listened to none of them as a child, and only discovered prog albums in my mid-twenties, taste for it probably stemming from video games. Loving Moody Blues, Klaatu, and a bunch more. You don't have to have nostalgia to enjoy music.

[@alaincelos476]

A joke !

[@baruyero]

Wow!!! The Camel album is just awesome. 10/10. I fell instantly in love with it. I would have never discovered it if it weren’t for this video. Thanks so much.

[@GARYBLONDER]

So glad you included STATIONARY TRAVELLER - I love this overlooked masterpiece concept album. ANIMALS has never rung my bell, although DOGS is a good track. It's not a patch on the PF albums either side of it.

[@ozuidema]

Nice list. Top 10 is damn near impossible, but I’ll give it a shot, in no particular order: Arjen Anthony Lucassen - Lost in the New Real Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick Pink Floyd - Animals Genesis - Selling England By The Pound Camel - Mirage Rush - A Farewell To Kings Porcupine Tree - In Absentia Grobschnitt - Rockpommel’s Land Renaissance - Sheherazade Gentle Giant - Octopus

[@richardbiggs2098]

Tales from topographic oceans is and always will be my favorite album of all time. Such a beautiful, lush and inspirational album.

[@heimomoilanen9654]

Yes at its peak. Absolutely beautiful album.

[@sciwiz57]

Days of Future Passed and To Our Children’s Children’s Children by the Moody Blues always overlooked

[@zootallures6470]

If Jethro Tull, then it's Passion Play for me. Honorable mentions: Jeff Wayne - The War of The Worlds, Moody Blues - Days of Future Passed

[@JuanAMatos-zx4ub]

These are some really great choices. You have an excellent way of describing music and an amazing sounding voice to get your ideas across. Keep up the great work!

[@classicalbum]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@bradtarr3283]

“Vanish up their own Aspic”-genius!

[@sandylman8219]

I'm absolutely with you on "Clockwork Angels" and "The Garden" in particular. That guitar solo! Some of Rush's finest work. I'll make a pitch for Steven Wilson's "Hand Cannot Erase". It's a stunning album both musically and conceptually.

[@Silkyfur]

I'm happy to hear such a high opinion of Stationary Traveller by Camel. I think it's a brilliant album, and I love the playing on it. Also very happy to see Animals by Pink Floyd listed. It's my favourite Pink Floyd album. Thick of a Brick by Jethro Tull is well deserving of the number one spot on a list like this. Always loved it. Some of my personal favourites not on this list would be the War of the Worlds album by Jeff Wayne from 1978. I'm also fond of several of the concept albums by Ayreon, such as The Human Equation, Into the Electric Castle, and 01011001. It's always a pleasure listening to you. Thank you for this awesome Top 10 list!

[@stevescott200]

thanks, I will check out "stationary Traveler"

[@joaquinlezcano2372]

How is it going?

[@chuckmartin2220]

TAAB is my top pick as well and I need to give a few of these another spin. But I'm right there with you on Clockwork Angels. The Garden is an amazing song and who would have guessed the last notes we'd ever from this amazing band would be from...a cello.

[@martinhayward4466]

Nice to see Jethro Tull come in No.1 for once, though I think they were ranked best band in the world for 5 minutes sometime around 1972 -73.

[@javierllerena5756]

Jethro Tull is the best progressive rock band of the 70s , unbeatable.

[@elpelp1878]

@@javierllerena5756 I'm with you on this.

[@tullfan2560]

They were regarded as the best live rock act between about 1972-1975.

[@bradprescott2101]

Tull we’re pretty good,,, I saw them heaps of times.. brilliant musician Ship

[@ajones957]

I appreciate the irony of this album being ranked #1 concept album, but it's b/c they couldn't compete musically with Yes, King Crimson or Genesis. So their response? Attempt to make a mockery of it all. I can't listen to more than a song at a time of Jethro Tull. Reductive and unoriginal.

[@handebarlas6248]

Thank you so much. I must admit, my primary reason to listen to your videos is because you really love Tull. Seeing Thick as a Brick at the top of your list made my day. I wouldn't put any other album there myself. another delightful surprise for me is Stationary Traveller. I almost never ever heard anybody else mention that album before. ı also have the LP, which I bought in Vienna many years ago. I live in Turkey and it is not easy to buy rock albums here. twenty years ago you could find some more, but not anymore. Anyway, I think Stationary Traveller is fab. I love the title track. Andy Latimer's guitar sound and riffs are so haunting. I share very similar feelings towards the album. Never heard of number ten. I'll try to listen to it on the net. Stay safe.All the best from Turkey.

[@classicalbum]

Thank you for your comments. Be sure to check out my other videos

[@clouddog2393]

"The Snow Goose " by Camel , "666 " by Aprodities Child , " Remember the Future "by Nektar , "S .F Sorrow " by The Pretty Things, "Dark Side" By Floyd are all great albums but my favourite concept album is " Three Friends " by the wonderful Gentle Giant . The music and the story that inspired it produced a classic album .

[@andrewnicholls3953]

Great list. Well thought our. Kudos for putting my favorite band Camel at number 5. Many of their albums are worthy of this list. "disappear up their own aspic" - I see what you did there. :)

[@retohofmann5878]

Nice you mentioned Camel "stationary traveller"...still have the original album. The melodic bass still gives me goosebumps.

[@FundamentalsUK]

Good call for Stationary traveller , a classic underrated album, that is special to me as well, from the early 80’s 👍🏻

[@blackie5566]

Your YT-channel just popped up, I watched and felt instantly in love with it. Great reviews, thumps up and subscribed. Thank you!

[@classicalbum]

Awesome, thank you!

[@stevecowder4774]

Thanks for the intriguing insight on the Spock's Beard album. I've been wanting to explore their material for a while now but I think it's time I actually make a move on it.

[@victordunavent9477]

if you like christian rock get this, otherwise don't , it's awful

[@xtstevie]

For me it's The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway......And then the rest! Great selection again Barry.

[@classicalbum]

Thanks

[@dm-lo4kx]

I agree with you stevie

[@killmenow6663]

Selling England is my all time favorite album, although I feel that The Lamb was their magnum opus.

[@mikeables]

Why is Camel Stationary Traveler so hard to find online? I found the title track but that is it. That song is good, but can't find the rest of the album.

[@classicalbum]

There is a Camel box set coming soon which will include this album.

[@denphillips3402]

A really interesting post. Your variety of prog is phenomenal, way greater than mine. Animals is indeed a masterpiece, a great shout. Personally, really struggled with Topographic Oceans, but not for the want of trying! I do normally find that I agree with most of your comments, but having followed Camel from their humble beginnings, I do think that Music Inspired by The Snowgoose is way ahead of Stationary Traveller, but, hey, we're all different! Jethro Tull, Marillion, Rush & Dream Theatre, I can listen to, but have little affinity for any of them. Bo Hanssons' Lord of the Rings deserves a mention & I would have that in my personal top 5, for sure, but this is the beauty of us all having different tastes and preferences of sound & style. Your posts are always thought provoking & yet again, this is a winner!

[@classicalbum]

Thank you... do share this and check out my other videos.

[@michaelsalisbury1477]

Rush is a pathetic joke Not really a prog Band either.

[@michaelsalisbury1477]

YouCant comparr G. G. And Rush because Rush is a poor mans Yes not really a prog Band.

[@genecampanelli7456]

First of all, thank you for doing these! For the RUSH album, Hemispheres takes the cake, second 2112 :-)

[@cdeford]

Great top 5, though I prefer A Passion Play to TAAB. I probably wouldn't include 6-10 myself. Nice shoutout for Magenta, Seven is my favourite of theirs.

[@zephyrkat5005]

You quoted Blackadder… subscribed

[@classicalbum]

Needs must when the Devil vomits into your kettle...

[@maryelms5948]

I'm not going to say it deserves to be on a list of GREAT concept albums, but I think Camel - Nude is pretty darn good and worth the listen.

[@mattsmith4121]

Yes, i love this one

[@heimomoilanen9654]

My favourite although Stationary is excellent

[@sspbrazil]

“Stationary Traveller” is a great album.

[@deansusec8745]

Topographic is what it is. You have to listen to it many times, in darkness. Its just beautiful. I agree with you absolutely. My favorite of theirs? Maybe not, but they have a very tough roster to deal with.

[@classicalbum]

Well said!

[@heimomoilanen9654]

For me it took nearly thirty years to get it. Listened it one time and decades later, very careful listening without any interruption and suddenly all came together. Experience I seldom come across, kinda religious one really. Revisiting now at high volume. What a treat.

[@christopherkent6512]

Total Pressure - Hammersmith Odeon, 1984. A playlist that cannot be beat of memorable music from a terribly underrated band. I can’t even find a place to start other than the final track the astonishingly memorable and beautiful Lady Fantasy, so deeply moving it would always bring me to tears, yes a grown man in tears listening to music, no not music, a beautiful story with some of the best guitar playing you will ever see and hear, you can see the pain in his face as he recreates this story live. A story I will never ever become tired of hearing. If you have not seen the concert take the time to watch, listen and learn, great musicians abound in this treat for ears and eyes.

[@gerthoffmann5436]

Christopher, danke für deinen tollen Kommentar. Ich bin auch einer der größten CAMEL FANS. Seit Jahrzehnten ist CAMEL meine Nr. 1 ! Ich höre (und sehe) auch gerne die unglaubliche Drummerin SINA Döring von sina-drums . Sie hat drei eigene sehr gute Alben herausgebracht und mehr als 500 andere, darunter mehrere Prog Rock Alben, überwiegend Coverversionen --- aber perfekt und sehr erfolgreich veröffentlicht. Seit ca. 6 Monaten tourt sie mit Rock the Opera durch ganz Europa. CAMEL and SINA-drums ARE MY NUMBER ONE !

[@christopherkent6512]

@@gerthoffmann5436 Vielen Dank für die zusätzlichen Informationen, ich werde es mir ansehen

[@gerthoffmann5436]

@@christopherkent6512 danke für dein Interesse und die Wertschätzung der traumhaften Band CAMEL. Von sina-drums muss du dir unbedingt das Video Sultans Of Swing (Dire Straits) anschauen. Das wurde zu Recht bereits mehr als 60 Millionen mal angesehen und mehr als 27000 × kommentiert. Du findest das wenn du ihre beliebtesten Videos anklickst, danke noch einmal für dein Interesse, ich freue mich auch sehr, das ich einen CAMEL-Freund gefunden habe !

[@laurentloop5573]

Thanks for all this and especially for Stationary Traveller which I've always loved.. Such a mood, sad mood with intensity.. People should definitely run and buy (so to speak 😄) the live Pressure Points, even better now extended with a few bonus notably Lady Fantasy... aaaah fantastic! And Chris Rainbow on vocals... RIP...

[@kylelooper2156]

It's a pleasure to listen to your verbal gymnastics and subtle puns. Your delivery looks unscripted and off-the-cuff (although that would be unlikely) and is impressive indeed. Kudos for a great video and well-researched, thoughtful opinions.

[@classicalbum]

Thank you for watching. Do check out my other videos

[@seamuscolgan7654]

It looks like you had a lot of fun making this video Barry! Lots of excellent choices indeed and you #1 is most certainly at least a top 3 for me. I would maybe change Misplaced Childhood with another classic Marillion concept album. However which to choose??? It's either Brave, Marbles or F.E.A.R! Finally, thanks for pointing out at least 3 albums that will now indeed be due my precise attention 👍🏼

[@classicalbum]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@seamuscolgan7654]

@@classicalbum Of course!

[@musicartguy1]

reading the Clockwork Angels novel really helped me appreciate this album

[@patrickcook7795]

I now need to go back and listen to each of these albums.

[@rickpeuser233]

Just stunning reviews. You sir are a genuis and wordsmith and I love your reviews!

[@classicalbum]

Thank you for your kind words

[@nmk8475]

Huge respect for including stationary traveller when most people in your position would never touch it - it's personally one of my top 3 favorite albums. Sure it may not really be prog, and it's definitely very 80's, but it conveys the malaise of the DDR very well. The 80's camel concept albums are very good imo - Stationary Traveller and Nude, the one about Hiroo Onoda, the holdout Japanese soldier comes closer to prog .

[@ianhelps3749]

Thanks for an interesting discussion. Concept albums as such have been around before prog, for example the Pretty Things "S.F Sorrow", a great album with a narrative, but not prog. You could make a case for Schubert's " Winterreise" being the first song cycle with an overall story. Unfortunately at the time there was no means of recording it!

[@billbez7465]

Thank you for another excellent music experience. I'm a minor prog-rock fan, but I really appreciate how you describe the music, and you may make me a fan of the genre yet!

[@classicalbum]

Thanks for listening

[@TheHumbuckerboy]

The power of TULL !

[@dougswinford389]

Now I know I’m going to have to listen to Camel’s “Stationary Traveller” after your description of the album.

[@raymondbonington9355]

Good album , only got to about number 50 in the album charts .

[@kskess]

Camel Moon Madness is great!

[@garanceadrosehn9691]

I think _"Stationary Traveller"_ by Camel is a great concept album. I think it'd get more credit it had been released during a time which was friendlier towards prog rock music. I'd love to see a deluxe edition of this. It's somewhat ironic that you reference the book _"Pilgrim's Progress"_ when talking about the album _"Snow"._ Neal Morse had *not* read _"Pilgrim's Progress"_ at the time he was writing this. Years later he was reading it, and that book was the inspiration for the album he does with NMB (The Neal Morse Band) in 2016, called _"The Similitude of a Dream"._ Personally I think that later album is a much better album.

[@fuwaihksyu]

Thanks for recommending camel, which is a bandconsistently of high standard! I would recommend an album by Fairfield parlour, white faced lady, a double album and concept album about Marilyn Monroe ‘s life. This is a stunning and beautiful album by a band previously called the kaleidoscope.gong’s flying teapot trilogy is also one of the best concept trilogy albums of all times.

[@Southbound63]

The Peter Bardens years were the best.

[@gerthoffmann5436]

​@@Southbound63 Yes, and whis MEL COLLINS

[@johnw706]

I totally agree with your number 1 pick . A Passion Play might be a consideration for this list as well . Stationary Traveller is a great pick . It might be Camel’s most under appreciated album . Andrew Latimer is certainly an under appreciated guitar player . Great choices !

[@gerthoffmann5436]

Camel ist seit Jahrzehnten meine Nr. 1. !!! Jetzt ist es für mich die außergewöhnliche Schlagzeugerin SINA (sina-drums) --- sie ist ein "Wunderkind" , weltweit bekannt und weltweit beliebt ! Seit ca. 6 Monaten tourt sie mit ROCK THE OPERA durch ganz Europa ...

[@MrMjp58]

I usually consider myself a prog fan, but when I listen to folk who know a lot more than I about it, I realise my tastes are rather limited. I really like ELP, Camel, Renaissance, early Genesis, Yes, Focus etc. Actually, that’s about it.

[@sukkelsmurf]

great T-shirt. Good to see your Marillion preference :-)

[@paulayers1111]

LOVE the shout out to Camel on the thumbnail 😃

[@shawnminnier6117]

Maximum respect for mentioning Clockwork Angels and Stationary Traveler. I love both albums. Killer tracks include The Anarchist, Headlong Flight, Vopos, and Long Goodbyes.

[@classicalbum]

Great records.

[@rushbravado1972]

Clockwork Angels is my favorite Rush album. I think it is a perfect opus and a perfect bookend to their career.

[@arthur1078]

Yeah great Album

[@nickvoinov2178]

@@arthur1078 o

[@mediocrefunkybeat]

Stationery Traveller is such an underrated gem...

[@simonboyers4917]

"30 year old Millionaires in Capes......" Good one.

[@ChrisMezzolesta]

For ultimate prog conceptual bombast, '666' by Aphrodite's Child. A far cry from their rather sappy/soppy Euro hit stuff, this one has all the trappings of prog excess but used to great effect - the choir droning on some heavy recitations in unison, a tween reciting more heavy words, a section in 17/16 time, sections of the album reappear mixed in under later sections, an actress moaning & shrieking playing the part of the biblical Beast, and a 19-minute track that encompasses nearly everything that came before it for an explosive climax. Vangelis pre-Chariots doing the bible in heavy form. Used to see it listed on Mercury innersleeves & going 'what's THAT?", it's one HELL (get it) of am album.

[@heimomoilanen9654]

The best progressive rock album, released 1972. Hard to beat by anybody not to mention stunning vocal acrobatics of Irene Papas in Infinity, and I have listened to a hundred so called concept albums.

[@adammclennan5213]

I'll take Camel thanks! I'd say (only because I flogged them so much during the time and beyond I'd pick Pink World by Planet P Project as my favourite Progressive rock concept album).

[@timharrison1158]

People might ignore Neal Morse for his Christian themes, but One is a brilliant album, and more recently The Similitude Of A Dream and The Great Adventure, both double albums, are all about John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. Sit down for an afternoon if you want to listen to them back to back. Awesome stuff, you won't be disappointed. I grew up on Topographic Oceans. I used to put it on when I was reading because I thought it was good music to read to. But after a while I couldn't help putting the book down and listening. Such a sweeping series of musical landscapes. In some places not well performed, but I call it a flawed masterpiece.

[@balintrinyu]

great list, I would put Animals on top, but it is just me.

[@marcrehula]

I certainly would have different choices, but I have a lot of respect for the list. Animals, Tales, and Lamb I know well, but there are a few that I will dive into. Thanks!

[@kensolar69]

Are we saying that Hawkwind's Live Chronicles of the Black Sword is not prog? Because it's certainly a concept album, concert. But if not prog, what would you call it?

[@Magravated]

That was a great journey. Music is so subjective, especially in this genre. I missed out on most of the prog rock bands of the seventies but I had a close friend, a music teacher, who unveiled all of this music for me. After listening to Pink Floyd, Yes, Genesis, Bowie and Tull I was hooked. Rush was my era so I already had the seed. Joe just grafted me onto the tree of prog that was already there. 😉✌️❤️🇺🇲

[@classicalbum]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@rocky-o]

brilliant list...knew the top three before you started...but gentle giant was the nicest surprise of all...good on ya'...peace...roicky

[@classicalbum]

Thank you kindly

[@rightchordleadership]

TAAB is undoubtedly the GOAT. Good on ya for getting it exactly right!

[@dancorun6650]

It's nice to see I'm not the only one that truly enjoys Tales from Topographic Oceans.

[@Snowcrasher1]

I would pick Brave over Misplaced Childhood, though both would make my top 10. Excellent List!

[@davesomers7354]

Brave is far less accessible than MC,still a very good album though. Wonder if Clutching at Straws should be classed as a concept album with it's themes of alcoholic breakdown?

[@odetteswann7694]

Not always thought of as a prog rock album, but for me as good as any, is ELO's 'Eldorado'. From the breathtaking cascade of strings in the Eldorado Overture to the enchanting beauty of 'I Can't Get It Out Of My Head', the fabulous orchestral blues of 'Laredo Tornado', and the melancholic grandeur of 'Mister Kingdom' and the title track, it's an emotive powerhouse of a creation. Also worthy of a mention: 'Tyranny' and 'Room V' by Shadow Gallery.

[@KowankoMusic]

"They just had a tendency to vanish up their own aspic"...nice one!

[@jkorshak]

Your choices are legit. I think Tull's Passion Play deserves an honorable mention. The reviewers hated it and used it to kick Tull to the floor, which was only natural after the one two-punch of Aqualung then TAAB. The people who saw the tour as one raved about how good it was, and it's grown into kind of a "cult favorite" among more than a few Tull fans. And it is simply a cornucopia of exotic passages, highly textured vocal free amalgams of all five members busily playing their asses off, and playing well. And conceptually the "main character" dies and journeys into Hell. Played live, all this with a "intermission" (and beer and piss break for the band) in the form of a short live action film of all the band members in children's television animal costumes and acting out a story narrated by Tull bassist, Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond, dressed as Lucifer in a dapper linen suit: The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles. John Evan played the Hare and IA played a Newt. Barre played the Owl. Barlow played a Bee. And assorted Charisma records flacks and office staff were in a number of other costumes, including the scuba diver from the TAAB tour. One more note on the live show - the show would begin with a very soft but growing louder heart beat. On the screen above the stage appeared the same dead, blood trickling from her mouth, ballerina in the same position as on the album cover. Head back, on her back, and looking with opened but dead eyes at the audience - they painted open eyes on her eyelids. Minutely her hands starts to twitch with the heart beat until she's up and dancing, and she ultimately jumps through a looking glass as the band, already sawing away at this point, appear on stage. It was brilliant.

[@Perri-Prinz]

To me a prog concept album was usually, but not always, a 2 LP affair with either a story to tell or a connecting idea in all the tracks. One could also expect recurring themes heard throughout the album which cemented the idea of the whole album being a single work. And, for all the hype the idea of the concept album gets as something ridiculously common to prog, there weren't that many of them. And the ones that were really exceptional didn't come from artists normally thought of as prog. The one that immediately comes to mind which I always put up there with The Lamb and Topographic Oceans was Stevie Wonder's Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants, which has all the required elements in an astounding presentation of proggishness from an artist you'd never expect something like that from. In fact, it was the only Stevie Wonder album out of print for a long time because the artist's normal audience doesn't know what to do with it, and Motown has no way to market it to a prog audience. Another is the triple LP concept album by Godley & Creme of 10cc, "Consequences," which I only know about because I rescued a copy from somebody's trash can in 1978. It is, again, something so beyond the expectations of 10cc fans at the time that no one knew how to market it. But, in terms of the off the wall experimentation that prog is also notorious for, it made Topographic Oceans seem comfortably normal. This one would leave even most experienced prog fans having difficulty processing it. Of course, back in the day there was one artist who did hardly anything but double concept albums, and that was Andrew Lloyd Webber. In the 70's every show he did was first realized as a rock concept album, Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita being two of the most exemplary of the double concept album formula. But not all double concept albums were operatic of nature. There were instrumental double concept albums as well, Dave Greenslade's "The Pentateuch Of The Cosmogany" jumps immediately to mind. In a way it validates Ian Anderson's comment on proggishness in that the cover for Thick As A Brick took longer to create than the music. Greenslade's album was 2 LP's laid inside a massive 12 by 12 hard back art book gratuitously illustrating the concept. Again creating confusion as to where to sell it, in a record store or a book store. I also had a tendency to think of Mike Oldfield's "Incantations" as a double concept album. Of course, I never knew what the concept was, but that is also true of Topographic Oceans. I know it's inspired by some scriptures from somewhere, but as I've never read these scriptures, that tells me nothing about the concept. So I assumed you didn't need to know what the concept was, as long as the recurring themes were there. If all else failed you could imagine your own concept to go with it. It seems worth noting that both the Stevie Wonder album and the Greenslade album came out the same year as The Wall. They form a trifecta finale to the era of that kind of creativity. But it was The Wall that would dominate any prog creativity that followed. Interesting, amusing, uplifting and comical concepts would no longer be seen. From that point great double concept albums were exclusively made for the theatrical market. Lloyd Webber still had Cats and Starlight Express to do before Phantom Of The Opera marked his departure from rock. And members of the then defunct Abba got together with Lloyd Webber's former lyricist to create "Chess." This, I think, demonstrated that the prog community simply was not interested in this format, and it really needed a venue where a great double concept album could be explored theatrically to have a saleable product. Any concept albums I have heard since, starting with Misplaced Childhood, were extremely dwarfed in ambition and scale. Not to mention musically subdued into a Pink Floyd mood of depressing concepts. Note that, even though Misplaced Childhood ventured to offer some attempt at a happy ending, it's overall mood is quite Floydian. And at the point where Marillion put out "Brave," it had become suicide inducing. Certainly not the same thing that I had held great affection for back in the day. So I just gave the idea of theatrical concept prog up for dead. And I've heard nothing since to give me hope that it could live again. All these albums were products of their times. To want things of a comparable nature to start happening again is to wish those times to return. And, sadly, the world mentality is not going to come out of its state of mental illness just so we can have good music and creative whimsy again. Instead it will call those past interesting projects "cheese," and work to insure "depression" is the only word worth honoring from now on. Not that I mind the music that was once very important to me being called cheese. It's kind of hard to make a good pizza without cheese. And to me a good prog album is like a good pizza, lots of different elements combining, with any toppings you might like. I regard Floydian depression chords and negative subject matter as optional toppings. Hot peppers and anchovies. Two things I never order on my pizza. So if you know anybody making prog pizzas without these toppings, I'd admire to be pointed in their direction.

[@classicalbum]

You make some interesting and valid points

[@tullfan2560]

You could easily slot in Argus by Wishbone Ash as a Top Ten classic rock concept album as well. Now that you mention the theme behind the Stationary Traveller album, it prompts me to think it might have been inspired by ABBA's The Visitors song/album, which was about the East German secret police. And do you think these songs were part of the same strand of inspiration: West Berlin (1984), Budapest by Jethro Tull (1987) and Leningrad by Billy Joel (1989)? I recently heard the suggestion that Thick As A Brick was penned just after Jethro Tull toured Australia, where the band heard the phrase and apparently loved it. Not only is it a great song, it gets the gong for the greatest anti-pomposity song rendered most pompously for the longest period of time. PS, if the Germans were ever wondering where the rest of their wall got to, there's a piece of it, covered with contemporaneous graffiti, about 5 minutes drive from my place in Canberra.

[@cybore213]

As you were wrapping up #2, I couldn't decide whether you would choose A Passion Play or Thick as a Brick for the #1 spot. Great list!

[@classicalbum]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@mccarthyd6603]

Great video as usual! Every 6 months I take out my mint German 1st pressing Tales album by Yes and try again to see if it grows on me...unfortunately listened to about a week ago and sadly only got to side 3 again before filing back away in my vinyl collection for another attempt down the road😴😴😴 I am in the minority but I find this album self indulgent and tedious....maybe someday I will appreciate 🤔 The only omission in my opinion is a band I discovered a year ago that has moved into my top 10 of all-time..... Nektar! I think Remember the Future could have been on your list...at least honorable mention? A brilliant brilliant album! Another is Snow Goose by Camel....although an instrumental I can see why it might not have met the criteria. Lastly Solar Fire by Manfred Mann's Earth Band (is it a concept album and is it Prog?) either way also an AMAZING album regardless! Keep up the great work with your videos 👍

[@Vercingetorix061983]

Nice top! I know all the bands but not all the albums. I have to listen to them. Thanks!

[@classicalbum]

No problem!

[@stephenboynton9268]

There is a book by George Macdonald, named Lilith, written in 1895. There are many thematic elements in The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway that I suspect inspired Peter Gabriel. As a contemporary of Lewis Carroll, MacDonald had an extraordinary imagination! Interested to know if this connection is documented anywhere? Thank you for another great video!

[@finneogan]

Interesting catch... Addendum: George MacDonald wasn't just a contemporary of Lewis Carroll but his spiritual mentor.

[@williamfarmer8571]

Excellent choice for #1

[@FilipSandecomposer]

Unless many others I do not consider Pink Floyd a prog bans, more of a psychadelic rock band or art rock if you like. Based on the fact that they are actually make songs that are sort of folk or pop which they prosuce very experimental...but the prog is in the playing... and composition

[@stevebrown7195]

Excellent reviews , my favorite mentions for me would be gentle giant acquiring a taste, Camel mirage, genesis live 73, Tull stand up , check them out they are massive

[@joaquinlezcano2372]

Those are good but the title says "concept albums"

[@sizzlechest69]

"check them out". I believe he's heard them all.

[@stevecowder4774]

Oh and I'm particularly psyched about you giving " Clockwork Angels " some love. Rush went out like a lion with that album. And I think Headlong Flight is one the finest, ripping scorchers that band had done since Moving Pictures.

[@davidcooper8621]

After watching this I checked out Spock's Beard 'Snow' and 'I'm surprised at how much I am enjoying it - must be the influence of the channel

[@classicalbum]

Thanks

[@kevinbrookes5760]

Thank you for some great shout out to Stationery Traveller, Topographic Oceans and Animals. Very true about The Us+Them concert, the Animals section was outstanding. I ended up wearing the pig at Hyde Park!!!

[@FatNorthernBigot]

I'm a big fan of "Animals", however, I feel "Wish You Were Here" deserves more attention than it gets these days.

[@Magravated]

That is my go to when I need to chill. I love it!

[@FatNorthernBigot]

@@Magravated It's great for that! I've got no patience for the self-indulgent noodling of prog rock, but, I borrowed a copy of WYWH on tape in 1989, listened to it from beginning to end and loved every last minute of it.

[@Magravated]

@@FatNorthernBigot Cool! Don't know if you've hear Shine On You Crazy Diamond in whole, but if not, here you go! I thru IX (I think) I need a nap! ✌️❤️🇺🇲 kzbin.info/www/bejne/nYC7hZd8l8-nick

[@qdaveq6597]

It's great, but it's the popular choice, so prog nerds are predisposed to look past it.

[@FatNorthernBigot]

@@qdaveq6597 yes, I guess prog rockers never like mainstream, and some of WYWH had both hooks and almost nods to AOR 😂

[@jake6887]

Even 'Rajaz' and Harbour of 'tears' are very good concept albums' by Camel. 'The Snow goose' has a storyline as well despite it's just instrumental

[@matthewcoombs3282]

Props to picking Animals by Pink Floyd. Their greatest album in my opinion.

[@SpotWorksLNC]

Brilliant! My favourite Yes album has changed over the the years and Tales from Yes remains up there among their best in my books. Animals is in my top 3 from the Floyd. My first Rush show after being a fan as a kid from the 70’s onward wasn’t until the Clockwork Angels tour. Amazing!

[@davehandelman2832]

Animals at 2???? WOOOOOOOOOWWW! I did not see that coming! I ABSOLUTELY ADORE Animals, but i think the Lamb trumps it.

[@shipsahoy1793]

Nice TAAB #1 Some people never really liked this album. Usually it’s those that don’t have an extended attention span for music. A Passion Play was even more intense, only to be given a mid performance break by the hare who lost his spectacles lol Jethro Tull was special from the outset, all the way into the 80’s. Eventually age and other priority crept in, but IA has had a lifelong career that is kind of amazing when you really look at it. A lot of IA’s writing in the 70’s would frequently attack the social fabric of the time in some way, in a style that inimitably was JT.

[@rk41gator]

Wonderful trip down prog lane. It is hard to argue against Jethro Tull. What a great choice for number one. But I would have to place Genesis 'Lamb' as not only the best prog album created, but the best rock album ever recorded. Listening from front to back, the musical adventure is exquisite and has some of the best drumming of Collins career, which is claiming a lot. The musical composition and quality of musicianship is unmatched. While the story and lyrics are sometimes muddied the concept is not and this album delivers with a soul satisfying climax of redemption.

[@grahamnash9794]

Played Animals just last night. First time in over 20 years. As I've added to my years, the calming of my soul had taken a needed effect, and the album remains on the turn table for further ingesting later. Think as a brick has been a favourite for many years now, and I'm convinced the song was penned for my daughters dog. As for the Camel inclusion, I might have gone for Mirage. The room almost smells of spilled beer when I hear it. As with animals, I heard it just last nigh. And still love it.

[@ascof9660]

You had me at "penned for my daughter's dog"

[@grahamnash9794]

@@ascof9660 Hehehehe.... Just like his owner.

[@nancymjohnson]

Tull as #1, perfect. But Yes Tales beats out Animals just a bit in my book.

[@markboon341]

Great list, but as you gather more dissenters, maybe a part 2? You did mention one on my list, the Mars Volta, but no Pulsar mention, nor VDG's seminal Pawn Hearts.

[@fredericlatreille]

My top 5: 1- L'Heptade - Harmonium 2- Tommy - The Who 3- Thick as a Brick - Jethro Tull 4- Animals - Pink Floyd 5- Selling england by the pound - Genesis * Dishonorable mention: Killroy was here - Styx ("you tried and you failed. The lesson is: never try" - Homer Simpson)

[@barrymoore4470]

As I've posted elsewhere under this upload, I question the status of 'Tommy' as a prog album (The Who certainly were not a prog band). It's definitely a concept album.

[@javierllerena5756]

Completely agree with you Thick as a Brick is the best progressive rock album ever made , but to me Passion Play is better from musical stand point, more sophisticated , smart and complex but maybe not better than Thick as a Brick as concept album. Jethro Tull the best progressive rock band ever existed, the only band that produced more than 20 albums as masterpieces.

[@christiandubeau20]

I'm not a big fan of Metropolis Pt. II. But I agree with the rest of your picks. Thanks for an awesome video!

[@classicalbum]

Thanks for watching!

[@mikerussell1156]

Heres one: Nektar Remember The Future EPIC!

[@billyobong4469]

And also "Recycled"!

[@sounddude177]

My thought exactly. Excellent album.

[@chrisbrake5887]

Always full of interesting choices and insights. My first reaction was WOT NO WALL! but then I would deprived of insights into.albums I know little or nothing about. I will now check out Snow. I can never figure out what counts as prog. I would certainly have a Sky Of Honey on Ariel by Kate Bush at No.1 Whether or not it's prog I have no idea , (the songs may not be but the album feels like it is) but it's simply wonderful so it beats the rest.

[@PhilBaird1]

'An Existentialists picnic !' I love that phrase Barry. Tremendous stuff as usual - chapeau sir. A few random thoughts: It's not Prog but Joe's Garage is a really great concept album. The Snow Goose didn't make your list ? I thought from previous videos that you rated Passion Play higher than Thick As A Brick ? I think TAAB works much better with its English pastoral nonsense lyricism and the flowing circus tricks and turns of the music that never gets too leaden. It has that lightness of touch that made early Tull so affecting. It's boring to repeat it but I think that Dark Side of the Moon is far and away the finest ever Prog concept album though. Nothing even comes close. Great video and thanks for all you do.

[@classicalbum]

You make some interesting points - but as regards TAAB I find the concept and idea better conceived although I prefer Passion Play as an album - I think the concept of Animals is also intriguing. As regards Camel I had to give a shout out to Stationary Traveler - and I have to say it, DSOTM is the finest album ever imo...'

[@javierllerena5756]

I agree with Classic Album Review, Passion Play is above Thick as a Brick as musical complex and smartness sophistication, but TAAB is better as concept album , is the best of albums of the any prog rock bands, regarding Dark side of the moon, to me from Pink Floyd, the album The Wall is better as concept album .

[@srb-ef3zs]

Was about to switch your program off...until you nailed it with Tales From Topographic Oceans! Outstanding call, Sir! 👏

[@classicalbum]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@Jim181059]

Thanks for making this list. Some i already love; some i haven't heard. Will be correcting that this week.

[@classicalbum]

Thank you for commenting.

[@paulayers1111]

Snow is a MASTERPIECE

[@stantheman9072]

Thanks again! Spot on work. Do you have a video ranking of non-prog concept albums? And what is the vintage of the Neil Peart photo? My guess is the 2112 Tour period. (And I had forgotten how much he resembled a young Leroy Neiman at that age.)

[@gerthoffmann5436]

Du musst dir mal das neue Video von sina-drums anschauen. Sie könnte Neil ohne Probleme ersetzen und bei Rush trommeln !

[@stantheman9072]

@gerthoffmann5436 Nope. There's more to a band's magic than the abilities of its members. Rush was special and unique. It needs to RIP in respect, just like the Professor.

[@gerthoffmann5436]

​@@stantheman9072 I absolutely agree with you, unfortunatetly the PROFESSOR is not longer alive - RIP. SINA Döring ( sina-drums ! ) would be the only female drummer who could respectfully represent NEIL ! She is extraoridinarily and that is why she now has more than 1,5 million subscribers. The proof : your RUSH cover from January 26th 2024 ...

[@stantheman9072]

@@gerthoffmann5436 Be that as it may, talented as she is, Rush is over. If she wants to drive her own group, more power to her. No one else should play Rush music with Geddy and Alex. I would consider it disrespectful. If they want to play new music with her, fine. Rush should now and forever lie respected in its grave. Time to move on.

[@gerthoffmann5436]

​@@stantheman9072 The Rolling Stones plays whisout Charie Watts ...