Worst Storylines in Concept CDs

DarkOne

DarkOne

Black Belt in Sarcasm
May 2, 2002
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The two threads about the new Rhapsody and the rash of concept CDs got to thinking about some of the God-AWFUL concepts. Now, Savatage is my favorite band, so I know something about concept albums. Also, Iim not talking about the music - purely the story.


1) Rhapsody - I have to admin that I never made it through the whole thing, and I LIKE to read.

2) Magica - I am a huge Dio fan, but what the hell was he thinking when he wrote this story. Aliens. Magic. Statues. Huh?

3) Avantasia - Great great album. Incredibly childish story. It felt like fantasy written by a junior high school student.


So, what do you think? What other great artists put out questionable concepts?

Steve
 
I can remember about a year ago reading that the latest WASP album had been stalled and Blackie was quoted as saying "we're gonna write a concept album..."

Now how scary is that man?

So you can add that release to the list of "what the hell were these people thinking?"
 
Since the other concept album thread is a more positive one, I'll post this here:

I am officially concept-albumed out! :ill:

I finally got the new Heavenly and the Aina discs yesterday, and while neither is bad, imo, I just can't take any more epic stories told through music for a good long while. I really think this trend has been pushed beyond its means.

I remember when (for me, anyway) a new King Diamond album was a big deal, because I knew there would more than likely be a cool story and some good music. Now, it's hard to find a new cd that doesn't require slogging through a half-baked concept or theme. Whatever happened to albums being a collection of songs representing the artist at the time of creation? Instead, everyone wants to do an album about some fictional "other" and consequently a lot of these concept albums lack emotional depth. It's emotion-by-proxy.

Now, before I get flamed, I know there are exceptions to the above statements. Pain of Salvation and Evergrey immediately come to mind, so don't bother getting twisted out of shape. If you do, it's probably because your favorite falls into the category I'm talking about. :loco:

Thankfully, the newest Tad Morose, Brainstorm & Edguy albums are straight-ahead rockers with self-contained songs. It's nice to be able to enjoy the songs on a one-on-one basis. I'll be spinning them a lot more now!

In the end, all I'm really saying is: artists--lay off the concept albums for a while and give us some songs we can enjoy in themselves without having those songs need to relate to every other on the album to complete the thought. My guess is that this will create better, tighter and ultimately more inspiring music.

*whew* End of rant...I think.
:Smokin:
 
Eh, I've always been able to pretty much ignore the concept and just listen to the music. After all, Operation Mindcrime is an amazing album, with or without the storyline. Same goes for Savatage. I like Magica and Avantasia in spite of the "story". It is just funny when I actually tried to read those stories.
 
heh-heh, I did rant a bit huh? I'm better now. :D

DarkOne said:
Eh, I've always been able to pretty much ignore the concept and just listen to the music. After all, Operation Mindcrime is an amazing album, with or without the storyline. Same goes for Savatage. I like Magica and Avantasia in spite of the "story". It is just funny when I actually tried to read those stories.
Click to expand...
I do the same for the most part, and I do like most of the concept albums I've heard. I just need a break from all these "high concepts" and I wish my favorite bands didn't always (well, lately anyways) feel the need to force their music into a long story.

:Smokin:
 
I think the problem with Avantasia's story is that Tobias's English is not that great. Therefore the story for him is hard to express into the right words.

Didn't Tobias say that the story he told to an author and it is over 150 pages? So to cram that down into 6 pages within a CD booklet - it's going to be fairly simple.

And look at Avantasia Pt 2...the story almost doesn't even make sense. He gives us a very breif description of what's occuring - almost as if its too deep to even write down.

*shrugs*
 
Worst concept storyline? I can't recall which band did it, but there was this lame ass concept album about a character named Dr. X, who uses mind control, and a degenerate named Nikki, who falls under his spell. Anyway, Nikki is supposed to kill a Preist and Nun, but falls in love with the Nun. As I said, I can't remember the name of the band or the album, but it was just silly.

Zod
 
General Zod said:
Worst concept storyline? I can't recall which band did it, but there was this lame ass concept album about a character named Dr. X, who uses mind control, and a degenerate named Nikki, who falls under his spell. Anyway, Nikki is supposed to kill a Preist and Nun, but falls in love with the Nun. As I said, I can't remember the name of the band or the album, but it was just silly.

Zod
Click to expand...
You're silly, now cut it out!
 
Yngvai X said:
As much as I love Rage, Soundchaser's story was pretty weak. However the music is so kickass it still winds up being their best album after Black in Mind IMO.
Click to expand...
Soundchaser was absolutely what I was going to mention. This is the worst concept story ever. I was embarassed for the guys when I tried to read it, the last soundchaser dies forgotten and lonely?? You're supposed to feel sorry for this dumb thing on the cover of the last couple albums. I think they just thought that thing was cool looking so they had to make a story about it - bad idea. I also liked Unity more than Soundchaser myself, but its still a great album, musically.
 
General Zod said:
Worst concept storyline? I can't recall which band did it, but there was this lame ass concept album about a character named Dr. X, who uses mind control, and a degenerate named Nikki, who falls under his spell. Anyway, Nikki is supposed to kill a Preist and Nun, but falls in love with the Nun. As I said, I can't remember the name of the band or the album, but it was just silly.

Zod
Click to expand...
But that sounds like Operation Mindcri- :yell: I defy you! Zod!
 
WASP rules......If you dont like them then that is OK....Many of these concept albums I dont really get into. One good thing about WASP is that they havent changes that much. Sure they have tried new things but their music is pretty much down the same line as it was from Headless Children era....

Mindcrime was a great concept album... one of the first that I really got into.

Magica was a good CD but I didnt really get the story.
 
Rakosh...I love the "emotion-by-proxy" thing...well said...

In regards to WASP...great concept with The Crimson Idol...for those that are even sideline WASP fans and aren't familiar with this album...it just gets better and better. Their new album, The Neon God, is a completely embarrassing re-hash...don't even fucking bother (and that's a bold statement coming from a long-time WASP fan).

Basically, the whole scene makes me weary...I get tired of chasing down albums, thinking that I'm missing out on something special, only to get some mediocre crap that wastes any recruited talent involved in the project...
 
you guys don't know anything the worst concept ever is Eloy-The Power and the Passion.
the conceptis about a modern-day and presumably German college grad (Jamie)- -bored, spoiled and uncertain as to his future- -accidentally self-induces backward time-travel (his father's "hare-brained scheme") to France and convinces a young 14th-century mademoiselle (Jeanne) to smoke a joint with him ("lots of my friends smoke it"). But then, incredibly, he is thrown into Jeanne's father's prison and escapes via a (zany) magician's spell back to the 20th century- -just in time to avoid certain death in her father's imperial army! The album concludes on an even more romantic note with Jamie's touching lament at the tragic loss of his new-found, redeeming love, who has been forced to remain with her rich family back in the Dark Ages- -forever to be deprived of his 20th-century enlightenment (and joints).

The album isn't bad at all i even think it is the best album title ever, even the cover is pretty cool, but concept wise this is definantley the worst.

But there is also that album about that guy who sees a psychiatrist and finds out he is the reincarnation of a girl named victoria who was murdered in the late 1920's.
 
Heehee...I wonder what that album is...

OK...I know that DT was reaching a bit, but...the Eloy thing also sounds a bit out there...

Anybody else...?
 
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