Musical Concept Albums
Musical Concept Albums
#1Musical Concept Albums
Posted: 1/16/15 at 9:36pm
What are some great musical concept albums? Of course there are the obvious such as Evita, JCS, and Chess, but what are some less well known ones.
This includes musicals that never really got off the ground. Please include links if possible.
Pootie2
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/1/14
#2Musical Concept Albums
Posted: 1/16/15 at 10:12pm
The Last Ship started out as a sort-of concept album. American Idiot on the other hand wasn't intended to be theatricalized but it was described as a concept album at its original release.
I also recall a London concept album released in the early 90s called Matador; pretty sure that it never really got off the ground as a successful show. Though John Barrowman and Michael Ball have sung some songs from it before
Updated On: 1/16/15 at 10:12 PM
Mr Roxy
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/17/03
#3Musical Concept Albums
Posted: 1/16/15 at 10:12pm
Original Concept Album of Jekyll/Hyde
I will go thru my collection of cd's and will give your more names soon.
#4Musical Concept Albums
Posted: 1/16/15 at 10:32pm
HERE LIES LOVE is hardly little known but truly excellent.
THE DOLLS OF NEW ALBION & THE NEW ALBION RADIO HOUR are two very nice (albeit a bit odd) ones.
Also LOLA by the team behind THE GRASS HARP. Wonderful score beautifully sung by Christine Andreas, Judy Kaye and David Carroll. Took a LITTLE ME-esque approach to Lola Montez's life.
#6Musical Concept Albums
Posted: 1/16/15 at 10:49pmThe rock band Ludo ("Love Me Dead") wrote an EP sized rock opera called Broken Bride that has been staged here and there.
"If artists were machines, then I'm just a different kind of machine...I'd probably be a toaster. Actually, I'd be a toaster oven because they're more versatile. And I like making grilled cheese" -Regina Spektor
"That's, like, twelve shows! ...Or seven." -Crazy SA Fangirl
"They say that just being relaxed is the most important thing [in acting]. I take that to another level, I think kinda like yawning and...like being partially asleep onstage is also good, but whatever." - Sherie Rene Scott
#7Musical Concept Albums
Posted: 1/16/15 at 11:14pmThe original American Idiot album was not intended for the stage, but for a film, blending the musical and the music video in the style of the movie version of "The Wall." When the movie didn't come together, it was adapted almost a decade later into the stage libretto.
BwayDude2
Stand-by Joined: 12/9/14
#8Musical Concept Albums
Posted: 1/17/15 at 12:36amFrank Wildhorn's "Dracula" is great! Norm Lewis singing "Deep in the Darkest Night" gives me chills!
#9Musical Concept Albums
Posted: 1/17/15 at 2:40am
Looking on Amazon, I found some interesting titles:
Miss Spectacular: The Concept Album
http://www.amazon.com/Miss-Spectacular-Concept-Jerry-Herman/dp/B000066RKW/ref=sr_1_25?ie=UTF8&qid=1421478711&sr=8-25&keywords=musical+concept+album
Blackbeard: a New Musical
http://www.amazon.com/Blackbeard-Musical-2007-Concept-Album/dp/B0019J6B0Y/ref=sr_1_26?ie=UTF8&qid=1421478884&sr=8-26&keywords=musical+concept+album
Elton John And Tim Rice's Aida (1999 Concept Album)
http://www.amazon.com/Elton-John-Rices-Concept-Album/dp/B00000IFTH/ref=sr_1_45?ie=UTF8&qid=1421478959&sr=8-45&keywords=musical+concept+album
The Civil War: The Complete Work
http://www.amazon.com/Civil-War-Complete-Work/dp/B00000DP1V/ref=sr_1_88?ie=UTF8&qid=1421479043&sr=8-88&keywords=musical+concept+album
A Christmas Story - The Musical (Which we all know went on to be very successful)
http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Story-Musical-Tom-Wopat/dp/B009904NK0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421479250&sr=8-1&keywords=a+christmas+story+musical
Ghost Brothers of Darkland County [CD + DVD Deluxe Edition]
http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Brothers-Darkland-County-Deluxe/dp/B00BHWG1L2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421479299&sr=8-
chewy5000
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/1/09
#10Musical Concept Albums
Posted: 1/17/15 at 7:42amWhistle Down The Wind started life as one, as did The Life. Strangely enough, the Broadway production of Starlight Express had one, long after the London Cast Recording.
#11Musical Concept Albums
Posted: 1/17/15 at 8:01am
I think we should make a distinction before the thread continues between true concept albums (studio albums where all musical or lyrical ideas in a cycle of songs contribute to a single overall theme, idea, or unified story) and a compilation, usually intended as a promotional tool, featuring various songs from the show performed by popular artists of the period that often does not reflect the overall theme, idea, or unified story of the show so much, more focused on presenting some of the show's songs in a manner intended for popular consumption. The latter may often be billed as a concept album, but it has little to do with the "concept" 9 times out of 10.
Examples of this celebrity compilation include the previously mentioned Songs from WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND, Music & Songs From STARLIGHT EXPRESS, Music From THE LIFE: A New Musical, Elton John and Tim Rice's AIDA, THE CIVIL WAR: The Complete Work (a real toss-up on this one, but the sheer number of celebrities, I think, outweighs its concept status), and more.
Broadway Legend
joined: 5/1/05
Blocked: After Eight, suestorm, david_fick, emlodik, lovebwy, Dave28282, joevitus, BorisTomashevsky, Seb28
#12Musical Concept Albums
Posted: 1/17/15 at 9:07am
Whistle Down The Wind started life as one
I could be wrong about this, but I'm pretty sure the celebrity album came out a year or two after the original production in DC.
#13Musical Concept Albums
Posted: 1/17/15 at 9:12am^ You're right; the celebrity album was released in 1998, and the original London cast recording came out the following year.
Broadway Legend
joined: 5/1/05
Blocked: After Eight, suestorm, david_fick, emlodik, lovebwy, Dave28282, joevitus, BorisTomashevsky, Seb28
#14Musical Concept Albums
Posted: 1/17/15 at 2:46pm
The "Highlights" original cast album of The Phantom of the Opera was apparently more of a concept album, although the show must have at least been in rehearsal at that point. The words are different on some of the songs from the final versions. I still have troubles remembering the words to MOTN, because they are different on the highlights album, which I bought first.
BTW, POTO went on to do at least two "fat" albums with the same leads. Usually, the London and Broadway releases have different cover art, but the cover art on both releases is almost identical. One version is labeled as the original London cast, in small print. I'm not sure whether the other one is the original Broadway cast or not – it contains the London version of one of the lines in MOTN (music shall surround you) instead of the U.S. version (music shall caress you).
#15Musical Concept Albums
Posted: 1/17/15 at 3:42pmBut I think the OP was also referring to the celebrity albums.
#16Musical Concept Albums
Posted: 1/17/15 at 4:16pmThey don't mention them, and what is mentioned in the OP seems to be limited in scope to the type that reflect the actual show (or a version thereof). Should they clarify, I'll happily correct any mistaken assumption on my part.
Broadway Legend
joined: 5/1/05
Blocked: After Eight, suestorm, david_fick, emlodik, lovebwy, Dave28282, joevitus, BorisTomashevsky, Seb28
#17Musical Concept Albums
Posted: 1/18/15 at 1:25am
BTW I'm asking this question because of a project in which I have to come up with an idea for a musical concept album and record it. I wanted to listen to a few and get some more ideas.
Some ideas I have: Esio Trot, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Life of Pi, and an serious Harry Potter musical.
I'm probably being super ambitious, but I'll start big and work down from there.
Fantod
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/3/14
#18Musical Concept Albums
Posted: 1/18/15 at 2:17am
Rudolf the Last Kiss has a good one. I also really like Lola and Miss Spectacular.
Have you considered a musical for "The Lovers' Dictionary"?
#19Musical Concept Albums
Posted: 1/18/15 at 3:53am
"The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane"
A musical with a mute, immobile lead?
Mr Roxy
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/17/03
#20Musical Concept Albums
Posted: 1/18/15 at 9:15am
Dracula is really a pseudo studio cast album. It was done after the Broadway run. In addition, a number of songs in the show were not on the cd & vice versa.
I used to have a ton of double LP concept albums until I got rid of them in one of my purges.
#21Musical Concept Albums
Posted: 1/18/15 at 9:29am
Sundown, composed by Peter Link with Judy McLane (sounding gorgeous) and Steve Blanchard singing the leads. Exceptional score with a couple of absolutely beautiful ballads for Ms McLane.
http://www.amazon.com/Sundown-2004-Studio-Cast-Recording/dp/B00076TC5Q/ref=pd_bbs_4?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1213305812&sr=8-4
Mr Roxy
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/17/03
#22Musical Concept Albums
Posted: 1/18/15 at 9:32amTotally agree re Sundown. I thought it was a recording of an unproduced or rarely produced musical.
yankeefan7
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/14/12
#23Musical Concept Albums
Posted: 1/18/15 at 11:51amI would not say less known but I would classify "Tommy" by the Who as one.
DigificWriter
Leading Actor Joined: 1/23/12
#24Musical Concept Albums
Posted: 1/18/15 at 12:17pm
It sounds like the OP is more in search of "Album Musicals" than Concept Albums, so Dennis DeYoung (founding member of Styx)'s The Hunchback of Notre Dame and the studio recording of NBC's BOMBSHELL very much fit the bill.
The latter (Bombshell) is probably going to be easier to find than the former, but there you go.
Updated On: 1/18/15 at 12:17 PM
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