Musical Concept Albums

[icecreambenjamin]

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]

Posted: 1/16/15 at 9:59pm

Les Mis

[Smeds2]

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]

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.

[Mr. Nowack]

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.

Updated On: 1/16/15 at 10:32 PM

[tazber]

Posted: 1/16/15 at 10:42pm

The Capeman

[MrSweetNAwful]

Posted: 1/16/15 at 10:49pm

The rock band Ludo ("Love Me Dead") wrote an EP sized rock opera called Broken Bride that has been staged here and there.

[darquegk]

Posted: 1/16/15 at 11:14pm

The 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]

Posted: 1/17/15 at 12:36am

Frank Wildhorn's "Dracula" is great! Norm Lewis singing "Deep in the Darkest Night" gives me chills!

[gleek4114]

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]

Posted: 1/17/15 at 7:42am

Whistle 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.

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

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.

[kdogg36]

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.

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

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.

[AHLiebross]

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).

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 1/17/15 at 3:42pm

But I think the OP was also referring to the celebrity albums.

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 1/17/15 at 4:16pm

They 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.

[icecreambenjamin]

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]

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"?

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 1/18/15 at 3:53am

"The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane"

A musical with a mute, immobile lead?

[Mr Roxy]

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.

[JayG 2]

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]

Posted: 1/18/15 at 9:32am

Totally agree re Sundown. I thought it was a recording of an unproduced or rarely produced musical.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 1/18/15 at 11:51am

I would not say less known but I would classify "Tommy" by the Who as one.

[DigificWriter]

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