Best Concept Albums

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1. 1
   The Dark Side of the MoonPink Floyd

   The Dark Side of the Moon

   Pink Floyd · 1973 · Rock

   A seamless suite on time, money, madness and mortality, built from sighing synths, saxophone, heartbeat pulses and tape collage. It spent years on the charts for good reason: the production still sounds vast and the sequencing flows as one continuous piece. The benchmark for hi-fi demonstration and a cornerstone of any collection.

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2. 2
   TommyThe Who

   Tommy

   The Who · 1969 · Rock

   The rock opera that proved the form could carry a full narrative, following a 'deaf, dumb and blind' pinball prodigy. Ambitious and occasionally overwrought, it remains a landmark of scale and intent. Townshend's songwriting holds it together.

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3. 3
   Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club BandThe Beatles

   Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

   The Beatles · 1967 · Rock

   The album that reframed the LP as a complete artistic statement rather than a singles vehicle, dressed in orchestral flourishes, music-hall whimsy and studio trickery. Its influence on production and album-as-concept thinking is hard to overstate. Best heard start to finish, the way it was designed.

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4. 4
   What's Going OnMarvin Gaye

   What's Going On

   Marvin Gaye · 1971 · Soul & R&B

   A seamless song-suite on war, poverty and the environment, Gaye's defiant break from Motown's hit factory. Lush, jazzy and politically urgent, it reframed what soul could address. Often called the greatest soul album ever.

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5. 5
   The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from MarsDavid Bowie

   The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

   David Bowie · 1972 · Rock

   Bowie's glam-rock concept album about a doomed alien rock star turned him into a superstar and changed what a pop performer could be. The songs are tight and theatrical, the playing sharp, the whole thing over in 38 thrilling minutes. The essential entry point to his catalogue.

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6. 6
   The WallPink Floyd

   The Wall

   Pink Floyd · 1979 · Rock

   An ambitious rock opera about isolation and breakdown, theatrical and bleak, with 'Comfortably Numb' as its emotional peak. It works as narrative and as a run of strong individual songs. Best taken in one sitting.

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7. 7
   good kid, m.A.A.d cityKendrick Lamar

   good kid, m.A.A.d city

   Kendrick Lamar · 2012 · Hip-Hop

   A self-described 'short film' about growing up in Compton, structured as a cohesive narrative with cinematic detail. Dense, melodic and replayable, it confirmed Kendrick as the leading rapper of his generation. A modern classic.

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8. 8
   IllinoisSufjan Stevens

   Illinois

   Sufjan Stevens · 2005 · Folk & Singer-Songwriter

   A maximal, orchestral song-cycle about a US state, brimming with marching-band flourishes and tender storytelling. Ambitious and joyful. His most acclaimed record.

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9. 9
   OK ComputerRadiohead

   OK Computer

   Radiohead · 1997 · Alternative & Indie

   A prescient album about alienation in a wired, accelerating world, expanding rock with electronics, odd time signatures and dread. 'Paranoid Android' and 'No Surprises' anchor a record that still sounds like the future arriving. Frequently named among the greatest ever made.

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10. 10
    BlondeFrank Ocean

    Blonde

    Frank Ocean · 2016 · Soul & R&B

    An elliptical, gorgeous album of fragmented memory and feeling, stripped of obvious hooks in favour of mood and texture. Initially elusive, it becomes a favourite. A defining record of the 2010s.

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11. 11
    QuadropheniaThe Who

    Quadrophenia

    The Who · 1973 · Rock

    A double-album rock opera about a conflicted mod, grander and more cohesive than Tommy. Townshend's synths and Daltrey's voice power it. A high point of 70s concept records.

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