3 Fascinating Concept Albums That Deserve More Attention

Who doesn’t love concept albums? When one is in the mood to get cerebral, rather than zoning out to cool-sounding tunes, a concept album is the right remedy. We all know about the great concept albums from bands like The Who and Pink Floyd, but what about the more underrated gems? Let’s look at a few examples, shall we?

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‘What’s Going On’ by Marvin Gaye

Some people still debate whether or not What’s Going On, Marvin Gaye’s magnum opus of a progressive soul record, is actually a concept album. However, while it doesn’t follow the cookie-cutter storytelling motions that many concept albums from the 1970s followed, What’s Going On does follow a sort of song cycle with an overall narrative. 

The whole narrative of this album is told from the perspective of a Vietnam vet, who returns home to find his country rife with suffering and social injustice. It’s really an amazing piece of work, and definitely the best to come from Gaye.

‘The Point!’ by Harry Nilsson

This classic pop-rock 1970 concept album by Harry Nilsson follows the story of a young man named Oblio. He’s a round-headed lad in a place where it’s the law for everything to be pointy. A strange concept indeed, but it’s quite captivating. It would later be made into a film, too. According to Nilsson himself, the idea for The Point! came from (you guessed it!) an ac*d trip.

“I was on ac*d and I looked at the trees and I realized that they all came to points, and the little branches came to points, and the houses [each] came to [a] point,” said Nilsson. “I thought, ‘Oh! Everything has a point, and if it doesn’t, then there’s [still] a point to it.’”

‘Arthur (Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire)’ by The Kinks

Ray Davies wrote the whole of Arthur (Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire) in 1969, and it’s one of the most underrated concept albums out there. The story follows the lives of an immigrant and her husband, a carpet layer, and their trials and tribulations in post-war England where opportunities were slim.

Sadly, this album didn’t get the commercial success it deserved. However, it has gained a cult following in the decades that followed its release.

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