What was the first TRUE concept album in rock history?

Pet Sounds and Sgt. Pepper are popular choices, and in a way they are. However, in my opinion, a true concept album contains songs that lean on each other, and individually wouldn't make total sense out of context. That isn't apparent to me with those two albums. Each individual track could stand alone and be put on another album.



To me, The Who Sell Out was the first true concept album. It's consistent pirate radio theme, along with the advertisement jingle clips tie it together with a well established theme. Many of the songs, preferably the ones that revolve around the products Pete, Roger, Keith, and John are plugging wouldn't make sense out of context. I'm curious to see everyone's thoughts on this album's historical significance in the genre, and what you think was the first true concept album.

 

S F Sorrow? It was released after Sell Out but it is a whole narrative in music on an album rather than a series of connected by jingles

 

Ventures in Space

 

But they abandon the "concept" on side 2.

 

"Medac"?

 

While I see your point, I don't think the songs on "The Who Sell Out" bear any relation to one another. Yes, the pirate radio aspects tie the album together, but it's hardly a theme that bears any relation to the actual songs. The jingle clips ("Odorono," "Heinz Baked Beans") have no relation to songs like "Tattoo," "Armenia City in the Sky," "I Can See For Miles," etc. So, while I'm not sure what you mean by "true" concept album, I'm not sure how this particular album is any more of a concept album than "Pet Sounds" or "Sgt. Pepper's" which it could be argued have thematic relations between the songs.

 

The Ventures "In Space" is a good one fer sure - very cretainly a concept album AND very certainly pre-dates all the rock albums that have been mentioned. However, The Ventures had a concept album predating "In Space". It was called "The Colorful Ventures" and every song title included a color (such as "Blue Moon" and "Greenfields"). That said, I think "In Space" is the stronger choice as it includes originals AND you can hear the space theme throughout - not just read it in the titles of the songs. -Marty

PS- "In Space" has been referred to as the "Sgt. Pepper" of surf/instro albums.

 

Yes, but after that the "radio" is turned off. And there are just three unrelated songs not tied together with jingles or anything else. In a way they didn't the concept through to the end.

 

I'm sure we can come up with plenty of thematic albums from the pre-Beatles era.

 

The album "Days Of Future Passed" by the Moody Blues is what I consider the first true conceptual rock album. It is one of the most influential albums in rock music on so many levels.

 

Recorded live at a Beach Boys Party (which wasnt, so the pretense, supported by over dubbed party sounds was a concept)

 

Yes, but the challenge here is to find the first of those - unless by "thematic" you are meaning something other than "concept".

 

Sgt. Pepper and Pet Sounds are two great albums, but they don't seem like they were intended as concept albums. There's no question that Pepper sparked the movement, but I've always thought that Sell Out was one of the first concept albums to be intended as one. Half-baked maybe, but intended by Pete as one.

 

I agree with you about Pepper and Pet Sounds. They're more than just a random collection of songs, feeling more like a unified whole, but that doesn't make them full blown concept albums. Sell Out comes closer, but my vote goes to SF Sorrow. I've never heard Nirvana's Simon Simopath, so that might merit consideration.

 

No mention to The Mothers' Absolutely Free?

 

Not quite a concept, IMO, but two sidelong suites. Perhaps Lumpy Gravy/WOIIFTM would come closer.

 

Money is one of the most tightly cohesive concept albums from those years, but I also see Absolutely Free as a satirical radiography of America in two acts.

 

This is not an album I'm very fond of, but it's an early concept work:

 

A Christmas Gift For You (1963) - Phil Spector

 

The Chipmunks Sing The Beatles Hits

 

I'm not asking this in a jerk kind of way, but can someone(s) tell me what makes Pet Sounds a concept album?

 

Re: Days Of Future Passed: I have been meaning to locate the best quality version available. But I thought I read somewhere that the master tapes used for the original album were no longer pristine, so later versions were slightly altered.

 

Little Deuce Coupe/Beach Boys - 1963. Nothing but car songs.