I haven’t got loads to say about this, just that right now I’m really into the psychedelic concept albums of the title, and I’m hoping to build up what might be a decent list. Your suggestions would be much appreciated.
Psychedelic Concept Albums
by 64 Comments
S F Sorrow by the Pretty Things would seem to qualify. Don’t remember ever listening to it though.
It’s ace!
Phil May’s voice here is Essence of Prog.
Them Bloody Mues did a few.
Then there’s SMiLE, of course.
Nirvana * – The Story of Simon Simopath
* not that one..
Groep 1850’s “Agemo’s Trip to Mother Earth” (1968)
https://youtu.be/sykTf9quFRM
Oh yes, this is a good call. My copy has a weird ‘3D’ cover that looms out at you if you look at it through a pair of those red & blue plastic 3D glasses thingamajigs. If you haven’t got the 3D glasses on it just looks all blurry, like the printers were pissed.
Woah. Listening to this now, and it’s great. Thanks!
Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters.
Awesome album!
It’s actually not though!
^ This thread needs to be read with questioning intonation like the younger set use.
‘Alice Through The Looking Glass’ by Howell & Ferdinando is a charming little of-its-time gem (Howell had subsequent Radiophonic Workshop connections IIRC). You can hear it on Discogs.
Moon Duo – Occult Architecture Vol. 1 & 2
Not sure if it counts as psychedelic (it coming from The Time Coast via 1977) but Spirit;s Future Games is pretty freaktastic
Here’s the whole album. In the unlikely event you’ve never heard it, suggest you go roll a joint, take the phone off the hook and cancel your appointments for the rest of the day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs9IEVNE_2E&list=PLmlYIE773EIamZvzxMQEXm_iXqYhRm6Sb
Recipe for an excellent night: friends, “A Wizard, A true star”, and “samurais”. One can easily add to the fun by also playing “Todd”, side 2 of “initiation”, and, on the way down, “Healing”. Excellent times.
Just don’t take any psychedelic drugs if you’re going to listen to side 2 of Initiation. Bound to mess with your set and setting.
Scouse the Mouse
(sorry, Shcouse der Moushe)
Any relation?
Only if you’ve just had dental work done
Not sure if these count – maybe pop psychedelia concepts?
Prince – Around the World in A Day
KLF – Chill Out
The Beat!es – Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band
“A lot of people think it’s a concept album. It actually isn’t. The first two tracks certainly give that impression: the segue from Sergeant Pepper into With A little Help From My Friends…’
Depends what you think, the band are introduced and then take over so we have songs in completely different styles to what The Beatles had previously done, because it is a pretend band playing them rather than the Fabs
Sorry! I was quoting this…
Small Faces – Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake
Er…. the OP….
Eh? Have I had my tea?
@fentonsteve
Relax, Mr Fenton!
No one’s stolen your clothes.
You were still wearing them when you dozed off in the day room
The Four Seasons: The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette
And let’s not forget the incomparable Balrog: The Season Of The Moonsnake
From The Word: „Fog swirls. It is the season of the moonsnake. Observe him in his lair: silent, watchful, holding down the „flute“ setting on his Mellotron. Scheherazade (sic), his lady fair, shakes loose her long tresses as she alternates between four- and eight-string basses and bass pedals. An assortment of lutes, mandolins, acoustic and electric guitars is plucked by Hephaestus, god of fire, voted Best Guitarist in the 1972 Melody Maker Readers‘ Poll. At the back, we have Uther Pendragon on drums and tuned percussion.
These days, copies of Season Of The Moonsnake are incredibly hard to find. Encased in a lavish triple-gatefold sleeve that hissed when you opened it, the long forgotten masterpiece was released in 1973, one of prog rock’s key years (the other, of course, being 1892 – the birth of Tolkien).“
Mr Mick by Stackridge.
Any of those queer Bee Gees albums? Odessa and the like? I’ve never heard them.
Save yourself while you can. Not as good as we are gaslighted.
Odessa is pretty good, prefer Horizontal and Idea though
Zombies – Odessey and Oracle.
A bit like the Human League’s Dare, the big (non) hit comes at the end.
O and O is not a concept album. It is, however, extremely good. These two things may be related.
It’s a masterpiece, probably in my top 10 of all time. Came to it very late knowing only the hit which I now find one of the weaker songs on the album mainly due to over familiarity, and the rest set a very high standard indeed
Mes parents bought in in ’68 on the strength of Season appearing on The Rock Machine Turns You On… it was part of life in our house and I was totally unaware that anyone else had even heard of it until it turned up in Mojo’s top 100 albums in 1995.
I didn’t know it until about 2004, many many plays since and had the joy of seeing them perform it live in full about 5 years ago
I saw Colin B at Hull Minster about three years ago, an appropriate setting for such an angelic voice.
And he’s still got it
Gong’s Radio Gnome Invisible trilogy, Flying Teapot Angel’s Egģ and You should be included as the band were a concept being from the planet Gong and the whole mythology this entailed.
See suggested tasting note above for Rundgren. A samurai helped this along nicely, too.
Yay! Hubes wins the white carnation! Beat me to it…
Does Olias of Sunningdale count?
Sunhillow!
Would you believe I am listening to that right now? What are the chances? I never knew about this album’s existence until a couple of weeks ago and I love it. I was just about to mention it when I posted on this month’s Blogger Takeover thread.
Olias of Sunningdale is a concept album about a greenskeeper, a club pro and their unrequited love…
By The spirits that inhabit John Daly’s hip flask that sounds like a fine record
Aphrodite’s Child – 666
Does Tommy count as psychedelic?
Sell Out might be more of a psychedelic concept album
Well, if the concept is that you’re listening to pirate radio. There’s no narrative and the songs don’t have any connection with each other. But the songs are (mostly) very good and it is psychedelic so who cares.
Thats the concept, yes
666 is awesome, but it’s pretty muscular for a psychedelic album, more a prog belter. Although even if the sleeve says “This album was recorded under the influence of Sahlep” (no idea) I think that was just a bit of a piss-take on the part of the band.
“The Soft Machine Volume Two”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eNi6coxguM
Still my favourite Softs album, after all these years.
A great album, Mike – but what’s the concept?
I’m quite partial to Their Satanic Majesties Request. Although the only concept seems to be “We’ll have some of what The Beatles are having”.
I disagree. Cover maybe, but the songs are in completely different styles, some don’t work very well, others do
Re: Beatles/Stones… my initial thing was “psych—yes.”
Now I go early doors re: Beatles/Stones, and the only British psych album I really dig (eh… it’s a groove thing) is the Rainbow Ffolly one – I want a psych album, I play that one… or, more accurately, I play one of the several in my possession.
I rather like the idea that they were innocents and just kinda did a demo in a local studio (Rickmansworth) and then Parlophone… etc. etc. (read the story)…
Ironically because it was on Parlophone, it is advertised on pretty much every inner EMI sleeve from 67 to 69… “buy one now in 1967 – make a profit in 2022!”
In Search Of The Lost Chord still stands as one of the best psychedelic concept albums. I particularly like side two of the vinyl record. This one’s a trip, too.
Many thanks all. This is going to keep me going for a while.
Haven’t heard it for years but The Alchemist by Home is a terrific concept album and somewhat psychedelic.
Oh yes! I’d forgotten that gem. I remember borrowing a copy from my mate Steve Coles and sitting down at home to listen to it all the way through, putting on dad’s headphones and settling into my favourite armchair next to the stereo. 50 minutes later I’d heard some great music, but had no idea at all what the thing was all supposed to mean. Having said that, it was one of the first albums I stuck on my ‘wish-list’ when I had jumped to CDs and labels were starting to re-release a lot of the material from the golden age. I finally got my own copy when Esoteric put it out a few years back. Still unfathomable, but great to hear; Laurie Wisefield – such a lyrical player.
World Party – Goodbye Jumbo.
Not a concept album, beyond “humans have wrecked the planet and we’re all doomed”, but bloody great anyway, with a strong psych/Fabs influence. And it features a hip-hop crew on the cover*.
(*) Cue Moosey.
It pains me to say this, but Ceremony (1969) by Spooky Tooth and bonkers French electronic whiz Pierre Henry qualifies. The concept is a church service. The album is credited by the band with killing their career stone dead.
I bought it of course, because Spooky Tooth, but I don’t think I ever got further than halfway through side one.
“The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles and Fripp”
Two concepts, one for each side of the vinyl.
“The Saga of Rodney Toady” and “Just George”.
https://www.discogs.com/master/50691-Giles-Giles-And-Fripp-The-Cheerful-Insanity-Of-Giles-Giles-And-Fripp