Neil Young revives concept album
Ryan Nyburg
Budget rack
Concept albums must have gotten
a bad name: You don't see too many
of them anymore. It's true that they are
often dull, impractical and reeking of
the worst sort of artistic pretentious
ness, but I don't think this should de
tract from the idea as a whole.
1 got on this whole concept album
trip with the release of Neil Young's lat
est album, "Greendale." The album
tells the story of a small California town
and the trials and tribulations of its resi
dents. It's wrapped up in a distorted
■ roadhouse rock groove that diligently
stays in the background while the story
takes hold. Great stuff from Young, and
more worthwhile than last year's "Are
You Passionate?" Remember the knee
jerk post-9/11 homage song "Let's
Roll"? Neither do I.
It's not much of a surprise that an old
pro like Young is the one putting out a
concept album today. The 1970s were
the heyday for them. Now, people just
seem to lack the time or patience.
But Pink Floyd's "The Wall" and
The Who's "Tommy" are great al
bums, and what makes them great is
not only the quality of the songs, but
the themes sustained among them.
Most people attribute the birth of the
concept album to the same group every
other great thing in rock is attributed to:
The Beatles. "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely
Hearts Club Band" is usually given the
title of the first.
As far as the more sophisticated con
cept albums go, I've always had a fond
ness for Frank Zappa's "Joe's Garage," a
three-part rock opera about a musician
in a near-future world of obedient con
sumers, mechanical pseudo-religions
and a totalitarian authority that believes
in "total criminalization" of the popu
lace The plot is so convoluted that it ap
proaches total anarchy, the characters are
two-dimensional and the whole thing
borders on the irrational. Much like a
real opera, when you get down to it.
But what is on the outside surface
isn't the point; it's what's under the
facade that matters. The album shows
a depressing vision of a dehumanized
society that reality resembles more
every passing day. While the album
has other merits, like Zappa's stellar
guitar work and compositional skills,
it is this unifying vision that makes
the whole thing worthwhile.
Another favorite of mine is The
Who's "The Who Sell Out." It's other
wise known as the other Who concept
album, long overshadowed by the
success of "Tommy" and, to some ex
tent, "Quadrophenia." The difference
is that those two were rock operas
with narrative stories. "Sell Out" is
just a concept with no story attached
or necessarily needed.
Incorporating original Radio Lon
don commercial ads with songs full of
product references, The Who do in fact
sell out but in such an extravagant way
that you know it's a joke. The songs are
tuneful, catchy and melodious, just like
radio jingles are supposed to be. Per
sonal fave. "Odorono," a song about a
singer who is rejected by a man because
her antiperspirant breaks down, an em
barrassment that leads to her to giving
up her musical career. She should have
used Odorono.
So is anyone releasing concept al
bums today? Other than the eminent
Mr. Young and his band, Crazy I lorse,
Tool is the only group that comes to
mind, with the album Minima" in par
ticular. Describing life in Southern Cali
fornia after an apocalyptic earthquake,
the album is a big, rumbling scary trip
through the minds of a group of Jungian
metal freaks. What could be more fun?
So there's still hope for the concept
album, so long as musicians keep
having ideas bigger than a single song
can contain. Keep up that big think
ing boys and girls. I'm listening.
Contact tiie senior pulse reporter
at ryannyburg@dailyemerald.com.
His opinions do not necessarily
represent those of the Emerald.
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