The First Concept Album

[jaycee]

This is something I've thought about every so often - what should be considered the first real concept album? I.e. not something loosely like a concept album, or a kind of gimicky concept (e.g. Colorful Ventures by The Ventures), but a complete, fully unified concept.
I would say Days Of Future Passed by the Moody Blues (have a glance here, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Days_of_Future_Passed, and buy the 2008 remaster if you haven't already!! ) - each song is associated with a time of day, tracing an "everyman's day" from dawn to the night.
Some might try to argue for Sgt. Pepper's by The Beatles, although I think it's harder to justify...
Others may argue for even earlier albums like Dust Bowl Ballads by Woody Guthrie, if they've heard them!
So, let's hear everyone's thoughts on the matter! Fire away!

[David]

How about "The Letter" by Judy Garland (1959)?

Or "September of My Years" by Frank Sinatra (1964)?

Or perhaps even "Lady in Satin" by Billie Holiday (1958)?

[markolas]

Originally Posted by David

How about "The Letter" by Judy Garland (1959)?

Or "September of My Years" by Frank Sinatra (1964)?

Or perhaps even "Lady in Satin" by Billie Holiday (1958)?

I'd go earlier for Sinatra - In the Wee Small Hours (1955).

I would also submit the following:

Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Sings Gershwin (1950)
June Christy - Something Cool (1953)
Peggy Lee - Black Coffee (1953)

Dust Bowl Ballads is from like 1940, tho - so that might well be the first. At any rate, concept albums were definitely around way before the rock era.

[Clark]

While definitely not the first, Miles Davis "Kind of Blue" was without a doubt,one of the finest concept albums of all time. While it's great on CD - the original liner notes on the album cover by Nat Hentoff are a great description of what the album is all about. They can be found online

Also worthy of mention, as long as I'm on Miles, Bitches Brew - a breakthrough in electric jazz the features all the great jazz stars of the 70s - herbie Hancock, chick Corea, John Mclaughlin, Billy Cobham......Get the 4 hour reissue - but don't listen to it alone in an altered state - you might not get back......

[jaycee]

(I was kind of hoping people would explain what made them concept albums as well, if not for the sake of debate but my mere curiosity... )

[David]

Originally Posted by jaycee

(I was kind of hoping people would explain what made them concept albums as well, if not for the sake of debate but my mere curiosity... )

Me, too. When I think of a concept album, I think of an identifiable running theme or themes. It might be a formalistic theme, too.

For example, in Sinatra's SEPTEMBER OF MY YEARS, all the songs are about the wisdom & self-knowledge that one (with any luck) gains in middle age. Furthermore, the tracks are all heavily orchestrated with drippy lyricism & plaintive strings to emphasize the nostalgic nature of standing at life's crossroads -- gazing back on one's memories of youth & excitement & forward to one's hopes for contentment.

Judy Garland's THE LETTER is a song cycle built around a single narrative: a woman receives a letter from the man she loves as their relationship or marriage is falling apart.