Fifty years of the concept album in popular music : from the Beatles to Beyoncé / Eric Wolfson.
| Author/creator | Wolfson, Eric author. |
| Format | Book |
| Publication Info | New York : Bloomsbury Academic, Bloomsbury Publishing Inc, 2024. |
| Description | viii, 252 pages ; 24 cm |
| Subjects |
| Variant title | 50 years of the concept album in popular music |
| Contents | Introduction. Ramblin' on my mind -- Part 1. The founding era (1967-1969). We hope you will enjoy the show: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ; This day will last a thousand years: Days of Future Passed ; We are the other people: We're Only in It for the Money ; The one that rambles on for a million miles: Electric Ladyland ; Amazing journey: Tommy -- Part 2. The golden era (1970-1974). God knows where we're heading: What's Going On ; I am on a lonely road and I am traveling: Blue ; We'll have Superman for president: Thick as a Brick ; Like a regular superstar: The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars ; And if the band you're in starts playing different tunes: The Dark Side of the Moon -- Part 3. The modern era (1975-1989). Tear the roof off the sucker: Mothership Connection ; Fairy Tale High: Once Upon a Time... ; There's no returning on this chartered trip away: Zen Arcade ; As soon as you're born you're dying: Seventh Son of a Seventh Son ; This is a recording: 3 Feet High and Rising -- Part 4. The postmodern era (1990-1999). I wanna be mesmerizing too: Exile in Guyville ; I am the silencing machine: The Downward Spiral ; I feel like death is fuckin' callin' me: Ready to Die ; A Handshake of Carbon monoxide: OK Computer ; I chose to use my heart: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill -- Part 5. The new millennium (2000-2016). I've been taken for lost and gone and unknown for a long, long time: SMiLE ; All across the alien nation: American Idiot ; If you want to be free: The ArchAndroid ; The one in front of the gun lives forever: Good Kid, m.A.A.d city ; Won't let my freedom rot in hell: Lemonade -- Conclusion. When everybody who is lonely will be free. |
| Abstract | The roots of the concept album are nearly as old as the long-playing record itself, as recording artists began using the format to transcend a mere collection of songs into a listening experience that takes the listener on a journey through its unifying mood, theme, narrative, or underlying idea. Along the way, artists as varied as the Moody Blues, Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, Pink Floyd, Parliament, Donna Summer, Iron Maiden, Radiohead, The Notorious B.I.G., Green Day, Janelle Monáe, and Kendrick Lamar created albums that form an extended conversation of art and music. Limits were pushed as the format grew over the subsequent eras. Seminal albums like the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, the Who's Tommy, Marvin Gaye's What's Going On, stand alongside modern classics like Liz Phair's Exile in Guyville, Kendrick Lamar's good kid, 'm.A.A.d city,' and Beyoncé's Lemonade. Mixing iconic albums with some newer and lesser-known works makes for a book that ventures into the many sides of a history that has yet to be told-until now. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| LCCN | 2023029764 |
| ISBN | 9781501391811 hardcover |
| ISBN | 150139181X hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781501391804 paperback |
| ISBN | 1501391801 paperback |
| ISBN | electronic book |
| ISBN | electronic book |
| ISBN | electronic book |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Music | Music Stacks | ML3470 .W65 2024 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |