The concept album, initially defined as an LP (long-playing record) recording wherein the songs were unified by a dramatic idea instead of being disparate entities with no common theme, became a form of expression in popular music in the mid-1960s,...

In popular music, a concept album is an album which is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical".[1] Most often they are pre-planned (conceived) and with all songs contributing to a single overall theme or...

Not since Limp Bizkit's utter destruction of "Behind Blue Eyes" have bands looked to The Who for inspiration. However, Green Day's new album was hyped as a "punk rock opera." Can this be true? Are concept albums and rock operas cool again? A better...

Nothing strikes horror into the modern popster's heart like the words "concept album." This traditionally lardy form tends to the pompous and the overlong; worse, it strongly implies the rock stars in question will be philosophizing. So here comes New York's Spacehog, the modern...

Whatever happened to the concept of an album? These days it's a rare occurrence-an event, nearly-when something drops that spins in a new direction, gels magnificently, presents any sort of cohesive statement. Though the album is a form ultimately not suited for pop music (it's...

Reviewers have been noticing a certain resonance about the fiery-tressed femme fatale portrayed on the cover of Maureen Dowd's new book, Are Men Necessary?. Is the "bombshell in a clinging red dress" or the "flame-haired bombshell in a clingy crimson dress and matching pumps,"...