gerardsangel4977 Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 well sure, so is every GD album a concept of some sort? No, not really. Someone mentioned earlier that we probably wouldn't consider the trilogy to be a concept album if the band hadn't said anything about it, and this is largely true. But the reason it's true is that a large part of what determines a concept album is artistic intent. If an artist writes a bunch of songs and then picks out a handful of the best ones for an LP, even though they are generally still putting thought into which songs go together and flow into each other the best, it's not necessarily a concept album. If, however, an artist sits down and says "I am going to write a bunch of songs about ______ or that have this theme or this style (especially if that style isn't their usual sound)" and does so, then you enter concept territory. The concept can be simple or it can be elaborate, but it has to be there in order for the label to apply. Green Day has dabbled in this kind of thinking with individual songs throughout their entire career, but they didn't start to expand it to full albums until the late 90s. And it took them a few more years after that to actually be comfortable enough to release one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cob Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 no they're all really shallow, with the exception of a small amount of songs. all I get from the songs are sex, sex, drinking, smoking, and sex. The only songs without substance are Fuck Time, Makeout Party, and Stray Heart. Those are the most straightforward. The rest of the songs are bathed in metaphor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGrouch33 Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 its as "conceptual" as Insomniac, so no I dont think there is a concept to it just a similar sound throught the album No, not really. Someone mentioned earlier that we probably wouldn't consider the trilogy to be a concept album if the band hadn't said anything about it, and this is largely true. But the reason it's true is that a large part of what determines a concept album is artistic intent. If an artist writes a bunch of songs and then picks out a handful of the best ones for an LP, even though they are generally still putting thought into which songs go together and flow into each other the best, it's not necessarily a concept album. If, however, an artist sits down and says "I am going to write a bunch of songs about ______ or that have this theme or this style (especially if that style isn't their usual sound)" and does so, then you enter concept territory. The concept can be simple or it can be elaborate, but it has to be there in order for the label to apply. Green Day has dabbled in this kind of thinking with individual songs throughout their entire career, but they didn't start to expand it to full albums until the late 90s. And it took them a few more years after that to actually be comfortable enough to release one. Sorry I disagree, the band did not make this songs with a scheme in their head they just put together the songs that had a similar vibe and sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spark in the night Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 The only songs without substance are Fuck Time, Makeout Party, and Stray Heart. Those are the most straightforward. The rest of the songs are bathed in metaphor. Lady Cobra and Nightlife? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elena Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Okay, yeah. I change my mind. Dos is a concept album, but Uno and Tre aren't agree with you, though in my opinion the trilogy as a whole is also a concept ...wow so Dos is a concept album in a concept trilogy its as "conceptual" as Insomniac, so no I dont think there is a concept to it just a similar sound throught the album Sorry I disagree, the band did not make this songs with a scheme in their head they just put together the songs that had a similar vibe and sound. true, though in my opinion it's also some kind of concept...Billie said on Uno you're getting in the mood of partying, on Dos you're at the party and on Tre you're cleaning up the mass, so it follows some kind of concept and on Dos some songs also stick together (Lady Cobra and Nightlife) and you could see it as some kind of story, though Uno and Tre (at least probably) alone are no concept albums...in my opinion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregorovich Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 I still can't see where any of you guys who claim the trilogy (or any of the albums within it) is a concept album. The whole 'party' thing was an analogy that the band used to let people understand how each of the records are going to sound. They didn't actually say 'okay, this trilogy is about a party', which a lot of you seem to be thinking. Concept albums are the original intentions of the artist - ie. from the beginning, AI and 21CB were going to be concept albums with a specific recurring plot and themes. I gave the example of A Thousand Suns before and I'm going to again: LP set out from the beginning to write an album about nuclear warfare and they did. Also, for those of you who are claiming that each of the three records have their own sound, and therefore they're concept albums: jackiechanwtf.jpg! On that logic, every album the band has ever made is a concept album, because all the songs are musically similar. Warning? All the songs have a country rock sound - therefore it's a concept album. Dookie? All the songs have a washed-out pop-punk sound - therefore it's a concept album. So what if Uno is the pop-punk record, Dos is the garage-rock record, and Tre is the epic/ballad record? That doesn't make them concept albums. As I said before, there is no such thing as a 'party' storyline in the trilogy. None of the songs in Uno are about getting ready for a party, with the exception of Oh Love, which is probably because it's the last song on the record, and it sets up the 'garage-rock-nightlife' thing in Dos well. Likewise, Dos doesn't tell the story of the 'party' itself; it just all sounds like stuff that would be played at a party, as well as most of it being about girls (which, incidentally, does not make a concept album either - show me an album about girls and I'll show you a million more). tl;dr - The trilogy isn't a concept. The party idea is just an analogy for the sound. PS. Nobody is mixing up 'rock-opera' and 'concept album'. Of course they're completely different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musso_kn Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Mmm...no. For Dos! or either of the other two trilogy albums to be concept album there would have to be some kind of running theme or plotline or recurring character(s). From what I can tell, there's none of those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kayfabe Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Very, very, very loose concept. The nature of See You tonight as an intro/prequel of sorts sees to that. And like I wrote in my review in the Dos! Reviews thread, Amy (purely musically) sounds like the moment everyone has finally gone home and it's just the one person left clearing up and contemplating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmmaCharlatan&Saints Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 wait its a concept album now?? When did that happen? Seriously i would love to know when ? Is this because some people dont like the album or what? Cause frankly its not that great really oh wait im not allowed to say that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGrouch33 Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 agree with you, though in my opinion the trilogy as a whole is also a concept ...wow so Dos is a concept album in a concept trilogy true, though in my opinion it's also some kind of concept...Billie said on Uno you're getting in the mood of partying, on Dos you're at the party and on Tre you're cleaning up the mass, so it follows some kind of concept and on Dos some songs also stick together (Lady Cobra and Nightlife) and you could see it as some kind of story, though Uno and Tre (at least probably) alone are no concept albums...in my opinion Yep I see what you mean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cob Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Lady Cobra and Nightlife? Lady Cobra and Nightlife are massive metaphors. Nightlife probably the darkest song on the album. And no, I'm not kidding. I still can't see where any of you guys who claim the trilogy (or any of the albums within it) is a concept album. The whole 'party' thing was an analogy that the band used to let people understand how each of the records are going to sound. They didn't actually say 'okay, this trilogy is about a party', which a lot of you seem to be thinking. Concept albums are the original intentions of the artist - ie. from the beginning, AI and 21CB were going to be concept albums with a specific recurring plot and themes. I gave the example of A Thousand Suns before and I'm going to again: LP set out from the beginning to write an album about nuclear warfare and they did. Also, for those of you who are claiming that each of the three records have their own sound, and therefore they're concept albums: jackiechanwtf.jpg! On that logic, every album the band has ever made is a concept album, because all the songs are musically similar. Warning? All the songs have a country rock sound - therefore it's a concept album. Dookie? All the songs have a washed-out pop-punk sound - therefore it's a concept album. So what if Uno is the pop-punk record, Dos is the garage-rock record, and Tre is the epic/ballad record? That doesn't make them concept albums. As I said before, there is no such thing as a 'party' storyline in the trilogy. None of the songs in Uno are about getting ready for a party, with the exception of Oh Love, which is probably because it's the last song on the record, and it sets up the 'garage-rock-nightlife' thing in Dos well. Likewise, Dos doesn't tell the story of the 'party' itself; it just all sounds like stuff that would be played at a party, as well as most of it being about girls (which, incidentally, does not make a concept album either - show me an album about girls and I'll show you a million more). tl;dr - The trilogy isn't a concept. The party idea is just an analogy for the sound. PS. Nobody is mixing up 'rock-opera' and 'concept album'. Of course they're completely different. The band also said that they purposely grouped the songs on each album based on genre, sound, and overall theme. In that case, the trilogy is a concept. And people are confusing "concept" with "rock opera" because they keep talking about story. It may be the case that you clearly see the difference, but that's not applicable to everybody else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBigG753 Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 I think there's an overall theme connecting the songs on Uno/Dos/Tre and how they are grouped/ordered, but I don't believe there's much in the way of a story being told. I view it much in the same way as I'd view Mellon Collie & the Infinite Sadness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SedatedTabloidReader Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 I don't think there is much of a story on Dos, but then there wasn't really any sort of coherent story on American Idiot or 21st Century Breakdown either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marrymebilliejoe Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 I don't think there is much of a story on Dos, but then there wasn't really any sort of coherent story on American Idiot or 21st Century Breakdown either. Ummm..have you ever listened to those albums before? They even based a WHOLE play on both of those albums..(primarily American Idiot)..but still...just wow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheJedi Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 I don't think there is much of a story on Dos, but then there wasn't really any sort of coherent story on American Idiot or 21st Century Breakdown either. LOL. if you listen to 21st CB and AI and listen to the lyrics you'll see two amazing stories. they've made a musical on American Idiot... come on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SedatedTabloidReader Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 Ummm..have you ever listened to those albums before? They even based a WHOLE play on both of those albums..(primarily American Idiot)..but still...just wow. I have. I have even sat down and tried to work out what happens. It's so convoluted to be impossible. Yes, they made a play out of it, but thst's something else again and if the album stories were so coherent then why would they mix songs from both stories? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marrymebilliejoe Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 I have. I have even sat down and tried to work out what happens. It's so convoluted to be impossible. Yes, they made a play out of it, but thst's something else again and if the album stories were so coherent then why would they mix songs from both stories? Well, maybe if you watch the play (the whole thing is online) you may understand the story in both albums(: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SedatedTabloidReader Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 Well, maybe if you watch the play (the whole thing is online) you may understand the story in both albums(: Well that doesn't say much for the story on either album now, does it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PanicAttack! Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 It is not even up for discussion. It is a concept album because the songs share a theme and have common threads going through them musically and lyrically. What it is not, is a rock opera like American Idiot and 21st century Breakdown, because it has no story involved and no characters. Both iDOS! by itself, and the whole trilogy together is a concept. I would argue that iDOS! have the strongest concept out of the three, standing on its own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PanicAttack! Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 Dos doesn't fit the definition of a concept album, and neither does the trilogy as a whole. AI and 21CB were concept albums - they followed defined characters through a discernible storyline and raised important recurring themes. In a different way, Linkin Park's A Thousand Suns is a concept album - it deals with the problem of nuclear warfare from 1945 (Oppenheimer's speech at the opening of the album) to the present day. The trilogy doesn't come close to either of these. Wikipedia's definition; "In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical".[1] Commonly, concept albums incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas with all songs contributing to a single overall theme or unified story. This is in contrast to the practice of an artist or group releasing an album consisting of a number of unconnected (lyrically and otherwise) songs performed by the artist." The definition of a concept album is actually so wide that it would probably be easier to ask what albums are not conceptual, than which is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregorovich Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 Wikipedia's definition; "In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical".[1] Commonly, concept albums incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas with all songs contributing to a single overall theme or unified story. This is in contrast to the practice of an artist or group releasing an album consisting of a number of unconnected (lyrically and otherwise) songs performed by the artist." The definition of a concept album is actually so wide that it would probably be easier to ask what albums are not conceptual, than which is. It depends what you'd class as a 'theme'. If the theme was instrumental, it would have be consistent and varied use of a particular non-stand instrument or sound, which I don't see in Dos (the closest it would come would be if every song had a ripping guitar solo). The album was composed in a fairly standard way, so no theme there. And there's no hidden narrative in there either. If the theme was lyrical, it would have to be more specific than 'girls and alcohol and drugs'. And even that is a very tenuous link. Many of the songs (eg. Lazy Bones) are more lyrically diverse than this and don't fit with the theme at all. If you class DOS! as a concept album, you'd have to class every single album the band has ever done as a concept album. As well as (almost) every single album every other band has ever done. Ever. Of course there are going to be coherent themes and sounds. That's what happens when you make an album. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WorryRock02 Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 mh...no...not really...ok whole album is around sexsal temathic but...no i don't think to DOS as a concept album Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solongfromthestars Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 I probably wouldn't use the phrase "concept album" to describe it, but for lack of a better one I'd consider the whole trilogy a concept, really. No it's not deliberate and there's no Christian/Gloria or St. Jimmys, but there's definitely a vague story running through. I don't see it that way because of the "party" metaphors but because of the links between the songs - that'll happen naturally if you write nearly 40 songs about similar subjects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaVin Kim Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 Uno has more stories to it than Dos. Uno is about old man trying to be teenager again and Dos is I guess you are in that state of being a teenager and fucking shit up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marrymebilliejoe Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 Well that doesn't say much for the story on either album now, does it? Haha I can relay the story to you if you wish xD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.