A History of Concept Albums In 15 Albums

In popular music, there are albums, and then there are “concept albums.” Definitions vary, but essentially, concept albums are carefully sequenced collections of songs that fit together to tell cohesive stories or explore specific themes. While these types of albums are typically associated with the psychedelic and progressive rock eras of the ’60s and ’70s, they actually predate rock ’n’ roll, and they’re still going strong in the 21st century.

For example, in October 2024, Broadway heavyweight Lin-Manuel Miranda teamed up with playwright Eisa Davis—as well as artists like Lauryn Hill, Ghostface Killah, and Billy Porter—to create Warriors, a concept album inspired by the 1979 film about New York City street gangs. That same month, *NSYNC member JC Chasez released Playing With Fire, a musical theater concept album about Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein.

Loved by some, derided by others, concept albums never fail to provoke strong reactions and spur intense conversations among music fans. What follows is a rundown of 15 legendary concept albums that illustrate all of the ambition, artistry, and at times pretentiousness inherent to the form.

1. Woody Guthrie // Dust Bowl Ballads (1940)
2. Les Baxter // Ritual of the Savage (1951)
3. Frank Sinatra // Songs for Swingin’ Lovers! (1956)
4. Marty Robbins // Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs (1959)
5. The Who // The Who Sell Out (1967)
6. The Pretty Things // S.F. Sorrow (1968)
7. Marvin Gaye // What’s Going On (1971)
8. Kraftwerk // Autobahn (1974)
9. Hüsker Dü // Zen Arcade (1984)
10. Magnetic Fields // 69 Love Songs (1999)
11. Green Day // American Idiot (2004)
12. Janelle Monáe // The ArchAndroid (2010)
13. Kendrick Lamar // good kid m.A.A.d city (2012)
14. Twenty One Pilots // Blurryface (2015)
15. Halsey // The Great Impersonator (2024)

Woody Guthrie // Dust Bowl Ballads (1940)

Often credited as the first concept album, this album by seminal folk artist Woody Guthrie centers on the Dust Bowl, the dust storms that decimated the American prairies in the 1930s—something Guthrie experienced firsthand. Despite the bleakness of the subject matter, Guthrie works bits of dark humor into songs like “Dust Pneumonia Blues,” in which the infirmed narrator laments his inability to yodel.

Les Baxter // Ritual of the Savage (1951)

In the 1950s, a certain subset of upwardly mobile American consumers fell for “exotica” music, far-out sounds inspired by fantasies of far-off places like Africa and the South Pacific. The music paired well with Tiki cocktails and high-end stereo equipment, and composer Les Baxter’s Ritual of the Savage—a “tone poem of the sound and the struggle of the jungle,” according to Baxter—encapsulates the genre as well as any album.

Frank Sinatra // Songs for Swingin’ Lovers! (1956)

Ol’ Blue Eyes was big on concept albums, and this collection of giddy love songs ranks among his most popular. Highlights include “You Make Me Feel So Young” and “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” songs whose titles pretty much say it all. Arranger and conductor Nelson Riddle held it all together with distinctive intros that connect the tracks and keep the romantic vibes going strong.

Marty Robbins // Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs (1959)

Country and western superstar Marty Robbins tapped into the spirit of the Old West for this 1959 set. The LP includes the hit “El Paso” and the enduring fave “Big Iron,” which has been covered or reworked by everyone from reggae great Eek-A-Mouse to Mike Ness, leader of the punk band Social Distortion.

The Who // The Who Sell Out (1967)

The Who were rock’s kings of concept albums. While everyone knows them for Tommy (1969) and Quadrophenia (1973), both of which spawned feature films, Pete Townshend and company started down the conceptual path with 1967’s The Who Sell Out, a sly commentary on commercialism that plays like a pirate-radio broadcast, complete with fake commercials.

The Pretty Things // S.F. Sorrow (1968)

Concept albums share much in common with rock operas, and the terms are often used interchangeably. Reasonable people will disagree about what differentiates the two, but many critics credit UK rockers The Pretty Things with releasing the first-ever rock opera, S.F. Sorrow, a psychedelic song cycle about a character named Sebastian F. Sorrow. The album arrived months before The Who’s Tommy, which wound up selling much better and garnering way more acclaim.

Marvin Gaye // What’s Going On (1971)

Motown boss Berry Gordy was reluctant to release this topical masterpiece from Marvin Gaye. The reason: Gordy was in the business of selling records, and he wasn’t sure how the public would respond to a bunch of searching, plaintive songs about the Vietnam War, civil rights, pollution, and the plight of urban areas. What’s Going On wound up becoming Motown’s all-time best-selling album, and in 2021, Rolling Stone named it the greatest album ever.

Kraftwerk // Autobahn (1974)

On their fourth album, German electronic pioneers Kraftwerk hit upon the sleek synth-pop sound that would become their trademark. The project is named for Germany’s national highway system, and the music is meant to recreate the sound of cruising over the blacktop.

Hüsker Dü // Zen Arcade (1984)

Quite possibly the first punk concept album, Zen Arcade tells a convoluted coming-of-age story through consistently thrilling music that finds this Minnesota trio broadening its horizons to include psychedelia, folk, and other sounds. In his 2013 memoir See a Little Light: The Trail of Rage and Melody, Hüsker Dü singer and guitarist Bob Mould describes the “loose plot” like this: “A bright kid leaves his broken home and heads to Silicon Valley to design a computer game called ‘Search.’ ” Everybody got that?

Magnetic Fields // 69 Love Songs (1999)

The concept behind the sixth album from songwriter Stephin Merritt’s indie-pop outfit is pretty self-explanatory. There are, indeed, 69 love songs here, and stylistically, they range from gentle folk (“Acoustic Guitar”) and banjo-powered country (“Reno Dakota”) to synth-pop (“Long-Forgotten Fairytale”) and whatever it is you’d call “Punk Love.” Merritt wrote the album at Dick’s Bar in New York City, where he’d hang for eight hours a day. “I used to bring Irving, my chihuahua, and sit in the window seat,” he told The Guardian. “My friend Dudley had a few experiences where he would put his drink down and, when no one was looking, Irving would drink Dudley’s drink and get drunk and fall asleep.”

Green Day // American Idiot (2004)

Bay Area punks Green Day showed real maturity with this complex, character-driven examination of suburban angst and life in the time of George W. Bush. Featuring a pair of multi-part suites, the album inspired a Broadway musical that ran for more than 400 performances and even won a pair of Tony Awards.

Janelle Monáe // The ArchAndroid (2010)

On her debut album, boundary-pushing futuristic alt-soul auteur Janelle Monáe picks up where her 2007 EP Metropolis: The Chase Suite left off and gives us the next chapter in the adventures of Cindi Mayweather, an android fighting the forces of oppression. “I chose an android because the android to me represents ‘the other’ in our society,’” Monáe told The Chicago Tribune. “I can connect to the other, because it has so many parallels to my own life—just by being a female, African-American artist in today’s music industry.”

Kendrick Lamar // good kid m.A.A.d city (2012)

The breakthrough album by this Pulitzer-winning rapper is a coming-of-age, day-in-the-life story about young Kendrick’s efforts to fly straight in a world filled with danger and temptation. As Kendrick navigates his tricky Compton environs, he must also deal with frequent voicemails from his mother, who’d like him to please return her car.

Twenty One Pilots // Blurryface (2015)

Ohio duo Twenty One Pilots are keeping alt-rock concept albums alive in the 21st century. On their chart-topping fourth album, 2015’s Blurryface, they dive deep into the titular character, who “represents all the things that I as an individual, but also everyone around, are insecure about,” as frontman Tyler Joseph told MTV.

Halsey // The Great Impersonator (2024)

Halsey loves a concept album. Her 2015 debut, Badlands, is set in a dystopian society, and 2020’s Manic features guests like Suga of BTS and Alanis Morissette playing different parts of her psyche. With each song on 2024’s The Great Impersonator, Halsey draws inspiration from a different musical hero. Dolly Parton, Bruce Springsteen, Kate Bush, Bjork, and David Bowie are among the icons she attempts to channel.

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