10 Greatest Concept Albums In Rock Music History

At the genesis of rock and roll, concept albums weren't really a thing. If anything, most rock albums were just a collection of singles that were padded out with a bunch of filler to make enough time for an LPs' worth of material. Once the Fab Four decided to leave the touring life for good though, Paul McCartney got a brilliant idea of where to go from there.

Since the '60s were about to get underway, Macca imagined Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band as a sort of alterego for the group, giving them total freedom to write anything they wanted to. While not every band member was necessarily on board with the conceptual idea, the way the record unfolds is a lot more theatrical than most, bringing in jazzy songs like Fixing A Hole alongside straight up vaudeville tunes like Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite.

This also served as a great transitional moment for rock and roll, marking the start of Eastern influences on songs like Within You Without You and even carrying on the concept at both the beginning and end of the record with the reprise of the title track. Once A Day in the Life reaches its gargantuan climax, this wasn't just an ordinary rock album anymore. This was where rock and roll became a more intellectual style of music who's songs could be looked at as works of art.