15 Brain-Twisting Concept Albums That Are Endlessly Rewarding

11. The Snow Goose €“ Camel

Camel isn€™t the best-known progressive rock band from the 70s, but to fans of the genre, their Floyd-inspired, atmospheric sound is essential. Keyboard player Pete Bardens was well-known in England for his collaborations with Peter Green and Van Morrison, while Andy Latimer plays a soulful, powerful guitar that sounds like a more technical David Gilmour. The Snow Goose, based on the 1940 novella by Paul Gallico, is one of their strangest and most beautiful recordings. It is entirely instrumental, save for a few wordless vocal passages. Rather than simply rewriting Gallico€™s story, Camel express its emotional cadence and cascade through songs that range from playful to pensive to powerful. When protagonist Rhayader is lost at sea during the evacuation of Dunkirk, the music swells until it becomes chaotic and aggressive; when the female protagonist, Fritha, nurses the snow goose back to health, the music is delicate and soft. Even if you aren€™t familiar with the original Gallico story, the album succeeds at telling an instrumental story in a way that had previously only been achieved by classical compositions. It€™s most fun to listen to it with the lights off and all distractions gone away, leaving you free to pontificate on its themes of war, love and friendship while the uniquely Camel sonic landscape soothes and stirs you.