Five concept albums that are better than actual reality
Before the 1950s, albums weren’t really a thing.
Well, that’s a lie, people still released albums, but the form they took wasn’t what we know them as today. In the modern age, the songs on albums are all connected, be it in theme, direction, or sound, but before that, when most people only released singles, albums were just compilations. They were greatest hits records, but for a very specific period, and the only factor connecting them was the person performing.
Then, when the 1950s rolled around, and the early ‘60s began changing music, songs on albums were much more linked, which were deemed ‘concept albums’. The term wasn’t used in the way we know it today, but it more referred to records where each song was related. Eventually, that term began to apply to every album being made, and so its definition shifted, applicable to bodies of work by the likes of The Kinks, The Beatles and The Beach Boys, where listeners were thrown in the middle of what was broadly a work of fiction, given a peek into a new world. This is how we recognise such records in the modern age.
These days, as the world spins more and more out of control, a lot of the new worlds depicted in concept albums look more appealing than the one which we actually occupy. As such, if you want something which leans into escapism, look no further than the list below, as we give you five concept albums which are better than actual reality.
Five concept albums better than the real world:
The Beatles – ‘Sgt Pepper’ (1967)
While the term concept album was used before The Beatles released Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, there weren’t many bands who had perfected the idea of it quite as well as the Fab Four. Before their input, the term referred more to albums which had some form of theme connecting them, but these themes were loose, and with Sgt Pepper’s, it became clear exactly how closely linked songs can be.
Paul McCartney created a fictional band and then drowned them in psychedelia. When people put on this album, not only did they get insight into a musical outfit that didn’t actually exist, but they were also shown just how much potential the LP had as a format. This was some of the most adventurous music The Beatles ever put out, and it’s still celebrated as a classic.
Parliament – ‘Mothership Connection’ (1975)
When we listen to concept albums, a lot of the time we do so because we are chasing some form of escapism, and when you listen to the music of Parliament, it’s hard not to be transported to another world, one of funk and fun. This was the band’s intention with the album Mothership Connection, as they take the listener into the abyss of space, and it has never sounded so good.
Throughout the record, space is used as a metaphor that shows the limitless nature of artistic freedom, as well as black liberation. While exploring the night sky, the band takes us to different planets, each of which represents a different era of funk; this is a record for the escapists, and it’s hard to call it anything other than genius.
Castle Rat – ‘The Bestiary’ (2025)
2025 was a pretty great year for the heavy metal genre, and one of the best offerings was from Castle Rat with the album The Bestiary. This is packed with heavy riffs, killer vocals, and an incredibly cinematic atmosphere that feels almost as grand as the mystical world where the album takes place.
This is a concept album which well and truly grabs your attention, as this medieval-themed heavy metal band takes on their own characters and writes songs which are set in a new world, one filled with magic, good and evil. It feels akin to Black Sabbath in its grandiose sound, but yet comes across as something new and fresh. Lead singer Riley Pinkerton (who goes by the Rat Queen in this land) delivers a truly stellar record.
Henge – ‘Journey to Voltus B’ (2025)
This can be a concept album with a happy ending, if you so choose, as with their most recent album, Journey to Voltus B, Henge became one of the first bands to create a record which doubles up as a ‘choose your own adventure’. Side A involves intergalactic space-dwellers receiving a call from Earth asking for help, while on side B, they succeed or don’t, depending on which you choose.
In one of the most inventive vinyl pressings of all time, depending on which groove the needle lands in, the album outcome is totally different, which means either total annihilation, or saviour and a new life in a much happier world. Which will you land on?
Donna Summer – ‘Once Upon a Time’ (1977)
This is one of the greatest disco albums of all time, and disco is a sound which already feels like a concept before you even give it any depth. Immediately, the songs spark images of light-up dancefloors and mirrorballs, worlds that celebrate flamboyance, movement, and good times, wherein Donna Summer takes this pre-existing concept and dials it up to 11 on Once Upon a Time.
The concept of the album is a pretty interesting one, as Summer tells a story that she describes as a “disco opera”. Essentially, it’s the tale of Cinderella but in the style of Studio 54, where glass slippers are left behind for dancing shoes, and Prince Charming takes the form of some groovy floor fillers. This is an album for escapism, a concept which is arguably better than reality itself.
