Concept album

A concept album is a musical album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Alternatively, the term may signify an album that lacks any explicit musical or lyrical motif, but is considered to be of "uniform excellence". Music critics remain divided on the precise definition of a concept album. The format is often stated to have begun with folk singer Woody Guthrie's Dust Bowl Ballads (1940) and was subsequently popularized by traditional pop singer Frank Sinatra's 1940s–50s string of albums centered around a given theme. However, the term is most closely associated with rock music from the 1960s and afterwards. In the 1960s, various rock bands released several well-regarded concept albums, eventually leading to the birth of the rock opera.