Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.

Concept

Specialty Definition: Concept

Top     

Specialty Definition: Concept

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

A concept is an abstract, universal mental entity that serves to designate a category or class of entities, events or relations.

A concept is the element of a proposition rather in the way that a word is the element of a sentence. Concepts are abstract in that they omit the differences of the things in their extension, treating them as if they were identical. Concepts are universal in that they apply equally to every thing in their extension.

Concepts are bearers of meaning. A single concept can be expressed by any number of languages. The concept DOG can be expressed by 'Hund' in German, 'chien' in French, 'perro' in Spanish. The fact that concepts are in some sense language independent makes translation possible; words in various languages "mean the same" because they express one and the same concept.

Add:

Theories of concepts: classical; prototype; externalist Concept acquisition v. nativism;

See also:

• Meme
• Categorization
• Concept and Object

  Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Concept."

Top     

Concept album

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Usually, in popular music, an album of an artist or group simply consists of a number of songs that the members of the group or the artist have written or have chosen to cover. In a concept album, on the other hand, all songs contribute to a single effect or unified story.

The album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles is often considered to have been the first concept album, primarily because the title song, occurring in two versions, wraps around the rest of the album like bookends; however, most of the songs on that album are actually unrelated to one another.

The Beatles had grown tired of touring, and had the idea of making an album that would do the touring for them. McCartney's original idea was to create fictitious characters for each band member (The "Lonely Hearts Club Band") and make an album that would have been a performance by that fictional band. The cover of the album was designed to look like the band was performing in a park. The album starts with the Sgt. Pepper's theme, then introduces "Billy Shears" who sings the second song. The Beatles essentially abandoned the concept after the first two songs though. As such, then, Sgt. Pepper was not a true concept album, although its reputation as such helped in spreading the idea of concept albums.

A more generally accepted candidate is S.F. Sorrow by the Pretty Things, which was released in the same year (1967), and which tells the life-story of the eponymous character.

The concept album, as a concept, overlaps with rock opera and to some extent with rock musical.

Some other concept albums include:

• Freak Out - Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention (1966) - questioning the conventions of rock music and offering alternatives
• After Bathing At Baxter's - Jefferson Airplane (1967) - An attempt to catch the psychedelic experience in music
• The Story of Simon Simopath - Nirvana (1967) - A boy's wish to fly
• The Who Sell Out - The Who (1967) - A pirate radio station that plays only Who music
• In Search of the Lost Chord - The Moody Blues (1968) - A search for spiritual fulfillment
• The Village Green Preservation Society - The Kinks (1968) - A call to return to the old ways of living
• We're Only in It For the Money - Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention (1968)
• S.F. Sorrow - The Pretty Things (1968) - A man goes insane
• Tommy - The Who (1969) - A deaf, dumb and blind pinball wizard brings salvation
• Arthur or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire - The Kinks (1969) - A middle-aged man gradually loses touch with society
• To Our Children's Children's Children - The Moody Blues (1969)
• Lola Vs. Powerman - The Kinks (1970) - Ray Davies' psychosis and his distrust of the music industry
• Blows Against the Empire - Paul Kantner & Jefferson Starship (1970) - The story of a group of people who steal a starship from the elite and found a utopia elsewhere
• Plastic Ono Band - John Lennon (1970)
• Escalator over the Hill - Carla Bley (1971)
• What's Going On - Marvin Gaye (1971) - Urban turmoil and changing times, the first album from a Motown artist that wasn't just a collection of singles
• Aqualung - Jethro Tull (1971) - Criticism of organized religion for breaking people's personal relationship with God
• Thick as a Brick - Jethro Tull (1972) - One long musical track written around a poem by a fictitious child prodigy.
• Three Friends - Gentle Giant (1972) - Three old friends reminisce about their days as schoolchildren
• Pictures at an Exhibition - Emerson, Lake & Palmer (1972) - Each song describes a picture; adapted from original composition by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky
• The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars - David Bowie (1972) - story of a Martian Messiah, Savior and rock star named Ziggy Stardust
• A Passion Play - Jethro Tull (1973) - A man dies and comes back to Earth to help the people he loves
• Berlin - Lou Reed (1973)
• Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd (1973) - The various influences that can drive one mad
• The Six Wives of King Henry VIII - Rick Wakeman (1973) - One instrumental piece about each wife
• Quadrophenia - The Who (1973) - Four personalities in one alienated mod
• Tales from Topographic Oceans - Yes (1973) - This concept album is based on the four part Hindu Shastric scriptures
• Desperado - The Eagles (1973) - Old western outlaws
• Preservation Act 1, Preservation Act 2 - The Kinks (1973, 1974) - The rise of a greedy developer and his fall at the hands of a moralizing dictator, set in and around a quaint English village.
• The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway - Genesis (1974) - A young man gets the opportunity to fix his past mistakes
• The Power and the Glory - Gentle Giant (1974)
• Diamond Dogs - David Bowie (1974) - Adapted from 1984 by George Orwell
• Journey to the Center of the Earth - Rick Wakeman (1974) - Adapted from Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne
• Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table - Rick Wakeman (1975) - Adapted from the legends of King Arthur
• Radioactivity - Kraftwerk (1975) - Broadcast communications
• Schoolboys in Disgrace - The Kinks (1975) - childhood in the 1950s
• Soap Opera - The Kinks (1975) - ordinary people's dreams of stardom
• Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd (1975) - Former band member Syd Barrett's decline into insanity, and the trials of stardom
• Tales of Mystery and Imagination - Alan Parsons Project (1975) - Adapted from various writings by Edgar Allen Poe
• Red Headed Stranger - Willie Nelson (1975) - A preacher who has fallen from grace
• Captain Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy - Elton John (1975) - Elton John and Bernie Taupin describe their rise to stardom
• Too Old to Rock And Roll, Too Young to Die - Jethro Tull (1975) - Nostalgia of a rocker who has reached his late fifties
• The Snow Goose - Camel (1975) - Concerns a goose in World War 2, based on a novella by Paul Gallico
• The Prince of Heaven's Eyes - Fruupp (1975) - The whimsical adventures of a young man who decides to leave his home in a small Irish village.
• Welcome to My Nightmare - Alice Cooper (1975)
• Hotel California - The Eagles (1976) - Temptation and the loss of innocence in the pursuit of celebrity
• Mothership Connection - Parliament (1976) - A messianic figure named Starchild comes to earth on a Mothership to bring the Funk to humanity
• Alice Cooper Goes to Hell - Alice Cooper (1976) - Alice Cooper goes to hell
• I, Robot - Alan Parsons Project (1977) - Based on the robot stories of Isaac Asimov
• Hope - Klaatu (1977)
• Animals - Pink Floyd (1977) - The common people are represented by sheep, the government by dogs, the rich by pigs
• One Nation Under a Groove - Funkadelic (1978) - imaginary nation ruled by Funkiness
• From the Inside - Alice Cooper (1978) - Based on Cooper's experience in an asylum
• Here, My Dear - Marvin Gaye (1978) - A description of the circumstances that led to Marvin's divorce. By the divorce settlement, the royalties went to the ex-wife. '(This isn't entirely accurate- any more information?)'
• Uncle Jam Wants You - Funkadelic (1979) - a militant call to action to create the nation in One Nation Under a Groove
• Einstein on the Beach - Philip Glass (1979)
• The Wall - Pink Floyd (1979) - A rock star becomes alienated from his friends, family and fans, and seals himself behind a metaphorical wall
• Slow Train Coming - Bob Dylan (1979) Dylan's ducumented period of exploring his Christianity
• Joe's Garage - Frank Zappa (1979) - A rock musician who is reviled for his music by a society that hates rock
• Eve - Alan Parsons Project (1979) - Woman's overpowering effect on man
• The Turn of a Friendly Card - Alan Parsons Project (1980) - Gambling is used as a metaphor for life
• The Electric Spanking of War Babies - Funkadelic (1981) - the title refers to the Vietnam War and the media's role in it; album concerns unFunkiness (see P-Funk mythology)
• (Music from) The Elder - KISS (1981) - A hero searches for and kills an elf
• 1984 - Rick Wakeman (1981) - Adapted from 1984 by George Orwell
• Paradise Theater - Styx (1981) - Chicago's Old Paradise theater's destruction is a metaphor for the destruction of America
• Nude - Camel (1981) - A World War 2 veteran who was stranded on an island alone is rescued; he can not cope with life in society and returns to the island
• Eye in the Sky - Alan Parsons Project (1982) - Concerns the loss of individuality in modern society
• Yes Sir I Will - Crass (1983) - album consists of a single 40 minute track critique of UK government policy regarding the Falklands War
• The Final Cut - Pink Floyd (1983) - "A Requiem for the Post-War Dream" - the disappointment of a soldier who returns from World War 2
• Kilroy Was Here - Styx (1983) - The story of the last rock star after rock music is banned
• Zen Arcade - Hüsker Dü (1984)
• The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking - Roger Waters (1984) - A man dreams of adultery
• The Chronicle of the Black Sword - Hawkwind (1985) - Based on the "Elric" novels of Michael Moorcock
• Misplaced Childhood - Marillion (1985) - A man recovers the innocence of his childhood
• White City: A Novel - Pete Townshend (1985) - The story of a poor outcast
• Le Parc - Tangerine Dream (1985) - Each composition is about a specific park
• The Queen is Dead - The Smiths (1986) - Imperialism's end lamented with empathetic mockery
• Pictures of Starving Children Sell Records - Chumbawamba (1986) - An album length critique of the then current Live Aid/Band Aid phenomena.
• Abigail - King Diamond (1987) - A pregnant woman is possessed
• Radio KAOS - Roger Waters (1987) - A man rescues his brother and saves the world
• Never Mind the Ballots - Chumbawamba (1987) - The anarchist arguments against voting released just before the 1987 UK general election.
• Seventh Son of a Seventh Son - Iron Maiden (1988) - The story of a man with psychic powers
• Operation: Mindcrime - Queensrÿche (1988) - The gritty story of underworld criminals
• Them - King Diamond (1988) - The story of a crazy grandmother (sequel to Abigail)
• Imaginos - Blue Öyster Cult (1988) - A supernatural entity wanders through history and impacts various world events
• Conspiracy - King Diamond (1989) - Another story about the insane grandmother (sequel to Them)
• Iron Man - Pete Townshend (1989) - Adapted from a story by Ted Hughes
• The Eye - King Diamond (1990) - About the French Inquisition and witchcraft
• Songs for Drella - Lou Reed & John Cale (1990) - A tribute to Andy Warhol
• Slap - Chumbawamba (1990) - A celebration of working class heroes and ordinary peoples' resistance.
• Dust and Dreams - Camel (1991) - Adapted from The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
• Amused to Death - Roger Waters (1992) - A sequel to The Final Cut by Pink Floyd (Waters' old group)
• Magic and Loss - Lou Reed (1992) - Growing old and dying, written in honor of two departed friends
• Night of the Stormrider - Iced Earth (1992) - A man falls from grace and doubts organized religion
• Psychoderelict - Pete Townshend (1993)
• The Crimson Idol - W.A.S.P (1993) - The story of a kid that goes insane
• The Downward Spiral - Nine Inch Nails (1994) Trent Reznor's journey from fucked to even more fucked
• Brave - Marillion (1994) - A runaway girl's battle to keep hope alive
• Outside - David Bowie (1995) - A detective, Nathan Adler, investigates the murder of a young girl
• Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - The Smashing Pumpkins (1995) - The journey from angst-ridden youth to unconcerned maturity.
• Only Built 4 Cuban Linx - Raekwon (1995) - The story of a Cuban gangster
• Dead Winter Dead - Savatage (1995) - A Serb boy and Muslim girl fall in love in war-torn Sarajevo
• Obsolete - Fear Factory (1995) - The future is a Wellesish 1984 in which machines rule and the government controls
• Dark Saga - Iced Earth (1996) - Adapted from the comic book Spawn
• Antichrist Superstar - Marilyn Manson (1996) The return of Beelzebub "I am the hydra/ Now youll see your star."
• Christmas Eve and Other Stories - Trans-Siberian Orchestra (1996) - An angel is sent to earth to find the good of Christmas day
• Pinkerton - Weezer (1996) - Album with several songs based on an adaption of Madame Butterfly
• The Graveyard - King Diamond (1996) - A man seeks revenge against the town mayor
• Harbour of Tears - Camel (1996) - The story of a group of Irish immigrants to the United States, the forefathers of guitarist Andrew Latimer
• Somewhere Out in Space - Gamma Ray (1997) - A science-fiction adventure based on 2001: A Space Odyssey
• Kid A - Radiohead (1997) - Tranquil, computerized desolation
• When The Red King Comes - Elf Power (1997) - A Tolkien-like fantasy world.
• Voodoo - King Diamond (1998) - People move to Louisiana and become involved in voodoo
• My Arms, Your Hearse - Opeth (1998) - A dead man contemplates his lover mourning him
• RZA as Bobby Digital in Stereo - RZA (1998)
• Nightfall in Middle-Earth - Blind Guardian (1998) - Adapted from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion (Specifically, the Quenta Silmarillion)
• Into the Electric Castle - Ayreon (1998) - Several people from different times and place are placed in a strange place, the "Electric Castle"
• Flower Power - The Flower Kings (1999)
• Return to the Center of the Earth - Rick Wakeman (1999) - Sequel to Journey to the Center of the Earth
• Dark Hallucinations - Steel Prophet (1999) - Partly based on the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
• Scenes From A Memory - Dream Theater (1999) - Past life regression and murder discovery
• House of God - King Diamond (2000)
• The Lifehouse Chronicles - Pete Townshend (2000) - The Who
• Machina - The Smashing Pumpkins (2000) - A rock star believes he hears the voice of God)
• Beethoven's Last Night - Trans-Siberian Orchestra (2000) - Mephistopheles comes for Beethoven's soul one night
• Magica - Dio (2000) - A fantasy-adventure
• Light of Day, Day of Darkness - Green Carnation (2001) - A single hour-long song of somewhat obscure meaning, involving enlightenment and the journey of life
• Strange Little Girls - Tori Amos (2001) - Traditionally masculine songs redone from a feminine point of view
• Setting Sons - The Jam (2001) - Three childhood friends meet again and discuss their lifes
• Leitmotif - Dredg (2001) - A man travels to different cultures to cure his spiritual affliction.
• Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence - Dream Theater (2002) - The various stages, actions, and moods of depression and insanity.
• Scarlet's Walk - Tori Amos (2002) - Two female friends go on a cross-country trip
• El Cielo - Dredg (2002) - Booklet contains letters written by sufferers of sleep disorders; most of the songs on the album revolve around the subject of sleep.
• Creatures - Elf Power (2002)
• Remedy Lane - Pain of Salvation (2002) live with a group of people in a communal environment
• Snow - Spock's Beard (2002) - An outcast teenager transforms into a messianic figure
• Hail to the Thief - Radiohead (2003)
• De-Loused in the Comatorium - The Mars Volta (2003) - A man tries to commit suicide via morphine overdose, but ends up in a week long coma laden with visions of humanity and himself. Upon waking, he decides to die.

  Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Concept album."

Top     

Abbreviations & Acronyms: Concept

Top     

Top     

Synonyms within Context: Concept

Top     

Top     

Modern Usage: Concept

Top     

Commercial Usage: Concept

Top     

Image Slideshow: Concept

Computer Images: Concept More pictures...

Top     

Photo Album: Concept

Thumbnail	Description & Credit	Thumbnail	Description & Credit
	Line graph showing immunologists' concept of the interplay between humoral and cell-mediated immune responses during coccidioidomycosis. Credit: CDC.		XV-15 proof of concept vehicle. Credit: NASA.
	Artist Concept of Terra Instruments Scanning the Earth. Credit: NASA.		This is an artist's concept of the near stellar environment of the star Beat Pictoris. This ... Credit: NASA.
	Artist's concept of a Pioneer Venus probe entering Venus' atmosphere. Credit: NASA.		Diagram illustrating concept of selectivity of mesh size on size of fish captured during trawling operations. Credit: Fisheries.
	Title page of Edwards Forbes' paper concerning a dredging expedition in the Aegean Sea. Forbes set forth the concept that no life existed below 300 fathoms inspiring numerous pioneeer oceanographers to devise means to prove him wrong. In: The Annual Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science for the year 1843. NOAA Central Library Journal collection. Credit: Sailing for Science - the NOAA Fleet Then and Now.		Figure 41. Thomson pneumatic sounder, devised by Sir William Thomson, was an extremely simple device designed for use with his sounding machine on a steel line. Although based on the action of pressure on gas or liquids, it also used the original concept of using a chemical means to note the depth attained. Credit: Sailing for Science - the NOAA Fleet Then and Now.
	Artist's conception of the AEROS meteorological satellite system. Basically, this is the concept for the GOES series of satellites. In: "Plan for a National Meteorological Satellite System", produced by the National Coordinating Committee for Aviation Meteorology, April 1961. Credit: NOAA in Space.		A Boeing worker checks data during a structural mode interaction test on the X-32B Joint Strike Fighter concept demonstrator. The X-32B is expected to start short take-off vertical landing flights early next year. (P.; photo by Kevin Flynn)..
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

Top     

Digital Photo Gallery: Concept
 

"GRAPE GRAZING" by Victor Silkin Commentary: "GRAPE GRAZING Australia, Melbounre. The concept is visting 3 Wineyard all over Victoria Great drinking session."	"2apples 2" by Lorena Molinari Commentary: "Concept photography... ;)."
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers.

Top     

Familiar Quotations: Concept

Top     

Historic Usage: Concept

Top     

Use in Literature: Concept

Top     

Non-Fiction Usage: Concept

Top     

Spoken Usage: Concept

Top     

Speeches: Concept

Top     

Usage Frequency: Concept

Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.

Top     

Usage in Company Names: Concept

Source: compiled by the editor from Icon Group International, Inc.

Top     

Expressions: Concept

Top     

Frequency of Internet Keywords: Concept

Top     

Modern Translation: Concept