4 Classic Concept Albums Worth Revisiting in the 2020s

Sometimes, a solid album with an incredible story is exactly what you need to get your own creativity flowing. These four classic concept albums couldn’t be more different than one another, but we think each one is worth revisiting in the 2020s. If anything, they’ll spice up your music taste. Let’s take a look, shall we?

1. ‘American Idiot’ by Green Day

Few punk concept albums match the sheer power of the 2004 record American Idiot by Green Day. The story behind this album is a very turn-of-the-millennium tale: A character named Jesus of Suburbia lives in low-or-middle-class America and lives through a number of timely events, from George Bush’s presidency to 9/11 to the Iraq War. 

There are only a couple of songs that are directly political (namely the title track), and the rest of the album is an interesting statement about adolescence, societal disillusion, and general confusion.

2. ‘Berlin’ by Lou Reed

An older entry on our list of classic concept albums, this 1973 classic from Lou Reed sounds like a Greek tragedy, or maybe even a rock opera. The story of this album follows two people named Caroline and Jim who are in the midst of drug abuse. 

There are lots of additional themes on this album, such as mental illness and domestic violence. Berlin is simple in terms of instrumentation, but Reed’s songwriting and singing are nothing short of arresting.

3. ‘Arthur (Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire)’ by The Kinks

This concept album hasn’t been brought up much in conversations about concept albums through the years, but it should. Arthur (Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire) by The Kinks is a standout rock record from 1969 that was ahead of its time. 

This album’s story follows a carpet layer named Arthur who suffers from a lack of opportunities and his own personal trauma in post-war England.

4. ‘Red Headed Stranger’ by Willie Nelson

Classic concept albums don’t get more “classic” than Willie Nelson’s famed 1975 record Red Headed Stranger. Nelson really leaned into his outlaw country persona for this one, and it gave us hits like “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain” and “O’er The Waves”. 

The concept behind this album is simple: A man is accused of murdering his wife and her lover, and he finds himself on the run from the law.

Photo by Greg Allen/Shutterstock

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