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by Josh:
The band: The Osmonds
The album: The Plan
The “Concept”:
After putting out their lite-Led Crazy Horses, apparently about the perils of pollution (the “crazy horses” were smokestacks no-we’re-not-on-drugs), the singing brothers decided to put out a rock opera about Mormon eschatology in as vague terms as possible.
The execution: At its best moments, “The Plan” is a reminder that the distance between Mormon theology and ’70s glam is shorter than David Bowie or Mitt Romney would acknowledge, but at worst it’s a muddled mix of schmaltz and oblique spirituality. The “opera” is more like a Mama Mia floorshow, a Guffman-esque Elton John, but songs like “One Way Ticket to Anywhere” are so ingratiating in their stupid earnestness that it’s hard not to sing along.
For more see: The Plan
posted by js:
By the power vested in me to declare things unilaterally: We’re havin’ a music listenin’ club.
Kinda like one of those book clubs, where everyone reads the same thing.
And we’re doin’ concept albums.
Here’s why: I was raised in an odd family, regarding music listening, so I never got around to most of the seminal concept albums that are considered part of the canon (yeah, yeah, but for this, pretend there is a canon), so I either haven’t heard or haven’t given much thought to plenty of concept albums; concept albums are mostly a holdover from the ’70s (well, late ’60s through present, maybe); I’m looking forward to writing about a similar thing for a while; concept albums are easy to find on vinyl for cheap, despite frequently being awesome. Maybe because they don’t necessarily lend themselves to singles.
Anyway, I’m gonna listen to one concept album for a week until I get, I dunno, twenty or thirty of ‘em done. And I’m going to start with The Plan by The Osmond Family (because I came across it cheap!).
I’ll have something written on it by next week, and I encourage you guys to find it too. After the cut is the list that I’m working with now. Feel free to add or nix anything.
