Greatest Concept Albums of All Time

10. Pink Floyd � The Dark Side of the Moon (1973): No album has come closer to coherent perfection � both thematically and musically � as this masterpiece from Pink Floyd. Shaped by Roger Waters' sense of alienation (and "inspired," one suspects, by the fractured psyche of Floyd founder Syd Barrett), the album probed its dark themes with the sort of exquisite craftsmanship normally associated with a classic novel. David Gilmour's searing solos, especially on "Time" and "Money," remain among the most momentous in rock history.

9. Rush � 2112 (1976): Prog-rock and heavy metal were fused more brilliantly than ever on this conceptual effort, which proved to be Rush's breakthrough album. Spanning one full album-side, the 20-minute title track presented a harrowing portrait of a world in which individual expression is crushed at every level. Alex Lifeson's metal riffs gave the music a hard edge that distinguished it from the flighty tendencies of Rush's British prog-rock counterparts. Today, many of the album's themes seem prescient.