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February 19, 2019: Concept Album (Read on SPT Episode 84)

Hi Brad and Brad,

I love concept albums.  For the last couple of weeks, I've been saturating myself in them and it got me to thinking: Can I stitch one together from Pearl Jam's studio albums?  I know there are some rumors that Avocado was in some ways a concept album, however the band has publicly denounced it as such.  I read up on some of my favorite concept albums and really focused in on The Wall (Pink Floyd) and Quadrophenia (The Who).

My idea was to create a character in the same vein those two records did.  What I came up with is the following:

- A boy grows up in a broken home with an abusive father (My Father's Son, Blood)
- His mother convinces him to run away to live a better life (Breath, Go)
- The boy breaks free, grows up and finds love (Given To Fly, Thin Air, Parachutes)
- While in love, he begins to see himself as his father (Pendulum)
- He tells his love his fear of hurting her (I Got Id)
- She says she's not leaving him and convinces him to move forward (Save You, Present Tense)
- He proclaims he has broken away from his past (Rearviewmirror, Release)

In order to make sure I didn't go overboard with this.  I tried to keep the length of the record about the same as The Wall and Quadrophenia (ca. 80 min).  I have 20 tracks, which I split out into "2 discs" and each disk has an A and B side.  Here's what I came up with:
Disc 1 Disc 2
Side A 1 Long Road Side A 11 Thin Air
2 Better Man 12 Parachutes
3 My Father's Son 13 Pendulum
4 Hold On 14 I Got Id
5 Blood 15 Save You
Side B 6 Breath Side B 16 Present Tense
7 Go 17 You Are
8 Gone 18 Rearviewmirror
9 Given To Fly 19 Arc
10 Wasted Reprise 20 Release
I start off with Long Road, because that track is such an awesome opener.  I think it provides a bit of perspective for anyone listening.  You Are is added toward the end to express how essential the main character needs his love to keep him moving forward.  Altogether, this track list is just a little above 80 min (83 min).

The only thing I haven't done yet is given this album a title.  I'm mulling over these ideas, but am open to anything else if you can think of one.

1. Release
2. My Father's Son
3. Better Man

Forced to endure, what I could not forgive,

Chris

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