Having examined in the previous chapter the extent to which the Beatles hastened the decadence of popular music, I would like now to take a closer look at the more positive side of their legacy: the reasons for their longevity.

What is a ‘concept-album’?

Linguistically, the term ‘concept-album’ is an odd one: you won’t find an equivalent in other artistic disciplines: what writer would call his book a concept-novel? It is impossible to write a novel without a concept, a unifying idea: it is called a subject. We will look equally in vain in cinema for a ‘concept-film’ or in classical music for a ‘concept-opera’. People will argue that the term concept-album is less tautological on the grounds that the modern record-album is, unlike the classical opera, a non-narrative form of musical expression. But music is a temporal art form and as such cannot be anything other than narrative. Even pure music (classical, instrumental music) emerged only after music’s every movement had been fully invested with meaning through its age-old marriage to poetry, so that finally it became possible to tell a story without words.

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We saw in the New Year in fabulous company with our friends & fans at The Black Lion Hotel in Cardigan. After taking 7hrs to get there-girl puts too much oil in the car-girl breaks down physically & metaphorically-girl lashes out on unsuspecting music partner-girl wholeheartedly apologises-girl is forgiven, me, Seb, Jon & Iestyn rocked the night away to peeps with silly hair. The Black is famous for having once been Cardigan’s seminal music venue having been graced with the presence of The Beatles & The Stones and more recently for being the pub where the Hollywood Dylan Thomas biopic was filmed. Talking of Hollywood I’ve just seen I Am Legend, what a great film. I’m getting to love films who’s symbolism is right on the nose: a black Jesus Christ, a devastating virus called Krypton, ground zero, suicide bombing…a stunning cultural commentary, even the dog who causes our lead’s demise turns out to be female! It’s brilliant, women causing all the trouble from the pioneering female scientist in the beginning to the admirable Anna, even the girl zombie causing the main male zombie’s headaches. Wow us girls still know how to mess you guys up. If anyone wants to discuss this movie further please comment, I could talk about it all day!