By Sean Nelson
Special to MSN Music

Conventional wisdom among pop pundits holds the advent of "concept albums" (a/k/a "rock operas") as one of the late ‘60s most portentous developments, clinching the notion that the music had outgrown its seven-inch, 45 rpm origins with ambitions that demanded an expanded scale right-sized for LPs. (Never mind that none other than Frank Sinatra arguably got the drop on conceptual sets as perfect for 12-inches with 1954's "In The Wee Small Hours.")  Now that those pundits' successors are as likely to ponder the "death" of the album, it's fitting to take a second look (and listen) to the long-players of yore as well as recent albums that suggest both the album AND its conceptual potential are very much alive.  Our critic ponders the highs, lows and in-between of the format.

(David Warner Ellis; Michael Ochs Archive; Downey; Chris Walter)