Album to Movie

[Mynd Hed]

Here's an interesting question: if you could choose any album to make into a movie-- not a concert video but something more like Pink Floyd's "The Wall" or the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine"-- what would it be?

Naturally, very few albums would be suitable to make a film out of. In fact, other than "The Wall" and "Yellow Submarine," the only half-decent music-based movie I can think of is "Wave Twisters." However, there are a few albums that I would be very interested in seeing a visual interpretation of.

My personal pick would be Deltron 3030's self-titled. Those of you who follow my rantings on this board probably aren't surprised by this. Deltron 3030 is my answer to everything. ("Mynd Hed, what do you think is the best way to bring peace to the Middle East?" "Deltron 3030.")
Still, the album does have a very loose story associated with it, and there's some pretty vivid imagery in some of the songs, especially "3030" and "Battlesong" that I think would make wonderful animated sequences. In fact, I think the whole album would be wonderful animated. It wouldn't be incredibly deep or meaningful (although the album does make some interesting political statements about modern American capitalism) but give it the right animator and it would be wonderful eye candy.

What are your thoughts?

[Enrique]

i dunno about an entire album, but there's a few songs that project a movie in my head whenever i hear them. specifically, "riders of the storm" and "the end" by the doors. i know "the end" is morrison's version of the odyssey, but i picture a contemporary odyssey when i hear it.

[Feslmogh]

Styx's "Paridise Theater"
Alice Copper's "Last Temptation"

[Floydian Slip]

THE WALL!!!
THE WALL!!!!
The Wall rules so much. ever friday night i watch it and i've listened to atleast 10 of the songs off the cd every day for the past few years. the wall is a masterpeice. unbelieveably awesome, everyone needs to see this movie.

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

Naturally, very few albums would be suitable to make a film out of. In fact, other than "The Wall" and "Yellow Submarine," the only half-decent music-based movie I can think of is "Wave Twisters."

Ooo! You've seen Wave Twisters? I hear that my main man Buckethead is in it. How is it, in your humble opinion? All I know is that it sounds weird.

As far as my pick, I think a good progressive band could make a good movie, or at least play. Dream Theater's "Metropolis Part 2: Scenes From a Memory," for example. It's already written like a Broadway play, anyway.

[Mynd Hed]

Ooo! You've seen Wave Twisters? I hear that my main man Buckethead is in it. How is it, in your humble opinion? All I know is that it sounds weird.

As far as my pick, I think a good progressive band could make a good movie, or at least play. Dream Theater's "Metropolis Part 2: Scenes From a Memory," for example. It's already written like a Broadway play, anyway.

Well, first off let me tell you that "Wave Twisters" is 100% pure trippy eye candy, with no substance whatsoever. However, if you don't mind that, it's not a bad way to spend an hour and a half. The fun thing about it is that EVERYTHING in that movie is a reference to another rap song or artist, so it helps your enjoyment of the movie if you're decently well-versed in the underground rap scene. For example, there's one scene in which a psychotic blue mutant dentist extracts teeth from an assortment of strange bestial alien creatures. One of the strange bestial alien creatures is a creature that's half shark and half alligator with legs like a man. That's an allusion to a Doctor Octagon (early Dan the Automator side project-- Dan the Automator is the DJ from the Gorillaz) song called, "halfsharkalligatorhalfman." Yeah. It's THAT kind of movie. Basically, if you liked "Spirited Away" and you like rap, it's your kind of movie. The music itself might make it worth the watch if you're into Buckethead-- it's got LOADS of high-quality DJing from him.

[Shnay]

I think Radiohead's "OK Computer" could make a great artsy movie. It could work in live action, but would probably be better animated. There's a lot on the album about the connection of man and machine and the depressing oddities of the modern world.

The other one I can think of is The Flaming Lips' "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots." I think this might work even better, as the whole thing is one big concept album. You'd have young karate girls battling robots, a man from the future with a word of warning, magicians, and planets "floating in space." It would be a trip.

[GoufCustom]

Dream Theater's Scenes From A Memory. As well as Queensryche's Operation: Mindcrime. I would also like to mention Spock's Beard SNOW. I'd love to see a artsy 2001: A Space Odyssey type film done to Tool's Lateralus.

[Andy Mancini]

Anything by Genesis. The Peter Gabriel or Ray Wilson albums would be best, but Phil Collins work fine. Given my choice though...

"The Lamb Lies Down on Brodway" - Not only does it already tell a story in both song and short story forms (a short story version of the album is printed in the albun cover), it would make an amazing film, on par with "The Wall".

"Foxtrot" - A little less straight ahead than "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway", but it still tells a nice story.

"Invisible Touch" - I know that this album has it's share of adult contemerary love songs, but when matched up with the songs "Land of Confusion", "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" and "Domino (Parts One and Two)", it could make for a gripping tale of war and suffering.

Others albums of note...

"The Complex" by Blue Man Group - Blue Man fun for everyone.

"Stange Days" by The Doors - If done properly that movie could be what "The Point" (classic album, awful movie) wanted to be.

"Drunken Lullabies" by Flogging Molly - This would make for a great period piece. It can follow the path of an Irish immigrant from Ireland during the Potato Famine to the United States.

[Spastic Minnow]

XTC's Skylarking.

Producer Todd Rundgren's concept of the album was make it feel that a passage of time; either the span of a day from waking to sleeping or the span of a lifetime, from childhood to death.

It would work excellently as a musical. (Of course if you all have paid attention to my musical recommendations you know that I'm just slightly biased)

[Floydian Slip]

I'd love to see a artsy 2001: A Space Odyssey type film done to Tool's Lateralus.

well, you can synch pink floyd's 20+ min long song "Echoes" to the last section in 2001 ASO...

[Matt Hazuda]

I think Radiohead's "OK Computer" could make a great artsy movie. It could work in live action, but would probably be better animated. There's a lot on the album about the connection of man and machine and the depressing oddities of the modern world.

The other one I can think of is The Flaming Lips' "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots." I think this might work even better, as the whole thing is one big concept album. You'd have young karate girls battling robots, a man from the future with a word of warning, magicians, and planets "floating in space." It would be a trip.

Yeah, Yoshimi seems like it would make a good movie. http://www.unfilteredfilms.com/badman/menu.htm did 2 songs from the album, and I think it would work as a whole thing.


I'm suprised no one mentioned Daft Punk's Discovery album though. They had 4 videos that were a movie pretty much even though it never got finished.