Christmas Bash: Concept Album?

First up, Merry Christmas - for those celebrating, of course. This Christmas, I'm taking a different direction: I want to discuss the Pokémon Christmas Bash album in a different light. Sure, I've discussed it a few times, once near the start of this blog and even two songs from it in yesterday's post as well as the day before today last year. I theorize that the album can be considered as a "concept album" due to the elements present in the songs as well as the overall structure. This might seem like a strange proposition, but it's also a wonderful one.

A "concept album" is defined as an album with songs that, when taken together, have a grander objective. Though the term can apply to albums and music of different genres, the term is most famously linked with rock music. A concept album may also tell a story through its songs, giving rise to the term "rock opera" when linked with the aforementioned genre. Some concept albums have so much story power that they are turned into musicals, one of them being Chess, of which one song I also had previously mentioned in this blog. This becomes relevant given the Pokémon Christmas Bash album.

The very first song in the album indicates a setting: a Christmas party with all the then-principal characters of the Pokémon anime, including the villains. Through the songs, insights are gained regarding the characters and how they regard the holidays. As well, the progression of the party is felt with each song, with the climax being the Christmas Medley. Because of these elements and its structure, it's hard not to interpret the album as a concept album that tells a story, similar in vein to some albums that do almost exactly the same. The Christmas aspect is a secondary but complementary aspect.

This conceivably leads to the idea that this album could have led to the production of a (musical) Pokémon feature based on this album, as is the case with many concept albums that tell a story. Had it been conceived, this would have been, at least in part, a Western-influenced production, a rarity in a sea of Eastern-influenced Pokémon productions. Since the anime has taken a couple of different directions, it would be hard to expect this to happen now; however, the idea of writing a script or screenplay for this adaptation remains attractive. Perhaps I would like to do it.

The Pokémon Christmas Bash album remains a fascinating if not rather offbeat take on Christmas celebrations, one that provides an appeal for Pokémon fans to celebrate in their own way. And yet, seemingly more than that, it provides a story due to its structure, which is like a concept album. During the holiday times, a story like this is worth telling. And it certainly would make those times even merrier and more wonderful, particularly for Pokémon fans in this case.

And once again, Merry Christmas. 🎄

One year ago: Merry Christmas!