Listening to “The Concept” again, years after I’d heard it last, it strikes me that the line “She’s gonna buy some records by the Status Quo” isn’t just a throwaway reference to the old-fashioned nature of the song’s subject, or a pun about her conservative tastes; the chugging guitars of the song reference the Quo in all their denim glory as much as the Byrds, and as such weirdly predicts the appeal of Oasis, who’d make their debut a couple of years or so after this song was released.
It’s that mix of jangle and thud, of comfort and curiosity, that drives “The Concept” through its first half; an oddly-grounded, oddly-singalongable song that hints at a sadness it refuses to name (“I didn’t want to hurt you/Oh yeah”). But then it gets to 3:14, and the song turns into something more obviously old-fashioned and out of step with contemporary tastes, something that sounds like nothing as much as a lost backing from the second Big Star album, and it’s just… lovely, and – because of the fade at the end – unfinished. The whole song, then, is something that refuses to reveal everything or tell all, but what it does share is something that makes you empathize, worry and want more.
As far as first statements go, it’s hard to beat that kind of impact.