The 20 greatest geek albums

​If the geeks are really set to inherit the earth (that's the saying, right?), then it's time we highlight the musical offerings they have on the table. With Jonathan Coulton's Artificial Heart being released last week at PAX, it seems as good a time as any to look at our favorite albums about dragons, robots, dystopias and so much more. From Middle-earth to transmutation, here are the best geek albums.

​20. Dr. Octagonecologyst by Dr. Octagon
Year: 1996
Label: MCA Records
Geekiness: 7.0
Dr. Octagon is an extraterrestrial, time-traveling gynecologist and if that wasn't enough, he's also a lyricist who likes to toss in surreal non-sequiturs and dick jokes. Throw in the fact it's one of the best albums Keith Thornton ever put out and it's not just a solid geek album, it's a fantastic hip-hop album.

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19. Nightfall in Middle-Earth by Blind Guardian
Year: 1998
Label: Century Media
Geekiness: 9.0
Sure, Led Zeppelin had some songs about J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, but Blind Guardian steps it up with an entire concept album about The Silmarillion, the book of tales about the First Age of Middle-earth. It also happened to be the first record released by Blind Guardian in the states.

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18. Replicas by Tubeway Army
Year: 1979
Label: Beggars Banquet
Geekiness: 8.2
We're all well aware that Gary Numan is a bit of a geek, but Replicas takes it as far as possible. It's a bit of a concept album of loosely tied together short stories about a metropolis where androids keep the humans in check. Plus, it features the chart topper, "Are 'Friends' Electronic?" so that should be a clear indication of what's on here.

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17. Crack the Skye by Mastodon
Year: 2009
Label: Reprise
Geekiness: 6.2
It's not the first Mastodon concept album and it certainly won't be the last, but Crack the Skye is easily the dorkiest. Instead of taking inspiration from classic works, the band has made its own this time and that apparently means the outfit wants to tell the story of a paraplegic capable of astral projection. What would a paraplegic do with these powers? Travel into outer space and eventually put his soul inside Rasputin's body, of course.

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16. Operation: Doomsday by MF Doom
Year: 1999
Label: Fondle 'Em Records
Geekiness: 8.1
In case you can't tell from the album cover, this is pretty much a rap album that samples and talks about comic books. It's also Daniel Dumile's first solo record after KMD fell apart, making it historically important for fans of his slightly weird KMD lyrics. Of course, that didn't prepare anyone for MF Doom.