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Topic:
The albums of Pink Floyd: A hosted discussion; Now Disc. " The Wall "
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KnightWriter
Title:
Administrator Emeritus
Registered:
Nov '01
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Date Posted:
8/28 10:52pm
Subject:
RE: The albums of Pink Floyd: A hosted discussion; Now Disc. " Animals "
- Date Edited:
8/28 10:52pm (1 edits total)
Edited By:
KnightWriter
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The final album of the "Big Five" in the 1970s for Pink Floyd was The Wall, an opus created largely by Roger Waters, to the acknowledged detriment of the rest of the group.
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1. In The Flesh?
2. The Thin Ice
3. Another Brick In The Wall (Part 1)
4. The Happiest Days Of Our Lives
5. Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)
6. Mother (1994
7. Goodbye Blue Sky
8. Empty Spaces
9. Young Lust
10. One Of My Turns
11. Don't Leave Me Now
12. Another Brick In The Wall (Part 3)
13. Goodbye Cruel World
1. Hey You
2. Is There Anybody Out There?
3. Nobody Home
4. Vera
5. Bring The Boys Back Home
6. Comfortably Numb
7. The Show Must Go On
8. In The Flesh
9. Run Like Hell
10. Waiting For The Worms
11. Stop
12. The Trial
13. Outside The Wall
Here's what Amazon.com says about it:
The Wall is less a collection of songs than a single work, which is sometimes frustrating; the plot lacks enough coherence to hold the snippets of music together. However, there are occasional flashes of brilliance on what ranks as Pink Floyd's most ambitious project. Most of these come from the fully developed songs, which have become classics in their own right. "Hey You," "Mother," and especially "Comfortably Numb" are subtle, incredible pieces of music. Though complex, they move at a relaxed pace, allowing the listener to absorb them slowly; this kind of pacing was something Pink Floyd excelled at. Also worth noting is the "Another Brick in the Wall/The Happiest Days of Our Lives" medley, which has become a staple of rock radio.
It's a great album, though I think some individual parts are better than the sum total. Comfortably Numb features perhaps the greatest guitar solo in history, and several other tracks are superb. I'm a big fan of Run Like Hell myself, along with Hey You and Mother.
The band toured heavily in 1980-81 on this, and then mostly scattered with the wind (The Final Cut aside).
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General Kenobi
Title: Comms Admin
SW & Film Music
Classic Trilogy
Registered:
Dec '98
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Date Posted:
8/29 9:04am
Subject:
RE: The albums of Pink Floyd: A hosted discussion; Now Disc. " The Wall "
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Actually, the live performances of The Wall were limited. They only did it in Los Angeles, New York, London and Dortmund, Germany.
It's a landmark album in rock history and for the band. Anyone who likes the music should watch the film, starring Bob Geldof as Pink. Many of the songs are often misunderstood by casual listeners.
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Vortigern99
Title: Manager Emeritus
Registered:
Nov '00
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Date Posted:
8/29 12:31pm
Subject:
RE: The albums of Pink Floyd: A hosted discussion; Now Disc. " The Wall "
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I missed the discussion on Animals, so before I comment on The Wall:
Animals is my favorite Floyd record. I discovered it in college, at a time when I had already committed to memory, lyrically and instrumentally, Dark Side and The Wall. Straddling as it does those two seminal and very successful records, it's surprising that no hit single emerged from Animals. Then again, with an average track length of 15 minutes, it would have been a supreme challenge to edit any of them down to a radio-friendly length, even if the band had permitted such an ignominious hatchet-job.
So I never heard a single tune from Animals until Floyd's "Best of" record, A Collection of Great Dance Songs, made it to CD in the late 80s, with Sheep as the third track. It's such a bizarre piece of music, Sheep, with its shuffle beat (reminscent of One of These Days, also on ACOGDS), screamed lyrics, synth interlude, sinister overtones, biblical allusions, screeching solos. Wow. When I borrowed the entire record, Animals, from a friend based on the beauty of Sheep, I. Was. Blown. Away.
I went around humming Pigs to myself constantly, clicking that cowbell rhythm on tabletops everywhere to the annoyance of many a fellow collegiate. As my appreciation of the record deepened, Dogs took over my psyche, and since then has entrenched itself as perhaps my favorite musical composition of all time. (Ironically enough, I occasionally hear Dogs on the radio now -- all 17 minutes of it!) The lyrics are endlessly challenging, demanding interpretation: Is it about street thugs? Mobsters? Gangstas? Punks? "Who was born in a house full of pain/Who was trained not to spit in the fan/Who was told what to do by the man," etc.
Animals is a terrific road record, too. I used to put it into my Walkman on bus trips between Austin to Houston. On one such journey in particular, travelling down rural 290E, whilst Dogs played in my ears, I noted many dogs romping or lolling in yards along the highway. When Pigs began to play I started to observe various pigs in farmhouse pens. Predictably, but no less suprisingly, I began to watch sheep grazing in pastures and fields, as Sheep screamed its tale of vengeful woolies into my brain. Coincidence, of course, but at the time it seemed magical, as if the record were speaking to me through observable reality, the stories of each song unfolding like plays before my wondering eyes.
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"I knew from the beginning I was not doing science fiction.
I was doing a space opera, a fantasy film, a mythological piece,
a fairy tale."--George Lucas
My "Vader's Origins" thread:
http://boards.theforce.net/Classic_Trilogy/b10002/8708417/p1
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General Kenobi
Title: Comms Admin
SW & Film Music
Classic Trilogy
Registered:
Dec '98
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Date Posted:
8/29 2:12pm
Subject:
RE: The albums of Pink Floyd: A hosted discussion; Now Disc. " The Wall "
- Date Edited:
8/29 2:14pm (1 edits total)
Edited By:
General Kenobi
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Animals is thematically a very Orwellian (think Animal Farm) critique of capitalism. Like many well-written songs, the lyrics here can be a bit open-ended in terms of what they mean to each individual listener.
"Dogs" are the ladder-climbing, back-stabbing businessmen who can end up as Ken Lay or Willy Loman.
"Pigs" are the (corrupt) corporate and political leaders controlling the dogs. When I first heard this song back in the early 80s, I picked up the Margaret Thatcher reference right away, and assumed the other verses were about the USSR and the US leaders. As it turns out, the "Whitehouse" line refers to Mary Whitehouse and not the US president (would have been Ford at the time, but I thought it could have referred to Nixon). Also, Maggie Thatcher was not yet PM at the time it was written, she was just the leader of the Conservative opposition in Parliament. The first verse appears to refer to then-Prime Minister James Callaghan.
The "Sheep" (originally the song was called "Raving And Drooling") are the proletariat who are exploited by the dogs and the pigs. Notice how the sheep rise up and revolt in the song. I always felt there was a bit of a religious implication here as well, the "sheep" who follow the Bakers and Roberts and Falwells of the world, but I think Waters' intent was mostly a scathing criticism of western capitalism.
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Vortigern99
Title: Manager Emeritus
Registered:
Nov '00
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Date Posted:
8/29 2:49pm
Subject:
RE: The albums of Pink Floyd: A hosted discussion; Now Disc. " The Wall "
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Awesome analysis! I'm going to follow some of those leads, and see if I think your suggestions as to sources or "inspirations" match my perceptions as well.
-----signature-----
"I knew from the beginning I was not doing science fiction.
I was doing a space opera, a fantasy film, a mythological piece,
a fairy tale."--George Lucas
My "Vader's Origins" thread:
http://boards.theforce.net/Classic_Trilogy/b10002/8708417/p1
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General Kenobi
Title: Comms Admin
SW & Film Music
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Dec '98
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Date Posted:
9/15 9:28am
Subject:
RE: The albums of Pink Floyd: A hosted discussion; Now Disc. " The Wall "
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Sad news:
Richard Wright passed away today. Link
I just watched David Gilmour's Remember That Night dvd this weekend, which features Richard on keyboards and vocals.
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Vortigern99
Title: Manager Emeritus
Registered:
Nov '00
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Date Posted:
9/15 10:08am
Subject:
RE: The albums of Pink Floyd: A hosted discussion; Now Disc. " The Wall "
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Wow. Bummer. There can be no more Floyd now, or ever again. A great artist has passed on.
-----signature-----
"I knew from the beginning I was not doing science fiction.
I was doing a space opera, a fantasy film, a mythological piece,
a fairy tale."--George Lucas
My "Vader's Origins" thread:
http://boards.theforce.net/Classic_Trilogy/b10002/8708417/p1
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TheEmpireStrikes
Registered:
Jun '04
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Date Posted:
9/16 4:39pm
Subject:
RE: The albums of Pink Floyd: A hosted discussion; Now Disc. " The Wall "
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Pink Floyd are my favorite band of all time, so hearing the news of Wright's death was quite a blow to me  without him, they would not have been anything like the Pink Floyd we know and love. It was always a fools hope, but I'd always hoped I would have the chance to see Pink Floyd live someday. I actually had tickets to Live8 but I had to give them up at the last minute because circumstances dictated family come first.
I daresay I have a lot to say about previously discussed albums, but until the album run-through is done, I shall keep on-topic. I like The Wall, although not nearly as much as Meddle, DSotM or WYWH, but I must admit there are only three tracks which I truly LOVE, these being Hey You, Comfortably Numb and Run Like Hell.
-----signature-----
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I'm not going to fall to the Dark Side...
Look, some Jawa's I can torture!
Whoops!
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madman007
Registered:
Aug '07
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Date Posted:
9/16 9:35pm
Subject:
RE: The albums of Pink Floyd: A hosted discussion; Now Disc. " The Wall "
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I will never hear Great Gig In The Sky the same way again.
I am so glad I did get to see Pink Floyd in '94 during their Division Bell tour inside the Superdome in New Orleans. Yes, I had a far away seat, but for a Floyd concert, that's the best seat to see the whole spectacle. I will never forget the HUGE three-story crystal ball that rose and opened during Comfortably Numb.
I will also never forget the essential addition of Richard Wright. The melodies of Great Gig and Us and Them seem are so powerful.
During The Wall, he was unfortunately reduced to a session musician, and to an extent, so was Gilmour. Those are also my three favorites tunes from The Wall; Comfortably Numb, Run Like Hell, and Hey You. I would add Mother and One Of My Turns. For the rest, it just played out like a pale version of Waters own personal musical. I refer to the Wall as the Roger Waters and Friends album. It's what started the feud between Wright and Waters and Wright ended up not even showing up on Final Cut, which I consider to be a pure Waters solo album. But that's a discussion for another day.
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in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.
- Barack Obama
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TheEmpireStrikes
Registered:
Jun '04
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Date Posted:
9/17 7:32am
Subject:
RE: The albums of Pink Floyd: A hosted discussion; Now Disc. " The Wall "
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madman007 posted:
Final Cut, which I consider to be a pure Waters solo album. But that's a discussion for another day.
Ditto. Haven't even listened to that one in a good 5-6 years.
-----signature-----
I'm not going to fall to the Dark Side...
I'm not going to fall to the Dark Side...
Look, some Jawa's I can torture!
Whoops!
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Vortigern99
Title: Manager Emeritus
Registered:
Nov '00
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Date Posted:
9/17 9:11am
Subject:
RE: The albums of Pink Floyd: A hosted discussion; Now Disc. " The Wall "
- Date Edited:
9/17 9:11am (1 edits total)
Edited By:
Vortigern99
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I love Final Cut, but it definitely has a different sound attendant to Wright's absence, and plays like a Waters solo album (which, as noted, it basically is).
I saw the Division Bell tour as well -- Easter '94 at the Alamodome in San Antonio. The rotating chrome ball that rose out of the center of the auditorium during Gilmour's solo on Comfortably Numb (as reported by madman!) was stunning. When it split open to reveal a crystal ball within, well that was probably the most awesome piece of theater I've ever seen in my life. 
-----signature-----
"I knew from the beginning I was not doing science fiction.
I was doing a space opera, a fantasy film, a mythological piece,
a fairy tale."--George Lucas
My "Vader's Origins" thread:
http://boards.theforce.net/Classic_Trilogy/b10002/8708417/p1
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Zaz
Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre
Registered:
Oct '98
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Date Posted:
9/17 2:35pm
Subject:
RE: The albums of Pink Floyd: A hosted discussion; Now Disc. " The Wall "
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I read that he had been reduced to a session musician, too.
Harsh. 
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KnightWriter
Title:
Administrator Emeritus
Registered:
Nov '01
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Date Posted:
9/21 9:51am
Subject:
RE: The albums of Pink Floyd: A hosted discussion; Now Disc. " The Wall "
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I like The Final Cut for what it is. It is essentially a Waters solo album, but at the same time, it has Gilmour on it, which makes it different in a crucial way from the rest of his solo work (which does not feature Gilmour, of course). The erstwhile guitarist is the main reason I'm a Floyd fan, and he gave life to Waters' ideas. Their parting was similar to the one between Lennon and McCartney (ego), but in their case, Waters was the more dominant of the two, and their strengths were different. Gilmour never had the raw talent to be a conceptual genius, as Waters did, but Waters lacked Gilmour's musical flair. I shouldn't speak in past tense, since they're both still around, but you know what I mean.
Speaking of The Final Cut, we may as well discuss it now. I'm not on my usual laptop, and therefore I don't really want to go through the trouble of pasting the track titles, but I think we all know where to find it on Amazon. The Final Cut does have arguably the most straight-ahead rock song in the Pink Floyd canon, which is Not Now John. It's very different from the rest of the album, and is the only time you hear David Gilmour's voice.
The rest of the album is brooding, and there are only occasional flashes of color. The music matches the mood, and is a continuation of The Wall in every way.
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Zaz
Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre
Registered:
Oct '98
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Date Posted:
10/3 12:50pm
Subject:
RE: The albums of Pink Floyd: A hosted discussion; Now Disc. " The Wall "
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Ze list, which grows longer by ze hour.
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KnightWriter
Title:
Administrator Emeritus
Registered:
Nov '01
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Date Posted:
10/11 3:31pm
Subject:
RE: The albums of Pink Floyd: A hosted discussion; Now Disc. " The Wall "
- Date Edited:
10/11 3:31pm (2 edits total)
Edited By:
KnightWriter
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Not too many people interested in discussing the group's swan song under the Waters-Gilmour banner, it seems.
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