Probably a combination of it's ability in their discography, lack of overplay tat has harmed Dark Side of the Moon, 'Wish You Were Here', the Wall and stoners being fans of the band. It totally get th estoner thing, but in hindsight, there are concepts in all of PF's music, from the Barrett-led incarnation to Gilmour-led incarnation and everything in-between, way beyond a stoner's attention span. Essentially PF are a jam blues band informed by classical music, studio experimentation and overarching concepts. Animals is the first record that borrows ideas from another source, Gorge Orwell's other classic novel Animal Farm about class systems in the UK, and mixes the style of music the band has been experimenting, creating and honing since Syd Barrett was removed from the band. It's never been about the songs with PF, it's always been about concept and mood, and when they tried to focus on songs, nothing really stuck. Check out their first attempt at a single in 'Point Me At the Sky' from 1968. The tune is literal, science-fiction or fact based in some way, and the backing track is very unusual for a pop song. Animals builds on the musical foundations of Dark Side, and Wish to produce, in my humble opinion, their most original work. Superfans will notice the threads from Obscured by Clouds and More in Dark Side, and there is a tiny bit of that in Animals from the previous records, but not wholly so much. Dark Side, Wish You Were Here, and, finally, Animals is the culmination of a band trying to find's it's own vocabulary of sound architecture. 'Childhood's End' informs Dark Side's 'Time', as well as other pieces of music on Obscured by Clouds. 'Pigs' bass intro and keyboard arps precedes the similar in the intro of 'Hey You' from the Wall, 'Run Like Hell' gets it up-tempo shuffle from 'Sheep'. Much like Wish You Were Here, Animals takes it's time with only 5 songs on the entire record, 4 if you're counting bookends of 'Pigs on the Wing'. But all we know as musical trade marks of PF are here, great guitar solos, Roger Water's cryptic and anti-establishment lyrics, Nick Mason's solid drumming, and Rick Wright's keyboard and synth work. That's why it's my favorite PF record, it's a singular work by a band whose found their sound and is making work. why this album isn't a favorite of those who love Dark Side, the Wall and their other albums, even the Divison Bell, I really don't get!
Following Animals, the Wall was a good effort to follow-up. The combination of it's theatrical live tour and hit single of 'Another Brick in the Wall, PT. 2', it's undeniable that the Wall is a masterpiece of the rock genre. Yet, I have always had a feeling that it's a far less superior record to Animals, Dark Side and Wish You Were Here. On the first half, the story unfolds similar to Tommy, detailed and artistic to let the music and emotions take over the record. By the second disc/half, the thread of the story is lost and the ambiguity of the dream songs turned me off. The Animals album and tour is what broke the band too, which is also why this is my favorite record, there's destruction behind it's industrial cover. There's no long pieces of music on the Wall, only short vignettes of relationships, self and rock music, itself. Producer extraordinare, Bob Ezrin, is for-lack-of-a-better-term partly responsible, but the majority of the blame goes to Roger Waters assuming the role of commander-in-chief of PF and really not giving a fuck the wellbeing of the other band members and essentially dropping the ball on the record. A bit of life-imitating-art as the main character of the Wall aptly named Pink Floyd becomes this sort of Neo-Nazi through drugs and rock and roll. Hmmm. Later, He'd fire keyboardist Rick Wright from the band before the Wall tour and force the band to record the quasi-sequel and confusing record the Final Cut in 1982. Exrin's and David Gilmour's fingerprints are sonically visible on the second half of the Wall. There are echoes of Lou Reed's Berlin which Erin produced in 1973 and guitar player David Gilmour's debut solo record has all his new guitar tricks recorded and figured out a year before the Wall had started work. There are missing songs from the final record that show-up in the movie, edits and augmentation in the live show which makes the final record a confusing listen. Animals, like Dark Side, and Wish You Were Here are DEFINITE LISTENS. This is the WAY the band wants you to listen to the record, from start to finish, with all the ducks in a row and gratuity in it's proper places. The Wall is gratuitous in the wrong way and has left me to believe that the live show recordings of Is There Anybody Out There: The Wall 1980-81 is the way to listen to it properly. The album has too many short songs at some points or unnecessary musical moments that contain the same ideas and emotions of the main character, where Animals and Dark Side are very on-the-nose about everything, which in music is fine and other mediums cringeworthy. And that's why the Wall is not my life changing Pf record, Animals is!
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